Adrian Heath

STATS PREVIEW: Nashville SC vs Orlando City SC – 17.07.2024

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Our Gillette Stadium curse is over! Failing to win any of our previous eight MLS games in Foxborough, Orlando City SC have now finally defeated New England Revolution away after securing a 1-3 comeback victory on Saturday night. Our fourth win in five MLS games and the first time we’ve achieved three consecutive victories since September / October 2023, the Lions appear to be coming good when it matters!

After a lacklustre first-half performance at Revs, whatever Oscar Pareja said at half-time had the desired effect! With Orlando City SC coming out re-energised, refocused, and determined to leave Massachusetts with all three points, we laughed in the face of the artificial turf and hit back three times after entering the break 1-0 down.

Staying on the road, City now visit Tennessee for a Wednesday night showdown with Nashville SC at GEODIS Park. The clubs’ first MLS meeting since the Lions dumped Nashville SC out of the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, the Music City side will be out for revenge. That said, Nashville SC are on the slide having lost their last four consecutive MLS fixtures, including a 2-1 defeat at D.C. United on Saturday night.

As for Orlando City SC, we’re not only craving a fourth straight victory. We’re now looking for as much momentum as possible as we look to reel in sixth-placed Charlotte FC while solidifying our place in the automatic qualification spots for the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Minnesota United – 09.03.2024

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Suffering the embarrassment of a 5-0 defeat to Florida rivals Inter Miami last Saturday, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC return to Inter&Co Stadium to face Minnesota United in their first cross-conference fixture of 2024. Currently on just one point after two MLS games, the Lions are desperate to register not only their first league victory of the year but their first goal too.

This home game against Minnesota United is also the Lions’ 10 Year Anniversary Match, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Orlando City SC‘s first match in Major League Soccer. Instead of our home purple, City will suit up in The Legacy Kit to honour the occasion.

At this embryonic stage of 2024, we’ve had to juggle MLS exploits with our participation in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup – something that has posed many MLS sides difficulties in the past. On Tuesday night, Orlando City SC drew 0-0 with Mexican giants Tigres UANL in the first leg of our Round of 16 tie with the crucial second leg taking place next Tuesday. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Cavalry FC vs Orlando City SC – 21.02.2024

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Just three days before our 2024 Major League Soccer campaign gets underway, Orlando City SC are set to experience a super unique away day as they visit Langford, British Columbia to take on Cavalry FC of the Canadian Premier League in Round One of the newly rebranded 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The first of two legs to determine who will face Tigres UANL in the Round of 16, this is City’s second successive appearance in North America’s premier club competition. This time, the Lions have been spared the brutal sub-zero February temperatures of Calgary, Alberta with the game being moved from ATCO Field to Starlight Stadium due to understandable pitch concerns. 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 →

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Flamengo – 27.01.2024

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In a new calendar year, we get to witness our beloved Orlando City SC take the field earlier than ever before with the Lions hosting Brazilian giants Flamengo at our newly renamed Inter&Co Stadium in a friendly match as part of the FC Series 2024.

A friendly announced back on December 7 and originally scheduled to take place at Camping World Stadium, the fixture marks City’s first friendly in preparation for the 2024 season and Flamengo’s final game of their weeklong pre-season tour of Florida. Continue reading →

2024 MLS SuperDraft preview: Reviewing Orlando City SC’s 31 draft picks since 2015

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The MLS SuperDraft is the most exciting event in the lives of every young North American college soccer player.

With Rounds 1, 2 and 3 of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft getting underway tomorrow, Orlando City UK took this moment to reflect on how Orlando City SC‘s annual picks have fared since our inaugural 2015 season. Continue reading →

5 things you need to know about our 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup opponents Cavalry FC

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*Article updated on December 15 after the Round One (first leg) venue change

Yesterday, Orlando City SC were drawn against Canadian opponents Cavalry FC in the two-legged Round One stage of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, formerly known as the CONCACAF Champions League.

With City participating in the competition for the second successive season, Oscar Pareja‘s side are joining North America’s elite by virtue of being the next-best club in the 2023 MLS Supporters’ Shield behind winners FC Cincinnati. Continue reading →

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

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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 →

A quick word on *that* Inter Miami defeat before we all move on…

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Before we begin, Orlando City SC‘s 3-1 defeat to Inter Miami in the 2023 Leagues Cup on Wednesday evening was bitterly disappointing for players and supporters alike. Disappointing because ever since our 2011 founding, the club have long enjoyed a love affair with cup competitions, none greater than last season’s victorious 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup triumph – our first title in our MLS era.

A rivalry fixture – with state bragging rights at stake – it’s always gutting losing , especially in knockout competition in enemy territory, but genuine supporters accept these highs and lows as part and parcel of The Beautiful Game.

What I must admit though – and I reiterate that these opinions are the thoughts of Orlando City UK (Taylor Williams), not Orlando City SC – is that I had cynical feelings that our Inter Miami defeat would play out the way it did – and so it proved on a controversial night at DRV PNK 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 →