Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in a crucial Eastern Conference win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7 — It’s not often you give a good score to a goalkeeper who gives up three goals, but there was little El Pulpo could do about any of the three. He was hung out to dry on two of them and Diego Rossi did a superb job of bending the second Crew goal past him and just inside the post. Gallese made seven saves in the match and some of them were incredible. His best sequence was a massive double save on Yaw Yeboah and Hernandez in the 42nd minute, keeping the deficit at just one goal entering the half. Gallese’s distribution was good, as he passed at an 81% rate and completed six of his 11 long balls. He also recorded a clearance.

D, Rafael Santos, 5.5 — I thought the young fullback took a step back in this match. He struggled to get cross attempts past the first defender, was caught up the field on the third Crew goal, and had an unstable touch. His lone shot attempt from outside the box was off target, but to be fair, it didn’t miss by much. He was 0-for-3 on crossing accuracy and just six of his 13 long balls found their target. His passing rate was a meh 68.6%. Defensively, he contributed two interceptions but nothing else and committed a foul. The Brazilian has had better matches.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Jansson had another solid night and even though he kept Columbus onside for one of the Crew goals, that one came off of a defensive-zone turnover, so it’s hard to fault him too much for the sudden change. Jansson passed well (93.2%) and three of his four long balls were accurate. He recorded a tackle and two clearances and mostly kept the middle clean, as the Crew created most of the defense’s problems from the wide areas.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — Schlegel’s biggest mistake in this game was anticipating a pass that didn’t come and then getting beaten by the one that did. He’s always going to be a high-risk, high-reward kind of defender and it bit him on that play but he was mostly solid on the night. Defensively, he led the team in interceptions (3), made two clearances, and blocked a shot. Schlegel led the team in passing accuracy (97.3%) and completed all three of his attempted long balls. He also attempted one shot that was on target.

D/MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 5.5 — This grade may seem a bit weird to some, but it’s kind of a split rating. At fullback, it was a tough night for the Icelandic import. Yeboah’s pace and the movement of the Crew’s forwards off the ball created issues for him. He kept the Crew onside for Julian Gressel’s opening goal, getting out of alignment with his back line teammates. He also got beat for pace on well-timed runs on long through balls, although there’s not much one can do about their pace. When he moved to the midfield, he helped the Lions climb back into the game. Defensively, he recorded one tackle, two interceptions, and a team-high three clearances. His passing rate was good (86%) and he completed his lone attempted long ball.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — It was another solid night from the Uruguayan. Araujo drew a team-high four fouls on the opposition, helped gum up the middle against a lethal opposing attack, and did well to connect the back line to the attackers. His passing was a solid 85.4% and he recorded a pair of key passes. He recorded one clearance as well. Araujo doesn’t get a lot of accolades, but he simply plays solidly every night.

MF, Felipe, 6.5 — The Brazilian was a surprise starter on the night but he played well and even picked up his first assist as a Lion — the secondary helper on Orlando City’s first goal. His pass sent Ivan Angulo down the right and it led to Martin Ojeda’s tying goal early in the second half, making it 1-1 at the time. Felipe helped glue the lines together, passing at an 87.1% rate, contributing a key pass, and completing two of his three long balls. He recorded two tackles, only committed one foul, and drew one from the Crew. Oscar Pareja sacrificed him in the 57th minute to send Facundo Torres on.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — It might seem harsh to hand Angulo a 6 when he recorded three key passes, including an assist, and used his speed to track back well to help out primarily on Dagur Dan’s side. However, too many transition opportunities were wrecked on the night due to a misplaced pass by the speedy winger. One good example was his overweighted ball that could have sent Ojeda in on goal but instead forced the Argentine to sprint hard to the end line and send it directly at the goalkeeper from a tough angle. Angulo took one off-target shot, passed at a 79.2% rate — the lowest percentage of all midfielders — completed one of his two crosses and was inaccurate on his lone through-ball attempt. Defensively, he chipped in a tackle and an interception.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — The captain was solid, if unspectacular, starting in the attacking midfield, then cycling to the No. 8 spot in the second half. He lost the ball too often with two unstable touches and he was dispossessed twice. He did not attempt a shot and completed 83.3% of his passes, one of his two crosses, and one of his two long balls, while recording one key pass. He chipped in a tackle and a clearance defensively, committing two fouls while not drawing one. The captain sent a fantastic ball forward that led (eventually) to Torres’ goal in the 73rd minute. Pereyra came off in the 80th minute for Michael Halliday, which moved Thorhallsson into the midfield.

MF, Martin Ojeda, 8 — With Torres dealing with a leg contusion, Ojeda got a rare start and he made the most of it. He scored Orlando City’s first goal, picked up the primary assist on the second, and delivered the service that led to the third and fourth. Ojeda contributed a team-high five key passes, put one of his two shots on target, and passed at an 87.5% rate, completing all three of his long balls and two of his team-high eight crosses. He even contributed a clearance on the defensive end. On another night, Ojeda could easily be our Man of the Match.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 8.5 (MotM) — It was a spectacular performance for the young Argentine, who filled in for Duncan McGuire after the rookie picked up a knock late in training and was held out as a precaution. Enrique tied the match in the 86th minute and won it in the 97th. He also picked up a secondary assist on Torres’ goal. Enrique put all three of his shots on frame, and would have had a hat trick had his point-blank shot not been right down the middle, where it made for an easier save for Patrick Schulte. He drew three fouls on the Crew, won a team-high three aerials, and contributed three clearances on the defensive end. His passing rate of 79.2% doesn’t catch the eye, but that’s fairly high for a forward. If Enrique can build some consistencey off of this performance, the Lions won’t miss the depth that Ercan Kara provided behind McGuire throughout the year. Hopefully, the yellow card Enrique picked up for taking off his shirt during his celebration of the winning goal won’t come back to haunt him, as it was his third of the season.

Substitutes

MF, Facundo Torres (57′), 8 — Torres replaced Felipe as Orlando City had fallen behind by a goal and Orlando City needed a spark. Boy did the Uruguayan provide one. The game changed noticeably once Torres took the pitch and within a couple of minutes, he’d already attempted two shots, although one of those was off target and the other blocked. Despite playing less than half the game, Torres led Orlando in shots (5), putting two on target. His exellent finish in the 73rd minute gave the Lions new life, and he recorded an assist on the game winner, ducking low to head Ojeda’s free kick cross back across the box and into Enrique’s path. The Uruguayan passed at just a 66.7% rate without attempting a cross or a long ball. Despite assisting on the game-winning goal, he was not credited with a key pass. Like Ojeda, on another night, Torres would have my Man of the Match vote. There’s a strong argument, as his presence changed the match.

D, Luca Petrasso (70′), 5.5 — The Canadian came on for Santos and did well to generally help put out fires on his side, although he didn’t provide much going forward. He didn’t pass particularly well (57.1% on just seven attempts), but did block a couple of crosses. He contributed a tackle and a clearance.

F, Jack Lynn (70′), 5 — OCB’s leading goal scorer came on for Angulo as the Lions were hunting goals to get back into the game. He figured in Torres’ goal, pulling a defender wide, which provided room for Enrique to collect the ball, starting the goal sequence. Lynn only managed two touches, winning two aerial balls. He completed one of his two passes.

D, Michael Halliday (80′), N/A — The American youth international came on to provide some coverage on Yeboah’s side to guard against the counter while Orlando pushed to tie — and then win — the game. He managed 10 touches, won an aerial, passed at a 71.4% rate, and recorded an interception.

That’s how I saw the individual performances on Saturday night as Orlando City climbed into second place in the Eastern Conference. What did I get right/wrong in your view? Be sure to vote for your Man of the Match in our poll below and provide your thoughts in the comments section.

Enrique’s Very Good, Not Bad Day

Ramiro Enrique was already a hero for scoring the equalizer in the 86th minute against the visiting Columbus Crew. It wasn’t enough for the young striker, as he earned a free kick close enough to goal to give Orlando City the opportunity to win the match. That still wasn’t enough for Enrique, so he decided to score the winner. If you somehow forgot what it looked like, please enjoy watching it over and over again.

