79th minute goal gives visitors 3-2 win
The euphoria from Sunday's dominant victory over Inter Miami felt like a distant memory Wednesday night as Orlando City SC saw their U.S. Open Cup dreams crumble in heartbreaking fashion, falling 3-2 to Nashville SC in the Round of 16 at Inter&Co Stadium.
Playing on just three days' rest after their statement win in Miami, the Lions showed early promise but ultimately couldn't overcome a resilient Nashville side that capitalized on defensive lapses to advance to the quarterfinals. The defeat snapped Orlando's impressive five-match unbeaten streak and ended their hopes of adding silverware — the Lions won the U.S. Open Cup the last time the tournament was played in 2022 — to what had been shaping up as a promising campaign.
Marco Pašalić continued his remarkable scoring streak, netting his seventh goal across all competitions for Orlando City with a sublime left-footed strike from outside the box in the 17th minute. The Croatian midfielder's curling effort, set up by Alexander Freeman's assist — his second of the 2025 campaign — found the top right corner, sending the home crowd into raptures and suggesting Orlando might ride their momentum from the Miami triumph into another commanding performance.
However, Nashville's response proved swift and devastating. Six minutes later, disaster struck when Rodrigo Schlegel deflected a Nashville cross into his own net, leveling the match in the 23rd minute and deflating Orlando's early momentum. The visitors seized control before halftime when Ahmed Qasem delivered a stunning left-footed strike from outside the box in the 40th minute. The goal, assisted by Matthew Corcoran, showcased Nashville's clinical efficiency — they managed just three shots on target but converted each opportunity with ruthless precision.
Orlando's dominance in certain statistical categories told the story of a team that created chances but struggled to finish them. Despite earning eight corner kicks to Nashville's four and maintaining slightly better possession, the Lions converted just two of their three shots on target while Nashville made their limited opportunities count.
The second half began with Orlando desperately seeking an equalizer, and persistence paid off in the 58th minute when Ramiro Enrique found the net with a composed right-footed finish. The goal — Enrique's third of the season and 19th all-time for Orlando City — came from a perfectly weighted through ball by Pašalić, marking the Croatian's third assist across all competitions for the club and highlighting his ability to influence matches both as scorer and creator.
The equalizer energized Inter&Co Stadium and seemed to shift momentum back toward the hosts. Orlando pressed forward with renewed vigor, creating several promising opportunities as they searched for the winner that would keep their cup dreams alive.
But Nashville had other plans. In the 79th minute, Wyatt Meyer delivered the crushing blow with a well-struck right-footed effort from outside the box that found the bottom right corner. The goal, assisted by Patrick Yazbek, stunned the home crowd and left Orlando with precious little time to mount another comeback.
Orlando's Strong Run Comes to an End
Prior to Wednesday's setback, Orlando had been in exceptional form across all competitions. In their last six matches, the Lions had compiled a record of three wins, two draws, and now one loss — a stretch that included impressive victories over Charlotte FC (3-1), a dominant 5-0 triumph over Tampa Bay Rowdies in the previous round of the U.S. Open Cup and Sunday's statement 3-0 victory over Inter Miami.
The recent run also featured hard-fought draws against New England Revolution (3-3) and Chicago Fire FC (0-0), demonstrating Orlando's ability to grind out results even when not at their best. This consistent form had positioned the Lions as genuine contenders on multiple fronts, making Wednesday's elimination all the more disappointing for the home faithful.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja made two lineup changes from Sunday, bringing Enrique and Dagur Thórhallsson back into the lineup. The tactical adjustments initially seemed to pay dividends with Enrique's energetic play up front, but ultimately couldn't prevent the cup exit.
"I think it was a good match for two teams," the veteran coach reflected. "You have an offensive proposal or initiative; I think early in the game we found a team in Nashville that wanted to use the spaces offensively and we didn't find the team who wants to drop and I have to say that they did a good job in that part, so we ended up playing the first half lower than we wanted and despite our goal, our offensive was probably not as frequent as we wanted."
The coach acknowledged his team's struggle to maintain intensity throughout the contest. "I think throughout the game we played well, we should have had more energy at the beginning of the second half. I told the boys 'We started with that energy, but we didn't keep it' and then the goals, after our review, we scored good goals, and they ended up scoring good goals in the end. I have no complaints in this moment from that."
Oscar Pareja's squad now must quickly refocus on their MLS campaign, with Saturday's home fixture against Portland Timbers at Inter&Co Stadium offering an immediate chance to bounce back. The match, set for 7:30 p.m., represents a crucial opportunity for the Lions to regain momentum in their pursuit of MLS honors.
