Alex Freeman

STATS PREVIEW: New York City FC vs Orlando City SC – 08.03.2025

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The sun always shines after the storm, right? Orlando City SC flipped the script last Saturday, securing their first MLS win of 2025 with a commanding 4-2 victory over Toronto FC at Inter&Co Stadium. After falling by the same scoreline a week prior, the Lions got that monkey off their back at the second time of asking, proving that a week is a long time in soccer!

Now, City hit the road for the first time this MLS regular season, facing New York City FC at Yankee Stadium – a tough test that kicks off a stretch of four away games in our next five. This game is NYCFC’s 2025 MLS home opener, but The Pigeons come into it scarred after losing 1-0 at Los Angeles FC on Matchday 2. Continue reading →

Twitter reacts to… Houston Dynamo acquiring Nicolás Lodeiro and Michael Halliday from Orlando City SC

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Earlier today, Orlando City SC traded Michael Halliday to Houston Dynamo and mutually terminated Nicolás Lodeiro’s contract, clearing the way for him to join Dynamo as well. In news first exclusively revealed by Tom Bogert yesterday, the Lions exercised a buyout option to free Lodeiro’s corresponding salary from their budget space. In the end, Dynamo only paid slightly above league minimum salary. As for Halliday, City traded the 22-year-old to Dynamo in exchange for a natural first round pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft.

Orlando City SC’s eighth all-time Homegrown Player, Michael Halliday, moves on after making 36 MLS appearances for the Lions since signing a first team contract in July 2020. Hailing from Apopka, and successfully graduating through both our academy and Orlando City B, Halliday made his senior debut in a 2-1 defeat at New York Red Bulls back on May 29, 2021. With Alex Freeman having surpassed him in the depth chart and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson being our starting right back, Halliday now embarks on a fresh start in Texas.

Meanwhile, Nicolás Lodeiro departs Orlando City SC after just one season in Central Florida. City signed Lodeiro in January 2024 as a Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) player, expecting him to play a key role. However, under Oscar Pareja, the two-time MLS Cup champion found himself used more as a depth option rather than a guaranteed starter. Still having made 34 MLS appearances for the Lions last season, Lodeiro won Orlando City UK’s 2024 ‘Newcomer of the Year’ award. Beating out competition from David Brekalo and Luis Muriel, he now moves on to play in the Western Conference again. Continue reading →

Orlando City SC announce 19 players on 2024 MLS Expansion Draft protected list

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When new clubs join Major League Soccer, the league requests that existing clubs release protected player lists at the end of each campaign, and Orlando City SC did just that today.

With the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft taking place tomorrow (December 11), new boys San Diego FC start construction of their inaugural 2025 roster, but the Southern California franchise will not be able to sign these 19 Lions. Continue reading →

Twitter reacts to… Orlando City SC’s 2024 end-of-season roster update

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Earlier today, Orlando City SC officially announced their updated first team roster following the end of the 2024 Major League Soccer campaign.

The first comprehensive evidence as to who is staying, potentially remaining and departing Inter&Co Stadium before 2025, five players were named in the ‘option declined’ column. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: New England Revolution vs Orlando City SC – 13.07.2024

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Could the tide finally be turning? Maybe, just maybe after Orlando City SC emphatically thrashed D.C. United 5-0 at Inter&Co Stadium last Saturday. Just our seventh MLS victory of 2024, it was crucially the first time we’ve achieved back-to-back wins all season.

Completing a 2024 sweep over D.C. United, Orlando City SC ruthlessly punished Troy Lesesne’s poor side and climbed three places into seventh in the East – the coveted final automatic qualification spot for the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Form and consistency is what will earn us a place in the post-season and having now achieved crucial must-win victories over Toronto FC and D.C. United, the Lions must now continue in this vein to put some distance between ourselves and the chasing pack in a tight and congested Eastern Conference.

As for Saturday’s opponents New England Revolution, Orlando City SC have NEVER won in eight MLS visits to Gillette Stadium and its artificial turf! However, Caleb Porter’s side come into this game scarred by a 2-0 long-haul defeat at Seattle Sounders last weekend. With Jordan Morris and Albert Rusnák grabbing the goals at Lumen Field, this was only the second defeat Revs have suffered in seven having won four straight MLS games in June. Right now, Revs are twelfth in the East, five points adrift of Orlando City SC. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Chicago Fire – 22.06.2024

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Orlando City SC could only manage a 2-2 draw at Charlotte FC on Wednesday despite playing a man up for 57 minutes after Scott Arfield’s first-half red card. The Lions were even facing the prospect of a disastrous defeat when Brandt Bronico put Dean Smith’s 10-man side 2-1 ahead in the second-half. However, Facundo Torres‘ 81st minute equaliser saved Oscar Pareja’s Lions further embarrassment in what is turning out to be an awful outlier season.

Right now, City need wins, not draws to climb up from second bottom in the Eastern Conference. However, scoring two goals in a single game is a positive sign, something we haven’t accomplished since our 2-3 win against Philadelphia Union on May 11. Now contesting a must-win game against thirteenth-placed Chicago Fire at Inter&Co Stadium, we have a crucial opportunity to leapfrog the team directly ahead of us.

Speaking of Chicago Fire, they defeated Toronto FC 1-4 last Saturday, achieving back-to-back victories for the first time this season after a terrible nine-game winless streak. Entering this game fresher than Orlando City SC having not played in midweek, Frank Klopas’ side will be encouraged by the Lions’ poor home record (1-3-5) which is currently the joint-worst in Major League Soccer.

In Saturday’s game, City will be wearing rainbow jersey numbers instead of gold to commemorate Pride In Our City Night at Inter&Co Stadium. Continue reading →

Twitter reacts to… Orlando City SC’s 2023 end-of-season roster update

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Today, Orlando City SC officially announced their updated first team roster following the end of the 2023 Major League Soccer campaign.

The first comprehensive evidence as to who is staying, potentially remaining and departing Exploria Stadium before 2024, just two players were named in the ‘option declined’ column. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Philadelphia Union vs Orlando City SC – 25.03.2023

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Gameweek 4 was one to forget, and fast, for Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC who suffered our first loss of the season – a bitterly disappointing 1-2 home defeat to bottom side Charlotte FC.

Coming just three days after our narrow 2023 CONCACAF Champions League elimination, there’s frustratingly more questions than answers right now, albeit at this early stage of the campaign. Continue reading →