2023 Orlando City SC season

The 2023 Orlando City SC season was the club's 13th season of existence in Orlando and ninth season as a Major League Soccer franchise, the top-flight league in the United States soccer league system. Orlando also played in three other competitions: the U.S. Open Cup as defending champions, Leagues Cup, as well as the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time.

Orlando City SC

2023 season
Manager	Óscar Pareja
Stadium	Exploria Stadium
MLS:	Conference: 2nd Overall: 2nd
MLS Cup Playoffs	Conference semi-finals
U.S. Open Cup	Round of 32
CONCACAF Champions League	Round of 16
Leagues Cup	Round of 32
Top goalscorer	League: Facundo Torres (14) All: Duncan McGuire (15)
Highest home attendance	25,527 (September 24 vs. Inter Miami CF)
Lowest home attendance	League: 17,012 (May 17 vs. New York City FC) All: 14,005 (July 21 vs. Houston Dynamo, Leagues Cup)
Average home league attendance	20,590[1]
Biggest win	ORL 4–0 TOR (Jul. 4)
Biggest defeat	RSL 4–0 ORL (Jul. 8)
Home colors Away colors
← 2022 2024 →

Season review

Pre-season

Orlando made its first offseason move on November 9, trading $300,000 in general allocation money plus potential future add-ons to Toronto FC in exchange for Luca Petrasso.^[2] A day later it was announced Júnior Urso and the club had agreed to mutually terminate his contract so he could return to Brazil due to personal circumstances. At the time of his departure, he had made the eighth-most appearances for the club.^[3] As part of the end of season roster decisions, Orlando City announced the departures of Tesho Akindele, who ranked second all-time in appearances for the club in all competitions with 121 behind only Chris Mueller and sixth for goals with 21 at the time of his departure, as well as injury-plagued Alexandre Pato and former draft pick Joey DeZart. Wilder Cartagena had his loan extension option exercised.^[4] Club captain Mauricio Pereyra was signed to a new two-year contract using allocation money meaning he would no longer occupy a Designated Player slot.^[5] 11-year MLS veteran Felipe Martins was signed as a free agent^[6] and Favian Loyola became the third offseason signing when he was signed to a homegrown contract.^[7]

With the addition of St. Louis City SC in 2023, MLS held an Expansion Draft on November 11, 2022. St. Louis selected Nicholas Gioacchini who had joined Orlando in July 2022 and made seven appearances in all competitions for the team.^[8]

In December, Orlando confirmed further player departures: João Moutinho sealed a move to Italian side Spezia following the expiration of his contract,^[9] while the club traded away both Andrés Perea to Philadelphia Union for allocation money and Ruan to D.C. United in exchange for the #2 overall pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft,^[10] later used to select Generation Adidas signee Shak Mohammed. He was one of four players selected by Orlando.^[11] Homegrown player Benji Michel departed for Portugal as a free agent, joining Arouca,^[12] while Jake Mulraney was sold, returning home to Ireland to sign with St Patrick's Athletic.^[13] With a flurry of key departures, Orlando undertook significant recruitment in January, signing defender Rafael Santos from Cruzeiro,^[14] new Designated Player Martín Ojeda and Under-22 initiative player Ramiro Enrique both out of Argentina,^[15][16] as well as Icelandic international midfielder Dagur Dan Þórhallsson.^[17]

Also during the offseason, Ercan Kara, Facundo Torres and Gastón González all received green cards meaning they no longer occupied international roster spots.

February

Orlando City opened the season on February 25 at home to New York Red Bulls. Having weathered heavy New York pressure in the first half, the Lions opened the scoring with their first shot of the match in the 56th minute courtesy of a Facundo Torres penalty after Sean Nealis was ajudged to have handled the ball. Orlando held on for the 1–0 victory, preserving their opening day unbeaten streak since joining MLS in 2015 (3W 6D 0L).^[18]

March

The team remained at home for week two, hosting FC Cincinnati. Pareja made five changes to his starting lineup including handing debuts to Gastón González and Abdi Salim but the offensive struggles continued as the Lions registered only one shot on goal in a 0–0 draw.^[19] Three days later, on March 7, Orlando debuted in the CONCACAF Champions League away to 2020 winners Tigres UANL. The Lions took a goalless draw from the round of 16 first leg, largely thanks to an eight-save performance from Pedro Gallese who kept his third shutout in as many games to start the season.^[20] The team finally conceded for the first time on March 11 as part of a 1–1 draw with D.C. United. Rookie Duncan McGuire debuted from the start and, after a goalless first half, gave the Lions the lead in the 53rd minute when he guided a Dagur Dan Þórhallsson header home from two yards. D.C. were awarded a penalty five minutes later for a supposed handball from Wilder Cartagena before a VAR review overturned the decision after judging it hit his body instead. D.C. eventually found an equalizer through Chris Durkin who cut back and struck a fierce left-footed shot across goal from the top of the box in the 80th minute. Orlando remained unbeaten in all competitions to begin the year but extended the winless streak to three.^[21]

