Florida Sports Wires

ORLANDO (SportsDay Media)) – Orlando City SC has loaned forward Yutaro Tsukada to Rhode Island FC of the USL Championship through the remainder of the 2026 season, it was announced today. Tsukada joined Orlando City after being selected with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. The Tokyo, Japan, native made his MLS debut for the Lions against Inter Miami CF on May 15, 2024, before signing a First Team contract later that season through 2025 with Club options in 2026 and 2027. Prior to signing with the First Team, Tsukada began his professional career with Orlando City B, where he recorded four goals and four assists in 12 starts during the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season. He recorded his first professional brace in a 3-1 victory over Red Bull New York II on May 8, 2024.

FLORIDA SPORTS WIRE ORLANDO – Orlando City SC and head coach Oscar Pareja have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately. Assistant coach Martín Perelman has been appointed interim head coach following Pareja’s departure. “I want to thank Oscar for the dedication, leadership and professionalism he brought to our club,” said Ricardo Moreira, Orlando City SC General Manager & Sporting Director. “He delivered one of the most significant moments in Orlando City’s history with the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and helped establish the competitive foundation that has propelled us forward, highlighted by our active club-record run of six straight playoffs appearances, which is currently the longest streak in MLS. At the same time, we believe this is the right moment to take the Club in a new direction as we look to the next phase of our growth and ambitions. We are grateful for everything Oscar has contributed and wish him nothing but success in the next chapter of his career.”...

  ORLANDO - No. 9 Orlando City SC will face No. 8 Chicago Fire FC in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Wild Card game on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at SeatGeek Stadium, the league announced today. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass and Apple TV. The winner of Wednesday’s Wild Card game will advance to the Audi MLS Cup Round One Best-of-3 series.  The Lions’ six straight playoffs appearances stand as the longest active streak in MLS. Over that six-year span, Orlando City has amassed 308 regular-season points, fourth-most in the league. This year’s squad added to that legacy, setting a new club record with 63 goals scored in a single season.  Orlando City will host a series of activations to celebrate the start of the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs, including Kingston’s Scavenger Hunt—a city-wide fan experience featuring exclusive prizes, playoff swag, and more—along with official watch parties for all away playoff matches. More details, along with addi...

 JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville Armada FC is excited to announce a groundbreaking academy affiliate program with local soccer clubs Jacksonville FC, Ancient City SC, Ponte Vedra SC, and CH4 Soccer Academy.  This initiative will introduce MLS GO, Major League Soccer’s recreational youth soccer program, to their communities. This collaboration aims to create an inclusive and diverse soccer experience for children ages 4-14 in the Northeast Florida area. MLS GO is dedicated to fostering a love for soccer by making the sport accessible, fun, and affordable for all participants.  Through this academy affiliation, Jacksonville Armada FC and the affiliated clubs will offer a structured introductory soccer program, serving as the first step in developing fundamental soccer skills and a lifelong passion for the game.  As part of the Jacksonville Armada academy affiliation program, the academies will receive various benefits, including coach education opportunities, the use of J...

NEW YORK   – Inter Miami CF forward Lionel Messi was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday for Matchday 9 of the 2024 MLS season. Messi recorded a goal and an assist in Miami’s 3-2 road victory over Sporting Kansas City, which was played in front of a club-record crowd of 72,610 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium ( Watch Highlights From His Performance Here  ). With his goal and assist in the win, Messi became the first player in MLS history to total at least five goals and five assists through his first five games of a season. Additionally, he joined Thierry Henry (11 in 2012), Landon Donovan (10 in 2008), and Raúl Díaz Arce (10 in 1997) as the only players with at least 10 goal contributions in their first five games to begin a season. The Argentine’s 10 goal contributions are currently tied with Real Salt Lake’s Cristian Arango for the most in MLS. Since Messi joined Miami in 2023, the Herons are now 5-0-2 in MLS games that he has produced a goal or an assist...

LAUDERDALE  – Orlando City SC (0-1-1, 1 point)   dropped a 5-0 decision on the road to Inter Miami CF (2-0-1, 7 points) on Saturday afternoon at Chase Stadium. “Obviously a very disappointing day for us. Recognizing from minute one to the end of the game, that didn't look like us in many areas and obviously in a team like them [Miami], we cannot permit [them] to have that many spaces and lose many duels and give them that possibility to be sitting in our box, in those counterattacks,"said Head Coach Oscar Pareja. So really, really disappointed but we're pushing as a group. You know that I have a big respect for this group, their professionalism and what they do. And if there is any responsibility, we will search to find answers, but this group, professionalism will never be on the line.”  Match Notes:   Facundo Torres made his 75th start in his Orlando City career.   Forward Luis Muriel made his MLS debut in the match, entering as a substitute to start...

