Chicago Fire burned us real bad, right? 🔥🥵 A relentless but promising May ended on a sour note for Orlando City SC, with back-to-back MLS defeats halting our momentum. After a gruelling nine-game stretch, the Lions have had a much-needed fortnight to rest, reset, and refocus.
Now begins a tough two-game Western road swing, starting with Colorado Rapids at altitude in Commerce City. Oscar Pareja will return to the touchline following his one-game suspension, as City look to get back on track. We were within touching distance of the Eastern Conference summit just weeks ago. Now, we’re firmly in the mix of a fiercely contested top-seven battle.
Last time out
On May 31, Orlando City SC suffered a second straight MLS defeat, losing 1-3 to Chicago Fire at Inter&Co Stadium. A dreadful first-half proved costly, as the visitors scored three times in the opening 32 minutes – including two inside a minute – to put the game out of reach. Pedro Gallese embarrassingly fumbled the opener before Hugo Cuypers punished defensive lapses with a quick-fire brace. Alex Freeman pulled one back with a glancing header on 39 minutes – his fourth of the season – but despite 26 shots, the Lions could only find the target five times. Luis Muriel hit the bar, and Ramiro Enrique saw two close-range efforts saved, as frustration mounted. With Oscar Pareja suspended, Diego Torres led a rotated side that saw Joran Gerbet step in for the banned César Araújo. Orlando dominated possession (57%) and corners (13-1) but lacked composure in both boxes. After our 12-game unbeaten run ended a game prior at Atlanta United, this latest setback was a tough one to take.
Last head-to-head
On June 10, 2023, Orlando City SC made it six MLS games unbeaten with a 2-0 home win over Colorado Rapids – aided by a weather delay and two red cards. Fresh off a 0-3 win at New York Red Bulls, the Lions were out to improve a 2-3-3 home record. After Braian Galván’s 39th-minute red for a high challenge on Wilder Cartagena, Oscar Pareja made key half-time changes, bringing on Martín Ojeda and Rodrigo Schlegel. Facundo Torres opened the scoring on 56 minutes with a deflected strike off Andreas Maxsø, before Lalas Abubakar’s red for pulling back Iván Angulo reduced Rapids to nine. Torres then teed up Ramiro Enrique for his first goal in purple on 83 minutes. There was also a late cameo for 17-year-old Alejandro Granados who, at the time, became Orlando City SC’s youngest-ever debutant following Spain U-17 duty.
What’s at stake this time?
After back-to-back MLS losses, Orlando City SC have slipped from fifth to seventh in the East. But following a relentless nine-game May, a two-week break has helped recharge bodies and minds. Despite our setbacks, we’re still just three points off second – far from out of the race. After the Chicago loss, Ricardo Moreira tweeted: “En las malas, más. Stick with us. Vamos.” – a rallying call not to forget what this team is capable of. On May 18, we blew away Inter Miami 0-3, so hopefully our poor finish to spring was a blip and nothing more. Still, with past summers often proving tricky, we’ll need to buck old habits. Worryingly, Alex Freeman is away with the USMNT for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup. But in his absence, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson has a big opportunity to step up. Meanwhile, Colorado Rapids lost 0-2 at home to Austin FC during our bye week. They may be match-sharp, but we’ll be the fresher side. Right now, Chris Armas’ side are ninth in the West with 22 points from 17 games.
Opposition danger men
🇺🇸 Djordje Mihailovic (7 goals, 3 assists – 2025 MLS)
🇧🇷 Rafael Navarro (5 goals, 1 assist – 2025 MLS)
🇺🇸 Darren Yapi (3 goals, 0 assists – 2025 MLS)
New opposition faces
🇳🇬 Chidozie Awaziem (FC Cincinnati)
🇺🇸 Ian Murphy (FC Cincinnati)
🇺🇸 Alex Harris (2025 MLS SuperDraft)
🇺🇸 Sam Bassett (University of Denver)
🇬🇭 Ali Fadal (Valencia)
🇺🇸 Theodore Ku-DiPietro (D.C. United)
🇺🇸 Josh Atencio (Seattle Sounders)
🇩🇰 Nico Hansen (Colorado Rapids 2)
Injuries
🇺🇸 Cole Bassett (ankle) – out
🇬🇭 Ali Fadal (knee) – out
🇺🇸 Alex Harris (ankle) – out
🇺🇸 Zack Steffen (knee) – out
🇵🇪 Wilder Cartagena (right leg) – SEI
🇨🇴 Nicolás Rodríguez (thigh) – out
🇯🇵 Yutaro Tsukada (knee) – SEI
*SEI – Season-Ending Injury List (Unavailable)
Suspensions
None
International call-ups
🇺🇸 Alex Freeman (USMNT) – 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup
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Colorado Rapids vs Orlando City SC
Last 3 head-to-heads
- March 7, 2020: Colorado Rapids 2 Orlando City SC 1 (MLS)
- July 13, 2022: Colorado Rapids 1 Orlando City SC 1 (MLS)
- June 10, 2023: Orlando City SC 2 Colorado Rapids 0 (MLS)
2017/23 head-to-head stats
- It was 2-0 to Orlando the last time the sides met (June 2023)
- Played Rapids 8 times in MLS – Orlando 5, Draws 2, Rapids 1
- Three of the last 5 MLS head-to-heads have been separated by a one-goal margin
- Five of Rapids’ last 6 MLS fixtures have finished ‘to nil’
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 5 of Orlando’s last 6 MLS fixtures
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Watching the game
Colorado Rapids vs Orlando City SC will be shown live on Apple TV at 02:30 (GMT) on Sunday, June 15.
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.
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