2022 Orlando City SC season

After an evaluation of club structure following their acquisition of the club during the 2021 season, the Wilf family announced the hiring of Jarrod Dillon as president of business operations, a newly-created position, on November 30, 2021.[1]

On December 1, 2021, Orlando City announced the club had exercised 11 contract options and declined the contract options of seven players, most notably captain and Designated Player Nani after three seasons. Four players including Orlando's only other DP, Mauricio Pereyra, were out of contract at the end of the 2021 season with all but club-record appearance maker Chris Mueller, who had already agreed a pre-contract with Hibernian in July 2021, in discussions to return.[2] Pereyra re-signed on a one-year deal on December 17 with Pato also later re-signing on a one-year contract on January 15.[3][4]

On December 6, 2021, it was announced Orlando City's reserve affiliate team Orlando City B would be returning from hiatus for the inaugural 21-team MLS Next Pro season starting in 2022.[5]

With the addition of Charlotte FC in 2022, MLS held an Expansion Draft on December 14, 2021. Orlando was exempt having had Kamal Miller selected in the previous year's expansion draft.[6]

On January 1, Orlando finalized the permanent transfer of Daryl Dike, the club's top goalscorer during the previous season, to English EFL Championship team West Bromwich Albion.[7] The fee was reportedly an initial club-record $9,500,000 plus performance bonuses and a 20% sell-on clause.[8] Six days later, Orlando made their first signing of the season, acquiring Uruguayan midfielder César Araújo from Montevideo Wanderers for a reported $2,000,000.[9][10] The move was the first Orlando had made under the new MLS U22 initiative launched the previous April which allowed clubs to sign three young players to lucrative contracts at a reduced budget charge.[11]

On January 11, Orlando made three selections in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, one in each of the three rounds.[12] Only Jack Lynn was signed to a first team contract. Nick Taylor signed with Orlando City B.

On January 24, Orlando made another purchase from Uruguay, this time for new designated player Facundo Torres from Peñarol on a four year contract.[13] He joined for a reported club record $9,000,000 fee. It broke the previous record of $3,000,000 set by the purchase of Josué Colmán in January 2018.[14] Three days later, Orlando signed another DP: Austrian striker Ercan Kara from Rapid Wien for a reported $800,000.[15] Orlando had acquired an international roster spot from CF Montréal earlier in the week in exchange for $200,000 in 2022 General Allocation Money and the natural third-round pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.[16] Orlando's only other signing in the offseason was 17 year old academy product Alex Freeman.[17]

Having ended the 2021 regular season with a 2–0 victory away at CF Montréal, Orlando opened the 2022 regular season with a 2–0 home victory against the same opposition. Alexandre Pato, who missed the majority of his first season in Orlando with an injury sustained on opening weekend, marked his first start since that day by scoring Orlando's first goal of the season and his first as a Lion early in the second half. Fourth-year homegrown Benji Michel added a second in the 59th minute before Montreal's Romell Quioto was sent off for punching Robin Jansson in the chest in the 66th minute with the Swede also receiving a yellow card for his part in the altercation. Both sides finished the game down to 10 players when Jansson later received a second yellow in the 81st minute for shoulder checking Joaquín Torres on the counter. The result preserved Orlando's opening day unbeaten streak since joining MLS in 2015 (2W 6D 0L).[18]