Oscar Pareja said he was proud of his team and confident that the Lions could not only earn a draw but actually win in the last 15 minutes of the match. That belief was held by the players as well. Enrique experienced a moment of pure joy after scoring the winner — you can see it in his celebration — though he was most happy for the three points. Mauricio Pereyra said he is just proud to be the captain of this team. I think it is safe to say that after that result we’re all proud of this team.

Orlando Pride Stun Courage

Two first-half goals were enough to give the Orlando Pride a rare 2-1 win against the North Carolina Courage and in September. Neither of those things have historically come easy for the Pride, but given the fact that Ally Watt scoring the earliest goal in Pride history set the right tone for the evening. The win moved the the Pride into seventh place and — just as importantly — only one spot out of the playoffs. The Pride will be in action next on Oct. 2 at Angel City. If you missed our recap late last night, click the link above and enjoy Sean Rollins’ description of the match.

How USMNT Players Fared Abroad

Folarin Balogun went right from scoring a goal for the USMNT to scoring a goal for AS Monaco in a 2-2 draw with Lorient. Balogun came on as a sub and provided the equalizer for his new club. The USMNT striker is red hot, as is Ricardo Pepi, which makes Gregg Berhalter’s choice difficult going forward. Weston McKennie made his 100th appearance for Juventus and provided an assist in a 3-1 win over Lazio. Much like he did for the USMNT, McKennie played an excellent match.

English Premier League Highlights

Manchester City and Liverpool each scored three goals to win easily against West Ham United and Wolves, respectively. The two top four clubs earned easy, controversy-free victories. However, both Tottenham and Arsenal won, but they did not do so easily or without controversy.

Everton is not good. The Toffees are sitting in the relegation zone with zero wins and only one draw so far this season. Despite that, it took Arsenal until the 69th minute to score the only goal of the match to get the win. It was even harder for Tottenham, given it took two second-half, stoppage-time goals to defeat Sheffield United. United manager Paul Heckingbottom was furious with the officiating.

Free Kicks

• Do you think you can play in most pick-up soccer matches? You almost certainly cannot make the cut for this one in Manchester, England. The players were once paid to play, though they now pay to play — they play a whopping £5.
• FIFA President Gianni Infantino attended the Dallas Cowboys game on Sunday. AT&T Stadium is a possible venue for the next World Cup. Does anyone else think — and I say this as a Cowboys fan — that this was a meeting of the sports equivalent of the Legion of Doom?
• Never mind that, this is the actual Axis of Evil. I can’t believe I’m giving Atlanta United credit, but this was well done at Inter Miami’s expense.

Check back with The Mane Land as we get you ready for the midweek match Wednesday against New York City FC. That will do it for today other than one plea to the Orlando City front office and the Wilf family: please give Oscar Pareja, Luiz Muzzi, and Ricardo Moreira new contracts. Vamos Orlando!

Despite being on the road, the Courage dominated possession in this game. The Pride played like the typical visiting team, defending fiercely and hitting the opposition on the counter attack. It was successful, as they scored twice with that method and nearly had more. The task became easier when Malia Berkely was sent off in the 78th minute, enabling the Pride to control the dying minutes.

Pride Head Coach Seb Hines made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 to OL Reign on Sept. 3 in Seattle. Carly Nelson started in goal for the suspended Anna Moorhouse, who was sent off in the third minute in the team’s most recent game. Watt entered the lineup in the striker’s role for Messiah Bright, and Adriana returned to the lineup after missing the trip out west, replacing Kerry Abello. Bright and Abello started this game on the bench.

The back line in front of Nelson was Kylie Strom, Rafaelle, Emily Madril, and Haley McCutcheon. Mikayla Cluff and Jordyn Listro were the starting defensive midfielders behind Julie Doyle, Marta, and Adriana. Watt was the lone forward up top.

Cluff and Viviana Villacorta started the season as the defensive midfield partnership. That changed to a Villacorta and Abello partnership with Cluff and Listro coming off the bench. However, Cluff and Listro have started the last two games, an interesting switch as the season nears its end.

“It’s tough decisions, right? There’s not a lot (of separation) between the four midfielders, between Jordyn, Kayla, and Vivi. They’ve all done really well this season,” Hines said about the change. “So it’s being adaptable, giving players opportunities. We felt like it was a good balance in the midfield with Kayla and Jordyn.”

The Pride got off to the best possible start in this game. Listro intercepted a Matsukubo pass at midfield and played Adriana forward. Watt ran around left back Emily Fox, reaching the ball at the top of the 18. Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy came out and got a piece of the shot, but not enough as the ball rolled in to give the Pride an early lead.

“Ally took her goal really well,” Hines said about Watt’s strike. “Very pleased for Ally because she’s put so much work into her craft the last couple of weeks. And she gets a reward with a goal.”

“I think you just realize you have — we have — full trust and faith in them with anything,” Watt said about playing with Marta and Adriana. “Adriana is called the wizard for a reason. She gets balls off in the most magical way I’ve ever seen, honestly. So, I think we just have full trust in them. So when we make the run, we fully know that we’re going to get that ball if we execute properly. And when they’re on the ball, they might do some magic on their own, but they’re going to feed it to you as well. So, we always have to be prepared for whatever they’re going to be providing, because they’re very unpredictable players. And that’s what we love about them.”

The goal crossed the line 38 seconds after kickoff, making it the earliest goal in Pride history. It was only 16 seconds off of the league record of scoring 22 seconds into a game.

“We talk about starting the game quickly,” Hines said. “You know, the first pass, first dribble, setting the tone straight from kickoff. And it’s the best way to start a game, scoring a goal.”

The Courage had their first chance of the game in the eighth minute when Ryan Williams’ cross was headed out of play by McCutcheon. Haley Hopkins jumped over Doyle to reach Berkely’s corner kick at the back post, but sent it straight to Nelson.

In the 13th minute, Williams received the ball from Kerolin and dribbled into the Pride box. The right back cut inside and played a short pass where Kerolin had run past Rafaelle. The midfielder found forward Tess Boade wide open at the top of the six-yard box, but Boade couldn’t get over the shot and sent it over the target.

A Pride goal kick in the 16th minute ended up with Rafaelle, who attempted to play it short to Strom on the side. But Kerolin intercepted it. After quickly playing a pass to the middle for an open Boade, Rafaelle took down her international teammate, earning the game’s first booking.

The ensuing free kick by Narumi Miura was short to Kerolin and the Brazilian lifted the ball to the top of the six. Nelson came out strong, initially fumbling the ball after midair contact with an opposing attacker, but eventually collecting it. Kaleigh Kurtz charged into Nelson and both players went to the ground. Referee Danielle Chesky called a foul on Kurtz, ending the North Carolina threat.

The Pride had a chance to double their lead in the 24th minute when Watt found Adriana in the box from the left. Miura got in front of the shot, blocking it back to the midfielder. Adriana took a second shot, but Miura got in front of that one as well, enabling the Courage to clear.

The Pride scored their second goal right after the restart of the first-half hydration break. Nelson restarted with a goal kick to Strom, who sent the ball forward for Adriana. The attacker left it for Marta, whose back heel was blocked by Berkely, but it went right back to her. The second pass attempt by Marta was wide to Doyle, who sent Adriana behind the Courage back line with her first touch. As Miura attempted to catch up with the Brazilian, Murphy stayed on her goal line. Adriana put it into the corner of the net from the top of the six-yard box, giving the Pride a 2-0 lead.

“I saw Marta get it, and whenever Marta gets it on her left foot, that means I’ve got to run into the back space, because I know that she can find me through. And that’s what she did,” Doyle said about her assist. “And then I saw Adriana had a ton of space in behind, because they were really high. And Adriana’s so fast. I’m just like, all I have to do is get it to her and I know that she’ll do great things. And that’s what we saw.”

Poor passing in the 44th minute nearly gave the Pride a chance for a third when Murphy played a short ball to Berkely in the Courage box. The center back nonchalantly sent it back to her goalkeeper, wide of the target. Watt, one of the league’s fastest players, attempted to beat Murphy to the ball and got a piece as Murphy attempted to clear it. But the visitors were able to get it away without any damage.

