A 1-1 home draw against CF Montréal — really? 🤔 Winless against the bottom side this year? Not good enough. 😤 I was gutted by the full-time whistle on Saturday. Prince Owusu’s late penalty not only cost us a much-needed victory but worryingly stretched our winless run to three. Post-game, Ricardo Moreira captured the mood, tweeting: “We’re not here to settle for ‘enough’” – a clear sign of how costly these dropped points felt in the race for the Eastern Conference top four.
Now, Orlando City SC face New York City FC in a crucial midweek showdown at Inter&Co Stadium. Sitting just four points behind us and eager to close the gap, NYCFC are scarred from Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Charlotte FC. But The Pigeons are always a tough opponent, home or away. With our hopes of a top four finish fading fast, only a victory will do here.
Last time out
On Saturday, Orlando City SC were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at home to bottom-of-the-table CF Montréal. Despite Martín Ojeda giving the Lions a first-half lead with a well-struck free kick – his 10th goal of the MLS season – a late equaliser denied us all three points. With his goal, Ojeda set two new club records. Not only making it 7 straight matches with a goal contribution, Tincho (20 goals, 31 assists) also became the first player in club history to record at least 20 goals and 30 assists. However, on 81 minutes, Rodrigo Schlegel was harshly penalised by Ramy Touchan after Prince Owusu bought a cheap penalty. Adding insult to injury, the German striker converted the spot kick with Montréal’s only shot on target. Missing Pedro Gallese and Robin Jansson through suspension, Oscar Pareja rotated his back line with Javier Otero starting in goal and Alex Freeman returning from USMNT Gold Cup duty. Late sub Kyle Smith also became just our second player to reach 200 appearances across all competitions. But despite edging possession and outshooting Montréal 10-4, the Lions couldn’t find a late winner. Back on 34 minutes, Ojeda had a second goal ruled out for offside – and had it stood, it would’ve probably broken Montréal’s spirit. The result means City are unbeaten in two games, but it’s also two without a win (0-2-0). Winless in our last three at Inter&Co Stadium (0-1-2), we need to improve on this and fast.
Last head-to-head
On March 8, Orlando City SC suffered a frustrating 2-1 loss to New York City FC at Yankee Stadium, extending our winless run in The Bronx to seven years and our overall winless streak against The Pigeons to six games (0-2-4). The Lions created some good chances but were wasteful throughout, failing to capitalise before and after Kevin O’Toole’s late red card. After Alonso Martínez’s opener, Luis Muriel’s first goal of 2025, assisted by Marco Pašalić for his first MLS assist, briefly levelled the match on 69 minutes. But just a minute later, Pedro Gallese carelessly spilled a rebound, gifting Hannes Wolf the winner. The most frustrating part? NYCFC did little to earn their goals. Both felt like gifts rather than brilliance. Gallese’s face at the end of the game said it all! In an even game, he knew deep down that his mistake cost us the match.
What’s at stake this time?
Orlando City SC remain sixth in the East with 35 points from 22 games. Fifth-placed Inter Miami are three points ahead with THREE games in hand, winning five straight thanks to a red-hot Lionel Messi who’s scored a remarkable five braces (10 goals) in a row! Six points behind fourth-placed Columbus Crew, a top four finish is slipping away fast with the leading pack — and a surging Inter Miami — all looking too strong to reel in. After finishing second and fourth the past two seasons, it’s frustrating to see others take the next step while we stall. Once again, we look like a solid playoff side but nothing more. Competitive, yes, but still missing that X factor to truly contend. Now, City face a quick turnaround, looking to bounce back in a Wednesday clash with New York City FC. The Pigeons are just four points back in seventh and can gain serious ground if they win at Inter&Co Stadium. Thankfully, they’re winless in four straight road games (0-2-2) and lost 2-0 at Charlotte on Saturday. Still, they beat us 2-1 at Yankee Stadium in March, so we’ll be out for payback. The big boost? Pedro Gallese and Robin Jansson are back from suspension.
Opposition danger men
🇦🇹 Hannes Wolf (9 goals, 4 assists – 2025 MLS)
🇨🇷 Alonso Martínez (8 goals, 1 assist – 2025 MLS)
🇦🇷 Maxi Moralez (2 goals, 5 assists – 2025 MLS)
New opposition faces
🇦🇺 Aiden O’Neill (Standard Liège)
🇯🇲 Seymour Reid (New York City FC II)
🇦🇷 Nicolás Fernández Mercau (Elche)
Injuries
🇵🇪 Wilder Cartagena (right leg) – SEI
🇫🇷 Joran Gerbet (thigh) – out
🇺🇸 Duncan McGuire (shoulder) – out
🇯🇵 Yutaro Tsukada (knee) – SEI
🇸🇱 Malachi Jones (leg) – out
🇺🇸 Keaton Parks (leg) – out
*SEI – Season-Ending Injury List (Unavailable)
Suspensions
None
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Orlando City SC vs New York City FC
Last 3 head-to-heads
- June 28, 2024: New York City FC 4 Orlando City SC 2 (MLS)
- July 20, 2024: Orlando City SC 1 New York City FC 1 (MLS)
- March 8, 2025: New York City FC 2 Orlando City SC 1 (MLS)
2015/25 head-to-head stats
- It was 2-1 to NYCFC the last time the sides met (March 2025)
- Played NYCFC 26 times in MLS – Orlando 8, Draws 7, NYCFC 11
- Hannes Wolf has scored in the last 3 MLS head-to-heads (3 goals)
- Marco Pašalić has scored in 3 of Orlando’s last 4 MLS fixtures (4 goals)
- NYCFC have only won ONE of their 10 away fixtures this MLS season (1-4-5)
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Watching the game
Orlando City SC vs New York City FC will be shown live on Apple TV at 00:30 (GMT) on Thursday, July 17.
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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