Orlando's first road game of the season was away to Chicago Fire at Soldier Field on March 5. After a goalless first half, Orlando thought they had taken the lead through a long-range Júnior Urso strike in the 73rd minute. As Chicago were about to restart the game, VAR intervened and asked the referee to consult the monitor. After a lengthy 3 minute 40 second stoppage, the referee adjudged Ercan Kara to have controlled the ball with his arm instead of his chest in the build up and disallowed the goal. After the game, head coach Óscar Pareja disputed the clear and obvious nature of the review given it took so long for the video assistant to scrutinize a play the referee was so close to in real time and none of the Chicago players initially appealed, questioning how something as significant as a goal can be overturned without a conclusive angle. The Professional Referee Organization later stated in an analysis of the incident: "PRO does not feel there was enough evidence for the VAR to intervene and would have preferred for the on-field decision to stand."[19] Meanwhile Urso lamented the physicality of the opposition, claiming they were more interested in fighting than playing after committing 21 fouls and receiving five yellow cards.[20] With another shutout, Pedro Gallese tied Joe Bendik's club-record 13 all-time in 49 appearances compared to Bendik's 92. He also became the first Orlando City goalkeeper to keep three successive clean sheets in regular season play dating back to the final game of the previous season.[21] On March 12, Orlando welcomed the visit of FC Cincinnati, a team on a 14-game losing streak stretching back to September 15, 2021 and without a goal through the opening two games. Brandon Vazquez gave the visitors an early 13th minute lead having been played in on goal by Luciano Acosta. Having had a goal disallowed the previous week, Júnior Urso scored his first goal of the season, heading home a Facundo Torres cross to level the scores before the break. Despite outshooting the opposition 18 to 9, Orlando were dealt their first defeat of the season as Vazquez scored the only goal of the second half when Dominique Badji shrugged off Ruan before firing in a cross for Vazquez to glance past Gallese. Cincinnati goalkeeper Alec Kann recorded five saves.[22] Roles reversed in the next match as Orlando traveled to LA Galaxy and were forced to soak up pressure, conceding 63% possession and 20 shots although only three were on target. The Lions made Galaxy's wastefulness pay, taking all three points as Facundo Torres scored his first goal for Orlando, finishing off a swift 9th minute attack, one of six shots Orlando had in the game.[23] A third clean sheet in the opening four games meant Pedro Gallese moved past Bendik outright for the club's clean sheet record. It also marked the team's first win in California at the seventh attempt since joining MLS in 2015.[24] Orlando ended March with a second consecutive weekend playing out west, this time against Portland Timbers. It was the first meeting between the teams since the MLS is Back Tournament Final. Short-handed through the loss of Pedro Gallese, Sebas Méndez and Facundo Torres during a FIFA international window, the game saw Mason Stajduhar deputize in goal. After an even but goalless first half with few clear cut chances, Orlando struck early in the second half as Alexandre Pato lifted to ball into the Portland penalty area for Urso to take a touch and pick his spot. Having picked up a yellow card for wrestling Pato the floor five minutes earlier, Josecarlos Van Rankin was dismissed in the 76th minute for a second yellow on Pato after cynically tugging the Brazilian back. Despite the man advantage, Orlando quickly found themselves level just four minutes after the sending off when substitute Andrés Perea tripped Cristhian Paredes in the box; the Paraguayan calmly rolling the resultant penalty kick down the middle past Stajduhar. Although both teams carved out good chances in the closing minutes, neither found a winner as the game finished 1–1.[25]