Four days later, Orlando returned to Champions League action for the second leg against Tigres. In a game of two halves, Tigres went in to the break with a one-goal lead after Sebastián Córdova managed to find himself with enough time and space inside the penalty area to bring down a looping cross and slide the ball under Gallese. However, Orlando were the better side in the second half as they pushed forward for an equaliser. It eventually came in the 89th minute as substitute Ercan Kara scored his first goal of the season, an acrobatic bicycle kick, but it was a case of too little too late as Orlando were eliminated on the away goals rule as the game finished 1–1 both on the night and on aggregate. Head coach Óscar Pareja received a red card after the final whistle for confronting the referee about the lack of time added on as Tigres tried to waste time to see out the game: "We scored in minute 89 and between 89 and 96:45 it was four minutes 50 seconds that they did not play the game."^[22]

Orlando's undefeated start to the season ended at home to bottom of the table Charlotte FC on March 18. Having controlled the opening exchanges and had an early goal ruled out for offside, Orlando were caught out when Charlotte capitalized on the Lions' high line as Enzo Copetti found himself one on one with Gallese from a long ball and was able to slot home before the visitors double the lead through Kerwin Vargas' speculative shot from the edge of the box. Orlando responded after half time with a goal in the 57th minute as Martín Ojeda was first to a loose ball in the penalty area to score his first for the club, and spent much of the second half threatening to equalize, seeing the ball in the back of the net again only for the goal to be ruled offside for a second time. Despite attempting 19 shots to Charlotte's eight, the Lions lost 2–1, giving Charlotte their first points of the season.

Roster

Last updated on September 2, 2023^[23]

No.	Nationality	Name	Position(s)	Date of birth (age)	Previous club	Notes
Goalkeepers
1		Pedro Gallese	GK	(1990-02-23)February 23, 1990 (aged 33)	Veracruz	INT
31		Mason Stajduhar	GK	(1997-12-02)December 2, 1997 (aged 25)	Orlando City U-23	HGP
50		Javier Otero	GK	(2002-11-18)November 18, 2002 (aged 20)	Orlando City B	HGP
99		Adam Grinwis	GK	(1992-04-21)April 21, 1992 (aged 30)	Sacramento Republic	–
Defenders
3		Rafael Santos	LB	(1998-02-05)February 5, 1998 (aged 25)	Cruzeiro	INT
6		Robin Jansson	CB	(1991-11-15)November 15, 1991 (aged 31)	AIK	–
15		Rodrigo Schlegel	CB	(1997-04-03)April 3, 1997 (aged 25)	Racing Club	INT
20		Luca Petrasso	LB	(2000-06-16)June 16, 2000 (aged 22)	Toronto FC	HGP
24		Kyle Smith	RB	(1992-01-09)January 9, 1992 (aged 31)	Louisville City	–
25		Antônio Carlos	CB	(1993-03-07)March 7, 1993 (aged 29)	Palmeiras	INT
26		Michael Halliday	RB	(2003-01-22)January 22, 2003 (aged 20)	Orlando City B	HGP
28		Abdi Salim	CB	(2001-04-01)April 1, 2001 (aged 21)	Syracuse Orange	–
30		Alex Freeman	RB	(2004-08-09)August 9, 2004 (aged 18)	Orlando City Academy	HGP
68		Thomas Williams	CB	(2004-08-15)August 15, 2004 (aged 18)	Orlando City B	HGP
Midfielders
5		César Araújo	CM	(2001-04-02)April 2, 2001 (aged 21)	Montevideo Wanderers	U22, INT
8		Felipe Martins	CM	(1990-09-30)September 30, 1990 (aged 32)	Austin FC	–
10		Mauricio Pereyra	AM	(1990-03-15)March 15, 1990 (aged 32)	FC Krasnodar	INT
16		Wilder Cartagena	DM	(1994-09-23)September 23, 1994 (aged 28)	Al-Ittihad Kalba	INT, Loan in
21		Júnior Urso	CM	(1989-03-10)March 10, 1989 (aged 33)	Corinthians	INT
23		Dagur Dan Þórhallsson	CM	(2000-05-02)May 2, 2000 (aged 22)	Breiðablik	INT
95		Favian Loyola	AM	(2005-05-18)May 18, 2005 (aged 17)	Orlando City B	HGP
Forwards
7		Ramiro Enrique	CF	(2001-05-04)May 4, 2001 (aged 21)	Banfield	U22, INT
11		Martín Ojeda	LW	(1998-11-27)November 27, 1998 (aged 24)	Godoy Cruz	DP, INT
13		Duncan McGuire	ST	(2001-02-05)February 5, 2001 (aged 22)	Creighton Bluejays	–
14		Shak Mohammed	ST	(2003-08-27)August 27, 2003 (aged 19)	Duke Blue Devils	GA
17		Facundo Torres	LW	(2000-04-13)April 13, 2000 (aged 22)	Peñarol	DP
22		Gastón González	LW	(2001-06-27)June 27, 2001 (aged 21)	Unión Santa Fe	–
27		Jack Lynn	CF	(2000-01-12)January 12, 2000 (aged 23)	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	–
32		Wilfredo Rivera	LW	(2003-10-14)October 14, 2003 (aged 19)	Orlando City B	HGP
77		Iván Angulo	LW	(1999-03-22)March 22, 1999 (aged 23)	Palmeiras	INT, Loan in

Staff

Executive
Majority owner and chairman	Mark Wilf
Majority owner and vice-chair	Zygi Wilf
Majority owner and vice-chair	Leonard Wilf
President of business operations	Jarrod Dillon
General manager	Luiz Muzzi
Technical director	Ricardo Moreira
Coaching staff
Head coach	Óscar Pareja
Assistant coach	Josema Bazán
Assistant coach	Diego Torres Ortiz
Strength and conditioning coach	Fabian Bazán
Goalkeeping coach	César Baena

Competitions

Friendlies

Orlando City opened preseason camp on January 9. Six friendly matches were scheduled with all but one to be played behind closed doors.

