General Allocation Money

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Philadelphia Union – 02.10.2024

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On Saturday, Orlando City SC showcased their resilience, bouncing back from our 4-3 defeat at Columbus Crew with an impressive 1-3 victory at FC Dallas. This win not only secured the Lions’ place in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. It also marked the fifth consecutive season that Oscar Pareja has successfully guided Orlando City SC into the post-season – an accomplishment achieved every single year under his leadership! Truly, his track record speaks volumes, and it’s moments like these that remind us just how valuable his experience and vision have been.

Beyond this milestone, the victory was also historic, as it represented the first-ever time that Orlando City SC have won (and scored) away at FC Dallas. Goals from Ramiro Enrique, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Facundo Torres ensured a memorable night in Frisco, Texas. Ultimately, it was a performance that showcased both the depth and determination of the squad, underlining our intent to make a deep run in this year’s playoffs.

City currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with 46 points from 31 games played. For now, the Lions have reclaimed that all-important home field advantage for the Round One Best-of-3 Series in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. However, with teams like New York City FC and New York Red Bulls still hot on our heels, our final three MLS regular season fixtures will be crucial. As Orlando City SC continue their quest for a top four finish, Pareja’s proven leadership will be more essential than ever.

As for Wednesday’s opponents Philadelphia Union, they’ve had a surprisingly underwhelming 2024 season by their usual high standards. Currently playing catch-up, they sit ninth in the Eastern Conference and occupy the final MLS Wild Card match slot, but only by goal difference. Jim Curtin’s side arrive at Inter&Co Stadium following a 1-1 draw with Atlanta United on Saturday where Saba Lobjanidze’s equaliser cancelled out Nathan Harriel’s well-taken opener. This was Union’s first draw in eight MLS games, but they’ve still managed to win five of their last eight in a late push for the playoffs.

Given Oscar Pareja’s combined 20 years at FC Dallas as a player, assistant coach, and head coach, Toyota Stadium was a special venue for Papi to secure post-season qualification with his new passion, Orlando City SC. By clinching our spot in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs, Orlando City SC have become one of just three active MLS teams to reach the post-season in five consecutive seasons. I mean, should we ever doubt Papi in the regular season? With this mission accomplished, our focus now shifts to sealing a top four finish and building confidence ahead of another post-season challenge. In past years, rash decisions, hot-headedness, and red cards have been our downfall, so all eyes will be on Orlando City SC to see if we’ve truly learned from previous shortcomings in the playoffs. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: FC Dallas vs Orlando City SC – 28.09.2024

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Last Saturday, Orlando City SC suffered a 4-3 defeat at Columbus Crew, ending the Lions’ three-game winning streak in dramatic fashion. Despite a spirited comeback from 3-0 down, individual errors proved costly, causing Oscar Pareja’s men to lose ground in our pursuit of a fifth consecutive MLS Cup Playoffs appearance.

The defeat means Orlando City SC remain on 43 points in a tightly congested Eastern Conference. Goals from Diego Rossi, Christian Ramirez, and Cucho Hernández put Crew 3-0 up at at Lower.com Field. Then late goals from Ramiro Enrique, Luis Muriel, Aziel Jackson, and Muriel (again) saw City fall just short in Ohio.

Now visiting FC Dallas for the first time since September 2020, Orlando City SC will look to bounce back, knowing that a win will officially clinch our spot in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. With City currently fifth in the Eastern Conference, our push for a top four finish is still within reach too, though last weekend’s setback means the pressure is mounting.

As for FC Dallas, they are fighting for a playoff spot themselves in the Western Conference. Coming off a morale-boosting 3-1 victory over Los Angeles FC, who were gearing up for the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, this win marked Toros’ first in their last four MLS fixtures (1-1-2). As such, this game promises to be another stern examination of Orlando City SC’s resilience and adaptability. Right now, every point is vital as we enter the final stretch of the MLS regular season. A strong performance in Frisco could be the catalyst needed to reignite our top four and post-season hopes.