ORLANDO – Orlando City SC is set to take on Canadian-side Cavalry FC in Round One of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. Specific match details, including ticket information, will be announced at a later date.   Orlando City was drawn into position A8 from Pot 1, being placed into Pot 1 by virtue of the Club’s standing in the Concacaf Club Rankings, with Cavalry FC being drawn into position B8 from Pot 2.   The 59th edition of the Concacaf Champions Cup, the region's premier men's club competition, will be played between February and June 2024. The annual tournament, comprised of five direct elimination rounds and the best clubs from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, crowns the Confederation's club champion and is the sole qualification route for the region's clubs to the new and expanded FIFA Club World Cup. The competition's first four rounds (Round One, Round of 16, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals), all include home and away play, while the Final is p...

  COLUMBUS, OHIO   – The Columbus Crew won the third MLS Cup presented by Audi in club history after defeating the Los Angeles Football Club, 2-1, at Lower.com Field.  Columbus became the third club in league history to win MLS Cup at least three different times and it marked their second championship trophy in the past four seasons (2020).  Cucho Hernández was named the 2023 MLS Cup MVP presented by Audi after scoring the opening goal of the match in the 33rd minute, his fifth of the postseason, which tied for the most in MLS during the playoffs.  With the victory, Crew midfielder and captain Darlington Nagbe won his fourth MLS Cup (2015, 2018, 2020, 2023), becoming just the 10th player in league history to win four-or-more MLS Cups. Columbus emerged victorious with a 2-1 victory in front of a Lower.com Field-record 20,802 fans, which included two goals in the opening 37 minutes.  The Crew opened the scoring after LAFC committed a handball inside the 18-ya...

  NEW YORK ( www.jaxsportsday.com ) –  MLS NEXT Pro today announced the addition of a new independent club to the League.  Jacksonville Armada FC, based in Jacksonville, Florida, will join MLS NEXT Pro, targeting to begin play in 2025.    The Armada becomes the third independent club to join the League in the coming seasons, alongside Carolina Core FC and Cleveland. Pending sanctioning approval by the U.S. Soccer Federation, Jacksonville will be the third MLS NEXT Pro team in the state of Florida, with MLS affiliates Inter Miami II and Orlando City B. “Growing the sport of soccer is a foundational pillar for MLS NEXT Pro and the addition of strong independent clubs is critically important to that,” said Charles Altchek, President of MLS NEXT Pro. “It was clear from the beginning of our conversations with Robert Palmer and the Armada that their priorities are aligned with ours, most importantly their commitment to the passionate fan base in Jacksonville.  W...

NEW YORK  –  Orlando City SC forward Ramiro Enrique was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire for Matchday 32 of the 2023 MLS season.  Enrique produced his first career brace and added an assist in Orlando City’s 4-3 comeback victory over the Columbus Crew at Exploria Stadium on Saturday, September 16. The Argentine forward scored both the game-tying and game-winning goal for Orlando after the 85th minute of play.  With the pair of scores, Enrique became the first player in club history to score both a game-tying and game-winning goal in the 85th minute or later of a match and just the second player to accomplish the feat this year, joining Atlanta United’s Thiago Almada (February 25). Enrique is the third player in Orlando history with at least two goals and one assist in a match, and he is the first to do so since Nani on September 14, 2019.  After a back and forth opening 70 minutes to the match, Orlando found them...

SA N DIEGO, CA ( www.sportsdayjax.com )   –   Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber officially announced  that MLS has awarded its 30 th  team to the city of San Diego, California.  The new expansion club will begin play in MLS in 2025 at Snapdragon Stadium -- the 35,000-seat venue that has already proven to be a destination for the passionate soccer fans of the region.  San Diego’s MLS club will be owned by Mohamed Mansour, a distinguished entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist with deep, global ties in the sport, and by the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation.  The Sycuan Tribe becomes the first Native American tribe to have an ownership stake in professional soccer in the United States. Also joining the investor group is six-time Major League Baseball All-Star and current member of the San Diego Padres, Manny Machado. Other founding partners include Brad Termini, Co-founder, Zephyr Partners, Tom Vernon, Founder, Right to Dream and Dan Dickin...

ORLANDO (Florida Sports Wire) –  Orlando City has acquired 21-year-old forward Ramiro Enrique from Club Atlético Banfield of Argentina’s Primera División. Enrique will join the Lions on a three-year contract through 2025, with Club options in 2026 and 2027. He will be added to the Lions’ roster as a part of the U22 initiative, pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa, ITC and medical evaluation.  “We are excited to welcome Ramiro to our Club ahead of the 2023 season, as we look to complete our roster and contend for more championships,” said Orlando City EVP of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi. “Ramiro is a very mobile and fast attacker that can create many opportunities in the attacking third. His versatility at the top of the formation gives us a ton of options to be creative in the attack and we can’t wait to get him integrated into the group.” “Still early on in his professional career, he had a great season with Banfield and we are excited to be able to progres...

