LIVE! Orlando City SC’s 2025/26 off-season – Transfers and rumours tracker

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Behold, your ultimate guide to Orlando City SC’s transfer activity during the 2025/26 MLS off-season.

This live tracker covers everything from winter signings and rumours to player departures and contract updates, all the way through to the close of the MLS Primary Transfer Window on Thursday, March 26, 2026.

Right here, you can stay fully up-to-date on every move and development involving the Lions. Continue reading

The good, the bad, and the ugly: Orlando City SC’s 2025 season – From hope to heartbreak

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⚠️ Warning: this blog comes with a disclaimer. ⚠️ Before you read any further, be warned – there’s a high probability you might upset yourself again as we delve into Orlando City SC’s 3-1 defeat at Chicago Fire in the 2025 MLS Wild Card match. Maybe, like me, you were already resigned to defeat – a feeling so alien in the Oscar Pareja era. How quickly times have changed! But it’s time for a final word on 2025 – a strange season that promised so much but ultimately delivered so little. When you rely on the same tactics, you often get the same results, and many supporters are now ready to call time on Pareja’s six years in purple.

I didn’t watch the game live – which is unlike me for such a pivotal game – but when I caught the eight-minute MLS highlights this morning, all I saw was wave after wave of Chicago Fire attacks. With last night’s win, Fire sealed their FIRST MLS Cup Playoffs appearance since 2017 – EIGHT years ago! While Alex Freeman, Martín Ojeda, and Marco Pašalić can hold their heads high this year, their individual contributions have sadly counted for nothing.

When the Wilf family completed their takeover in 2021, the aim was trophies. We got one in 2022, of course, but since then, MLS Cup has remained elusive. Moving away from signing international superstars like Kaká and Nani, the club has leaned on a low-risk, high-ceiling transfer strategy – a hallmark of Ricardo Moreira’s approach. Yet with the recent news that Orlando are attempting to lure Richarlison to Central Florida, perhaps it’s time to rethink everything.

Bouncing back will be hard though. When you perform below expectations, your best players become targets. Alex Freeman is almost certain to move on this winter and Borussia Mönchengladbach are “interested” in Marco Pašalić who “would like to return to Europe”. You have to imagine that suitors will come circling for our MVP Martín Ojeda too – heaven forbid!

This blog is our full autopsy of 2025 – so buckle up for a bumpy ride as we put in the final word on a season that quickly swung from hope to heartbreak. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Inter Miami – 10.08.2025

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WAS I DREAMING? 🤩 A first-half hat-trick by Luis Muriel? 😮 Incredible! Orlando City SC head into Sunday’s Sunshine Clásico against Inter Miami riding high, having qualified for the 2025 Leagues Cup knockout stage with a 5-1 win over Necaxa. By finishing fourth in the MLS table, we’ve now set up a quarter-final with Toluca at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Now back in MLS action, we’re out to protect our unbeaten home record against Miami (3-4-0). A win here would not only give us huge momentum, but secure a famous season sweep. Our legs may be tired from a packed schedule. But hopefully, adrenaline can carry us past the South Florida team we all love to beat! Lionel Messi’s absence gives us a psychological boost – but let’s not pretend this will be easy. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Necaxa – 06.08.2025

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Orlando City SC head into their third phase one match of the 2025 Leagues Cup full of confidence. A hard-fought game two win over Atlas (3-1) gave us a much-needed boost and keeps our qualification hopes alive! 💪🏽 But our fate isn’t fully in our hands and we still need favourable results elsewhere.

After eliminating Atlas, we now face Necaxa – a side equally hungry for a win in this tightly contested phase one. With both sides still fighting for a knockout spot, every point and goal carries extra weight. Tensions will be high, but Orlando can count on key players like Robin Jansson and Martín Ojeda, who remain available despite some late fracas against Atlas. This is a must-win, make-or-break match, so get ready for an intense battle! Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Atlas – 02.08.2025

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This Saturday, Orlando City SC play their second phase one match in the 2025 Leagues Cup. Hosting Atlas at Inter&Co Stadium, it’s already a must-win game. After our frustrating penalty shootout loss to Pumas UNAM, we have just one point. To keep our knockout hopes alive, we absolutely need to make it to four points.

Our tournament started strong with Rodrigo Schlegel’s early goal against Pumas, but a drop in attacking intensity and defensive errors proved costly. Next up is Atlas, led by former Atlanta United coach Gonzalo Pineda. Having lost 2-1 to Inter Miami, they’re still searching for their first point and will be pushing hard for a win. With only the top four teams from each league advancing, there’s little room for error. So this match will be crucial in deciding both teams’ Leagues Cup fate. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: FC Cincinnati vs Orlando City SC – 05.10.2024

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Orlando City SC are simply on fire right now! Extending our strong run of form last night, City secured a vital 2-1 victory over Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium. This win not only completed a 2024 season sweep over Jim Curtin’s Philadelphia Union, but also marked a milestone for Facundo Torres, who became Orlando City SC’s all-time leading goalscorer (45) across all competitions. Impressively, it was also our fourth consecutive home victory in the MLS regular season, extending our unbeaten run at home to 10 matches (7-3-0) across all competitions. With a top four finish still ours to lose, the Lions remain firmly in the hunt for home field advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 Series of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Following yesterday’s win, Orlando City SC remain fourth in the Eastern Conference with 49 points from 32 games. In fact, no side has won more points (27) in MLS since the beginning of July than the Lions. But with New York City FC and New York Red Bulls just two points behind us, our lead is far from secure as all three teams get set to contest their final two MLS regular season fixtures. NYCFC’s 3-2 win over FC Cincinnati yesterday propelled them to 47 points, while Red Bulls matched that total by thrashing Toronto FC 1-4 at BMO Field. It was a strong way to bounce back from a humiliating 1-5 home defeat to New York City FC last weekend in the Hudson River Derby.