Orlando City v Minnesota United FC

February 1 Preseason	Orlando City	2–0	Minnesota United FC	Kissimmee, Florida
4:00 pm	Kara 5' Thórhallsson 90'	Report		Stadium: Osceola County Stadium
Note: Closed-door scrimmage

Orlando City v FIU Panthers

February 4 Preseason	Orlando City	3–1	FIU Panthers	Kissimmee, Florida
7:00 pm	McGuire 47' Ojeda 50', 59'	Report	Unknown	Stadium: Osceola County Stadium
Note: Closed-door scrimmage

Orlando City v Nashville SC

February 7 Preseason	Orlando City	Canceled	Nashville SC	Tampa, Florida
Note: Closed-door scrimmage. Canceled due to venue availability issues.

Orlando City v Colorado Rapids

February 11 Preseason	Orlando City	2–2	Colorado Rapids	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	González 70' Lynn 79'	Report	Bassett 58' Rubio 68' (pen.)	Stadium: Exploria Stadium
Note: Closed-door scrimmage

Orlando City v Stetson Hatters

February 15 Preseason	Orlando City	5–0	Stetson Hatters	Kissimmee, Florida
9:00 am	Rivera Mohammed Vazquez	Report		Stadium: Osceola County Stadium
Note: Closed-door scrimmage

Orlando City v New England Revolution

February 18 Preseason	Orlando City	1–2	New England Revolution	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Angulo 17'	Report	Vrioni 71', 82'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium

Major League Soccer

Further information: 2023 Major League Soccer season

Outside of the club, St. Louis City joined the league as an expansion franchise, bringing the total number of MLS clubs to 29.

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
34	18	9	7	54	39	+15	63	9	5	3	31	19	+12	9	4	4	23	20	+3

Last updated: October 21.
Source: Match reports

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Stadium	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A
Result	W	D	D	L	W	L	W	L	W	L	D	D	W	D	W	W	L	D	D	W	W	L	W	W	W	D	W	W	L	D	W	W	W	W
Position[a]	8	6	7	9	4	7	7	9	8	9	11	10	7	7	8	7	7	7	7	7	6	7	5	4	4	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2

Updated to match(es) played on October 21. Source: Match reports
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

1. ORL's position at the end of the matchweek, not their match.

Results

Orlando City v New York Red Bulls

February 25 1	Orlando City	1–0	New York Red Bulls	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Jansson  23' Torres 56' (pen.) Angulo  76' Pereyra  76' Araújo  82'	Report	Reyes  6' Barlow  49' Amaya  72'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 24,088 Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.

Orlando City v FC Cincinnati

March 4 2	Orlando City	0–0	FC Cincinnati	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Cartagena  27'	Report	Santos  90+1'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 18,062 Referee: Ismail Elfath

D.C. United v Orlando City

March 11 3	D.C. United	1–1	Orlando City	Washington, D.C.
7:30 pm	Asad  65' Durkin 80' Ruan  87'	Report	McGuire 53' Smith  77'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 15,994 Referee: Jon Freemon

Orlando City v Charlotte FC

March 18 4	Orlando City	1–2	Charlotte FC	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Ojeda 57'	Report	Copetti 26',  80' Afful  28' Vargas 37' Marks  69' Bronico  76' Jóźwiak  77'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 18,123 Referee: Armando Villarreal

Philadelphia Union v Orlando City

March 25 5	Philadelphia Union	1–2	Orlando City	Chester, Pennsylvania
7:30 pm	Perea 17' J. Torres  88' Wagner  88'	Report	Ojeda 2' Angulo 9',  36' Felipe  20'	Stadium: Subaru Park Attendance: 18,725 Referee: Allen Chapman

Orlando City v Nashville SC

April 1 6	Orlando City	0–2	Nashville SC	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Schlegel  48' Smith  64'	Report	Haakenson  26' Godoy  27' Picault 28',  64' Mukhtar 74'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 20,115 Referee: Chris Penso

Minnesota United FC v Orlando City

April 15 7	Minnesota United FC	1–2	Orlando City	Saint Paul, Minnesota
8:30 pm	Hlongwane 58' Arriaga  90+3'	Report	Angulo 66' McGuire 88'	Stadium: Allianz Field Attendance: 19,685 Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere

