HARRISON, N.J. — Orlando City SC fell 3-2 to Red Bull New York at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday night, dropping the Lions to 6-9-2 on the season with 20 points as a slow start and a three-goal deficit proved too much to overcome.
“Of course, we are sad because we couldn’t get the points. It was a very difficult game for us and a difficult scenario to come into,” Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman said. “We didn’t perform as we wanted, especially in the first half, and then it was about pushing forward. When we were pushing, we conceded the third goal, and then everything became tough. It wasn’t our best night. Red Bull New York did a good job, and they deserved the win. Now it’s over, and we need to think about the next one.”
Red Bull New York (6-7-4, 22 points) took a 2-0 lead through Mijahir Jiménez in the 23rd minute and Emil Forsberg in the 43rd minute. Antoine Griezmann, in his third MLS match with Orlando, nearly pulled one back in first-half stoppage time with a direct free kick from the corner of the box that sailed just inches wide of the far post. Eduard Atuesta had earlier struck the crossbar in the 13th minute.
“I think we did not start fast enough. It was a clear message from the coaching staff all week. This is a very aggressive team. They like to start hot and I think, starting with myself, going down the line of players, I think we all think we could have been cleaner and sharper to start the game,” defender Griffin Dorsey said.
Halftime substitute Tyrese Spicer cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 52nd minute, finishing off a sequence in which a Griezmann corner kick was headed across goal by Dorsey to Braian Ojeda, who redirected it for Spicer’s tap-in. The goal was Spicer’s fifth across all competitions in 2026, second-most on the team and his seventh all-time for the Lions. Spicer also added his third assist of the season and fifth all-time across all competitions. Paraguay international Ojeda provided his sixth assist of the season across all competitions, tying forward Justin Ellis for second-most on the Lions this year.
Jiménez doubled his tally in the 60th minute with a composed finish inside the box on a diagonal ball from Cade Cowell, pushing the lead to 3-1. Orlando responded just three minutes later when captain Robin Jansson pinged a long ball to Spicer in the box, and the winger played a low ball across goal for Dorsey to finish at the far post. Dorsey’s strike was his fifth goal across all competitions as a Lion, trailing only Martín Ojeda’s 11 for the team lead in 2026. Jansson’s secondary assist was his third of the year and eighth all-time across all competitions. Dorsey also picked up the secondary helper on Spicer’s earlier finish, his second assist across all competitions as a Lion.
Perelman made two changes to his starting lineup from the club’s previous match against Nashville SC, inserting Atuesta and Adrián Marín into the starting XI. Defender Nolan Miller (knee), midfielder Joran Gerbet (knee) and midfielder Martín Ojeda (thigh) missed the match due to injury, while defender Clovis Archange and midfielder Colin Guske were away on international duty.
Orlando City returns to Central Florida to host Liga MX’s C.F. Monterrey in a Leagues Cup 2026 Phase One matchup at Inter.co Stadium on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.