RECAP: Lions extend clean-sheet streak, but again fail to score
Keeper Pedro Gallese made eight saves Saturday, helping Orlando City SC keep its fifth-straight clean-sheet, but the Lions settled for their fourth 0-0 draw in the last five matches.
Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese sets the defense in Saturday’s 0-0 tie against the Chicago Fire. PHOTO: Orlando City SC Communications.
Orlando’s offensive woes continue
Despite playing with a man advantage for almost an hour, Orlando City couldn’t find the net and settled for a 0-0 draw Saturday against the Chicago Fire at Soldier Stadium.
The Lions extended their unbeaten streak to eight matches, but the scoreless draw was their fourth in the previous five outings. Orlando has recorded five straight clean sheets.
Orlando (4-2-5, 17 points) is in eighth place in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. The Fire (3-4-4, 13 points) are in 11th.
Purple coach Oscar Pareja said his club played well enough to win.
“…Probably, under the circumstances, we should have won it,” he said after the match. “…I think we lacked a little clarity and that cost us two points….
“The whole game was very competitive and now we have to take that point back home and win our games at home.”
Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese kept the Lions in the match, recording seven first-half saves and eight overall.
Chicago keeper Chris Brady drew a red card in the 36th minute when he took down Orlando attacker Duncan McGuire outside the box. Playing down a man, the Fire bunkered its defense and kept the Lions from getting chances in the box.
Orlando started Gallese in goal with a backline of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel and Alex Freeman.
Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, Kyle Smith, and Marco Pasalic manned the midfield, with Luis Muriel and Duncan McGuire up front in the 4-4-2
Schlegel made his 150th appearance for Orlando, joining Jansson, Smith and Gallese as the only players to reach that threshold, and Smith became the sixth Lion to record 10,000 minutes across all competitions.
Orlando City begins its 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup run against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday at Al Lang Stadium.