Jack Lynn

STATS PREVIEW: CF Montréal vs Orlando City SC – 20.04.2024

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The Cardiac Cats are back, baby! Banishing Audi Field ghosts of the past, David Brekalo‘s first ever City goal and Duncan McGuire‘s 91st minute game winner dramatically sealed a morale-boosting and much-needed 2-3 comeback win at D.C. United in stoppage time.

After experiencing this high in the nation’s capital, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC now fly north to face CF Montréal in our second Canadian road trip of the year.

Currently eighth in the Eastern Conference on 10 points, Laurent Courtois’ CF Montréal side come into this game re-energised after a 2-1 victory against FC Cincinnati last weekend. A game that was actually CF Montréal’s 2024 home opener following six road fixtures, this win ended their streak of three consecutive MLS defeats. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: D.C. United vs Orlando City SC – 13.04.2024

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After lots of bye week deliberation time following our 1-1 draw with New York Red Bulls on March 30, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC now visit the nation’s capital to take on D.C. United at Audi Field in our third away fixture of the 2024 MLS regular season.

Currently eighth in the Eastern Conference on 10 points, Troy Lesesne’s D.C. United come into this game somewhat disappointed after a late Aidan Morris equaliser (1-1) prevented them from a noteworthy victory at Columbus Crew last Saturday. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs New York Red Bulls – 30.03.2024

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Finally sealing our first MLS win of the season with a deserved 2-0 victory against Austin FC, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC now contest a second successive home game at Inter&Co Stadium, this time against New York Red Bulls.

Currently third in the Eastern Conference on 10 points, Sandro Schwarz’s Red Bulls come into this game extremely confident after annihilating a Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami 4-0 at Red Bull Arena last weekend. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Atlanta United vs Orlando City SC – 17.03.2024

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The MLS schedule makers certainly haven’t made it easy on Orlando City SC with Oscar Pareja‘s Lions now flying north above Interstate 75 to visit rivals Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in only our second away league fixture of 2024.

Embarrassingly humbled 5-0 at fellow rivals Inter Miami in our last MLS away fixture, City supporters are demanding a much more professional, committed, and gutsy performance this time around. But this will be anything but straightforward, not just because of The Five Stripes’ packed 40,000+ home crowd but because of our current state of mind.

City not only lost 2-3 to Minnesota United in MLS last Saturday but also got eliminated from the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup on Tuesday. Defeated 4-2 on aggregate by Tigres UANL in the Round of 16 stage, it’s truly been a miserable start to the year for Orlando City SC, whom much more was expected of, albeit facing a tough and unforgiving schedule to kick off our 2024 campaign. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Tigres UANL vs Orlando City SC – 12.03.2024

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Last Tuesday, Orlando City SC and Tigres UANL battled to a respectable 0-0 draw in leg one of our 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16 tie. Now contesting the crucial second leg at Estadio Universitario, otherwise known as El Volcán, the Lions are coming off a gutting stoppage time 2-3 home defeat to Minnesota United in MLS on Saturday.

Oscar Pareja‘s side remains very much alive in this tie because the CONCACAF Champions Cup still uses the away goals rule as the first tiebreaker. In last year’s Round of 16 matchup, Tigres UANL narrowly clinched their progression to the quarter-finals thanks to an away goal scored at Inter&Co Stadium in an evenly-matched two-legged tie that finished 1-1 on aggregate. This time around, Orlando City SC head to Monterrey knowing that for every goal they score, it counts as double, giving their Mexican hosts a mountain to climb in order to progress. Continue reading →

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 Tigres UANL – 05.03.2024

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February 27 was a historic night for Orlando City SC as we sealed our first ever two-legged victory in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Making light work of defeating Cavalry FC 6-1 on aggregate across two Round One legs in the 2024 edition of the tournament, Orlando City SC now face a much tougher proposition in the Round of 16.

As fate would have it, the Lions now face two legs against Mexican giants Tigres UANL in exactly the same matchup as we saw at this stage of the competition last year. On that occasion, tournament favourites Tigres UANL narrowly progressed past City via the away goals rule having drawn 0-0 in Monterrey and 1-1 in Central Florida.

Out to avenge the pain we felt in our March 2023 tournament debut, one major difference this time is that Orlando City SC are hosting this first leg at Inter&Co Stadium with the crucial return leg taking place at Estadio Universitario on March 12. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Inter Miami vs Orlando City SC – 02.03.2024

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After a frustrating 0-0 draw against CF Montréal in our 2024 MLS home opener last Saturday, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC now contest one of the biggest games on this year’s schedule – an away trip to Fort Lauderdale to face fierce Florida rivals Inter Miami.

This year’s Sunshine Clásico falls earlier than ever before with the Lions hoping to achieve the mouthwatering prospect of defeating Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and co in The Herons’ own backyard at Chase Stadium. Continue reading →

Twitter reacts to… Orlando City SC’s Duncan McGuire joining Blackburn Rovers on loan

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With England’s January transfer window deadline having just closed at 11pm (GMT), Orlando City SC have now announced that Duncan McGuire has joined EFL Championship side Blackburn Rovers on a six-month loan. With Tom Bogert confirming that the loan fee is worth $700,000 with a purchase option of around $7 million, plus $2.5 million in add-ons, McGuire’s move across the pond comes after he reportedly rejected a contract extension in Central Florida. This alone is merely half the story however!

A high drama situation that has been unravelling all week, Blackburn looked all set to wrap up the deal yesterday. However, despite McGuire flying to England on Wednesday to seal his transfer to Ewood Park, Rovers then pulled out of a rumoured $4 million deal for the recently capped USMNT striker at the eleventh hour due to ‘financial reasons’. This not only left McGuire – on his transatlantic flight at the time – in limbo but also the Orlando City SC Front Office and City supporters who all faced an unprecedented transfer saga, or should we say soap opera, that has truly had supporters, journalists, and pundits transfixed since last weekend. News of the Blackburn deal collapsing then alerted McGuire’s other suitors Sheffield Wednesday with the striker spotted at Kenwood Park Hotel in Sheffield this morning.

Are you still following? From here, after cheekily attempting to hijack Orlando City SC’s move for David Brekalo, Blackburn remarkably re-entered negotiations for Duncan McGuire, and at 4:15pm this afternoon, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano put everybody out of their misery by tweeting that McGuire was “on his way to Blackburn to sign on loan with an option to buy clause.”

A saga that has had more twists and turns than the VelociCoaster at Universal Islands of Adventure, it’s been one of the craziest weeks in Orlando City SC‘s MLS history. With Duncan McGuire joining Rovers on loan until July, City must now wait to cash in on the 22-year-old with the start of our 2024 campaign looming large. A shock for some and an inevitability for others, City have now been forced back into the transfer market to find a starting centre forward replacement for the recently capped USMNT striker with Colombian international Luis Muriel looking the most likely candidate as we speak. Continue reading →

Who is Orlando City SC transfer target Luis Muriel?

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Taking a temporary break from the dramatic transfer saga surrounding Duncan McGuire, there was a new name linked with a winter switch to Orlando City SC yesterday as the Lions reportedly line up a new striker to replace the 22-year-old.

Yesterday evening, Italian journalist and transfer expert Rudy Galetti tweeted that Orlando City SC are among the clubs “seriously interested” in signing Atalanta’s experienced Colombian international striker, Luis Muriel. Continue reading →