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
A 1-1 home draw against CF Montréal — really? 🤔 Winless against the bottom side this year? Not good enough. 😤 I was gutted by the full-time whistle on Saturday. Prince Owusu’s late penalty not only cost us a much-needed victory but worryingly stretched our winless run to three. Post-game, Ricardo Moreira captured the mood, tweeting: “We’re not here to settle for ‘enough’” – a clear sign of how costly these dropped points felt in the race for the Eastern Conference top four.
Now, Orlando City SC face New York City FC in a crucial midweek showdown at Inter&Co Stadium. Sitting just four points behind us and eager to close the gap, NYCFC are scarred from Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Charlotte FC. But The Pigeons are always a tough opponent, home or away. With our hopes of a top four finish fading fast, only a victory will do here. Continue reading
Battling back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Charlotte FC, there were some positives to take. But also a nagging feeling that we left two points behind. 😤 Yes, we rallied late on – but in a game we largely controlled, a draw doesn’t cut it if we’re serious about breaking into the top four of the Eastern Conference.
Now back at Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando City SC face bottom-of-the-table CF Montréal. And it’s a game we simply have to win! With fifth-placed Inter Miami now one point above us – and holding THREE games in hand – we can’t afford to slip up. Marco Donadel’s side are leaking goals and low on confidence after last weekend’s 1-4 home defeat to The Herons. But with Pedro Gallese and Robin Jansson suspended, we’ll have to get the job done without two of our most experienced leaders. Continue reading
Man, how frustrating was that FC Cincinnati game? 😑 After our sore 1-2 home defeat, we need to bounce back fast. Despite bossing possession and creating chances late on, a costly error and missed opportunities saw Pat Noonan’s side grab all three points. With the race in the East so tight, there’s little margin for error right now.
Next up, Orlando City SC visit North Carolina to face Charlotte FC. Going 1-2-1 at Bank of America Stadium in MLS, we’ll aim to complete a 2025 season sweep following May’s 3-1 win at Inter&Co Stadium. Dean Smith’s side are in a tailspin, having lost three straight in league play. With 14 regular season games to go, this is a chance we have to capitalise on given Charlotte’s poor form. Continue reading
Orlando City SC are starting to click into gear again! A blistering first-half at St. Louis CITY SC set the tone for a 2-4 road win, with Ramiro Enrique and Marco Pašalić each striking twice in a big performance. That’s now back-to-back away victories for the Lions – and with confidence building fast, the focus shifts to another huge test.
FC Cincinnati roll into Inter&Co Stadium sitting just three points above us in the Eastern Conference. This showdown has all the ingredients for a mid-season classic – but with barely any recovery time since Wednesday’s win, and Central Florida’s summer heat in full swing, we’ll need grit and resilience. The East is tightening up, and this is a golden opportunity to climb the standings and crash the top three. Continue reading
Orlando City SC ground out a gutsy 0-1 win at Colorado Rapids last time out, halting a mini slide and reminding the league that we’re not going away. Pedro Gallese was immense between the sticks, while Martín Ojeda’s strike proved the difference in a game that tested every ounce of our resilience.
With a well-earned breather since June 14, the Lions head west again to face St. Louis CITY SC. It’s our first-ever visit to Energizer Park, where over 22,000 fans pack the venue week in, week out. St. Louis currently sit fourteenth in the West, so this is another big opportunity to grab all three points. The race at the top of the East is tight, and we’re right in the mix. So let’s keep that pressure on! Continue reading
Chicago Fire burned us real bad, right? 🔥🥵 A relentless but promising May ended on a sour note for Orlando City SC, with back-to-back MLS defeats halting our momentum. After a gruelling nine-game stretch, the Lions have had a much-needed fortnight to rest, reset, and refocus.
Now begins a tough two-game Western road swing, starting with Colorado Rapids at altitude in Commerce City. Oscar Pareja will return to the touchline following his one-game suspension, as City look to get back on track. We were within touching distance of the Eastern Conference summit just weeks ago. Now, we’re firmly in the mix of a fiercely contested top-seven battle. Continue reading
Portland Timbers? Successfully chopped down! 🌲🪓🪵 Grinding out an important 1-0 win over Phil Neville’s side on Saturday, Duncan McGuire’s first goal of 2025 proved the difference. Now, the Lions fly north above Interstate 75 to face Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Despite just two wins in nine visits, Orlando City SC will head to Georgia full of belief, eager to take down our bitter rivals after matching our longest-ever MLS unbeaten streak (12 games).
Atlanta United’s 4-2 win over FC Cincinnati gives them hope. But if we bring our A-game in the A, we’re the better side. The biggest compliment Orlando can be paid right now? We’ve shown we can win in different ways! Our last two league matches prove it – a dominant 0-3 derby win in Fort Lauderdale, followed by a gritty home victory over a Portland side that had lost just once in 11 MLS games. Continue reading
The MLS SuperDraft is the most exciting event in the lives of every young North American college soccer player.
With Rounds 1, 2 and 3 of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft getting underway this Friday (December 20), Orlando City UK took this moment to reflect on how Orlando City SC’s annual picks have fared since our inaugural 2015 season. Continue reading
