Orlando City SC

2018 season
CEO	Alex Leitão
Manager	Jason Kreis (until June 15) Bobby Murphy (interim, June 15 – July 1) James O'Connor (from July 2)
Stadium	Orlando City Stadium
MLS:	Conference: 11th Overall: 22nd
MLS Cup Playoffs	Did not qualify
U.S. Open Cup	Quarter-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Dom Dwyer (13) All: Dom Dwyer (13)
Highest home attendance	MLS: 25,527 (Twice)
Lowest home attendance	MLS: 22,337 (April 8 vs. Portland Timbers)
Average home league attendance	23,979
Biggest win	PHI 0–2 ORL (April 13)
Biggest defeat	ATL 4–0 ORL (June 30) CHI 4–0 ORL (Sept 16)
Home colors Away colors
← 2017 2019 →

The 2018 Orlando City SC season was the club's eighth season of existence in Orlando and fourth season in Major League Soccer, the top-flight league in the United States soccer league system. Alongside Major League Soccer, the club also competed in the U.S. Open Cup. The team played its home games at Orlando City Stadium.

On December 17, 2017, Kaká announced his retirement, after turning down offers from former clubs São Paulo FC and A.C. Milan.^[2] With the options of several players declined at the end of the previous season,^[3][4] Orlando City set its sights on the off-season to rebuild its roster.^[1] The club began the winter transfer window by acquiring midfielder Sacha Kljestan from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for attacker Carlos Rivas and defender Tommy Redding.^[5] During this time, it was announced that Orlando City B had elected to not participate in the 2018 USL season,^[6] sparking alarm in regards to the club's youth development and depth.^[7] Just a few days later, Paraguayan midfielder Josué Colmán signed with the club as a Young Designated Player.^[8]

In early January, Orlando City Stadium played host to two games in the 2018 edition of the Florida Cup.^[9] This was followed by the club also hosting the 2018 MLS Combine from January 11 to 17,^[10] which resulted in forward Chris Mueller being picked by Orlando City in the MLS SuperDraft.^[11]

By mid-January, attention shifted to forward Cyle Larin after images of him undergoing a medical with Beşiktaş J.K. were posted on the Turkish club's Twitter account.^[12] While Orlando City was aware of the social media posting, no transfer agreement had been made at that time and the club was preparing to take legal action as Larin was still "under contract with Orlando City through 2019."^[13] When training camp officially commenced on January 22, Larin was absent and appeared to be training with Beşiktaş in a video released the following day.^[14] A week later, Orlando City announced that they had come to terms with Beşiktaş for the transfer of Larin.^[15]

On January 29, it was announced that Orlando City had acquired midfielder Justin Meram from Columbus Crew SC in exchange for $1.05 million in allocation money plus an international roster spot.^[16] Further transfers were made throughout January and February, with a total of 13 new players making the move to Orlando.^[17] On February 28, center back Jonathan Spector was named the new captain of Orlando City following Kaká's departure.^[18]

Orlando City began their fourth Major League Soccer campaign on March 3 at home against D.C. United. Despite Joe Bendik making a penalty save early on, D.C. United opened the scoring in the 32nd minute with a Yamil Asad free kick. In the 41st minute, PC was issued a red card and Orlando City played the remainder of the game with 10 men. The Lions maintained pressure throughout the second half and eventually equalized in stoppage time following a forward run by Jonathan Spector that set Stefano Pinho up for his debut goal, securing a point with a 1–1 draw.^[19] Orlando remained at home for its second match, falling 2–1 to Minnesota United FC following a brace by Ethan Finlay.^[20] The club then hit the road for its first away match of the season against New York City FC. This marked the first Orlando City appearances for Lamine Sané and Josué Colmán, who both came on as second half subs, as well as Sacha Kljestan. Despite holding a 0–0 scoreline at half, the Lions ended up falling 2–0 from goals by Ismael Tajouri and Maxi Moralez.^[21] Following a two-week hiatus, Orlando City returned home to host the New York Red Bulls. After conceding in the seventh minute, City soon struck back with a tap-in goal by Will Johnson. The Red Bulls regained the lead shortly after, but the Lions equalized once again via a Dom Dwyer header to end the half at 2–2. Dwyer opened the second half with a goal that came from a throw-in assist by Mohamed El Monir. The visitors were able to level the scoreline in the 82nd minute, but a shot from Scott Sutter that deflected off of Colmán made its way into the back of the net and secured City all three points in the club's first victory of the 2018 Major League Soccer season.^[22]