At halftime, North Carolina had far more possession (69.4%-30.6%), but couldn’t do much with it. Meanwhile, the Pride were happy to hit them on the counter, resulting in a halftime lead. While both teams had four first-half shots, the Pride put two on target and the Courage put one on frame. North Carolina also led the Pride in corner kicks (1-0) and crosses (6-1), and passed more accurately (91.6%-74.2%).

“Going into the second half, we changed our formation a little bit when we had that water break, so we just went over it again. Because passing information is difficult in that kind of situation,” Watt said about the halftime message. “(Hines) was telling us that I’m going to put the pressure on you. You guys are 2-0 up, and that’s a dangerous lead to have. They can come in and score and get momentum, and they certainly did score, but we did a really good job hanging onto it. And then the red card happened and we were just able to take control of the game and everything.”

The Pride created a pair of chances within the first five minutes of the second half. In the 48th minute, a Kurtz pass across for Miura was intercepted by Watt. The forward sprinted towards the Courage box, pulling up when Berkely got in front of her. Adriana called for the ball, but Watt took the long-distance shot herself. It didn’t cause any trouble for Murphy at the near post, who easily collected it.

A minute later, the Pride went on another counterattack. Doyle turned her defender and played a give-and-go with Marta on the left. The midfielder sent a low cross into the box for Adriana, but it was too far in front of her and Fox cleared it away.

The two missed opportunities proved costly in the 52nd minute when North Carolina got a goal back. Hopkins played the ball wide for Fox and the defender sent a cross into the box. Hopkins had made a run, but let the ball run past her to Matsukubo waiting behind, unmarked. The 19-year-old didn’t miss her opportunity, putting it past Nelson to cut the Pride lead to 2-1.

Three minutes later, the Courage had a chance for an equalizer when Kerolin sent a cross toward Fox in the middle of the box. The left back redirected the ball towards goal, but couldn’t get over it and the attempt went over the crossbar.

Shortly after the miss, Hines made his first substitution of the night. Regular starting striker Bright entered the game for Watt. The Pride made two more changes in the 64th and 65th minutes, replacing Doyle and Cluff with Abello and Villacorta.

A controversial moment occurred in the 66th minute when Adriana dribbled into the North Carolina box. She cut inside to beat Kerolin, before Fox came back to win the ball. The ball popped up and appeared to hit Fox’s arm at the edge of the box, which was up to shield her face. The play is only reviewable for a penalty, but the video assistant referee didn’t call for Chesky to take a look.

“In the 66th minute, the referee observed the ball hit the NC Courage player’s hand, which was in a natural position,” Chesky responded after the game. “At the next stoppage, the VAR checked the incident and confirmed no clear or obvious error.”

The comeback got more difficult for the Courage in the 78th minute when Berkely was sent off. A short free kick to the center back resulted in a bad pass into the box. Madril got to it first, sending it downfield. Adriana was the first to the ball and used her speed to get behind Berkely. The center back, who was clearly the last defender, took down the midfielder and Chesky immediately issued a red card. The VAR checked the play and confirmed the decision, giving the Pride a player advantage for the final 12 minutes.

The Pride nearly took advantage and scored a third in the 82nd minute when Marta’s shot was blocked out by Kurtz. The ensuing corner kick by Adriana found a wide-open Rafaelle beyond the back post. The center back’s header was off the outside of the post, keeping the score at 2-1.

The fourth official showed five minutes of second-half stoppage time, but that was increased when Rafaelle’s inadvertent elbow found the head of Courage substitute Tyler Lussi. Blood was dripping down her face, so the forward needed to change her shirt and shorts. Hines took the opportunity to make two final changes, replacing Adriana and Listro with Brianna Martinez and Celia.

While the Pride had a defensive lineup for the final minutes, the 10-player Courage were unable to create any chances. The Pride did well to maintain possession, continuously taking it to the corner to run the clock out. It was a successful strategy as they held on for a crucial win.

North Carolina ended the game with significantly more possession (67.2%-32.8%), but was unable to create more chances with it. Both teams had 10 shots and the Pride put more on target (3-2). The Courage had more crosses (14-11) and passed more accurately (88.7%-73.2%). The Pride had more corner kicks (4-2).

“Massive win tonight,” Hines said. “Running out of games now. Only three games to go and we have to give absolutely everything. I think looking back, you know, some of the performances are brilliant. We haven’t rewarded ourselves with the three points and you know, I’m so happy that we were able to get up in the game, take our opportunities. And a lot of credit has to go to the players, because they’re the ones who are competing, going out there day in, day out in training and performing at such a high level in the field. We’ve made it uncomfortable for North Carolina, going up in the game and then not giving them too much to try and play through the lines and stop that rhythm. But you have to have the right mindset to do that, and I felt everyone from back to front did their job and they were brilliant at their job.”

“We’ve been working so freaking hard, and it’s so nice to finally get the reward, because I think you’ve seen this team have games like this and sometimes it just doesn’t go our way,” Doyle added. “So for it to finally go our way, it’s just such a relief.”

It was a unique home game for the Pride because the hosts usually have the majority of possession. It was the opposite in this one because the Courage dominated possession and the Pride had to maintain their concentration. That’s something the team has had trouble with this season, especially on set pieces.

“We knew they’re a team that gets 500 passes per game. So credit to them,” Doyle said. “They’re a super good football team, so we knew we had to be disciplined in our defensive shape. That’s what we’ve been working on all week and we really just had to stay compact.”

The win sees the Pride jump the Houston Dash, Racing Louisville FC, and Angel City FC, from 10th to seventh place. They’re now only one point behind the Washington Spirit for the sixth and final playoff spot. While they’re tied with Angel City on points, the Pride currently hold the tiebreaker on goal difference.

The Pride now have a two-week break before they take the field again. They were supposed to play Angel City in Los Angeles on Thursday night, but that game was delayed until Oct. 2 because of the upcoming international break.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

The Pride and Courage have played 22 times since the Western New York Flash moved to North Carolina and became the Courage. The Pride are 4-13-5 in those games (4-10-1 in the NWSL regular season, 0-0-2 in the Fall Series, and 0-3-2 in the NWSL Challenge Cup).

The most recent meeting between the two teams was a July 29 Challenge Cup contest in North Carolina. The Pride didn’t show up for that one, getting demolished by the Courage. Brittany Radcliffe and Malia Berkely gave the hosts a 2-0 halftime lead before Frankie Tagliaferri made it three, and a late brace by Haley Hopkins completed the 5-0 result.

The game prior to that was on June 17 in North Carolina and, again, it was all Courage. Kerolin and Meredith Speck gave the hosts a 2-0 lead before a Haley McCutcheon own goal made it 3-0 to North Carolina. On April 19 at Exploria Stadium, the Pride took the lead after halftime when Summer Yates set up Ally Watt for the opening goal. But Denise O’Sullivan equalized in the ninth minute of second-half injury time, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

Prior to that game, they last played on Sept. 21, 2022, at Exploria Stadium. The Courage got off to a great start when Debinha scored in the second minute. The Brazilian then assisted Tess Boade in first-half injury time to double the lead, and later added another, dooming the Pride to a 3-0 defeat.

The previous 2022 meeting came on May 18 in North Carolina. The Pride got off to a great start in that game, with Sydney Leroux scoring early. Mikayla Cluff doubled the lead with her first professional goal. A late goal by Brianna Pinto got the Courage back within one, but it wasn’t enough as the Pride took the 2-1 win.

The Pride and Courage were placed in the same division for the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup, so the teams played twice before the regular season started. The first game was on March 26 in North Carolina. Merritt Mathias converted a penalty after Gunny Jonsdottir was called for a handball in the box, lifting the hosts to a 1-0 win. The return match in the tournament took place on April 16 in Orlando. The Courage got off to a fast start in this one, scoring three goals in the first nine minutes. Darian Jenkins netted a brace to make it 3-2, but a late Debinha goal put the game away and North Carolina won 4-2.

The teams played three times during the 2021 NWSL season. On May 22 in North Carolina, goals by Leroux and Alex Morgan gave the Pride a 2-0 lead late into the game. Jessica McDonald scored late to pull one back but the Pride held on for a 2-1 win. On July 4 in Orlando, Debinha and Havana Solaun goals helped the Courage take home a 2-0 win. The final game came on July 31 in North Carolina. Leroux opened the scoring but Brittany Ratcliffe equalized moments later and the teams drew 1-1.