Orlando City v D.C. United

April 22 8	Orlando City	1–3	D.C. United	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	McGuire 23' Angulo  27' Carlos  56' Araujo  90+1'	Report	Ruan  11' Fountas 15' Klich  42' Pines 52',  85' Benteke 62' Canouse  74'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 19,514 Referee: Lukasz Szpala

Orlando City v LA Galaxy

April 29 9	Orlando City	2–0	LA Galaxy	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Kara 38' Torres 57'	Report	Aude  37' Brugman  59' Zavaleta  73'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 22,519 Referee: Jon Freemon

CF Montréal v Orlando City

May 6 10	CF Montréal	2–0	Orlando City	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
7:30 pm	Jansson 62' (o.g.) Quioto 66' Camacho  79' Waterman  83'	Report	Smith  23' Halliday  41' Araujo  74' Enrique  76' Felipe  89'	Stadium: Saputo Stadium Attendance: 16,112 Referee: Marcos de Oliveira

Columbus Crew v Orlando City

May 13 11	Columbus Crew	2–2	Orlando City	Columbus, Ohio
7:30 pm	Moreira  28' Quinton  35' Nagbe 39',  71' Russell-Rowe 45+2' Vallecilla  52'	Report	Carlos  14' Kara 49' Cartagena  73' McGuire 90+2'	Stadium: Lower.com Field Attendance: 20,488 Referee: Drew Fischer

Orlando City v New York City FC

May 17 12	Orlando City	1–1	New York City FC	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Kara 7' Smith  33' McGuire  67'	Report	Chanot  71' Segal 89'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 17,012 Referee: Sergii Boiko

Inter Miami CF v Orlando City

May 20 13	Inter Miami CF	1–3	Orlando City	Fort Lauderdale, Florida
7:30 pm	Campana  16', 57' Cremaschi  75' Fray  89' McVey  90+1'	Report	Kara 19' Carlos  23' Cartagena  36' Angulo  41' Ojeda 68' Santos 86'	Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Attendance: 17,643 Referee: Ramy Touchan

Orlando City v Atlanta United FC

May 27 14	Orlando City	1–1	Atlanta United FC	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Carlos  25' Smith 30'	Report	Hernández  66' Wolff 86' Rossetto  90+4'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 20,127 Referee: Allen Chapman

New York Red Bulls v Orlando City

June 3 15	New York Red Bulls	0–3	Orlando City	Harrison, New Jersey
7:30 pm	Yearwood  30' Reyes  45+3'  47' Nealis  50'	Report	Angulo 18' Jansson  45+6' Torres 51' (pen.), 72' Santos  90' Felipe  90+6'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 19,871 Referee: Victor Rivas

Orlando City v Colorado Rapids

June 10 16	Orlando City	2–0	Colorado Rapids	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Carlos  24' Smith  52' Torres 56' Enrique 83'	Report	Abubakar  6'  75' Galván  39' Yapi  89'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 18,711 Referee: Rosendo Mendoza

New England Revolution v Orlando City

June 17 17	New England Revolution	3–1	Orlando City	Foxborough, Massachusetts
7:30 pm	Boateng 51' Bou 69' Buck  84' Gil 85' Edwards Jr.  90+3'	Report	Araújo  3' Halliday  22' McGuire 80'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 21,492 Referee: Fotis Bazakos

Orlando City v Philadelphia Union

June 21 18	Orlando City	2–2	Philadelphia Union	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	McGuire 13' Ojeda 54' Stajduhar  61' Enrique  82' Kara  88'	Report	Mbaizo  28' Flach  38' McGlynn 60' Carranza  62' Wagner  83' Martínez 90'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 17,516 Referee: Alex Chilowicz

Seattle Sounders FC v Orlando City

June 24 19	Seattle Sounders FC	0–0	Orlando City	Seattle, Washington
10:30 pm	Ragen  20' Baker  61' Lodeiro  90+2'	Report	Torres  41' Araújo  59'	Stadium: Lumen Field Attendance: 30,693 Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere

Orlando City v Chicago Fire FC

July 1 20	Orlando City	3–1	Chicago Fire FC	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Jansson  35' Torres 38', 55' (pen.) Enrique 75' Thórhallsson  90+9'	Report	Souquet  20'  84' Shaqiri 66' (pen.) Navarro  72'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 22,070 Referee: Nima Saghafi

Orlando City v Toronto FC

July 4 21	Orlando City	4–0	Toronto FC	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Araújo 16' McGuire 22' Gallese  62' Thórhallsson 77' Kara 84'	Report	Coello  45+1' Bernardeschi  47'  62' Petretta  80'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 17,604 Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.