MONTRÉAL (Florida Sports Wire) –   No. 7 Orlando City SC fell 2-0 to No. 2 CF Montréal on Sunday evening, with the loss knocking the Lions out of play in the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs. The defeat brings one of Orlando’s most successful seasons to a close, with the team securing its first hardware of its MLS era earlier in the year, when they lifted the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy. The Lions had a handful of chances in the first half, but each opportunity went just over the frame and after a feisty first half, the two sides entered the locker rooms even. However, it was the home side who broke through in the second 45, with Ismaël Koné netting the game-winner in the 68th minute before Djordje Mihailovic added the insurance with a stoppage-time penalty goal. Midfielder Júnior Urso recorded his 100th appearance across all competitions for the Lions with his start, with all coming in an Orlando kit.

  ORLANDO (SportsTicker) -  In the aftermath of the MLS All-Stars’ 2-1 victory over their LIGA MX counterparts, all eyes turn towards the home stretch of the 2022 MLS regular season. With 10 or fewer games remaining for all 28 MLS clubs, the stakes are higher for every match, and every minute carries more meaning. Twenty-four of the league’s 28 clubs enter this week in contention for the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs by virtue of maintaining a place above the playoff line or by sitting within six points of a playoff spot.  Atop the Western Conference is the Los Angeles Football Club, which leads the league with 54 points as winners of their last six straight matches. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Union (48 points) top the Eastern Conference, currently holding a five-point advantage over CF Montréal (43 points) and a six-point lead over defending MLS Cup champions New York City FC (42 points), who sit in third place on the strength of one of the league’s staunchest defenses. Te...

ORLANDO - Orlando City SC (8-10-6, 30 points) were defeated by the New England Revolution (7-7-9, 30 points) on Saturday night at Exploria Stadium by a scoreline of 3-0.  The Revolution were backed by three different goalscorers, as well a pair of assists from Tommy McNamara. The match saw winger Iván Angulo make his debut for City after being acquired by the Club on July 25.  The 23-year-old is currently on loan from Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras of Brazil’s Série A, joining the Lions for a 12-month spell with an option to extend an additional six months. City returns to action on Saturday, Aug. 13, traveling to take on the New York Red Bulls Kickoff set for 6 p.m.

  ORLANDO (SportsTicker) - Orlando City SC dropped a 3-1 decision to English Premier League side Arsenal FC on Wednesday night at Exploria Stadium. The friendly was part of Arsenal’s US Tour in conjunction with Florida Cup’s FC Series.  Following a brief rain delay, the two sides finally met for the first time on the pitch. The Gunners struck early when Gabriel Martinelli found the back of the net in the fifth minute, but the Lions answered later in the first half with a sensational goal from Facundo Torres.  Torres brought down a gorgeous pass from Antonio Carlos and kept his composure by finding his footing, cutting on his left foot and firing the ball past a diving Aaron Ramsdale.  The Arsenal was backed by two goals in the second half coming from Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson to seal the victory for the London-based side.  The match saw a plethora of players enter the match with each side allowed 10 substitutions each, including OCB product Moises Tablante ...

ORLANDO - Orlando City SC (8-7-4, 28 points) earned a 1-0 victory over intrastate rival Inter Miami CF (6-8-4, 22 points) on Saturday night at Exploria Stadium. With the victory, the Lions are now unbeaten in five-straight matches against their neighbors to the south across all competitions. The two sides had to wait quite some time to take part in their first regular season matchup of 2022, with a near three-hour rain delay pushing the match to a 10:25 p.m. kickoff. Following 90 minutes of play, the sides remained scoreless, until a cross from Jake Mulraney whipped in from the left side deflected off Inter Miami’s Damion Lowe for an own goal to decide the match in stoppage time.  With the clean sheet, goalkeeper Pedro Gallese matched his single-season high with his seventh shutout of the campaign. In addition, defender Robin Jansson set a new Club-record with his 92nd start for the Lions in league play, surpassing former City goalkeeper Joe Bendik, while teammate Benji Michel beca...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Armada FC announced on Thursday it will battle three Major League Soccer opponents during February preseason action at Community First Park at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. In addition to taking on the previously announced Philadelphia Union at Community First Park on Saturday, Feb. 6, the Armada will also host in-state rival Orlando City SC on Saturday, Feb. 13 and the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, Feb. 27. All three preseason matches will kick off at 6 p.m. “Part of our thinking (with scheduling three MLS teams in the preseason) was to challenge our guys right outside of the gate,” said Tony Meola, Armada FC head coach and technical director. “These games will obviously be good for us. It will allow us to evaluate our players against strong competition.” The Armada will open up their preseason and the home MLS tripleheader with the previously announced matchup against the Union at Community First Park on Feb. 6. Jacksonville def...