The two teams were also matched up in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup but they only played once in that tournament. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in that game in a scoreless draw.

Similar to the Challenge Cup, the teams were in the same group of the 2020 Fall Series, meeting twice. The first was on Sept. 19 in North Carolina and ended in a scoreless draw. The second was on Oct. 17 at Exploria Stadium. Led by a Debinha brace, the Courage went up 3-0. But the Pride came back with goals by Marisa Viggiano, Kristen Edmonds, and Ally Haran for an exciting 3-3 draw.

The Pride and Courage played three times during the 2019 season. The first game was on April 17 in North Carolina. The Courage took a 1-0 lead into halftime but scored four times in the second half to win 5-0. They played a second time on June 1 in Orlando. Again, it was a dominant performance by the Courage as the Pride fell 3-0. The final meeting that year was another thrashing by North Carolina. The Pride got a goal in that one but still fell 6-1.

The teams also met three times in 2018 but the results were much closer. On May 23 in Orlando, goals by Alanna Kennedy and Rachel Hill saw the Pride come back from a 3-1 deficit. But McDonald scored a winner in the 90th minute and the Courage won 4-3. The Pride went down by three goals in the final two games that season, but were unable to come back and fell 3-0 in both contests.

The 2017 season saw the teams meet for the first time. The Courage took the first game 3-1 on Apr. 29 in North Carolina. They played a second time two weeks later in Orlando when the Pride took the 3-1 win. The final meeting in 2017 came in the final game of the season on Sept. 30. The Pride took a 2-0 lead but the Courage came back to even it at 2-2. It looked headed for a draw until Kennedy netted a late winner, leading the Pride to a 3-2 win.

Overview

Three games ago, the Pride were in a great position to qualify for the NWSL playoffs for the second time in team history. They were two points out of sixth and facing the team occupying that spot in two consecutive games. They fell 2-1 to San Diego Wave FC at home on Aug. 25 and fought valiantly, despite being down a player for almost all of the 1-0 loss against OL Reign.

The Pride now find themselves in a tough position. They’re four points behind the Washington Spirit with four games remaining, but there are three teams between them. Angel City FC and Racing Louisville FC are two of those three teams and the Pride will face both in the coming weeks. Regardless, they’ll likely need to finish the season on a four-game winning streak to qualify for the postseason.

The quest for their longest winning streak of the season and the longest since 2017 begins tonight. The team will be without starting goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, who was sent off in the third minute against OL Reign two weeks ago. Carly Nelson will take her spot in the lineup after a terrific display in Seattle.

The key attacking player missing against OL Reign was Adriana, whose four league goals are second on the Pride behind Messiah Bright’s six, and her three assists lead the team. She wasn’t on the availability report prior to the game in Seattle but didn’t make the trip. Her return tonight would be a boost to a team that desperately needs three points.

The Courage suffered back-to-back 2-1 losses to Angel City FC and the Portland Thorns on either side of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup break, but have grabbed draws in their last two games against the Chicago Red Stars and NJ/NY Gotham FC. The latter of those games saw the Courage take a 2-0 lead into halftime only to give up three goals in the second half, drawing 3-3.

While the Pride were off last weekend, the Courage hosted Racing Louisville in the Challenge Cup final. North Carolina won the trophy in a storm-delayed game with goals by Kerolin and Japanese international Manaka Matsukubo.

The player to stop for North Carolina is Brazilian international Kerolin, who leads her team with nine goals and three assists. She’s been a terror against the Pride in the previous games and keeping her off the scoresheet will be key if the Pride hope to get anything from this final meeting between the teams.

The Courage have a balanced lineup with a consistent back line that has resulted in them having the second-best goal difference in the league. Their 26 goals scored is tied with the Wave for second-most, and their 19 goals conceded is tied with Gotham and Louisville for second fewest.

“Obviously, they’ve had some success with winning the Challenge Cup. So they’ll have some good momentum, high spirits,” Pride Head Coach Seb Hines said about tonight’s opponent. “But, as always, we have to focus on ourselves. We’ve lost our last two games, but in that, the performances have been good. Obviously, different circumstances, but the performances have been pretty consistent all season. We want to continue to make this a difficult environment to play. We’re playing against arguably the best footballing team in the league, so it will be a really good challenge for us, but our mindset is win every game that comes towards us.”

North Carolina is without six players tonight. Emily Gray (knee), Clara Robbins (lower leg), and Meredith Speck (knee) are out for the season. Estelle Johnson (thigh), Rikako Kobayashi (knee), and Brittany Ratcliffe (thigh) are also out for this game.

The Pride are only missing two players tonight and both were expected. Carrie Lawrence (knee) is out for the season and Moorhouse is serving her one-game suspension after being sent off last week.

Official Lineups

Orlando Pride (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Carly Nelson.

Defenders: Kylie Strom, Rafaelle, Emily Madril, Haley McCutcheon.

Defensive Midfielders: Mikayla Cluff, Jordyn Listro.

Midfielders: Julie Doyle, Marta, Adriana.

Forward: Ally Watt.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Erika Tymrak, Megan Montefusco, Messiah Bright, Mariana Larroquette, Kerry Abello, Viviana Villacorta, Brianna Martinez, Celia.

North Carolina Courage (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Casey Murphy. 

Defenders: Ryan Williams, Kaleigh Kurtz, Malia Berkely, Emily Fox.

Defensive Midfielders: Narumi Miura, Denise O’Sullivan.

Midfielders: Kerolin, Manaka Matsukubo, Haley Hopkins.

Forwards: Tess Boade.

Bench: Katelyn Rowland, Brianna Pinto, Sydney Collins, Kiki Pickett, Olivia Wingate, Mille Gejl, Frankie Tagliaferri, Tyler Lussi, Rikke Madsen.

Referees

REF: Danielle Chesky.
AR1: Bennett Savage.
AR2: Cameron Siler.
4TH: JJ Bilinski.
VAR: Alexandra Billeter.
AVAR: Joel McKell.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Exploria Stadium — Orlando.

TV: FOX 35 Plus.

Streaming: Paramount+ (U.S.), NWSLsoccer.com (International).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow @TheManeLand and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).

Enjoy the match. Go Pride!

What follows are my five takeaways on a match that I’m still struggling to get my head around.

Defensive Issues Dig a Hole

The Lions were up against it almost immediately. While the first Columbus goal didn’t arrive until the 16th minute, the suffocating press that the Crew deployed made it feel like just a matter of time. Sure enough, Diego Rossi’s chipped ball over the back line found Cucho Hernandez, who in turn lobbed Pedro Gallese, which allowed Julian Gressel to slot the ball into the empty net. The defense did not look settled in this one, and the Crew’s second goal in particular was an absolute horror show that the right side of the line won’t enjoy seeing on film. Granted, the Crew are a good team and some of their movement patterns aren’t things that the Lions have seen a ton of, but with two weeks to prepare for this game it simply had to be better.

Gallese Stands Tall

Fortunately, Orlando City owns a get-out-of-jail-free card in the form of Pedro Gallese. El Pulpo was beaten three times on the night but frankly was blameless on all of the goals. Things could have gotten much worse right before halftime but he made a fantastic pair of saves to deny Yaw Yeboah and then Hernandez after the rebound from Yeboah made its way to the Colombian’s feet. He made several other stops throughout the night to help keep the scoreline from getting too out of hand, and was generally a massive presence when it came to keeping a disorganized back line from falling to pieces. He makes this team that much harder to beat and hasn’t missed a beat since being on international duty with Peru.

In Praise of Felipe

I’ll be the first person to hold my hand up and say that I haven’t been the biggest fan of Felipe for most of this season. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why he got the nod next to Cesar Araujo instead of Junior Urso, but I was happy to be proven wrong. His stats weren’t eye-watering as he finished with two tackles, a foul committed, a foul drawn, an assist, and a key pass while delivering his passes with 87% accuracy, but for me this was his best game in an Orlando City shirt by a country mile. He looked extremely comfortable and at ease, whereas in some of his substitute appearances he’s struggled to adapt to the pace of the match when coming on. I want to talk about the key pass though. That sweet, sweet key pass. His chipped ball sprayed out wide that sprung Ivan Angulo and led to Martin Ojeda’s goal was a thing of pure beauty, and I could watch it over and over. He was sacrificed for Facundo Torres with Orlando chasing the game, but it certainly wasn’t because he put a bad shift in. Bravo, and I’ll happily eat my words on this one.