On April 8, the Lions made team history by securing their first win from a 2-goal deficit, with Dwyer scoring the game-winning goal in the 87th minute for a dramatic 3–2 comeback victory against the Portland Timbers.^[23] The result also marked the first back-to-back wins for the club since April 29, 2017. With all three goals scored in the final ten minutes, they lead the league with 25 in the last three seasons,^[24] reaffirming the nickname "Cardiac Cats." Five days later, Joe Bendik picked up his first clean sheet of the season to go along with four saves, while Dwyer scored his 99th goal in all career caps, for the Lions' first away win of the season: a 2–0 shutout of the Philadelphia Union.^[25] The winning streak stretched to four in a 3–2 home victory against the San Jose Earthquakes, courtesy of goals from Mueller, Kljestan, and Dwyer. Both Mueller and Dwyer's goals were milestones: Mueller's strike came 63 seconds into the match, making it the fastest MLS goal in the club's history, and Dwyer's goal marked his 100th career goal in all competitions.^[26] Then, in yet another come-from-behind thriller and their fifth straight win to close out the month, Orlando City defeated the Colorado Rapids with a 2–1 scoreline at the high altitude of DSG Park.^[27]

The first major test of the season comes early, as four of the next five matches for Orlando City come against the top four 2017 Eastern Conference teams: Atlanta United FC, Toronto FC, the Chicago Fire, and New York City FC.^[28][29] A new club record was reached as the "Cardiac Cats" opened the month of May with their sixth straight victory, and fourth when conceding the first goal, in a 3–1 result against Real Salt Lake. Lamine Sané scored his first goal in purple, while Chris Schuler made his debut in the squad's starting 11, against his former team.^[30] On May 13, Justin Meram opened his account with a second-half goal against the Five Stripes. However, the Lions' comeback fell short in a 2–1 loss, their second of the season at home.^[31] The game was marred by fans throwing trash onto the field in frustration. Orlando City was later criticized by local authorities and news organizations for routinely condemning behavior without taking any significant action to decrease such incidents.^[32][33] The rough patch continued with another 2–1 loss at Toronto FC.^[34] A 2–1 defeat at home to the Chicago Fire extended the losing streak to three games to close out the month, as the Lions looked ahead to a 4-game, 12-day road trip with stops in New York, Miami, Vancouver, and Montreal.^[35]

The losing streak continued into the month of June, as Orlando City fell 3–0 to New York City FC. With Dom Dwyer out due to injury, the Lions have found it difficult to score in their last four matches.^[36] The club was able to turn things around in their first match of the 2018 U.S. Open Cup when they defeated NPSL side Miami United FC 3–0 with goals from PC, Stefano Pinho, and Dillon Powers.^[37] However, the club's MLS losing streak stretched to five games after the Lions were reduced to 10 men and were outscored 5–2 in Vancouver.^[38] The 12-day road trip came to an end in Montreal, where Orlando City suffered its third consecutive three-goal margin defeat.^[39] Two days later, the club announced that it had parted ways with head coach Jason Kreis and that assistant coach Bobby Murphy would assume the role of interim coach.^[40] Under Bobby's leadership, and changing to a three-back formation that showed much-improved stability in the defense, the Lions were able to eke out a 1–1 win on PKs (4–2), against D.C. United in the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup on June 20.^[41] Orlando played their first MLS match following Kreis' departure on June 23, 2018, when they faced Montreal for the second consecutive game. Murphy continued with the three-back formation he had used in the Open Cup four days earlier but Orlando fell to a 2–0 defeat, only registering one shot on target on the way to their seventh consecutive league defeat, a performance Bobby and several of the players apologized for post-game.^[42]