Orlando began April by hosting Los Angeles FC. Having lost starting central defender Antônio Carlos to injury in the 18th minute, the Lions' defense struggled to hold up, conceding two first half goals from two Ruan lapses. However, the teams went into the break level as Orlando hit back twice: first through a volley from Pato who had earlier had a goal narrowly called offside before João Moutinho, who had been drafted by LAFC in 2018 and notably scored his only other Orlando City goal against his former club in 2020, was picked out alone in the box and found the bottom corner. A dart from the top of the box by Ilie Sánchez gave LAFC their third lead of the evening early in the second half and, despite having had their goal peppered by shots forcing Maxime Crépeau into some acrobatic saves, made the points safe in stoppage time when Kwadwo Opoku eventually scrambled the ball home as the visitors hit with numbers on the counter.[26] It was annouced on April 7 that Antônio Carlos would be ruled out for 12 to 16 weeks with the hamstring injury he had sustained during the match although he did not need surgery.[27] The Lions remained at home the following week for the visit of the as yet undefeated Chicago Fire on April 9. The teams had already met five weeks earlier to play out a goalless draw in Chicago. The home side benefited from a numerical advantage as Brian Gutiérrez, the teenage replacement for the injured Xherdan Shaqiri, was sent off for two first-half yellows: one for cynically blocking the taking of a freekick in the fifth minute, something Fire head coach Ezra Hendrickson later called "inexcusable" and "a learning moment," before being dismissed after stepping across Araújo to prevent a breakaway in the 43rd minute. A man up, Orlando dominated possession and ended the game with 21 shots in total but were largely wasteful, only running out 1–0 winners as offseason DP signing Ercan Kara scored his first goal for the club. It came just before the hour mark from a well worked freekick as Pato peeled away to the back post, heading the ball back across goal and into the path of the waiting Austrian.[28] Orlando earned a second consecutive shutout victory, the first time the team had won back to back games without conceding since June 2015, on the road at Columbus Crew the following weekend. Columbus looked dangerous in the first half hour as Derrick Etienne saw a close range effort blocked by Kyle Smith and Lucas Zelarayán hit the crossbar from a freekick but Orlando grew into the game and eventually found the lead as Rodrigo Schlegel scored his first goal for the club, finishing from inside the six-yard box on a recycled set piece in the 37th minute. Orlando's second came in the 51st minute as Pereyra, Torres and Kara strung a tiki-taka passing sequence together to pick their way through the Crew defense culminating in Kara powerfully striking past Eloy Room on the swivel. With a two goal lead, the Lions largely controlled the second half to see out the game. Thomas Williams made his debut in stoppage time. At 17 years, 245 days old, he broke the previous youngest first-team appearance record of 18 years, 127 days set by Michael Halliday in the previous season.[29] With the return of the U.S. Open Cup for the first time since 2019, Orlando entered in the third round and were drawn against rivals Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL Championship. The Lions had won all six previous competitive meetings as a USL Pro franchise: once in the 2013 Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic, once in the 2014 Open Cup third round, and four times in the two-legged preseason I-4 Derby tournament.[30] Pareja fielded a fairly strong lineup but took the opportunity to hand starts to the likes of Stajduhar, Smith, Williams, Perea and van der Water who had started the season as backups. After a lackluster first half, Orlando made three halftime changes including Pereyra who played Michel in behind the Tampa defense to see Aarón Guillén drag him down for a penalty. Pato converted to give Orlando a 52nd-minute lead which was doubled when Pereyra's chipped pass fell to Urso six yards out ten minutes later. The Rowdies retaliated immediately and scrambled a goal back through Lucky Mkosana but struggled to trouble the Orlando goal again as they pushed for an equalizer and saw head coach Neill Collins, who receieved a yellow card in the first half for dissent, sent off in stoppage time for running on to the pitch to retrieve the ball and had to watch the last moments of his team's 2022 cup run from the stands.[31] The fourth round draw was conducted the following day, pairing Orlando with Philadelphia Union who were a new entrant for the fourth round as one of the eight highest seeded MLS teams from the previous season. Orlando returned to MLS play on April 24 and were beaten by a club-record equalling three goal margin at home for only the fourth time as New York Red Bulls dominated in a 3–0 victory for the visitors.[32] Orlando closed out April hosting new expansion team Charlotte FC. The Lions took a two goal lead into halftime with Ruan breaking the deadlock in the 16th minute having made a late run at the back post to meet a Michel pull back before wheeling off to the sideline to celebrate by donning a Flash mask in recognition of his nickname. He showed the speed that earned him the nickname for the second goal in first half stoppage time, sprinting away on the counter before unselfishly playing in Torres for a tap in, his second goal of the season. The visitors pulled one back on the hour mark via a Christian Fuchs penalty after Alan Franco split the defense and was brought down but Orlando held on for all three points.[33]

Orlando City preseason opened on January 18. Seven friendly matches were scheduled, all to played behind closed doors. The New York City FC scrimmage scheduled for January 23 was later canceled.[35] On January 28, Orlando announced the friendly against Colorado would no longer be played behind closed doors and instead be open to the public.[36] On April 19, it was announced Orlando City would host a game against Premier League side Arsenal on their preseason tour on July 20 as part of the "FC Series" expansion of the Florida Cup.[37]

Orlando City v Arsenal

July 20 FC Series	Orlando City	v	Arsenal	Orlando, Florida
				Stadium: Exploria Stadium

Outside of the club, Charlotte FC joined the league as an expansion franchise, bringing the total number of MLS clubs to 28. Orlando's first meeting with Charlotte will be at home on April 30 with the first away trip on August 21. Orlando will also play 2021 expansion franchise Austin FC for the first time on May 22 on the road, having not met during the previous season. The Lions were not scheduled to face six Western Conference teams during the 2022 regular season: Sporting Kansas City, Minnesota United, Nashville SC, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes and Vancouver Whitecaps. The top seven teams from each conference will qualify for the playoffs.

