STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Austin FC – 23.03.2024

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After losing 2-0 at fierce rivals Atlanta United, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC now return to Central Florida to welcome Austin FC to Inter&Co Stadium for the very first time in MLS.

Down in the dumps right now, the Lions are winless in four MLS games, scoreless in three, and currently second bottom in the Eastern Conference in what has truly been a nightmare start to 2024. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Atlanta United vs Orlando City SC – 17.03.2024

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The MLS schedule makers certainly haven’t made it easy on Orlando City SC with Oscar Pareja‘s Lions now flying north above Interstate 75 to visit rivals Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in only our second away league fixture of 2024.

Embarrassingly humbled 5-0 at fellow rivals Inter Miami in our last MLS away fixture, City supporters are demanding a much more professional, committed, and gutsy performance this time around. But this will be anything but straightforward, not just because of The Five Stripes’ packed 40,000+ home crowd but because of our current state of mind.

City not only lost 2-3 to Minnesota United in MLS last Saturday but also got eliminated from the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday. Defeated 4-2 on aggregate by Tigres UANL in the Round of 16 stage, it’s truly been a miserable start to the year for Orlando City SC, whom much more was expected of, albeit facing a tough and unforgiving schedule to kick off our 2024 campaign. Continue reading

Twitter reacts to… Orlando City SC’s Duncan McGuire joining Blackburn Rovers on loan

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With England’s January transfer window deadline having just closed at 11pm (GMT), Orlando City SC have now announced that Duncan McGuire has joined EFL Championship side Blackburn Rovers on a six-month loan. With Tom Bogert confirming that the loan fee is worth $700,000 with a purchase option of around $7 million, plus $2.5 million in add-ons, McGuire’s move across the pond comes after he reportedly rejected a contract extension in Central Florida. This alone is merely half the story however!

A high drama situation that has been unravelling all week, Blackburn looked all set to wrap up the deal yesterday. However, despite McGuire flying to England on Wednesday to seal his transfer to Ewood Park, Rovers then pulled out of a rumoured $4 million deal for the recently capped USMNT striker at the eleventh hour due to ‘financial reasons’. This not only left McGuire – on his transatlantic flight at the time – in limbo but also the Orlando City SC Front Office and City supporters who all faced an unprecedented transfer saga, or should we say soap opera, that has truly had supporters, journalists, and pundits transfixed since last weekend. News of the Blackburn deal collapsing then alerted McGuire’s other suitors Sheffield Wednesday with the striker spotted at Kenwood Park Hotel in Sheffield this morning.

Are you still following? From here, after cheekily attempting to hijack Orlando City SC’s move for David Brekalo, Blackburn remarkably re-entered negotiations for Duncan McGuire, and at 4:15pm this afternoon, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano put everybody out of their misery by tweeting that McGuire was “on his way to Blackburn to sign on loan with an option to buy clause.”

A saga that has had more twists and turns than the VelociCoaster at Universal Islands of Adventure, it’s been one of the craziest weeks in Orlando City SC‘s MLS history. With Duncan McGuire joining Rovers on loan until July, City must now wait to cash in on the 22-year-old with the start of our 2024 campaign looming large. A shock for some and an inevitability for others, City have now been forced back into the transfer market to find a starting centre forward replacement for the recently capped USMNT striker with Colombian international Luis Muriel looking the most likely candidate as we speak. Continue reading

Orlando City SC’s complete 2024 MLS schedule revealed

(Credit: Orlando City SC)

Orlando City SC supporters have today learned when each of their thirty-four 2024 Major League Soccer regular season fixtures will be played.

With all MLS franchises’ complete regular season schedules released today, away days can be planned, rivalry games can be circled, and Lions supporters can now start mapping out Orlando City SC‘s quest to reach the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. Continue reading

Winners revealed in Orlando City UK’s 2023 end-of-season awards

This past week, we asked the Orlando City SC Twittersphere to select their Orlando City SC Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year for 2023 as part of our annual Orlando City UK end-of-season awards.

A public vote designed to recognise the standout Orlando City SC players in our highly impressive, yet agonisingly unfruitful 2023 campaign, we can now proudly reveal the winners as voted by you! Continue reading

Orlando City UK celebrates our eighth birthday: 2023 round-up

Today, we’re celebrating our eighth birthday here at Orlando City UK with our Official International Fan Club of Orlando City SC established eight years ago.

A season on from our victorious 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title, Oscar Pareja has Orlando City SC in their second ever Eastern Conference Semi-Final with our loyal UK supporters watching every kick live on Apple TV this side of the Atlantic. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Chicago Fire vs Orlando City SC – 20.08.2023

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Eliminated from the 2023 Leagues Cup back on August 2, Orlando City SC return to MLS regular season action, travelling to the Windy City to take on Chicago Fire at Soldier Field.

Prior to the Leagues Cup break, Oscar Pareja‘s Lions climbed to fifth in the Eastern Conference – and just one point off fourth-placed Nashville SC – after an impressive run of three victories in four MLS fixtures. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Atlanta United vs Orlando City SC – 15.07.2023

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Emphatically defeated 4-0 at Real Salt Lake, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC must pick themselves up quick for another road test – this time against fierce rivals Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Each regular season, this is the away game many Orlando City SC supporters want to win the most with the Lions having only won once in Georgia in eight separate attempts. Continue reading

Orlando City SC’s complete 2023 MLS schedule revealed

(Credit: Orlando City SC)

Orlando City SC supporters have today learned when each of their thirty-four 2023 Major League Soccer regular season fixtures will be played.

With all MLS franchises’ complete regular season schedules released today, away days can be planned, rivalry games can be circled, and Lions supporters can now start mapping out Orlando City SC‘s quest to reach the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Toronto FC – 17.09.2022

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After a bitterly disappointing 0-1 home defeat to fierce rivals Atlanta United on Wednesday, Orlando City SC now face Toronto FC in their penultimate home game of the 2022 MLS regular season.

Perilously sitting just two points above the red line as things stand, Oscar Pareja‘s Lions only have four nail-biting games left to seal a place in the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs. Continue reading