STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs CF Montréal – 30.09.2023

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Rescuing a one-goal deficit to draw 1-1 with Florida rivals Inter Miami, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC now face CF Montréal in our penultimate home fixture of the 2023 MLS regular season.

In a passionate Sunshine Clásico full of aggression and needle, a scrappy derby had flashes of promise but ultimately ended even. Admittedly a fair result on the balance of play, the Lions were very wasteful in front of goal despite Duncan McGuire‘s 66th minute equaliser – a goal that ensured Inter Miami have still never won at Exploria Stadium. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Inter Miami – 24.09.2023

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Mission accomplished! Despite suffering a 2-0 defeat at New York City FC last night, a favourable 1-1 draw between D.C. United and Atlanta United elsewhere saw Orlando City SC clinch their spot in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs with five games to spare. Reaching the promised land of the MLS post-season earlier than ever before, Oscar Pareja has now impressively steered the City ship into the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.

In a mouth-watering prospect, Orlando City SC and Inter Miami now meet in MLS for the first time since the Lions’ highly controversial 2023 Leagues Cup Round of 32 defeat (3-1) at DRV PNK Stadium back on August 2.

With Lionel Messi’s brace helping steer The Herons towards what proved to be their first major title in club history, the injustice of several incidences against City has undoubtedly lit the touch paper for this eagerly anticipated rematch. Revenge will most certainly be on the minds of Orlando City SC players and supporters as the Lions aim to derail Inter Miami’s late push to reach the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.

In huge news, seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi WILL NOT visit Exploria Stadium for the very first time however. After The Herons’ 4-0 win over Toronto FC yesterday, Tata Martino ruled both Messi and Jordi Alba out of Sunday’s Sunshine Clásico after they were both subbed off with suspected first-half injuries in that game. Whether this is managerial mind games or not remains to be seen. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: New York City FC vs Orlando City SC – 20.09.2023

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After defeating Columbus Crew 4-3 in a quite remarkable three-goal comeback victory, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC now visit Queens, not The Bronx, for a Wednesday night showdown with 2015 MLS expansion rivals New York City FC at Citi Field.

With City players and supporters running on adrenaline after Ramiro Enrique‘s buzzer beater against Crew, the Lions left everything on the field against quality opposition in undoubtedly one of the craziest and most exciting games of the entire Major League Soccer season so far – a game that’ll live long in the memory. Continue reading

Anderlecht interested in signing Orlando City SC’s Duncan McGuire

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According to a Wednesday article from Belgian source Het Laatste Nieuws, Anderlecht are reportedly interested in signing Orlando City SC striker Duncan McGuire.

With The Athletic previously confirming Anderlecht’s interest in the 22-year-old, Het Laatste Nieuws’s article suggests talks have already been held with McGuire’s entourage. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: CF Montréal vs Orlando City SC – 06.05.2023

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Desperately searching for not only a positive result but performance in an inconsistent 2023 campaign, Orlando City SC achieved both against LA Galaxy last weekend.

Just the tonic we needed, Oscar Pareja’s Lions prevailed 2-0 with Designated Players Ercan Kara and Facundo Torres scoring in a satisfying, convincing display. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs LA Galaxy – 29.04.2023

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One step forward and two steps back. Frustratingly, Orlando City SC‘s disappointing season continued last Saturday. Oscar Pareja‘s Lions painfully suffered their third consecutive home defeat in MLS.

Comfortably beaten 1-3 by Wayne Rooney’s D.C. United; sloppy defending, individual errors, and a lack of attacking quality all contributed to yet another sobering evening at Exploria Stadium. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs D.C. United – 22.04.2023

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After lots of bye week deliberation time following our 1-2 Nashville SC defeat on April 1, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC bounced back with a much-needed 1-2 road victory at Minnesota United last Saturday.

Achieving a comeback win against legendary former City head coach Adrian Heath, second-half goals from Iván Angulo and Duncan McGuire sealed a super satisfying victory at Allianz Field. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Charlotte FC – 18.03.2023

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Still undefeated after Gameweek 3 of the 2023 MLS season, Orlando City SC now face Charlotte FC at Exploria Stadium after achieving a 1-1 draw at D.C. United last weekend.

Downbeat however after narrowly being eliminated (on away goals) by Tigres UANL in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday, this is a great chance to bounce back and put crucial Eastern Conference points on the board early in the season. Continue reading

Who are Orlando City SC’s four 2023 MLS SuperDraft picks?

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Whetting the appetite for a brand new Major League Soccer season, the 2023 MLS SuperDraft took place yesterday with Orlando City SC making four picks overall.

After Oscar Pareja‘s Lions selected Shakur Mohammed, Duncan McGuire (pictured), Abdi Salim, and Luis Grassow, Orlando City UK found out a little more about each individual college talent acquired in the draft. Continue reading