Facu Lights the Fire

Speaking of Facu, my word does he make a difference for this team. The fans know it, the team knows it — hell, people walking around on Central Avenue might have been able to feel the shift in the game when he came on. The team immediately not just looked, but also felt more dangerous, and it wasn’t an accident that he found space almost instantly and got a shot away. Other guys, like Ojeda and Ramiro Enrique had as good as or more statistically impressive nights, with a goal and an assist and a brace and an assist, respectively, and they absolutely deserve their flowers. But Facu coming into the game immediately shifted things and the Lions kicked into a higher gear. If he can figure out some semblance of a weak foot, then good luck trying to contain him.

Cat’s Won’t Quit

The shift in the game that occurred when Torres came on made it all the more discouraging when Hernandez scored what looked to be the dagger in the 68th minute. A 3-1 deficit simply seemed like too tall of a task, and the air well and truly went out of Exploria Stadium. Credit the Lions’ resilience and mental fortitude though. They found an answer through Torres just five minutes later and were right back in it all of a sudden. When Enrique equalized you could practically feel the belief oozing out of both the players and the fans alike. Orlando City just doesn’t know when to give up and doesn’t seem to have an ounce of quit up and down the entire roster. It’s truly something to behold, and the number of gritty, hard-fought wins from this season is beginning to get difficult to keep track of. At this point, I don’t know when, if ever, I’d feel comfortable counting OCSC out.

I’ve been lucky enough to witness some truly memorable games from these Lions. Some personal favorites include the first game back with a full stadium in 2021, which resulted in a weather-delayed 5-0 beatdown of the San Jose Earthquakes, the 3-2 win over Atlanta courtesy of a late Nani header, and pretty much the entirety of last year’s run to the U.S. Open Cup. But man, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like that.

With as hopeless as the game looked, only for things to build the way they did over the final 15 minutes and culminate with a winner on practically the last kick of the game? Plus, considering the stakes with an eye-wateringly tight race at the top of the East? The sheer delirium and bedlam that was unleashed where I was in The Wall was otherworldly and nigh incomparable. Hell, I’m writing this at 1:30 a.m. after getting home from the match and I’m still wide awake. Our Sean Rollins put it best: this was a “where were you when” game.

Those are my five big thoughts from a match that will surely go down as an all-timer in Orlando City history. Be sure to share your thoughts on this one down in the comments. Vamos Orlando!

Martin Ojeda also scored for the Lions, who managed to overcome goals by Julian Gressel, Diego Rossi, and Cucho Hernandez. The win extended Orlando City’s unbeaten run in league play to six matches (5-0-1) and lengthened the team’s home unbeaten run in all competitions to 11 matches (7-0-4).

“Today was another demonstration of the character of this group,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “And I want to honor that responsibility and that desire to overcome. It’s not easy to score goals when things don’t look good, and after (the Crew made it) 3-1, the team believed in the process, believed in the ways, and we kept the mentality intact.”

Pareja’s lineup had a few surprises. Pedro Gallese took his usual spot in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. With Wilder Cartagena suspended, Pareja opted to pair Felipe in central midfield with Cesar Araujo rather than Junior Urso behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Ojeda, with Ramiro Enrique up top. Duncan McGuire picked up a knock in training late in the week and did not dress, while Torres was away on international duty and started the game on the bench.

The Crew got the first shot of the game five minutes in when Rossi went for goal from a tight angle. Gallese had to be alert to fight it off for a corner kick. A minute later, Gallese again had to fight off a shot from his right as Yaw Yeboah smashed a laser toward goal.

The visitors took the corner short and the Lions stole the ball and should have scored in transition. Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte was well outside of his box when Angulo got onto the ball at midfield. Rather than trying for the open net from distance, he took a touch, which allowed the keeper to scramble back. Angulo’s subsequent pass on the break for Thorhallsson was badly off line and the attack evaporated.

Santos tried a shot from long range in the 12th minute but it fizzed just wide of the right post.

Four minutes later, the Crew opened the scoring after an Orlando turnover in its own end. Pereyra and Araujo looked at each other on a pass between the two but neither went for it, allowing the Crew to collect. Rossi chipped a ball over the top for Hernandez’s run and Thorhallsson was caught out of line with his defensive teammates, keeping the play onside. That left Gallese alone against Hernandez, who calmly chipped him to feed Gressel in front for the tap-in.

Orlando was sloppy throughout the first half, often placing passes between two teammates who weren’t sure who the pass was supposed to go to. That sloppiness nearly allowed the Crew to quickly double the lead. Yeboah smashed a shot just wide of the near post after another such turnover in the defensive end.

The Lions should have equalized in the 26th minute. A good transition attack ended up with Angulo down the right. The winger sent a good pass into the middle to Enrique, but he fired his shot low and in the center of the net, which was the only place Schulte could have gotten to it, and he did. The save preserved the Columbus advantage.

Orlando again fashioned a good chance in transition in the 34th minute but this time Angulo overcooked his pass toward the end line for Ojeda. The Argentine fired a shot/cross in front of goal that hit Schulte, deflected off another body and went right back to the goalkeeper.

Gallese came up huge in the 42nd minute to keep his team in the game. Thorhallsson got beaten badly and Yeboah was in alone. Gallese denied his shot and the rebound found Hernandez, who fired with his first touch but it was right at Gallese, who managed to stop it with his legs without givine up a rebound.

That was the last good look of the half for either team and the Crew took a 1-0 lead into the break.

Orlando City held the halftime advantage in possession (54.4%-45.6%) and passing accuracy (85.4%-81.9%), while the Crew had more shots (9-4), shots on target (6-1), and corners (3-2).

The Lions equalized just three minutes after the restart. Angulo got the ball on the right side of the box and fed it across from right to left. It found its way through to Ojeda, who quickly turned and sent it in with his right foot to make it 1-1 in the 48th minute.

Columbus got back on the front foot after Ojeda’s goal. The visitors were getting to almost every loose ball and working their way through the Orlando defense with good passing sequences and even better movement off the ball that often caught the Lions off guard.

Rossi paid off that attacking play in the 56th minute, putting Columbus back on top. Yeboah played a through ball for Rossi’s crafty run in behind Schlegel and he slotted past Gallese to make it 2-1.

Pareja introduced Torres moments after his team fell behind for the second time. The Uruguayan had a leg contusion and Pareja didn’t expect to have his Designated Player available for this game but he was able to recover in time to make the matchday squad.

Despite the move to bring on Torres, who immediately made Orlando City a more dangerous-looking team with a couple of quick shot attempts, the Crew extended their lead less than 10 minutes later. The Crew attacked in transition and Santos was caught up the field. Alexandru Matan got in behind down the Crew’s right side and sent a centering pass to give Hernandez a tap-in. The Crew’s lead bulged to 3-1 at 68 minutes.

Pareja sent Jack Lynn and Luca Petrasso onto the field in the 70th minute for Angulo and Santos as the Lions desperately chased the game.

Orlando City pulled a goal back moments later. A beautiful long ball by Pereyra hit off Lynn and fell to Enrique, who finessed the ball through a Crew defender to Ojeda. The Argentine passed up a chance to shoot and sent it to Torres, who fired home to make it 3-2 in the 73rd minute with his 12th goal of the season.

Pareja made one more move, sending on Michael Halliday for Pereyra, moving Thorhallsson into the midfield. Halliday made an immediate impact, intercepting a pass and starting an Orlando City break. Aidan Morris made a perfect form tackle — American football style — to pick up a booking in order to break up the play.

Just a few minutes later, Torres was fouled by Crew defender Yevhen Cheberko about 25 yards out on the right side. Ojeda’s free kick hit off of Cheberko’s head, but instead of clearing it, his sideways header fell at Enrique’s feet. The MLS U22 Initiative forward slotted it past Schulte to level the score in the 86th minute.

