Sports
Orlando City Drops Consecutive Matches, Falls to Chicago Fire FC 3-1
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) – Orlando City SC (7-4-6, 27 points) suffered a 3-1 defeat against Chicago Fire FC (6-5-4, 22 points) Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. The result marked the Lions’ first home loss to Chicago since 2019 and the first time this season Orlando City has dropped consecutive matches.
MATCH SUMMARY:
Chicago wasted no time setting the tone, with forward Philip Zinckernagel scoring just five minutes into the match. The Fire then capitalized on defensive lapses, scoring twice in the span of two minutes. Forward Hugo Cuypers struck in the 31st and 32nd minutes, giving Chicago a commanding 3-0 lead.
Orlando fought to close the gap, outshooting Chicago 28-10, and Defender Alex Freeman found the back of the net in the 39th minute, marking his fourth career goal for the Lions. Despite the attacking pressure, Orlando was unable to mount a comeback.
COACH’S COMMENTS:
Assistant Coach Diego Torres stepped in for Head Coach Oscar Pareja, who was suspended following a red card in the Lions’ last match. After the game, Torres praised the team’s offensive effort despite the result.
“The team created many chances. We’re one of the strongest attacking sides in the league, but sometimes the goal just closes to you. Today, two quick distractions cost us the match, but this team is resilient. We’ve bounced back before and we’ll do it again,” said Torres.
MATCH NOTES:
Assistant Coach Diego Torres led the team due to Oscar Pareja’s suspension.
Midfielder Dagur Dan Thórhallsson made his 100th appearance for Orlando City across all competitions, entering in the 77th minute.
Alex Freeman’s goal in the 39th minute marked his fourth career score.
Martín Ojeda recorded his sixth assist of the season and 29th career assist across all competitions with the helper on Freeman’s goal.
Orlando made two changes to the Starting XI from Wednesday’s match, with Eduard Atuesta and Luis Muriel returning to the lineup.
NEXT MATCH:
Orlando City heads into an international break after completing nine matches in 28 days in May. The Lions will return to action on Saturday, June 14, traveling to face the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Kickoff is set for 9:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
HEINEKEN STAR OF THE MATCH:
Martín Ojeda
MATCH STATS:
| Category | Orlando City | Chicago Fire |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 54.5% | 45.5% |
| Shots | 28 | 10 |
| Saves | 1 | 4 |
| Fouls | 12 | 13 |
| Corners | 13 | 1 |
| Attendance | 21,024 | — |
SCORING SUMMARY:
5’ CHI – Philip Zinckernagel (Mauricio Pineda)
31’ CHI – Hugo Cuypers (Philip Zinckernagel, Jonathan Dean)
32’ CHI – Hugo Cuypers (Philip Zinckernagel)
39’ ORL – Alex Freeman (Martín Ojeda)
Davison scores 26 points, Branham adds 23 and Osceola records 23 steals to open its season with a victory at Silver Spurs Arena.
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — The Osceola Magic opened their season with a record-setting defensive performance, collecting 23 steals and forcing 35 turnovers in a 97-89 victory over the Oklahoma City Blue on Sunday, Nov. 8, at Silver Spurs Arena.
JD Davison scored a game-high 26 points and Malaki Branham added 23 as Osceola established a franchise record for steals and matched its record for opponent turnovers. Osceola Magic
Defense drives the comeback
Oklahoma City led 31-22 after the first quarter and 44-43 at halftime. Osceola pulled even at 70 entering the fourth quarter, then outscored the Blue 27-19 over the final period.
The victory gave Osceola a 1-0 start and dropped Oklahoma City to 0-2. Zhaire Smith led the Blue with 19 points, while Christoph Tilly contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds. gleague.nba.com
Osceola’s defensive pressure helped offset Oklahoma City’s early advantage. The Blue finished just 5 of 29 from 3-point range, shooting 17.2%.
Six Magic players recorded multiple steals, led by Johnell Davis’ career-high six — one short of the franchise record. Davison collected four, Jarron Cumberland had three, and Ace Baldwin Jr., Branham and Mike Sharavjamts each added two.
Malaki Branham leans into his drive while keeping his dribble low as an Oklahoma City Blue defender guards him during the Osceola Magic’s season opener. Photo by Bernie Walls / Florida National News.
Davison and Branham lead the offense
Davison and Branham combined for 49 points, accounting for more than half of Osceola’s scoring.
Au’Diese Toney contributed 14 points in his return to Osceola, including a late 3-pointer that helped secure the victory.
Davis provided another boost off the bench with 11 points and a career-best-tying four assists, complementing his disruptive defensive performance.
Sharavjamts makes professional debut
Sharavjamts posted a team-best plus-12 rating in 24 minutes during his professional debut. Osceola outscored Oklahoma City by 12 points while he was on the floor. Osceola Magic
What’s next for the Osceola Magic?
Following a scheduled road matchup with the Memphis Hustle on Tuesday, Nov. 10, Osceola returns to Silver Spurs Arena to host the Mexico City Capitanes on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 7 p.m. Eastern. Member News
The Magic’s challenge will be to sustain the defensive pressure that helped them overcome an early nine-point deficit in the opener.
NEW YORK CITY, NY (FNN SPORTS) – LIV Golf plans to begin winding down operations Monday, Nov. 9, following five years and more than $5 billion in spending.
Attorney Matthew Williams outlined the league’s plans during a bankruptcy court hearing Thursday, Nov. 5, in New Jersey. The process includes selling its remaining assets.
“We believe the wind down path is the best path,” Williams told the court.
LIV Golf confirmed the decision after a proposed restructuring deal fell through. The league said it will continue considering alternatives during the shutdown process.
TAMPA, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — On Monday November 2, at the Yuengling Center, the South Florida women’s basketball team opened with a successful debut undernew head coach Kristy Curry.
The Bulls established control early with a 9–0 opening run, taking a 27–12 lead after the first quarter. Furman narrowed the margin before halftime, but South Florida maintained a 46–32 advantage heading into the break.
A dominant third quarter proved decisive, as USF outscored Furman 23–9 to extend its lead to 69–41 entering the fourth.
Balanced Scoring Leads the Bulls
Stefanie Ingram led South Florida with 15 points, followed by Hannah Kohn with 13 and Kendall Puryear with 12 points and nine rebounds.
The Bulls placed six players in double figures, shot 51.6 percent from the field and controlled the boards with a 48–25 rebounding advantage.
A Winning Debut for Kristy Curry
The victory marked Curry’s first win leading South Florida after arriving from Alabama.
Ahead of the season opener, Curry expressed confidence in the program’s potential:
“I’m so excited to be here. I truly think the sky’s the limit at USF.”
— Kristy Curry, USF Head Coach, in pregame remarks published by USF Athletics.
South Florida (1–0) will face Belmont on Friday, November 6, in Nashville, Tennessee.
– Nisey Spruill is a reporter and photojournalist for Florida National News (FNN), covering major news, sports and special events across Florida and nationwide. Contact sports@FloridaNationalNews.com
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