After losing 2-0 at fierce rivals Atlanta United, Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC now return to Central Florida to welcome Austin FC to Inter&Co Stadium for the very first time in MLS.
Down in the dumps right now, the Lions are winless in four MLS games, scoreless in three, and currently second bottom in the Eastern Conference in what has truly been a nightmare start to 2024. Continue reading
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
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
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
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
Heavily linked with Orlando City SC since January 31, the Lions have today announced the signing of experienced striker Luis Muriel from Atalanta. Becoming our third Designated Player after Facundo Torres and Martín Ojeda, and our fifteenth ever DP in MLS, the 32-year-old has signed a three-year contract through 2026 at Inter&Co Stadium for a fee believed to be worth around €2 million.
Despite Duncan McGuire returning to Central Florida after his six-month loan to Blackburn Rovers collapsed, the 45-cap Colombian international Muriel will now, in all likelihood, lead the line for City with the Orlando City SC Front Office pulling the trigger on his permanent transfer now rather than waiting for him to become a free agent in June when his current contract was set to expire in Bergamo, Italy. Continue reading
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
“It’s done” as Frodo Baggins famously said in the Lord of the Rings! After guiding Orlando City SC to the MLS Cup Playoffs for four consecutive seasons, the hugely popular Oscar Pareja has now signed a new two-year deal, keeping our winningest head coach in club history at Exploria Stadium until at least the end of 2025.
During his four-year tenure in Central Florida, the 55-year-old Colombian has successfully turned around the Lions’ losing culture in Major League Soccer, so much so that City broke their own regular season records this year to finish runners-up to FC Cincinnati in the 2023 Supporters’ Shield despite having the lowest salary spend of all – a hugely impressive feat.
So far, the man affectionately known as Papi has built a genuine brotherhood in the City locker room, one that yielded silverware last year when Orlando City SC defeated Sacramento Republic 3-0 to win the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final at Exploria Stadium – our first major title as an MLS club. Continue reading
Today, Orlando City SC officially announced their updated first team roster following the end of the 2023 Major League Soccer campaign.
The first comprehensive evidence as to who is staying, potentially remaining and departing Exploria Stadium before 2024, just two players were named in the ‘option declined’ column. Continue reading
Reaching the MLS Cup Playoffs for a fourth consecutive season and qualifying for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup too, Orlando City SC have come a long way since our disappointing early years in Major League Soccer.
In a year that saw the Lions win more games than ever before (18) and achieve their highest all-time single-season points tally (63) – finishing a mightily impressive second in the 2023 Supporters’ Shield despite having the lowest salary spend of all – our latest public vote is designed to recognise the standout players in the Lions’ 2023 season. Continue reading