Given how tight the current standings are, this makes every remaining point crucial as Orlando City SC aim to secure a second successive top four seeding in the post-season. With last night’s 3-2 defeat at NYCFC, Saturday’s opponents FC Cincinnati (56 points) missed the chance to overtake Ohio rivals Columbus Crew (57 points), who slipped up with a 2-3 home defeat to Inter Miami. A victory that saw The Herons unfortunately crowned 2024 Supporters’ Shield champions, FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew are currently jockeying for second place. Despite goals from Luciano Acosta and Corey Baird, Pat Noonan’s FC Cincinnati fell short at NYCFC and they’ll be eager to respond against Orlando City SC at a boisterous TQL Stadium.

But under the pressure of securing a top four finish, City’s attack has thrived, with Facundo Torres, Martín Ojeda, and Ramiro Enrique making significant contributions since June. Despite Orlando City SC scoring just 17 goals in our first 17 MLS games of 2024, we’ve netted 38 in the last 15, matching 2016 and 2023’s joint club record of 55 goals in a single MLS regular season. With Orlando City SC now set to contest our final away fixture of the regular season, the Lions should be feeling mighty confident, especially given our ability to dominate or grind out results.

Oscar Pareja, the coaching staff, and players deserve massive credit for this tactical versatility and for peaking at the right time, much like we did last season. When you combine regular goalscoring with defensive discipline – as we are right now – this is the winning formula! With our post-season spot already secured, all eyes are on Orlando City SC to maintain our top four position and build momentum for what we hope is our deepest playoff run yet! And who knows, maybe, just maybe lifting the 2024 MLS Cup? Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs FC Cincinnati – 04.05.2024

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May the fourth be with Orlando City SC this Saturday (Star Wars™ Night) because we’re going to need it!

After collapsing late on to somehow throw away all three points in a gutting 1-2 loss to Toronto FC, Oscar Pareja’s Lions now contest a second successive home game at Inter&Co Stadium, this time against high-flying FC Cincinnati.

Currently second in the Eastern Conference on 18 points, 2023 MLS Supporters’ Shield winners FC Cincinnati come into this game buoyed by a 2-1 home victory against Colorado Rapids last Saturday plus a 1-2 comeback win at Atlanta United the weekend prior. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Tigres UANL vs Orlando City SC – 12.03.2024

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Last Tuesday, Orlando City SC and Tigres UANL battled to a respectable 0-0 draw in leg one of our 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 tie. Now contesting the crucial second leg at Estadio Universitario, otherwise known as El Volcán, the Lions are coming off a gutting stoppage time 2-3 home defeat to Minnesota United in MLS on Saturday.

Oscar Pareja‘s side remains very much alive in this tie because the CONCACAF Champions Cup still uses the away goals rule as the first tiebreaker. In last year’s Round of 16 matchup, Tigres UANL narrowly clinched their progression to the quarter-finals thanks to an away goal scored at Inter&Co Stadium in an evenly-matched two-legged tie that finished 1-1 on aggregate. This time around, Orlando City SC head to Monterrey knowing that for every goal they score, it counts as double, giving their Mexican hosts a mountain to climb in order to progress. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Tigres UANL – 05.03.2024

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February 27 was a historic night for Orlando City SC as we sealed our first ever two-legged victory in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Making light work of defeating Cavalry FC 6-1 on aggregate across two Round One legs in the 2024 edition of the tournament, Orlando City SC now face a much tougher proposition in the Round of 16.

As fate would have it, the Lions now face two legs against Mexican giants Tigres UANL in exactly the same matchup as we saw at this stage of the competition last year. On that occasion, tournament favourites Tigres UANL narrowly progressed past City via the away goals rule having drawn 0-0 in Monterrey and 1-1 in Central Florida.

Out to avenge the pain we felt in our March 2023 tournament debut, one major difference this time is that Orlando City SC are hosting this first leg at Inter&Co Stadium with the crucial return leg taking place at Estadio Universitario on March 12. Continue reading

STATS PREVIEW: New York City FC vs Orlando City SC – 02.10.2022

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After recording our most emphatic MLS victory of 2022, a much-needed 4-0 win over Toronto FC prior to the international break, Orlando City SC now have three games left to finally seal qualification for the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Visiting New York City FC in our penultimate away fixture of the regular season, this game is being contested in Harrison, New Jersey at Red Bull Arena rather than NYCFC’s usual Yankee Stadium home. Continue reading