The Herons

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Columbus Crew – 04.10.2025

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THE LIONS ARE LOCKED IN!! 🦁🔒 For the sixth straight season, Orlando City SC have clinched their spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs – and there’s still plenty left to play for! A stoppage time header from Alex Freeman sealed a 1-1 draw at high-flying FC Cincinnati last Sunday – a result that keeps us right in the hunt for a top four finish. With just three games to go, every point is priceless.

Now back at Inter&Co Stadium for our penultimate home fixture of the regular season, the focus shifts to Columbus Crew. Sitting just two points and two places beneath us in ninth, Wilfried Nancy’s men arrive winless in three, reeling from a 2-0 defeat at Chicago Fire. Crucially, we hold a game in hand on almost all of the top six, making Saturday’s clash more than just a playoff preview. It’s a chance to draw closer to the top four and build momentum at just the right time. With nine Eastern teams now locked into the post-season, the only question left is who secures a top four spot and who gets pulled into the Wild Card fight. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Inter Miami vs Orlando City SC – 27.08.2025

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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 →

STATS PREVIEW: Toluca vs Orlando City SC – 20.08.2025

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HOW ABOUT THAT RAIN DELAY? 😮⛈️ Huge credit if you stuck it out past midnight to see Orlando City SC beat Sporting Kansas City 3-1. It definitely wasn’t our best game. But the Lions turned it on after the break with The Wall staying loud despite the marathon wait.

Oscar Pareja’s 100th career win for City, we’re now unbeaten in 7 straight across all competitions (6-1-0). And, we’re just 5 points off new Eastern Conference leaders FC Cincinnati (52). Peaking at the perfect time, we’re back in the Supporters’ Shield hunt too, trailing San Diego FC (52) by 5 points also. Now attention turns to Carson, California, where a 2025 Leagues Cup semi-final spot is on the line against Toluca. Exciting times for Orlando, indeed! Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Sporting Kansas City – 16.08.2025

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FLORIDA IS PURPLE!!! 😈😤 But you knew that already! Orlando City SC enter Saturday’s clash with Sporting Kansas City fresh off a statement 4-1 demolition of Inter Miami. We may be up to fourth, but the East is as tight as a packed Wall on derby day – so every point from here is massive!

The goals are flowing, Martín Ojeda is in MVP form, and Luis Muriel has his mojo back – so things bode well. Opponents Sporting Kansas City are winless in four, but we’ve stumbled against beatable sides before. If we maintain our current form though, there’s every reason to believe we can secure a top four home playoff spot. Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Necaxa – 06.08.2025

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Orlando City SC head into their third phase one match of the 2025 Leagues Cup full of confidence. A hard-fought game two win over Atlas (3-1) gave us a much-needed boost and keeps our qualification hopes alive! 💪🏽 But our fate isn’t fully in our hands and we still need favourable results elsewhere.

After eliminating Atlas, we now face Necaxa – a side equally hungry for a win in this tightly contested phase one. With both sides still fighting for a knockout spot, every point and goal carries extra weight. Tensions will be high, but Orlando can count on key players like Robin Jansson and Martín Ojeda, who remain available despite some late fracas against Atlas. This is a must-win, make-or-break match, so get ready for an intense battle! Continue reading →

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs CF Montréal – 12.07.2025

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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 →

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Nashville SC – 21.05.2025

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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 →

STATS PREVIEW: Inter Miami vs Orlando City SC – 18.05.2025

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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 →

Orlando City SC’s complete 2025 MLS schedule revealed

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(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 →

STATS PREVIEW: Orlando City SC vs Atlanta United – 24.11.2024

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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 →