Real Salt Lake v Orlando City

July 8 22	Real Salt Lake	4–0	Orlando City	Sandy, Utah
9:30 pm	Arango 23' Glad 41' Luna  53' Ojeda  62' Vera  70' Savarino 78' Julio 88'	Report	Cartagena  38'	Stadium: America First Field Attendance: 20,800 Referee: Mark Allatin

Atlanta United FC v Orlando City

July 15 23	Atlanta United FC	1–2	Orlando City	Atlanta, Georgia
7:30 pm	Wiley 22' Alonso  59' Giakoumakis  90+1'	Report	Carlos 25',  90+6' Cartagena  45+2' Jansson  45+3' McGuire 60',  65' Angulo  87' Gallese  90+8'	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 43,576 Referee: Víctor Rivas

Chicago Fire FC v Orlando City

August 20 24	Chicago Fire FC	1–3	Orlando City	Chicago, Illinois
8:30 pm	Pineda 47',  76' Giménez  59' Doumbia  71' Shaqiri  74'	Report	Schlegel  34' Cartagena 50' Angulo 54' Torres  55', 68' (pen.)	Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 18,103 Referee: Lukasz Szpala

Orlando City v St. Louis City SC

August 26 25	Orlando City	2–1	St. Louis City SC	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Torres 48', 90+1' (pen.) Pereyra  56' Cartagena  73'	Report	Jackson  50' Adeniran  50' Alm 79' Nerwinski  87'  90+10' Markanich  90'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 22,156 Referee: Joseph Dickerson

Charlotte FC v Orlando City

August 30 26	Charlotte FC	1–1	Orlando City	Charlotte, North Carolina
7:30 pm	Jones  72' Copetti 81' (pen.),  90+5'	Report	Martins  68' Araújo  75' Ojeda 88'	Stadium: Bank of America Stadium Attendance: 27,236 Referee: Rosendo Mendoza

FC Cincinnati v Orlando City

September 2 27	FC Cincinnati	0–1	Orlando City	Cincinnati, Ohio
7:30 pm	Acosta  44' Boupendza  90+4'	Report	Santos  13' Thórhallsson  41' Torres 44' Araújo  55' Urso  90+5' Cartagena  90+5' Gallese  90+11'	Stadium: TQL Stadium Attendance: 25,513 Referee: Drew Fischer

Orlando City v Columbus Crew

September 16 28	Orlando City	4–3	Columbus Crew	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Ojeda 48' Torres 73' Enrique 86', 90+7',  90+8'	Report	Gressel 16' Rossi 56' Hernández 68' Morris  82'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 22,802 Referee: Rubiel Vazquez

New York City FC v Orlando City

September 20 29	New York City FC	2–0	Orlando City	New York, New York
7:30 pm	Bakrar 37' Ledezma  41' Talles Magno 68'	Report	Pereyra  45+1' Cartagena  54'	Stadium: Yankee Stadium Attendance: 15,238 Referee: Ismail Elfath

Orlando City v Inter Miami CF

September 24 30	Orlando City	1–1	Inter Miami CF	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Schlegel  60' McGuire 66' Jansson  90+1'	Report	Avilés  23' Cremaschi  31' Ruiz 52',  54' Yedlin  55' Arroyo  78'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 25,527 Referee: Armando Villarreal

Orlando City v CF Montréal

September 30 31	Orlando City	3–0	CF Montréal	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Sirois 19' (o.g.) Thórhallsson 50' Torres 54' Enrique  68' Araújo  75'	Report	Campbell  24' Corbo  60' Saliba  69'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 19,637 Referee: Sergii Boiko

Nashville SC v Orlando City

October 4 32	Nashville SC	0–1	Orlando City	Nashville, Tennessee
7:30 pm	Anunga  34' Mukhtar  38' Surridge  41' Lovitz  79'  90+11' Bunbury  90+12'	Report	McGuire 44' Cartagena  46'	Stadium: Geodis Park Attendance: 25,273 Referee: Rosendo Mendoza

Orlando City v New England Revolution

October 7 33	Orlando City	3–2	New England Revolution	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	McGuire 31' Torres 37' Angulo 45'	Report	C. Gil 42', 90+3' McNamara  84'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 24,440 Referee: Allen Chapman

Toronto FC v Orlando City

October 21 34	Toronto FC	0–2	Orlando City	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
6:00 pm		Report	McGuire 63', 74'	Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 27,556 Referee: Mathieu Souaré

Standings

Eastern Conference table

MLS Eastern Conference table (2023)

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	FC Cincinnati	34	20	5	9	57	39	+18	69	Qualification for round one and the CONCACAF Champions Cup round one
2	Orlando City SC	34	18	7	9	55	39	+16	63	Qualification for round one
3	Columbus Crew	34	16	9	9	67	46	+21	57
4	Philadelphia Union	34	15	9	10	57	41	+16	55
5	New England Revolution	34	15	9	10	58	46	+12	55

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)

Overall table

Overall MLS standings table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	FC Cincinnati (S)	34	20	5	9	57	39	+18	69	Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round One[a]
2	Orlando City SC	34	18	7	9	55	39	+16	63	Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round One[b]
3	Columbus Crew (C)	34	16	9	9	67	46	+21	57	Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round of 16[c]
4	St. Louis City SC	34	17	12	5	62	45	+17	56	Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round One[d]
5	Philadelphia Union	34	15	9	10	57	41	+16	55	Qualification for the CONCACAF Champions Cup Round One[e]

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) total wins; 3) total goal differential; 4) total goals scored; 5) fewer disciplinary points; 6) away goal differential; 7) away goals scored; 8) home goals differential; 9) home goals scored; 10) coin toss (2 clubs tied) or drawing of lots (≥3 clubs tied)
(C) MLS Cup champion; (S) Supporters' Shield winner
Notes:

