Nobody to blame but ourselves! 😡 Referee Filip Dujic may have made headlines in our 3-2 loss to Atlanta United. But César Araújo gave him a decision to make. Grabbing Mateusz Klich by the throat while leading 1-2 on the road? It was stupid, costly, and avoidable against a team we despise.
Oscar Pareja said after the match that he had challenged Araújo’s red card before the referee sent him off. While the club plans to address Dujic’s officiating internally, I can’t say I have much sympathy. We’ve been here before – hot-headed, undisciplined, and beaten. We didn’t learn! In a game that mattered this much, in enemy territory, we handed Atlanta the upper hand. We imploded, plain and simple. Now, we must finish May with a win over Chicago Fire. It’s crucial that we head into the international break still in the hunt at the top of the East.
Last time out
Orlando City SC’s 12-game unbeaten run ended in painful frustration at Mercedes-Benz Stadium yesterday. Surrendering a precious 1-2 lead late on, we fell 3-2 to bitter rivals Atlanta United in stoppage time. Despite goals from César Araújo and Ramiro Enrique putting us ahead, Araújo’s stupid red card and defensive lapses proved costly. The turning point came on 77 minutes, when Araújo was sent off for grabbing Mateusz Klich by the throat after a shove. This moment of madness left us a man down for the closing stages. The Five Stripes capitalised, equalising through Bartosz Slisz before snatching the win on 95 minutes via Jamal Thiaré. It was cruel on Pedro Gallese, who made a series of key saves, and on a Lions side that had defended resolutely for much of the second-half. Oscar Pareja was also ejected after remonstrating with the officials over the handling of Araújo’s red — a decision he said the club would address through the proper channels. While the loss snapped our club record-equalling streak, there were some positives to take – particularly the performance of Enrique. There was also another assist for Martín Ojeda, who returned to the starting XI in Georgia.
Last head-to-head
On May 3, 2025, Orlando City SC made it eight games unbeaten but were left frustrated by a 0-0 draw at Chicago Fire. Despite playing with a man advantage for nearly an hour after Chris Brady’s first-half red card, the Lions couldn’t find a breakthrough against a makeshift Fire backline that featured MLS rookies Jeffrey Gal and 16-year-old Christopher Cupps. Instead, it was the hosts who looked more threatening at times, forcing Pedro Gallese into an outstanding eight-save display to keep us level. El Pulpo’s heroics meant he reached 530 consecutive MLS minutes without conceding – becoming just the fourth keeper since 2020 to achieve such a streak. However, this was a game City should’ve won. Especially with Fire coming off a 7-2 drubbing at Nashville SC the week before. Orlando tallied 23 shots and hit the woodwork twice, but our finishing touch painfully deserted us.
What’s at stake this time?
Orlando City SC have slipped to fifth in the East after our frustrating 3-2 loss to rivals Atlanta United. Yesterday’s defeat ended our 12-game unbeaten run, denying us a new club record streak. With FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC both drawing last night, it was a huge missed opportunity to leapfrog them and close the gap on leaders Philadelphia Union, who now sit six points clear. Emotion got the better of us, with César Araújo’s senseless red card summing up a night where we lost our heads – a flaw that’s haunted us in big games under Oscar Pareja. We’d done well to shake that habit, but it resurfaced painfully in enemy territory. Now, the response is key. This was our first league defeat since March 8 at New York City FC, and with an international break looming, we can’t afford to let confidence slip. Chicago Fire may be struggling, but they’re fresher, having not played since their 3-1 loss to NYCFC last Sunday. With Pedro Gallese, Alex Freeman, David Brekalo, and Marco Pašalić soon heading off for international duty, a win would be the perfect send-off – and the ideal end to a gruelling nine-game May.
Opposition danger men
🇧🇪 Hugo Cuypers (8 goals, 2 assists – 2025 MLS)
🇩🇰 Philip Zinckernagel (5 goals, 4 assists – 2025 MLS)
🇨🇮 Jonathan Bamba (2 goals, 6 assists – 2025 MLS)
Injuries
🇻🇪 Gustavo Caraballo (lower leg) – questionable
🇵🇪 Wilder Cartagena (right leg) – SEI
🇨🇴 Nicolás Rodríguez (thigh) – out
🇯🇵 Yutaro Tsukada (knee) – SEI
🇺🇸 Chase Gasper (lower body) – questionable
🇺🇸 Chris Mueller (not due to injury) – out
🇺🇸 David Poreba (lower body) – out
🇨🇴 Carlos Terán (lower body) – out
*SEI – Season-Ending Injury List (Unavailable)
Suspensions
🇺🇾 César Araújo – one game (red card at Atlanta United)
🇨🇴 Oscar Pareja – one game (red card at Atlanta United)
🇨🇮 Dje D’Avilla – one game (red card at New York City FC)
🇺🇸 Brian Gutiérrez – one game (red card at New York City FC)
…
Orlando City SC vs Chicago Fire
Last 3 head-to-heads
- May 29, 2024: Chicago Fire 1 Orlando City SC 1 (MLS)
- June 22, 2024: Orlando City SC 4 Chicago Fire 2 (MLS)
- May 3, 2025: Chicago Fire 0 Orlando City SC 0 (MLS)
2015/25 head-to-head stats
- It was 0-0 the last time the sides met (May 2025)
- Played Fire 21 times in MLS – Orlando 8, Draws 8, Fire 5
- Orlando have taken the lead in their last 5 MLS fixtures
- Orlando have kept a clean sheet in 7 of their last 10 MLS fixtures
- Fire have lost 3 of their last 4 away fixtures in MLS
…
Watching the game
Orlando City SC vs Chicago Fire will be shown live on Apple TV at 00:30 (GMT) on Sunday, June 1.
Remember, UK supporters can watch all of Orlando City SC’s 2025 MLS regular season fixtures by subscribing to Apple TV’s “MLS Season Pass”.
Subscribe now by clicking here.
…
Support Orlando City UK
Passionate about what we do, Orlando City UK content will always be free. The most important thing for us is sharing our love of Orlando City SC with you all and donations are by no means expected. However, if you enjoy our content, a token towards the regular maintenance of Orlando City UK is hugely appreciated!