On June 29, the club announced that Louisville City FC manager and former Orlando City player-coach James O'Connor would take over as the Lion's new head coach.^[43] The day after, Murphy took control of his final game as interim manager prior to O'Connor filling the position permanently. The result was a 4–0 defeat away to Atlanta United FC.^[44]

James O'Connor's first game in charge was away at Los Angeles FC, marking the first time Orlando had ever played the new expansion side. The original kick off time was moved to 11:00 p.m. ET to avoid triple-digit temperatures. The team returned to the 4–2–3–1 formation that had been implemented earlier in the season under Jason Kreis but lost 4–1, breaking their three-game scoreless streak but extending the losing streak to nine.^[45] On July 14, O'Connor took charge of his first home game with the visit of Toronto FC. Orlando won 2–1 to end their winless streak. It was the first MLS match of the season to not feature Joe Bendik after Earl Edwards Jr. was given the start in goal.^[46] Orlando were knocked out of the U.S. Open Cup at the quarterfinals stage on July 18, losing 1–0 away to Philadelphia Union.^[47] On July 22, Orlando traveled to Columbus Crew SC where they led for most of the match. However, a penalty call and a controversial lack of VAR led to a game-tying 88th-minute penalty. Columbus would go on to win the game 3–2 in stoppage time.^[48] In response, Professional Referee Organization released a statement acknowledging the error and reaffirming that the organization holds all officials "accountable and takes appropriate action when necessary."^[49] Orlando returned home to face NYCFC for the third and final time of the year on July 26, falling to a 2–0 defeat and hitting the woodwork four times in the process.^[50] Then, despite taking the lead three times, Orlando lost 4–3 away to LA Galaxy on July 29, a game in which Cristian Higuita broke Cyle Larin's club record 89 appearances. Galaxy's Zlatan Ibrahimović notably scored his first MLS hattrick in the game.^[51]

On August 3, Orlando City traded Justin Meram back to Columbus Crew SC for $750,000 in Targeted Allocation Money and a 2019 international roster slot.^[52] The following day, the Lions returned home to face New England Revolution. After trailing by two goals early on, City equalized in the 71st minute. While New England gained the lead five minutes later, the Lions equalized again in stoppage time – resulting in a 3–3 draw.^[53] The team ended the month with two losses, both by a one-goal margin, to DC United and Atlanta United FC. The DC game marked the first time Orlando played at the newly opened Audi Field.

On September 1, Orlando hosted Philadelphia Union and held them to a 2–2 draw thanks to a Scott Sutter goal in stoppage time. It was the first time Orlando had avoided defeat against the same opponent twice in MLS this season. The following weekend the team lost 1–0 away to Sporting Kansas City as Dom Dwyer returned to face his former team for the first time. The team finished the month winless, losing on two away trips to Sporting Kansas City and Chicago Fire before earning a 0–0 draw at home to Houston Dynamo, with Adam Grinwis securing only the team's second league clean sheet of the season on his debut.

Prior to the team's game against FC Dallas on October 6, Orlando were officially eliminated from playoff contention following Montreal's win over Columbus Crew earlier that day. They went on to lose 2–0. Orlando remained on the road for the next match against New England Revolution which also ended 2–0 and extending the team's scoreless run to five games. On October 17 the team set a new MLS single season record for number of goals conceded when Víctor Rodríguez opened the scoring for Seattle Sounders FC, the 71st goal Orlando had given up that year. This surpassed the previous total of 70 set by Minnesota United FC in their inaugural season in 2017. Seattle went on to win 2–1. Orlando's final home game of the season, played on October 21, saw them win only their second game under the stewardship of James O'Connor when Kljestan scored penalty in stoppage time to beat Columbus Crew 2–1.

On October 28, the final day of the regular season, Orlando traveled to a New York Red Bulls side who were one of two teams with the potential to win the Supporters' Shield. They started the day one point behind Atlanta United FC but their 1–0 win over Orlando combined with Atlanta's 4–1 defeat against Toronto FC meant they finished top of the standings and lifted the Shield for the third time. Orlando finished the season bottom of the Eastern Conference and, because of Colorado Rapids' decision day win, dropped to 22nd in the Supporters' Shield.