1. As 2023 MLS Supporters' Shield champions
2. As highest-ranked club in 2023 MLS Supporters' Shield not already qualified
3. As 2023 MLS Cup champions
4. As 2023 Western Conference regular season champions
5. As 2023 Leagues Cup third place

MLS Cup Playoffs

Main article: 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs

In 2023, Major League Soccer introduced a new playoff format with an expanded field of 18 teams—the top nine teams from each conference with the #8 and #9 seeds playing a one-off wildcard game prior to the first round. Orlando qualified as the #2 seed in the East, entering in the first round which consisted of a best-of-three series. The round had no aggregate score and tied matches were decided by penalty shootout.^[24]

#2 Orlando City v #7 Nashville SC

October 30 Round One game 1	#2 Orlando City	1–0	#7 Nashville SC	Orlando, Florida
7:00 pm	Araújo  37' Cartagena 41' Schlegel  50'	Report	Lovitz  71' Godoy  90+1'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 19,744 Referee: Armando Villarreal

#7 Nashville SC v #2 Orlando City

November 7 Round One game 2	#7 Nashville SC	0–1	#2 Orlando City	Nashville, Tennessee
9:00 pm	Surridge  23' Godoy  24' Bunbury  88' Lovitz  90+3'	Report	Angulo 6' Cartagena  27' Pereyra  36' Santos  60' Schlegel  90+2' Gallese  90+2'	Stadium: Geodis Park Attendance: 25,315 Referee: Allen Chapman
Note: Orlando City SC won the series 2–0.

#2 Orlando City v #3 Columbus Crew

November 25 Conference semi-finals	#2 Orlando City	0–2 (a.e.t.)	#3 Columbus Crew	Orlando, Florida
5:30 pm	Schlegel  17'  77' Cartagena  55' Araújo  71' Jansson  95' Þórhallsson  104'	Report	Camacho  27' Amundsen  45+1' Ramírez 93',  117' Hernández 118',  119'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 25,527 Referee: Jon Freemon

U.S. Open Cup

Main article: 2023 U.S. Open Cup

Orlando entered in the round of 32, a round later than the previous year, as one of four MLS teams competing in the CONCACAF Champions League.^[25]

Charlotte FC v Orlando City

May 9 Round of 32	Charlotte FC	1–0	Orlando City	Matthews, North Carolina
7:00 pm	Bronico  18' Bender  51' Jóźwiak 70'	Report	Araújo  27' Schlegel  74' Jansson  78'	Stadium: Mecklenburg County Sportsplex Attendance: 4,024 Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.

CONCACAF Champions League

Main article: 2023 CONCACAF Champions League

Orlando contested the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time in 2023 having qualified as 2022 U.S. Open Cup champions. It was the club's second time appearing in continental competition after the 2021 Leagues Cup.^[26]

Tigres UANL v Orlando City

March 7 R16 first leg	Tigres UANL	0–0	Orlando City	Monterrey, Mexico
9:00 pm (CST)	Gignac  45+5'	Report	Jansson  90+4' González  90+5'	Stadium: Estadio Universitario Referee: Mario Escobar (Guatemala)

Orlando City v Tigres UANL

March 15 R16 second leg	Orlando City	1–1 (1–1 (a) agg.)	Tigres UANL	Orlando, Florida
7:15 pm	Pereyra  10' Schlegel  25' Araujo  27' Kara 89'	Report	Córdova 21' Samir  39'  90+6' Gorriarán  77' Carioca  84' Pizarro  90'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 21,112 Referee: Said Martínez (Honduras)

Leagues Cup

Main article: 2023 Leagues Cup

The third edition of the Leagues Cup featured every MLS and Liga MX team for the first time with both leagues taking a month-long pause in their respective seasons to complete the "World Cup-style" tournament.^[27] Orlando City entered at the group stage as a seeded team.

Group stage

Orlando City v Houston Dynamo FC

July 21 Group stage	Orlando City	1–1 (5–4 p)	Houston Dynamo FC	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Jansson  45+4' Gallese  45+4' McGuire 46' Torres  64' Angulo  89'	Report	Bassi 45+5' (pen.)	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 14,005 Referee: Filip Dujic
	Penalties
	Kara Santos Jansson Carlos Torres		Herrera Úlfarsson Carrasquilla Dorsey B. Smith

Santos Laguna v Orlando City

July 29 Group stage	Santos Laguna	2–3	Orlando City	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	López 41' Rodríguez  45+1' Brunetta  56' Preciado 58' Aquino  87' Campos  90+1'	Report	Smith  27' McGuire 44' Pereyra 46' Cartagena  75', 90+2' Santos  83'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 16,313 Referee: Victor Rivas

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification		ORL	HOU	SAN
1	Orlando City SC	2	1	1	0	0	4	3	+1	5	Advance to knockout stage		—	1–1	—
2	Houston Dynamo FC	2	0	1	1	0	3	3	0	3			—	—	—
3	Santos Laguna	2	0	0	1	1	4	5	−1	1			2–3	2–2	—