“No matter the amount of hard work that you put in, the first objective always has to be to push the group further, to do whatever you can to help the group achieve the most they can and continue onward,” Enrique said of his role through a club interpreter. Whether you’re selected as a starter, off the bench, or even sometimes out of the group, you have to do whatever is in the best interest of the team to continue pushing them further and towards more success.”

As time wound down, the Crew managed to win multiple corner kicks but the visitors could not make them pay off. Referee Rubiel Vazquez tacked six extra minutes onto the 90 for one of the teams to find a winner. Orlando City took advantage of that, but it required a seventh minute.

With the seconds winding down, Orlando City won a free kick about 25 yards out near the left sideline. Ojeda took the free kick and sent a good cross into the box. The ball somehow missed a flying Schlegel attempt and Schulte’s charge off his line to try to punch it, but Torres was right behind him and went low to head the ball back across the box. Once again the ball fell at Enrique’s feet and he swept it home in the 97th minute to send Exploria Stadium into euphoria.

Enrique’s brace doubled his season total of goals from two to four.

“Just absolutely pure happiness,” Enrique said after the game, about what was going through his mind. “Happy to score the goals and I think, first and foremost happy for the three points.”

Columbus kicked off and the game was over with the Lions smashing and grabbing all three points.

The Crew turned around the possession numbers in the second half and led in most of the game’s statistical categories. Columbus held the advantage in possession (52.4%-47.6%), shots (15-14), shots on target (10-7), corners (9-2), and passing accuracy (85%-83.1%).

“I think Columbus is a great team. Today they dominated us in the beginning of the first half,” Pereyra said. “For us it was difficult to press them. But then, after, we showed personality. We showed desire and a winning mentality that we are having in the last 10 or 15 matches. I think we’ve improved a lot.”

“A lot of things to get better, but today it’s a good demonstration of this character, and we’re proud,” Pareja said.

The Lions will have a quick turnaround before playing away at New York City FC on Wednesday at Citi Field.

Here’s what you need to know about the match.

History

The Lions are 9-6-3 in the all-time league series and 6-2-2 at home. Orlando City also has a home U.S. Open Cup win back in 2015 against the Crew for a 10-6-3 overall mark in all competitions (7-2-2 at home).

These teams met previously this season in Columbus on May 13, playing to a 2-2 draw. Orlando City fell behind 2-0 by halftime on goals by Darlington Nagbe and Jacen Russell-Rowe, but Ercan Kara pulled one back just a few minutes after the restart and Duncan McGuire leveled the game in stoppage time.

The two sides last met in Orlando on Decision Day 2022, with Orlando City erasing a 1-0 deficit on a Derrick Etienne Jr. goal to win, 2-1, and clinch a playoff spot. Junior Urso leveled the game in the second half and Facundo Torres struck from the penalty spot late. The meeting in Columbus that year took place on April 16, 2022, with the Lions winning 2-0 on goals by Rodrigo Schlegel and Kara.

The 2021 season series concluded on Oct. 27 in Columbus with the Crew winning 3-2. Columbus had lost five straight to Orlando prior to Lucas Zelarayan’s one-goal, two-assist performance. Miguel Berry and Etienne also scored for the Crew. Daryl Dike pulled a goal back from the spot and Robin Jansson struck late but it wasn’t enough.

The teams met at Exploria Stadium on Sept. 4, 2021, when the Lions won, 3-2. Orlando was cruising and built a 2-0 lead on goals by Dike and Silvester van der Water, but a bizarre own goal by Antonio Carlos threw the Crew a lifeline, and a Berry equalizer turned the game around. Urso provided the winner in the 69th minute.

City won the only meeting of 2020 when the 10-man Lions got a late Benji Michel goal to defeat the Crew 2-1 on Nov. 4. Chris Mueller gave Orlando the lead in that game but Harrison Afful was able to equalize just moments after referee Ramy Touchan had sent off Nani on a ludicrous call that was overturned by the MLS independent panel a few days later. Thanks to Michel’s goal, the officiating error didn’t end up costing the Lions, who clinched their first-ever MLS playoff spot with the win.

The Lions swept the season series in 2019, defeating the Crew 1-0 on a Michel goal on July 13, 2019, and two weeks previously getting their first road win in the series, 2-0. Nani assisted on goals by Mueller and Tesho Akindele in that one.

Orlando won 2-1 on Oct. 21, 2018 to start a five-game winning streak against the Crew on a pair of penalty kick goals. Yoshimar Yotún and Sacha Kljestan provided the spot kicks to offset Federico Higuain’s opening goal.

The last Crew win in the series prior to the Orlando winning streak was assisted by a horror call by Silviu Petrescu in the 88th minute on July 21, 2018, giving Columbus an equalizer from the penalty spot. Wil Trapp then scored the kind of goal in stoppage time that he’ll probably never score again to lift the Crew to a 3-2 victory in a game the Lions had stolen away from them on a call that Petrescu’s own organization said was an error.

Columbus got the better of Orlando in 2017, going 2-0-1. The Lions were 0-1-1 against Columbus in 2016 and 1-1-1 in the series in 2015.

Match Overview

Orlando City enters this match having gone unbeaten in its previous five league games (4-0-1), including an impressive 1-0 road victory at FC Cincinnati 14 days ago in the team’s last match prior to the international window. The Lions are 6-3-4 at home this season in MLS play and are currently riding an eight-game home unbeaten streak (5-0-3) in the regular season and a 10-match home unbeaten run in all competitions (6-0-4).

The Crew enter just 3-7-3 in road games this season, but they did manage a 4-2 win at CF Montreal in their last match, riding a Cucho Hernandez hat trick to an away victory north of the border on Sept. 2. Columbus is on a good run of overall form since being knocked out of Leagues Cup, going 3-1-0 since returning to league play, including shutout wins over Cincinnati and Toronto (both at home).

Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy’s system features a three-man back line with solid defensive positioning and an opportunistic attack that can win the ball in dangerous areas and exploit transition opportunities. Hernandez and Christian Ramirez are obvious threats but midfielder Aidan Morris has joined them as an attacking presence in 2023. Russell-Rowe, who played primarily for the team’s MLS NEXT Pro squad last season, is also a threat to score. The Crew lead the Eastern Conference in goals scored (54) and goal difference (+17). The addition of Rudy Camacho has bolstered the Columbus defense, while the midseason additions of Julian Gressel and Diego Rossi give the Crew even more attacking bite.

“They are a good rival who have been very well coached,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “We had a good result in Columbus and we had good experiences in that game, and we are trying to train, simulate, and prepare for the game. Like always, we want to optimize the players in the best way possible and use this time to allow some of the player to rest, but now it’s full steam ahead because we want to be ready.”

Orlando City will be without Wilder Cartagena (red card suspension), Antonio Carlos (lower leg) and Favian Loyola (arm), while Gaston Gonzalez (thigh) has been upgraded to questionable. Columbus will be without Will Sands (knee).

Match Content

• Our Intelligence Report provides more info about Columbus with the help of Pat Murphy from the now-independent Crew SC blog, Massive Report.
• The most recent episode of The Mane Land PawedCast includes our key match-ups and score predictions, along with a preview by Massive Report contributor Collin Johnson.
• Our David Rohe offered up his three keys to victory for Orlando City in this match.

Official Lineups:

Orlando City 4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Felipe.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, Martin Ojeda.

Forward: Enrique.

Bench: Mason Stajduhar, Michael Halliday, Kyle Smith, Luca Petrasso, Abdi Salim, Junior Urso, Gaston Gonzalez, Facundo Torres, Jack Lynn.

Columbus Crew (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Patrick Schulte.

Defenders: Malte Amundsen, Rudy Camacho, Steven Moreira.

Wingbacks / Central Midfielders: Yaw Yeboah, Aidan Morris, Darlington Nagbe, Julian Gressel.

Forwards: Diego Rossi, Cucho Hernandez, Alexandru Matan.

Bench: Evan Bush, Max Arfsten, Yevhen Cheberko, Jimmy Medranda, Kevin Molino, Mohamed Farsi, Sean Zawadski, Jacen Russell-Rowe, Christian Ramirez.

