RECAP: Lions’ attack scores five goals, Orlando blanks Rowdies in Open Cup
The I-4 Derby was competitive for half an hour but, after a 30th-minute water break, the visiting Lions’ offense found a higher gear. Orlando won 5-0 to eliminatrre the Rowdies from the U.S. Open Cup.
Orlando City SC forward Gustavo Caraballo, 65, celebrates one of his two goals Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rowdies with Alex Freeman, left, and Dagar Dan Thorhallsen. The Lions won the Open Cup match 5-0. PHOTO: Orlando City Communications.
Caraballo brace leads Lions
Sixteen-year-old Gustavo Caraballo scored the first two goals of Orlando City SC’s 5-0 U.S. Open Cup rout of the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Wednesday at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg.
With the loss, the Rowdies were eliminated from the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament; Orlando City, which has won all eight games against its intrastate rivals dating back to 2013, will host Nashville SC in the Open Cup Round of 16 Wednesday, May 21.
Pareja said he was happy to see the Purple’s offense find the net; the Lions had been shutout in four of its last five Major League Soccer matches.
“Regarding the game, I think scoring today was so healthy for us,” he said after the match. “It was the first objective to try and keep the pace that we have defensively on being solid, but at the same time moving on to that team that is scoring again. We are happy in that part.”
Orlando scored 15 goals in it first six matches, but just three in the past five.
All five scores came from timely passes; Martin Ojeda and Thorhallsson sssisted on Caraballo’s goals, Rafael Santos on Enrique’s, Nico Rodriguez on McGuire’s, and Ivan Angulo on Thorhallson’s.
Caraballo became the youngest player ever to score for the Lions, and the youngest to score a brace. The teen, a product of the Orlando SC Academy, scored in the 34th and 36th minutes to break a scoreless draw. Romero Enrique (42nd), Duncan McGuire (59th) and Dagar Dan Thorhallsson (90th) had the Lions other goals.
Pareja said Caraballo’s potential is an example of the club’s player development efforts.
“Congratulations to Gustavo [Caraballo] and the coaches in the academy and the program that we have,” he said. “I think they have done a tremendous job on developing these kids and putting them on the first team for us is a privilege.”
Tampa Bay fell to 1-6-2 in all matches (1-5-1 in the USL Championship, a U.S. Soccer second-division league). Interim coach Steve Coleman told reporters the Rowdies aren’t improving.
“We’ve been punished by Louisville for making mistakes, punished, again, by Birmingham last weekend for making mistakes in moments of the game and tonight was no different,” he said. “We have a responsibility to fix those mistakes. But at the same time, we can’t keep having the same conversations over and over again.”
Tampa Bay will host the Charleston Battery at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Al Lang Stadium. Orlando City hosts the New England Revolution the same day.