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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: Orlando City SC vs CF Montréal – 24.02.2024

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After a short, breathless, and exciting off-season of refreshment, anticipation fills the air as Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC kick off the 2024 Major League Soccer campaign.

Starting at home for a tenth consecutive MLS season, City open against CF Montréal (just like we did in 2022) after our crushing 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs defeat to Columbus Crew back in November. Continue reading →

Twitter reacts to… Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira’s Orlando City SC contract renewals

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(Credit: Orlando City SC)

Probably more important than any on-field signing Orlando City SC could have made this off-season, the Lions have crucially retained the services of dynamic Brazilian duo Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira who have each signed new two-year contracts through 2025 at Inter&Co Stadium yesterday.

Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi, and Technical Director Ricardo Moreira were last promoted back in January 2022 and have each played a pivotal role in City’s player recruitment and subsequent upward trajectory since being hired ahead of the 2019 season – moves that saw Moreira join from Columbus Crew and Muzzi reunite with Oscar Pareja after working together at FC Dallas. Continue reading →

Twitter reacts to… Orlando City SC signing Iván Angulo permanently

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On loan at Orlando City SC since July 2022, the Lions today announced the permanent signing of Colombian winger Iván Angulo from Brazilian side Palmeiras – another key piece of winter transfer business that City supporters were keenly anticipating.

Signing a guaranteed contract through 2025, with a club option in 2026, Angulo was a standout contributor last year and registered five goals and eight assists across 2,499 minutes in our 2023 MLS regular season, scoring the crucial goal away at Nashville SC that set up our Eastern Conference Semi-Final with Columbus Crew. Continue reading →

Orlando City SC reject Blackburn Rovers’ loan offer for Duncan McGuire

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North American transfer expert Tom Bogert tweeted yesterday that Orlando City SC have rejected a loan offer from EFL Championship side Blackburn Rovers for striker Duncan McGuire.

With Bogert’s tweet stating that “Orlando have no interest in entertaining loan offers”, Blackburn are the latest side looking to prise McGuire away from Inter&Co Stadium after previous reported interest from Belgian Pro League sides Anderlecht and R.W.D. Molenbeek. Continue reading →

Twitter reacts to… Oscar Pareja’s new Orlando City SC contract through 2025

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“It’s done” as Frodo Baggins famously said in the Lord of the Rings! After guiding Orlando City SC to the MLS Cup Playoffs for four consecutive seasons, the hugely popular Oscar Pareja has now signed a new two-year deal, keeping our winningest head coach in club history at Exploria Stadium until at least the end of 2025.

During his four-year tenure in Central Florida, the 55-year-old Colombian has successfully turned around the Lions’ losing culture in Major League Soccer, so much so that City broke their own regular season records this year to finish runners-up to FC Cincinnati in the 2023 Supporters’ Shield despite having the lowest salary spend of all – a hugely impressive feat.

So far, the man affectionately known as Papi has built a genuine brotherhood in the City locker room, one that yielded silverware last year when Orlando City SC defeated Sacramento Republic 3-0 to win the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at Exploria Stadium – our first major title as an MLS club. 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 →

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Columbus Crew – 25.11.2023

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Impressively only requiring two games, not three, to overcome Nashville SC in the Round One Best-of-3 series in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC are now set to contest their second ever Eastern Conference Semi-Final. Now reverting back to a single elimination format, just two games separate the Lions from 2023 MLS Cup itself, the holy grail fixture that may yet be hosted at Exploria Stadium, barring overall number one seed FC Cincinnati reaching this stage of course.

Now hosting overall number three seed Columbus Crew, qualifying from their own Best-of-3 series after a game three win (4-2) over Atlanta United on November 12, Orlando City SC drew 1-1 and won 4-3 against Wilfried Nancy’s Crew side in the MLS regular season. Considering the Ohio side had to contest a third game in Round One compared to the Lions, City have enjoyed more rest regardless of the recent international break, something that we hope provides us some form of advantage in our biggest MLS game since our Eastern Conference Semi-Final defeat to New England Revolution (1-3) back in November 2020. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Nashville SC vs Orlando City SC – 07.11.2023

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After defeating Nashville SC 1-0 in game one of the Round One Best-of-3 series in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC now visit GEODIS Park to take on the Music City side in game two – quite simply the Lions’ biggest game of the season so far.

Recording our first ever playoffs win in regulation time on Monday, the Lions now visit Tennessee with a chance to punch our ticket to the Eastern Conference Semi-Final stage. To progress, Orlando City SC will need to play with the same confidence, maturity, and strong game management they impressively showcased in game one. Continue reading →