Referees

REF: Rubiel Vazquez.
AR1: Andrew Bigelow.
AR2: Meghan Mullen.
4TH: Malik Badawi.
VAR: Daniel Radford.
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Exploria Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+

Radio: FM 104.1 Real Radio (English), Acción 97.9 FM, 810 AM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Enjoy the match. Go City!

Don’t get me wrong though, I still miss waking up and walking across the street to the beach every morning when I lived in Florida. Whatever your own location is, I’m glad we all get to call Exploria Stadium our personal “home away from home.” Now enough of the lovey-dovey reminiscing stuff, let’s get into today’s links!

Lions Kick Off Slew of Matches at Home

Orlando City resumes league play tonight at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts the Columbus Crew at Exploria Stadium. The Lions and the Crew last squared off in May earlier this season, where City fought to a second-half comeback 2-2 draw. Former Orlando City forward Ercan Kara and rookie striker Duncan McGuire scored to solidify the club’s third-straight unbeaten match against the Columbus. Today’s match is the first of three in a nine-day span for Orlando as the Lions face a quick turnaround for Wednesday’s road match against New York City FC. The team then turns around to host Inter Miami in the Tropic Thunder derby on Sunday.

Lions Hunting for Milestones

We have officially reached the latter part of the season when players and coaches can start to look down their personal goals lists to see just how well they have done this year. Head Coach Oscar Pareja is hunting two more wins to reach the milestone of 60 as the Lions’ manager. Another milestone hunter is Designated Player Facundo Torres, who currently sits level with former forward Dom Dwyer for fourth on Orlando City’s all-time scoring charts. The Uruguayn’s next goal would mark his 25th and tie him with club legend and inaugural MLS captain Kaká for third in club history. For the team as a whole, Orlando City has made it 10 straight home matches without a loss, which is the club’s longest-ever run within a single season in the MLS era.

Orlando Pride Need Wins for Playoff Run

Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines is calling all supporters for the Pride’s must-win match at Exploria Stadium on Sunday. While the Pride have shown sparks of brilliance at times this year, they’ve lost 10 of their 18 games, leaving crucial points behind along the way. The club has massive six-pointers ahead against Angel City, Racing Louisville, and the Houston Dash. Gathering these pivotal wins would be necessary for the Pride to get back to the postseason for the first time since 2017.

Orlando Pride Releases 2023 Moniker Kits

In recent years, the Orlando front office has taken its merch game up a notch with Moniker jerseys of its different start players. This season, August NWSL Rookie of the Month Messiah Bright and captain Marta each earn the special edition honors. The kit includes a special design backing and a limited edition patch only attainable through buying the Moniker kits. Bright’s design is symbolic of a stained glass window, while Marta’s depicts her being the GOAT (greatest of all-time) of professional women’s soccer.

Orlando City B Clinches Playoff Spot with 1-1 Draw at Fire II

Orlando City B drew Chicago Fire II 1-1 last night at SeatGeek Stadium to clinch its spot in MLS NEXT Pro postseason play. The Young Lions were without the services of star striker Jack Lynn, who is likely suiting up for the senior team tonight following the departure of Ercan Kara. It only took 17 minutes for the Baby Sparks to find the net as Sergio Oregel finished off Billy Hency’s cross. In the 71st minute, Wilfredo Rivera stepped up in Lynn’s absence to level the match. Following full time, OCB’s 20-year-old Venezuelan keeper, Javier Otero, made two saves to secure the extra shootout point, 4-3.

Free Kicks

•  Inter Miami has signed Ecuadorian international Leonardo Campana to a contract extension through the 2027 MLS season with an option for 2028.
• U.S. Soccer plans to construct the nation’s first-ever designated national training center in the Atlanta area, funded in part by Atlanta United owner Arthur M. Blank’s $50 million contribution.
• Premier League club Everton has been sold to private equity firm 777 Partners in a deal reportedly worth more than $685 million.
• Arsenal is confident of finalizing a contract extension with 24-year-old midfielder Martin Ødegaard, whose deal expires in 2025. It would likely need to be a significant increase on his current £120,000-a-week wage.
• Spain has granted a restraining order to prevent former football federation chief Luis Rubiales from coming near forward Jenni Hermoso.
• Spanish police arrested three Real Madrid youth players for allegedly distributing a sexual video featuring a minor.
• Barcelona will play Real Madrid on Oct. 28 in the first El Clásico matchup of the 2023-24 season.
• The father of 22-year-old student Martin Podhajsky paid Czech third division side FK Usti nad Labem around $22,000 to secure his son a place in the senior squad and guarantee him at least 10 minutes of first-team action this season. His son has never actually played soccer before.

That’s all I have for you today. Let’s all enjoy the return of some first-time action tonight. Vamos Orlando!

OCB Head Coach Martin Perelman made two changes to the team that drew 1-1 with New England Revolution II last weekend. It appears that Abdi Salim and Jack Lynn are both with the first team preparing for the match tomorrow night, replaced in the lineup by Thomas Williams and Jhon Solis, who returned after serving his suspension against New England.

The Young Lions went with their typical 4-4-2 formation in this game. The starting back line in front of goalkeeper Javier Otero was Franco Perez, Williams, Nabi Kibunguchy, and Imanol Almaguer. Cristian Medina, Juninho, Alex Freeman, and Moises Tablante were in the midfield with Shak Mohammed and Solis up top.

Chicago was by far the better team in the first 30 minutes and could’ve been up multiple goals before OCB took its first shot. But it remained 1-0 at halftime, enabling the Young Lions to get back into the game. A strong second-half team all year, OCB did it again, dominating the second 45 minutes to pull level.

The game got off to a slow start with neither team creating any dangerous chances. Charlie Ostrem took a long-distance shot in the second minute and Eric Leonard in the 11th minute, but both were blocked. In the 12th minute, Oregel played the ball to the top of the box for Missael Rodriguez, but his shot missed wide.

The hosts nearly opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Billy Hency dribbled into the OCB box for the second time. He cut inside to lose Perez — who reached his right leg out but didn’t get enough of the ball — and shot for the near post. Otero dove to his left, tipping the ball wide.

Chicago broke through in the 17th minute when Rodriguez received the ball in the middle of the field. He played it for Oregel, who continued the ball out right for Hency. The midfielder’s pass for Rodrigeuz was behind and it looked like OCB might clear. Dylan Borso and Juninho both went after the ball and it bounced off Borso’s arm, but referee Calin Radosav didn’t call it. The ball went back to Oregel, who put it past Otero to give the Fire a 1-0 lead.

In the 22nd minute, Hency found Luka Prpa at the top of the OCB box. Prpa’s shot was rising as it neared the OCB goal and Otero reached up for it, but the attempt ultimately went over the crossbar.

The Young Lions finally created their first attack in the 26th minute. Juninho made a long run into the Chicago box and centered the ball for Mohammed near the penalty spot. The pass was behind the forward, so Mohammed played it to Tablante on his left. Tablante made some moves to create space for a shot, but Hency did well to stay in front and blocked the attempt.

OCB was able to create some more opportunities from set pieces but was unable to convert. In the 31st minute, Prpa fouled Freeman, earning a yellow card. The free kick by Almaguer was into the box, but cleared away.

Three minutes later, Borso fouled Solis about 25 yards from goal. Almaguer was expected to lift another cross into the box, but quickly stepped up to the ball and fired on goal, attempting to catch the defense off guard. However, his shot skied over the crossbar and was never a threat for Chicago goalkeeper Jeff Gal.

Juninho found Tablante to his left in the 35th minute, but the midfielder’s second shot of the half was blocked. That was the last first-half chance for either team as the game went to the break with Chicago leading 1-0.

Possession was almost even in the first 45 minutes, with Chicago holding a slight edge (50.1%-49.9%). But the Fire created most of the chances, ending the first half with more shots (6-3), shots on target (2-0), and crosses (4-1). OCB passed more accurately (88.4%-85%) and both teams won two corner kicks.

Perelman made a surprising halftime change, replacing the team’s second-leading goal scorer Mohammed with Cristofer Acuna. Immediately after the kickoff, the Fire created a chance when Oregel sent Rodriguez behind the OCB defense. The forward was pushed wide, but got away a shot on target. Otero was guarding his near post and got down to make the stop.