On November 26, 2018, Orlando City parted ways with general manager Niki Budalić who had been at the club since January 2016 and held the role of GM for two years.^[54] The day after, the club announced it had decided not to exercise the contract options of eight players: Joe Bendik, Richie Laryea, Tony Rocha, Chris Schuler, Jonathan Spector, Scott Sutter, Donny Toia and Jose Villarreal. Earl Edwards, Jr. would also be released as a result of his expired contract.

As of August 3, 2018^[55]

No.	Nationality	Name	Position(s)	Date of birth (age)	Previous club	Notes
Goalkeepers
1		Joe Bendik	GK	(1989-04-25)April 25, 1989 (aged 28)	Toronto FC	–
31		Mason Stajduhar	GK	(1997-12-02)December 2, 1997 (aged 20)	Orlando City U-23	HGP
36		Earl Edwards, Jr.	GK	(1992-01-24)January 24, 1992 (aged 26)	UCLA Bruins	–
99		Adam Grinwis	GK	(1992-04-21)April 21, 1992 (aged 25)	Saint Louis FC	–
Defenders
2		Jonathan Spector (C)	CB	(1986-03-01)March 1, 1986 (aged 32)	Birmingham City	–
3		Amro Tarek	CB	(1992-05-17)May 17, 1992 (aged 25)	Wadi Degla	Loan in
12		Shane O'Neill	CB	(1993-09-02)September 2, 1993 (aged 24)	Excelsior	HGP
13		Mohamed El Monir	LB	(1992-04-08)April 8, 1992 (aged 25)	Partizan Belgrade	INT
21		Scott Sutter	RB	(1986-05-13)May 13, 1986 (aged 31)	Young Boys	–
22		Lamine Sané	CB	(1987-03-22)March 22, 1987 (aged 30)	Werder Bremen	INT
25		Donny Toia	LB	(1992-05-28)May 28, 1992 (aged 25)	Montreal Impact	–
27		R. J. Allen	RB	(1990-04-17)April 17, 1990 (aged 27)	New York City FC	–
28		Chris Schuler	CB	(1987-09-06)September 6, 1987 (aged 30)	Real Salt Lake	–
94		PC	LB	(1994-03-10)March 10, 1994 (aged 23)	Orlando City B	–
Midfielders
4		Will Johnson	CM	(1987-01-21)January 21, 1987 (aged 31)	Toronto FC	–
5		Dillon Powers	DM	(1991-02-14)February 14, 1991 (aged 27)	Colorado Rapids	–
6		Richie Laryea	AM	(1995-01-07)January 7, 1995 (aged 23)	Orlando City B	GA
7		Cristian Higuita	CM	(1994-01-14)January 14, 1994 (aged 24)	Deportivo Cali	–
8		Tony Rocha	CM	(1993-08-21)August 21, 1993 (aged 24)	Orlando City B	–
10		Josué Colmán	AM	(1998-07-25)July 25, 1998 (aged 19)	Cerro Porteño	INT, DP
15		Cam Lindley	DM	(1997-07-18)July 18, 1997 (aged 20)	North Carolina Tar Heels	HGP
16		Sacha Kljestan	AM	(1985-09-09)September 9, 1985 (aged 32)	New York Red Bulls	DP
20		Uri Rosell	DM	(1992-07-07)July 7, 1992 (aged 25)	Sporting CP	–
26		Carlos Ascues	DM	(1992-06-19)June 19, 1992 (aged 25)	Alianza Lima	Loan in
Forwards
11		Pierre Da Silva	LW	(1998-07-28)July 28, 1998 (aged 19)	Orlando City B	–
14		Dom Dwyer	CF	(1990-07-30)July 30, 1990 (aged 27)	Sporting KC	DP
17		Chris Mueller	RW	(1996-08-28)August 28, 1996 (aged 21)	Wisconsin Badgers	–
19		Yoshimar Yotún	LW	(1990-04-07)April 7, 1990 (aged 27)	Malmö FF	INT
29		Stefano Pinho	CF	(1991-01-12)January 12, 1991 (aged 27)	Miami FC	–
33		Jose Villarreal	CF	(1993-09-10)September 10, 1993 (aged 24)	LA Galaxy	HGP

