Lions defeated on the road by New York City FC

Orlando City SC (7-4-4, 25 points) dropped a 5-0 decision on Sunday night, falling on the road to host New York City FC (7-5-2, 23 points) at Yankee Stadium. The defeat marked the first time in nine matches that the Lions fell to their 2015 expansion rival after Orlando had won the previous eight games across all competitions. 

Head Coach Oscar Pareja rolled out a highly-rotated squad on the weekend after the team played just three days prior, a 2-1 win over Philadelphia Union at Exploria Stadium. Pareja’s starting XI saw five changes from Thursday, with three players making their first starts of 2021, including an MLS debut from newly-signed defender Emmanuel Mas. 

"I think New York, from the first minutes, were just getting into our spaces, and obviously, they played much better from the first minute. We couldn’t find a way to match the game and we’re going to observe it," said Coach Pareja

Match Notes:

  • Three players made their first starts of 2021 in the match, with Alexander Alvarado getting the nod on the attack, Joey DeZart in the midfield, and Emmanuel Mas on the backline. The game also marked the MLS debut from Mas, who was signed by the Lions on July 14.
  • Entering as a halftime substitute, Ruan made his first appearance since May 8, a match that was also against New York City FC. 
  • The Lions were also without the attacking options of Tesho Akindele and Daryl Dike, who are with national teams, as well as midfielder Mauricio Pereyra who was suspended due to yellow card accumulation
  • The Sunday game was the 20th all-time meeting between the 2015 MLS Expansion rivals, the Lions’ most matches against any opponent
  • The defeat marked the first time in nine matches that the Lions fell to their 2015 expansion rival after Orlando had won the previous eight games across all competitions

Next Match: The Lions return to the confines of Exploria Stadium on Friday night, set to host Atlanta United in an 8 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN. 

Information provided by Orlando City Soccer Club.