Source: Leagues Cup
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

Knockout stage

Inter Miami CF v Orlando City

August 2 Round of 32	Inter Miami CF	3–1	Orlando City	Fort Lauderdale, Florida
8:00 pm	Messi 7', 72',  21' Martínez 51' (pen.) Gómez  66'	Report	Araújo 17' Smith  45+2' Carlos  49' McGuire  50' Pereyra  57' Gallese  90+11'	Stadium: DRV PNK Stadium Attendance: 20,181 Referee: Iván Barton

Squad statistics

Main article: List of Orlando City SC records and statistics

Appearances

As of match played November 25, 2023

Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances after the + symbol where applicable.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		MLS		Playoffs		Open Cup		Leagues Cup		CCL
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	GK	PER	Pedro Gallese	38	0	30	0	3	0	0	0	3	0	2	0
31	GK	USA	Mason Stajduhar	5	0	4	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
50	GK	VEN	Javier Otero	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
99	GK	USA	Adam Grinwis	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Defenders
3	DF	BRA	Rafael Santos	34	1	23+3	1	3	0	1	0	3	0	0+1	0
6	DF	SWE	Robin Jansson	43	0	31+3	0	3	0	1	0	3	0	2	0
15	DF	ARG	Rodrigo Schlegel	32	0	22+4	0	3	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
20	DF	CAN	Luca Petrasso	14	0	4+8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
24	DF	USA	Kyle Smith	32	1	17+8	1	0+3	0	0	0	3	0	0+1	0
25	DF	BRA	Antônio Carlos	24	1	16+2	1	0+3	0	0	0	3	0	0	0
26	DF	USA	Michael Halliday	21	0	9+9	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
28	DF	SOM	Abdi Salim	3	0	2+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
30	DF	USA	Alex Freeman	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
68	DF	USA	Thomas Williams	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Midfielders
5	MF	URU	César Araújo	42	2	31+2	1	3	0	1	0	3	1	2	0
8	MF	BRA	Felipe Martins	20	0	6+10	0	0+1	0	1	0	0+1	0	0+1	0
10	MF	URU	Mauricio Pereyra	38	1	27+4	0	3	0	0	0	2	1	2	0
16	MF	PER	Wilder Cartagena	32	3	23+1	1	3	1	0+1	0	3	1	0+1	0
21	MF	BRA	Júnior Urso	12	0	2+7	0	0+3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	MF	ISL	Dagur Dan Þórhallsson	39	2	12+18	2	3	0	1	0	0+3	0	0+2	0
58	MF	BRA	Juninho	2	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0	0
95	MF	USA	Favian Loyola	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Forwards
7	FW	ARG	Ramiro Enrique	39	4	7+23	4	0+3	0	0+1	0	0+3	0	2	0
11	FW	ARG	Martín Ojeda	42	6	16+18	6	0+2	0	0+1	0	1+2	0	2	0
13	FW	USA	Duncan McGuire	37	15	17+12	13	3	0	1	0	3	2	0+1	0
14	FW	GHA	Shak Mohammed	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	FW	URU	Facundo Torres	39	14	28+2	14	3	0	1	0	3	0	2	0
22	FW	ARG	Gastón González	21	0	7+11	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0+2	0
27	FW	USA	Jack Lynn	3	0	0+3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
32	FW	PUR	Wilfredo Rivera	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
77	FW	COL	Iván Angulo	43	6	29+5	5	3	1	0+1	0	3	0	2	0
Players who appeared for the club but left during the season:
9	FW	AUT	Ercan Kara	19	6	11+4	5	0	0	0	0	0+3	0	0+1	1
59	MF	ESP	Alejandro Granados	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Goalscorers

As of match played November 25, 2023

Rank	No.	Pos.	Name	MLS	Playoffs	Open Cup	Leagues Cup	CCL	Total
1	13	FW	Duncan McGuire	13	0	0	2	0	15
2	17	FW	Facundo Torres	14	0	0	0	0	14
3	11	FW	Martín Ojeda	6	0	0	0	0	6
	9	FW	Ercan Kara	5	0	0	0	1	6
	77	FW	Iván Angulo	5	1	0	0	0	6
6	7	FW	Ramiro Enrique	4	0	0	0	0	4
7	16	MF	Wilder Cartagena	1	1	0	1	0	3
8	23	MF	Dagur Dan Þórhallsson	2	0	0	0	0	2
	5	MF	César Araújo	1	0	0	1	0	2
10	3	DF	Rafael Santos	1	0	0	0	0	1
	24	DF	Kyle Smith	1	0	0	0	0	1
	25	DF	Antônio Carlos	1	0	0	0	0	1
	10	MF	Mauricio Pereyra	0	0	0	1	0	1
Own goal				1	0	0	0	0	1
Total				55	2	0	5	1	63

Shutouts

As of match played November 25, 2023

Rank	No.	Pos.	Name	MLS	Playoffs	Open Cup	Leagues Cup	CCL	Total
1	1	GK	Pedro Gallese	10	2	0	0	1	13
2	31	GK	Mason Stajduhar	1	0	0	0	0	1
Total				11	2	0	0	1	14