OCB created its first shot on target in the 49th minute from Perez just outside of the Chicago box. It forced Gal to dive to his left and tip the ball wide for a corner kick. The ensuing short corner resulted in an Oregel foul on Juninho just outside of the Chicago 18. Almaguer sent a curling cross towards the back post, but it was too high for Williams to put it on target, glancing off the top of his head.

As he’s done several times this year, Juninho attempted to drag his team back into the game as it neared the hour mark. In the 51st minute, the OCB captain dribbled into the box and shot, but it was right at Gal. Five minutes later, the midfielder took an ambitious shot from outside of the box. He kept it low, but it was right to Gal who made the easy save.

Perelman made his second change in the 61st minute and it was a forward for a defender. Rivera came on for left back Perez, resulting in Tablante dropping back to left back, where he’s played frequently since 2020.

It looked like OCB would have a great chance in the 64th minute when Juninho was sent forward to the top of the Chicago box. After a challenge with the defender, Juninho went down. Both teams stopped, expecting Radosav to call the foul, but he decided there wasn’t enough contact.

An unusual and confusing situation occurred in the 67th minute when Kibunguchy and Rodriguez got together near the OCB box. The Young Lions ended up with the ball and went on the counter attack. After failing to create anything, Radosav halted the game as Rodriguez was still down. He gave Kibunguchy a yellow card for the collision and Perelman a yellow for dissent after the play.

OCB had been the more threatening team in the second half and found the equalizer in the 71st minute. Receiving the ball from Tablante near the end line, Juninho sent a low pass to Rivera at the top of the six-yard box. But it hit the foot of Prpa and popped up for Rivera. The second-half substitute’s diving header went past Gal to even the game at 1-1.

The Young Lions had more chances in the 75th minute when Tablante saved the ball from going out of play, but his pass into the middle was blocked out by Ueland for a corner kick. The short set piece ended up with Freeman in the box and his shot was blocked for another corner. This one didn’t result in an OCB shot as Chicago won a goal kick.

In the 81st minute, Hency found Rodriguez going forward. Rodriguez took a shot shortly after entering the box, but it was blocked out of play by Williams for a corner kick. That was the last action for Rodriguez as he was immediately replaced.

The corner ended up with Matteo Kidd, who took a hard shot from distance. It looked like it would’ve been on target, but Williams came charging in to block it, enabling OCB to clear the danger.

On the other end, OCB nearly took its first lead of the night. With his back to goal at the top of the box, Juninho laid the ball off for the oncoming Solis. The midfileder’s first touch was a hard shot towards the near post, but it went just wide.

In the 90th minute, Hency cleared the ball out of play for an OCB corner kick. The set piece found the foot of Kibunguchy in the box and the center back’s first touch was a shot. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get over it, sending the ball well over the target.

The Young Lions nearly scored a winner in the third minute of stoppage time when Tablante sent a cross towards the back post. It looked to be too close to Gal, but went over his head and off the far post. The Chicago defense nearly headed it into the goal but it went just wide for a corner. That was the last chance as the game ended 1-1.

At full time, OCB had more possession (54.2%-45.8%), shots (12-11), corners (9-2), and crosses (7-5), and passed more accurately (87%-83.8%). Chicago put more shots on target (4-3), but only one past Otero.

NYCFC II’s draw and shootout win over Toronto FC II earlier in the evening meant that the Young Lions only needed a point to clinch a spot in the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs. It’s the first time they’ve seen the postseason in the young league and the second time they’ve made the postseason in team history.

While they did their job and clinched a playoff spot, the draw meant the game would go to penalties to see which team got an extra point. Freeman started the shootout by putting his attempt into the corner. Prpa stepped up for Chicago and also went for the corner. But Otero guessed correctly and stopped it to give OCB the lead after one round.

Medina took the second attempt for the Young Lions and went right down the middle. Gal dove to his left, but left his legs back enough to block the attempt. Defender Noah Egan put his penalty past Otero to make it 1-1 after two rounds.

The shootout settled down after that with Juninho, Solis, and Acuna comfortably netting their penalties. Michael Nesci sent Otero the wrong way, but the 20-year-old goalkeeper nearly ended it in the fourth round when he got a hand to Justin Reynolds’ attempt. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get enough of it to keep it out.

After Acuna put his shot into the roof to give the Young Lions the fifth-round lead, Ostrem stepped up needing to convert. He put his attempt down the middle, nearly identical to Medina earlier. However, Otero was able to keep his legs back, blocking the shot and OCB took two points on the night.

OCB remains in fifth place with one game remaining in the regular season and can’t catch Columbus Crew 2 for fourth. However, the Young Lions still have plenty to play for next weekend. They can still finish fifth, sixth, or seventh, potentially determining if they can get a home game in the postseason.

The Young Lions will return home to end their second MLS NEXT Pro regular season next Sunday when they face FC Cincinnati 2 at Osceola County Stadium.

A match against Columbus means that I spoke with Pat Murphy of Massive Report. As usual, Pat was very helpful in getting us caught up on what the Crew’s season has been like since these two teams last met back in May.

One of the biggest stories of the summer was Lucas Zelarayan’s surprise departure, with Diego Rossi brought in to replace him. How has Rossi performed so far?

Pat Murphy: He has been good but different. Despite his ability to score, Zelarayan was much more of a creator. He didn’t get a ton of assists for the Crew, at least not as many as no. 10s of the past, but he got the offense going and was a connector from the midfielder. He could do a little bit of everything. Rossi is creative but he’s a forward. He wants to be closer to the goal and put pressure on the back line

What Wilfried Nancy likes about him is that he’s willing to press and use his energy to cause problems for opposing back lines. Zelarayan would do that, but it didn’t come as natural as it does for Rossi, who is younger and has been asked to do this with other teams.
Rossi’s addition also allows the Crew to play a fluid front three. Before, the two in front of Zelarayan were able to move and rotate but the Argentine was generally in the No. 10 spot. Now with Cucho Hernadnez, Rossi, and Christian Ramirez on the field together, there are not set positions — more so roles that players are in which makes it harder to defender the Black & Gold.

Following Eloy Room’s departure, Patrick Schulte has further cemented himself as the starting goalkeeper. What style of keeper is he, and how has he looked?

PM: He’s pretty solid all around. He’s getting better as a shot stopper, or at least more confident doing it at the MLS level. He is decent with his feet and understands movement with the ball as a former basketball player that nearly played in college. He has not been scared to try some things from time to time with the ball, which has led to a couple of mistakes, but he’s done a good job of learning from those. The biggest thing lately has been Schulte’s leadership. He is much more vocal now that he knows he’s the guy in goal and is comfortable with his teammates. This makes quite the difference in terms of organizing the back line and helping Columbus play better defense.

As we get closer and closer to the playoffs, what are your expectations for this team? What would you consider a successful season?

PM: That’s a good question. This team changed way more in the summer window than I expected, with players both coming in and leaving. I honestly think it will be an interesting case study in how much you can overhaul your roster in the summer and have success.
I think this team is capable of making a deep run in the MLS Cup playoffs. The offense is elite and that always makes for a difficult out. I do still have concerns about this defense and how that side will handle postseason play. This was a focus on Nancy with his team over the past weekend and a half as the Crew didn’t play over the international window. We’ll see how much it helps.

I also think things will change in the playoffs because of the new format. I think it will be more difficult for the underdog to spring the upset, given it will be a best-of-three series instead of just one game.

With all that said, my expectation is this team gets in and wins a round. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Black & Gold goes far, but I could also see this team, due to all the changes, be better equipped to be really good next year with a full preseason with all of the new players and some motivation if they don’t get as far as they hoped this postseason.

Are there any players who will be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

PM: We expect Columbus to be pretty healthy coming out of the weekend off. I would project the lineup to look like this: Patrick Schulte; Steven Moreira, Rudy Camacho, Malte Amundsen, Julian Gressel, Yaw Yeboah; Darlington Nagbe, Aidan Morris; Cucho Hernandez, Christian Ramirez, Diego Rossi.

Score prediction not provided.

Thank you to Pat for his help in getting us up to speed on the Crew. Vamos, Orlando!