Saturday’s visit to Toyota Stadium will also be a reunion for both Oscar Pareja and Luiz Muzzi. Both are very familiar with the venue after many successful years working together at the Texan club. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Columbus Crew vs Orlando City SC – 21.09.2024

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Last night, Orlando City SC earned yet another important victory, defeating Charlotte FC 2-0 at Inter&Co Stadium to continue our impressive form with a third consecutive home shutout. This crucial win propelled the Lions into fourth place in the Eastern Conference – our highest position all season – and extended our hopes of home field advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 Series of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Building on the momentum from recent home wins over Nashville SC (3-0) and New England Revolution (3-0), Facundo Torres netted his 12th goal of the MLS regular season with a sublime finish early in the second-half, followed by a composed chip from Duncan McGuire in the dying minutes. The match marked Orlando City SC’s first victory over Charlotte FC in five meetings and showcased the Lions’ growing defensive resilience and attacking precision.

Orlando City SC head into Saturday’s clash with 2023 MLS Cup and 2024 Leagues Cup champions Columbus Crew full of confidence, having leapfrogged New York Red Bulls into fourth place, though level on points (43) with the New Jersey side. However, the road trip to Lower.com Field won’t be easy. Facing Wilfried Nancy’s formidable side, widely regarded as the best-coached team in MLS, Oscar Pareja’s Lions will be without the suspended César Araújo.

With both teams in strong form with playoff positions at stake, this encounter promises to be a significant test of Orlando City SC’s late-season push. Right now, Lower.com Field is THE ultimate acid test among MLS fortresses and this game will examine how City might fare against top-quality opposition in the post-season. Crew enter this game fresh off a 0-2 win at Toronto FC last night, though they lost their last home match 0-4 to Seattle Sounders on September 7. That result, however, came with an asterisk. Crew were shorthanded due to international call-ups and with no goalkeeper on the bench, Sean Zawadzki had to play in net for the entire second-half after Abraham Romero’s red card in first-half stoppage time. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs New England Revolution – 14.09.2024

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Before the international break, Orlando City SC bounced back from a disappointing performance at Sporting Kansas City with a decisive 3-0 victory over Nashville SC at Inter&Co Stadium. Iván Angulo opened the scoring, followed by a Facundo Torres brace, as the Lions secured their fifth consecutive shutout against Nashville SC – a team we’ve quite simply owned in recent times!

Now, with New England Revolution visiting Central Florida, Orlando City SC face the second of three consecutive home fixtures. At this late stage of the MLS regular season, this stretch is crucial, and we need to capitalise on our home advantage to secure as many points as possible.

Right now, the Lions are quietly going under the radar when it comes to climbing the Eastern Conference standings. As MLSsoccer.com’s Matt Doyle wrote recently, “the Lions and Oscar Pareja are doing that thing again” and “no one above them seems interested in doing much about it”. Indeed, Orlando City SC are currently just one point below sixth, two points below fifth, and six points below fourth. “There’s a world here where Orlando somehow end up hosting in Round One”, Doyle continued with City “salvaging a season that felt rough for a while”.

As for Saturday’s opponents, New England Revolution, Caleb Porter’s side currently sit twelfth in the Eastern Conference (27 points), only a point above joint-bottom sides Chicago Fire and Nashville SC (26 points). It’s been a challenging first season in charge for Porter, with the team coming off a 2-2 draw against St. Louis CITY SC last weekend during the international break. Porter will serve a one-match touchline ban at Inter&Co Stadium this Saturday after he called referee Timothy Ford “a complete coward” for consulting VAR but failing to award a penalty to the Revs in last weekend’s game against St. Louis CITY SC.

