Yesterday, Orlando City SC officially announced their updated first team roster following the end of the 2025 Major League Soccer campaign.
The first comprehensive evidence as to who is staying, potentially remaining and departing Inter&Co Stadium before 2026, four players were named in the ‘option declined’ column. Continue reading
This past week, we asked Orlando City SC supporters on X to select their Orlando City SC Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year for 2025 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 challenging 2025 campaign, we can now proudly reveal the winners as voted by you! Continue reading
⚠️ 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
EMBARRASSED, HUMILIATED, CRESTFALLEN!! All words that describe Orlando City SC’s pathetic 4-2 collapse at Toronto FC on 2025 MLS Decision Day. At the start of the night, a win would have sealed a playoff spot proper – in the top seven of the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Lions limped to another defeat, ending the season in 9th place – a staggering decline from our top four finishes of recent years. We started the season with a 2-4 loss to Philadelphia Union, and we ended it the same way against Toronto. Symmetry, right? Over the year, Orlando have surrendered 13 points after the 80th minute alone. Had we held on in these games, we’d be sitting on 66 points, likely contending for the Supporters’ Shield. Instead, we’re now heading to SeatGeek Stadium (not Soldier Field) to contest the Wild Card play-in game. It’s a far cry from the home playoff ambitions this roster promised.
And what a roster it was supposed to be. Martín Ojeda producing at MVP level, Alex Freeman enjoying a meteoric rise, and Marco Pašalić becoming Facundo Torres’ perfect replacement. Despite scoring more regular season goals (63) than ever before, we have failed to make our firepower count. A spare U22 Initiative slot sat vacant all season, and Ramiro Enrique was sold after the Secondary Transfer Window closed. Mismanagement, wasted talent, and poor execution on and off the pitch have defined Orlando City SC’s disappointing 2025 regular season. The collapse in decision-making and consistency has been breathtaking, leaving fans, staff, and owners with every right to feel frustrated and betrayed.
This isn’t just disappointing – it’s regression. From legitimate MLS Cup contenders to 9th in the East, Orlando City SC have taken a massive step backwards. Wednesday’s trip to Chicago Fire isn’t just another match. It’s the final chance to salvage some pride from a season of squandered opportunities, soft goals, wasted leads, and unfulfilled potential. The squad, the coaching staff, and the club as a whole must take a long, hard look at themselves before 2026, because this year has been nothing short of disastrous. If you ask me, major changes are needed this off-season – both on the touchline and in the squad. Continue reading
WIN THIS AND WE SEAL A TOP SEVEN FINISH!! 🤞🏽🙏🏽 For the first time in six MLS seasons, Orlando City SC welcome Vancouver Whitecaps to Inter&Co Stadium this Saturday. And it’s our final home fixture of the 2025 regular season. The sides haven’t met since April 2019, adding extra intrigue to a clash that was originally scheduled for August 30 before being rearranged due to our deep 2025 Leagues Cup run.
It’s a big night in more ways than one. Already locked into the MLS Cup Playoffs for a sixth consecutive year – the longest active streak in the league – the Lions know this is their last game in hand. And it simply has to count in the race for a top four finish. The timing, though, is awkward, with the FIFA international break stripping both sides of key players. Fortunately for us, Pedro Gallese is available after not being called up by Peru.
For Vancouver, this is a gruelling 3,214 mile trip which is around five hours and forty minutes by direct flight. Whitecaps land in Central Florida jubilant, having recently lifted the 2025 Canadian Championship trophy on October 1. With playoff seeding on the line, it’s high stakes as the Lions look to sign off at Inter&Co in style. Continue reading
THE LIONS ARE LOCKED IN!! 🦁🔒 For the sixth straight season, Orlando City SC have clinched their spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs – and there’s still plenty left to play for! A stoppage time header from Alex Freeman sealed a 1-1 draw at high-flying FC Cincinnati last Sunday – a result that keeps us right in the hunt for a top four finish. With just three games to go, every point is priceless.
Now back at Inter&Co Stadium for our penultimate home fixture of the regular season, the focus shifts to Columbus Crew. Sitting just two points and two places beneath us in ninth, Wilfried Nancy’s men arrive winless in three, reeling from a 2-0 defeat at Chicago Fire. Crucially, we hold a game in hand on almost all of the top six, making Saturday’s clash more than just a playoff preview. It’s a chance to draw closer to the top four and build momentum at just the right time. With nine Eastern teams now locked into the post-season, the only question left is who secures a top four spot and who gets pulled into the Wild Card fight. Continue reading
THE CARDIAC CATS ARE BACK, BABY!! 🫀🦁 And just in the nick of time! Duncan McGuire’s last-gasp winner against Nashville SC wasn’t only massive for him personally. It could prove huge in our push for a top four home playoff spot. When Jacob Shaffelburg made it 2-2 after our hard-earned 2-0 lead, every Lion felt that familiar sinking feeling.
But credit to the boys – and to McGuire – for playing to the whistle, keeping the belief, and snatching what might be a season-defining goal. A trademark poacher’s finish, it was McGuire’s first City strike since May 24, and it keeps our playoff hopes alive heading into the final four games. Next up is a tough trip to TQL Stadium, where Pat Noonan’s FC Cincinnati are pushing hard in the 2025 Supporters’ Shield race. In our third ‘Sunday Night Soccer’ slot of the season, let’s hope we can make it back-to-back wins after busting our five-game winless slump. Continue reading
We’re feeling the pressure, aren’t we? 😬 After a costly 1-1 draw at bottom-placed D.C. United, Orlando City SC return home for a massive showdown with Nashville SC. Winless since advancing past Toluca, the Lions must rediscover their form with the playoffs fast approaching – or at least we hope! Dropping points at Audi Field was criminal, and with only five regular season games left, the margin for error is now razor thin.
The stakes couldn’t be clearer. Orlando currently sit EIGHTH on 48 points but have one game in hand and trail fourth-placed Nashville by just two. A win at Inter&Co Stadium would put us right back in the top four fight. But Nashville have been a nightmare opponent this year, knocking us out of the U.S. Open Cup and hammering us 5-1 only two league games ago. Nothing less than three points will do if we’re serious about chasing a home playoff spot. No more excuses! Continue reading
(Credit: EA Sports FC 26)
Here at Orlando City UK, we’re super excited about the forthcoming launch of EA Sports FC 26 on September 26.
Even better, we’ve now earned the first glimpse of how our beloved Orlando City SC players have been rated in the game. Continue reading
BACK TO BUSINESS, LIONS! 🦁 After a frustrating fourth place finish in the 2025 Leagues Cup, Orlando City SC are back in MLS action this Saturday. Visiting D.C. United, we desperately need three points and a return to form. The Galaxy defeat still stings, and the squad looked drained in Carson. But the international break gave most of our players a chance to rest, recover, and reset ahead of this must-win clash.
The East is still wide open, and with a game in hand on the current top four, this fixture is crucial if we want to secure a home playoff spot. D.C. United may be rock bottom, but they’ve picked up under new head coach René Weiler. Unbeaten in three (1-2-0), they pulled off a shock 1-2 win at New York City FC last time out, so they won’t be pushovers. Lose this one, and it’s panic stations. Win it, and we’re back on track, with belief and momentum heading down the stretch. Continue reading
