(Credit: Orlando City SC)
Yesterday, Orlando City SC supporters learned when each of their thirty-four 2026 Major League Soccer regular season fixtures will be played.
Now that our full MLS regular season schedule is out, away days can be planned, rivalry games can be circled, and Lions supporters can now start mapping out Orlando City SC’s quest to reach the 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs. 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
THEY GOT WHAT THEY WANTED, DIDN’T THEY? 🤬😤 Orlando City SC were kicked to the curb in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday. Ultimately, we were robbed of a Leagues Cup Final berth by decisions that only went one way. Just two games ago, we had a chance to reach third place in the East and the 2025 Leagues Cup Final. With both chances missed, we’re now clinging on to salvage at least a 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup spot in the Third Place Match. The game can be cruel and unrelenting, but we need to keep going. As Ricardo Moreira tweeted after our semi-final heartbreak: “Tomorrow is day one again.”
It’s a brutal turnaround, too. Having flown cross-country to Los Angeles on August 20, we’re back in Carson for the third time in 2025. This time not for silverware, but survival of sorts. A third place finish still gets us into continental football, and that has to be the focus. LA Galaxy may be a mess in MLS – rock bottom, with the worst title defence in league history. But don’t think for a second they won’t throw everything at this! Continue reading
LET’S REACH A FINAL!! 😬💪🏽 After a rotated Orlando City SC side fell 5-1 at Nashville SC, focus now shifts to the biggest Sunshine Clásico yet! If we win at Chase Stadium this Wednesday, we’d not only reach our first-ever Leagues Cup Final. We’d qualify for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup too! Already sweeping Inter Miami (0-3 and 4-1) this MLS regular season, Lionel Messi is back from injury and fired up to make amends.
Lose, and we’ll face LA Galaxy or Seattle Sounders in the Third Place Match with Champions Cup qualification still at stake. Martín Ojeda is fresh after being rested in Nashville. And Miami slayer Luis Muriel is available, with his one-game suspension not carrying over into Leagues Cup. Just 180 minutes separate City from a second MLS-era trophy, so let’s rise to the challenge! Continue reading
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
Orlando City SC host Portland Timbers this Saturday in our second cross-conference MLS fixture of 2025. While we’ve faced Phil Neville before – going 4-2-1 against his Inter Miami side – this is our first meeting with him as Timbers boss.
Riding high off our stunning 0-3 win at Inter Miami, our momentum just took a big hit! Eliminated from the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup last night, losing 2-3 to Nashville SC in the Round of 16, fatigue and tired legs told. With Orlando squeezing NINE fixtures into May, this gruelling month is a real test of our fitness, mentality, and squad depth. Now, we must regroup and dig deep against talented opposition. Continue reading
FLORIDA IS PURPLE!! 😈😏 I don’t know about you but I’m still on a HUGE high after last night! Our 0-3 demolition of Inter Miami at Chase Stadium was a statement win – and our first-ever against Lionel Messi! Oscar Pareja’s Lions have surged from eighth to fifth in just two MLS gameweeks, extending our MLS unbeaten streak to 11 matches – just one shy of our longest MLS run (12 matches, Aug-Oct 2020). With dominant shutout derby wins over Atlanta United (3-0), Tampa Bay Rowdies (0-5), and now Inter Miami (0-3), Papi is masterminding important victories against all the sides we love to hate. So, massive credit to him, the coaching staff, and the players!
Now, focus shifts to this crucial Round of 16 Open Cup tie against Nashville SC at Inter&Co Stadium. Our first home game in the competition since winning it on September 7, 2022, this is a key chance to push for a second U.S. Open Cup title in four seasons. With the likes of Los Angeles FC and Columbus Crew absent, Orlando City SC’s strong form makes a deep cup run very achievable. And make no mistake – we’ll be taking this tournament very seriously as we look to add more silverware to “The Vault”! Continue reading
TEN games unbeaten sounds much better after a win, right? Orlando City SC found their spark on Wednesday with a convincing 3-1 victory over Charlotte FC, snapping a frustrating run of five draws in six. It was the kind of complete display Oscar Pareja has been demanding — and just in time.
Because next up? It’s Inter Miami away in the first Sunshine Clásico of 2025! Not just any fixture, this is our first ‘Sunday Night Soccer’ appearance of the season, with all eyes on Chase Stadium. As painful as it is to recall, we were thrashed 5-0 there last March. So, this time, we have to do ourselves justice! At the end of the day, real heart, fight, and passion is non-negotiable in MLS Rivalry Week. Continue reading
(Credit: Orlando City SC)
Orlando City SC supporters have today learned when each of their thirty-four 2025 Major League Soccer regular season fixtures will be played.
With all MLS franchises’ complete regular season schedules released today, away days can be planned, rivalry games can be circled, and Lions supporters can now start mapping out Orlando City SC’s quest to reach the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. Continue reading
It’s time, Orlando! With potential 2024 MLS Cup glory just 270+ minutes away, Orlando City SC are on the cusp of reaching their first-ever Eastern Conference Final. Standing in City’s way are fierce Georgia rivals Atlanta United who visit Inter&Co Stadium this Sunday in a single elimination Eastern Conference Semi-Final. Both teams have played each other 21 times in MLS, but never in a playoff match, until now. With just eight teams remaining in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, the stage is set, and the stakes couldn’t be higher. This is what we’ve worked all season for – and now, it’s all about executing when it matters most.
After our heart-stopping game three victory over Charlotte FC in Round One, Orlando City SC have proven once again that we know how to handle pressure. Our thrilling 4-1 shootout victory (1-1 at full-time) saw us progress to our third-ever Eastern Conference Semi-Final, but this has been the end of the line twice before. Still carrying scars from our semi-final exits to New England Revolution (2020) and Columbus Crew (2024), it’s now up to Oscar Pareja’s Lions to go further than any Orlando City SC team has before. So, let’s be THAT team and say ‘why not us?’.
In Round One (game three), Facundo Torres’ buzzer-beater heroics and Pedro Gallese’s clutch penalty shootout saves were a testament to the grit and determination that define our team. With our momentum building, we’re hungrier than ever. Ultimately, Orlando City SC will never have a better opportunity to reach their first-ever MLS Cup. After all, the top three seeds in the Eastern Conference – Inter Miami (first), Columbus Crew (second), and FC Cincinnati (third) – shocked everyone by getting eliminated in Round One of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. If we can get past Atlanta United, Orlando City SC will host either sixth seed New York City FC or seventh seed New York Red Bulls at Inter&Co Stadium – a tantalising prospect with our fourth seed home advantage paying dividends.
Over the years, Atlanta United have been the bane of Orlando City SC’s existence. They not only won MLS Cup in their second-ever season (2018). Across all competitions, they also hold an impressive 11-7-4 all-time record against City since joining Major League Soccer in 2017. A team our supporters love to hate, it would be incredibly sweet to knock out The Five Stripes. We’d be one step closer to clinching what we’ve all yearned for since 2015 – that coveted Philip F. Anschutz Trophy and a first-ever MLS star above our crest! With a sellout crowd expected to pack out Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando City SC must be bold, focused, and disciplined. We can’t allow rash decisions, hot-headedness, and red cards to be our downfall like in post-seasons of old. Let’s show we’re #AllTeeth and ready to send Atlanta United packing! LFG. Vamos Orlando! 😈 Continue reading