With just over 10 minutes left, the ball clearly struck Kyle Hiebert’s right arm as he contested a header with Nacho Gil, but referee Ford deemed his arm to be in a “justifiable position”, and play continued with the match tied 2-2. For what it’s worth, Timothy Ford is the same referee who had a mare of a performance during Orlando City SC’s 2-3 win at Philadelphia Union back on May 11. With Revs having only won one of their last seven MLS matches (1-2-4), this game is another big opportunity for City to pick up all three points. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: New York City FC vs Orlando City SC – 28.06.2024

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Just where had that performance been all season? Jubilant after defeating Chicago Fire 4-2 at Inter&Co Stadium last Saturday, City’s suffering fanbase was treated to a feel-good evening after finally achieving our second home win of the 2024 MLS regular season. Having only scored 19 league goals all year, we went and grabbed another four in just one night – our most in a single game this season.

A result and a performance we desperately needed, there was big pressure on Oscar Pareja and his Orlando City SC side to beat Fire. Racing into a 3-0 lead in just 29 first-half minutes, this victory was absolutely essential. It not only secured the three points we urgently needed but also prevented Chicago Fire from gaining any points, allowing us to leapfrog them and rise four places to tenth in the Eastern Conference.

Now visiting New York City FC in The Bronx, it’s the Lions’ first trip to Yankee Stadium since July 2021 after the last two away head-to-heads were hosted at Red Bull Arena in Harrison and Citi Field in Queens. Speaking of NYCFC, Nick Cushing’s side head into this game deflated after suffering a third consecutive MLS defeat at Nashville SC (1-0) last Saturday. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: San Jose Earthquakes vs Orlando City SC – 18.05.2024

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Battling hard to a 0-0 draw against Inter Miami on Wednesday, Oscar Pareja’s Orlando City SC now fly northwest to contest their furthest MLS away game of 2024 – San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park.

Our first MLS visit to Northern California since August 2019, Quakes have been resurgent in recent weeks, showing character to defeat Los Angeles FC (3-1) and Colorado Rapids (2-3) to arrest their horror start to the year in the Western Conference.

Nevertheless, Luchi Gonzalez’s side come into this game gutted and downbeat after painfully throwing away a 0-2 lead at Portland Timbers on Wednesday. Losing 4-2 in the end, the entire momentum of the game switched after Quakes centre back Bruno Wilson received a red card for a goal-line handball in his own box on 72 minutes, conceding an untimely penalty in turn.

From here, Timbers ruthlessly made their one-man advantage count with Evander’s resulting penalty (74), Jonathan Rodríguez (80), a Felipe Mora penalty (90), and a second goal of the night from Jonathan Rodríguez (90+10) stealing away all three points for Phil Neville’s men, breaking Quakes hearts in the process. 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… Orlando City SC’s Gastón González joining Nacional on loan

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After Monday rumours of Martín Ojeda joining Boca Juniors, another transfer has now been made official with Orlando City SC’s Gastón González joining Uruguayan giants Nacional on a one-year loan with an option to buy.

Quickly reuniting with Mauricio Pereyra who re-joined Nacional back in December, González has failed to hit the ground running at Inter&Co Stadium. Limited to a bit-part role under Oscar Pareja, the 22-year-old has only made seven Major League Soccer starts and tallied just 712 minutes following his May 2022 arrival from Unión de Santa Fe and subsequent spell on the sidelines with a long-term cruciate ligament injury. Continue reading →

Who are Orlando City SC’s four 2024 MLS SuperDraft picks?

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Whetting the appetite for a brand new Major League Soccer season, the 2024 MLS SuperDraft took place yesterday with Orlando City SC making four picks overall.

After Oscar Pareja‘s Lions selected Jeorgio Kocevski, Yutaro Tsukada (pictured), Filip Mirkovic, and Riyon Tori, Orlando City UK found out a little more about each individual college talent acquired in the draft. Continue reading →

Who is Orlando City SC’s new signing Luca Petrasso?

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Orlando City SC‘s 2023 recruitment drive is already underway with the Lions announcing the signing of Toronto FC defender Luca Petrasso yesterday.

Trading $300,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money to TFC, Luca Petrasso joins City as a Homegrown Player and is automatically protected in Friday’s 2022 MLS Expansion Draft. Continue reading →