Results summary

Results

Eastern Conference table

Overall table

Following a two year hiatus as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Open Cup returned in 2022. Orlando entered in the third round, a round earlier than in previous years, along with all but the eight highest seeded MLS teams from the previous season's regular season standings. All MLS teams were drawn against a lower division team in their allocated regional group for the third round.[39]

Orlando City v Tampa Bay Rowdies

April 20 Third round	Orlando City	2–1	Tampa Bay Rowdies	Orlando, Florida
7:00 pm	Méndez  37' Pato 52' (pen.) Jansson  61' Urso 63'	Report	Hilton  10' Antley  32' Guillén  51' Wyke  60' Mkosana 65' Scarlett  77'	Stadium: Exploria Stadium Attendance: 8,057 Referee: Daniel Gutierrez

Orlando City v Philadelphia Union

May 10/11 Fourth round	Orlando City	v	Philadelphia Union	Orlando, Florida
				Stadium: Exploria Stadium

As of match played April 30, 2022

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

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		MLS		Open Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	GK	PER	Pedro Gallese	9	0	9	0	0	0
31	GK	USA	Mason Stajduhar	2	0	1	0	1	0
40	GK	USA	Adam Grinwis	0	0	0	0	0	0
Defenders
2	DF	BRA	Ruan	10	1	9	1	1	0
4	DF	POR	João Moutinho	11	1	10	1	0+1	0
6	DF	SWE	Robin Jansson	10	0	9	0	0+1	0
15	DF	ARG	Rodrigo Schlegel	10	1	5+4	1	1	0
24	DF	USA	Kyle Smith	6	0	1+4	0	1	0
25	DF	BRA	Antônio Carlos	6	0	6	0	0	0
26	DF	USA	Michael Halliday	0	0	0	0	0	0
30	DF	USA	Alex Freeman	0	0	0	0	0	0
68	DF	USA	Thomas Williams	3	0	0+2	0	1	0
Midfielders
5	MF	URU	César Araújo	11	0	10	0	0+1	0
8	MF	ECU	Sebas Méndez	7	0	2+4	0	1	0
10	MF	URU	Mauricio Pereyra	11	0	10	0	0+1	0
11	MF	BRA	Júnior Urso	11	3	8+2	2	1	1
21	MF	USA	Andrés Perea	6	0	1+4	0	1	0
34	MF	JAM	Joey DeZart	0	0	0	0	0	0
Forwards
7	FW	BRA	Alexandre Pato	8	3	7	2	1	1
9	FW	AUT	Ercan Kara	10	2	7+3	2	0	0
13	FW	CAN	Tesho Akindele	7	0	1+6	0	0	0
14	FW	NED	Silvester van der Water	4	0	0+3	0	1	0
17	FW	URU	Facundo Torres	10	2	9	2	0+1	0
19	FW	USA	Benji Michel	11	1	5+5	1	1	0
27	FW	USA	Jack Lynn	1	0	0+1	0	0	0
32	FW	PUR	Wilfredo Rivera	0	0	0	0	0	0
Players away from the club on loan:
22	FW	ECU	Alexander Alvarado	0	0	0	0	0	0
99	FW	BRA	Matheus Aiás	0	0	0	0	0	0

As of match played April 30, 2022

Rank	No.	Pos.	Name	MLS	Open Cup	Total
1	7	FW	Alexandre Pato	2	1	3
	11	MF	Júnior Urso	2	1	3
3	9	FW	Ercan Kara	2	0	2
	17	FW	Facundo Torres	2	0	2
5	2	DF	Ruan	1	0	1
	4	DF	João Moutinho	1	0	1
	15	DF	Rodrigo Schlegel	1	0	1
	19	FW	Benji Michel	1	0	1
Total				12	2	14

As of match played April 30, 2022

Rank	No.	Pos.	Name	MLS	Open Cup	Total
1	1	GK	Pedro Gallese	5	0	5
Total				5	0	5

As of match played April 30, 2022

No.	Pos.	Name	MLS			Open Cup			Total
1	GK	Pedro Gallese	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
2	DF	Ruan	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
4	DF	João Moutinho	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
5	CM	César Araújo	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0
6	DF	Robin Jansson	4	1	0	1	0	0	5	1	0
8	MF	Sebas Méndez	1	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	0
11	MF	Júnior Urso	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
15	DF	Rodrigo Schlegel	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
19	FW	Benji Michel	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
21	MF	Andrés Perea	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
25	DF	Antônio Carlos	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
24	DF	Kyle Smith	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Total			22	1	0	2	0	0	24	1	0

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. The 2022 MLS SuperDraft was held on January 11, 2022. Orlando made three selections.

2022 Orlando City MLS SuperDraft Picks
Round	Selection	Player	Position	College	Status
1	18	Jack Lynn	CF	University of Notre Dame	Signed[40]
2	46	Nathan Dossantos	CB	Marshall University	Not signed[41]
3	74	Nick Taylor	LW	University of Central Florida	Signed to OCB[42]