Disciplinary record

As of match played November 25, 2023

No.	Pos.	Name	MLS			Playoffs			Open Cup			Leagues Cup			CCL			Total
1	GK	Pedro Gallese	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	0
3	DF	Rafael Santos	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0
5	MF	César Araújo	8	0	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	12	0	0
6	DF	Robin Jansson	5	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	9	0	0
7	FW	Ramiro Enrique	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0
8	MF	Felipe Martins	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0
9	FW	Ercan Kara	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
10	MF	Mauricio Pereyra	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	6	0	0
13	FW	Duncan McGuire	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
15	DF	Rodrigo Schlegel	3	0	0	2	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	7	1	0
16	MF	Wilder Cartagena	8	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	11	0	1
17	FW	Facundo Torres	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
21	MF	Júnior Urso	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
22	FW	Gastón González	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0
23	MF	Dagur Dan Þórhallsson	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0
24	DF	Kyle Smith	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	0
25	DF	Antônio Carlos	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	7	0	0
26	DF	Michael Halliday	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
31	GK	Mason Stajduhar	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
77	FW	Iván Angulo	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	0
Total			67	0	1	11	1	0	3	0	0	12	0	0	5	0	0	98	1	1

Player movement

Per Major League Soccer and club policies, terms of the deals do not get disclosed.

MLS SuperDraft picks

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2023 MLS SuperDraft was held on December 21, 2022. Orlando made four selections.

2023 Orlando City MLS SuperDraft Picks
Round	Selection	Player	Position	College	Status
1	2	Shak Mohammed	FW	Duke University	Signed[28]
	6	Duncan McGuire	FW	Creighton University	Signed[29]
	17	Abdi Salim	DF	Syracuse University	Signed[30]
2	46	Luis Grassow	DF	University of Kentucky	Not signed[31]

Transfers in

No.	Name	Pos.	Transferred from	Fee/notes	Date	Ref.
20	Luca Petrasso	LB	Toronto FC	Traded in exchange for $300,000 GAM with a potential $100,000 GAM pending performance-based conditions.	November 9, 2022	[2]
8	Felipe Martins	CM	Austin FC	Free agent signing.	November 22, 2022	[6]
95	Favian Loyola	AM	Orlando City B	Homegrown signing.	December 2, 2022	[7]
3	Rafael Santos	LB	Cruzeiro	Undisclosed fee	January 5, 2023	[14]
11	Martín Ojeda	LW	Godoy Cruz	Undisclosed fee, reportedly $4m	January 7, 2023	[15][32]
7	Ramiro Enrique	CF	Banfield	Undisclosed fee, reportedly $2m	January 26, 2023	[16][33]
23	Dagur Dan Þórhallsson	CM	Breiðablik	Undisclosed fee	January 31, 2023	[17]
59	Alejandro Granados	AM	Orlando City B	Signed short-term contract.	June 9, 2023	[34]
50	Javier Otero	GK	Orlando City B	Signed short-term contract.	June 16, 2023	[35]
50	Javier Otero	GK	Orlando City B	Signed Homegrown contract.	July 10, 2023	[36]
21	Júnior Urso	CM	Coritiba		July 19, 2023	[37]

Loans in

No.	Name	Pos.	Loaned from	Notes	Date	Ref.
16	Wilder Cartagena	DM	Al-Ittihad Kalba	Loan extension option exercised.	November 14, 2022	[4]
58	Juninho	MF	Vasco da Gama	Signed short-term contract via Orlando City B.	June 16, 2023	[35]

Transfers out

No.	Name	Pos.	Transferred to	Fee/notes	Date	Ref.
11	Júnior Urso	CM	Coritiba	Mutually terminated contract; signed with Coritiba on 12/22/22	November 10, 2022	[3][38]
20	Nicholas Gioacchini	CF	St. Louis City SC	Selected in the 2022 MLS Expansion Draft.	November 11, 2022	[8]
7	Alexandre Pato	CF	São Paulo	Contract expired; signed with São Paulo on 5/26/23	November 14, 2022	[4][39]
13	Tesho Akindele	CF	Retired	Option declined; retired on 12/20/22		[4][40]
34	Joey DeZart	DM	Huntsville City FC	Option declined; signed with Huntsville City on 3/21/23		[4][41]
22	Alexander Alvarado	LW	L.D.U. Quito	Exercised option to buy.	November 29, 2022	[42]
4	João Moutinho	LB	Spezia	Contract expired; signed with Spezia on 12/2/22	December 2, 2022	[9]
21	Andrés Perea	CM	Philadelphia Union	Traded in exchange for $750,000 GAM with a potential $100,000 GAM pending performance-based conditions. Orlando retain an undisclosed sell-on percentage	December 6, 2022	[43]
2	Ruan	RB	D.C. United	Traded in exchange for the No.2 pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.	December 21, 2022	[44]
19	Benji Michel	RW	Arouca	Contract expired; signed with Arouca on 1/6/23	January 6, 2023	[12]
23	Jake Mulraney	LM	St Patrick's Athletic	Undisclosed fee	January 18, 2023	[13]
59	Alejandro Granados	CM	Club Brugge	Undisclosed fee	August 8, 2023	[45]
9	Ercan Kara	CF	Samsunspor	Undisclosed fee	September 2, 2023	[46]