Executive
Majority owner and chairman	Flávio Augusto da Silva
Minor owner/life president	Phil Rawlins
Owner	John Bonner
Chief executive officer	Alex Leitão
General manager	Niki Budalic
Coaching staff
Head coach	James O'Connor
Assistant coach	Daniel Byrd
Assistant coach	Sean McAuley
Assistant coach/academy coordinator	Bobby Murphy
Goalkeeping coach	Thabane Sutu

The pre-season schedule was announced on January 16, 2018, outlining five closed-door pre-season friendlies over the course of February.^[56] Training camp began on Monday, January 22, for the first of three training sessions before the club traveled to Jacksonville for a 10-day pre-season training camp at Davis Park.^[57] The club then relocated back to its training facility at Sylvan Lake Park.^[58] A sixth pre-season friendly was played on February 25 against Nashville SC of the United Soccer League.^[59]

Jacksonville Dolphins v Orlando City

February 3	Jacksonville Dolphins	1–4	Orlando City	Jacksonville, Florida
12:00 pm EST	Escobado		Yotún (pen.) Johnson Kljestan	Stadium: Southern Oak Stadium Attendance: Closed-door scrimmage

Orlando City v Minnesota United FC

February 10	Orlando City	4–1	Minnesota United FC	Sanford, Florida
10:00 am EST	Johnson Mueller Kljestan		Finlay	Stadium: Sylvan Lake Park Attendance: Closed-door scrimmage

Philadelphia Union v Orlando City

February 14	Philadelphia Union	1–3	Orlando City	Sanford, Florida
10:00 am EST	Burke	Report	Yotún (pen.) Allen Mueller	Stadium: Sylvan Lake Park Attendance: Closed-door scrimmage

Orlando City v Real Salt Lake

February 17	Orlando City	5–2	Real Salt Lake	Sanford, Florida
12:00 pm EST	Kljestan Mueller (o.g.) Pinho		Plata Silva	Stadium: Sylvan Lake Park Attendance: Closed-door scrimmage

Orlando City v Chicago Fire

February 24	Orlando City	2–3	Chicago Fire	Orlando, Florida
11:30 am EST	Yotún (pen.) Yotún Mueller	Report	Nikolić	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: Closed-door scrimmage

All times in regular season on Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−04:00) except where otherwise noted.

The opening home match was announced on December 19, 2017,^[60] while the remaining MLS schedule was released on January 4, 2018.^[61] Outside of the club, there were several changes made throughout the league. The most significant change came via the addition of Los Angeles FC as the 23rd franchise in MLS and 12th member of the Western Conference.^[62] Orlando City SC played LAFC for the first time on July 7, 2018.^[63]

Orlando City v D.C. United

March 3 1	Orlando City	1–1	D.C. United	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Bendik PS/20' Lindley  31' PC 41' Yotún  81' Pinho 90+3'	Report	Asad 32' Birnbaum  45+1' Mattocks  45+6' DeLeon  47'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 25,527 Referee: Fotis Bazakos

Orlando City v Minnesota United FC

March 10 2	Orlando City	1–2	Minnesota United FC	Orlando, Florida
7:30 pm	Yotún 42' (PK) Laryea  56'	Report	Finlay 12', 79' Schüller  88' Toye  90+4'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 24,038 Referee: Sorin Stoica
Note: Former Head Coach Adrian Heath returns to Orlando

New York City FC v Orlando City

March 17 3	New York City FC	2–0	Orlando City	New York, New York
3:30 p.m.	Wallace  28' Ring  54' Tajouri 62' Moralez 74' McNamara  83'	Report	Higuita  27' Laryea  90'	Stadium: Yankee Stadium Attendance: 18,584 Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero
Note: Transfer MF Sascha Kljestan is eligible for team sheet; 2-game suspension from 2017 MLS Playoffs ends

Orlando City v New York Red Bulls

March 31 4	Orlando City	4–3	New York Red Bulls	Orlando, Florida
3:30 p.m.	Johnson 15' Dwyer 26', 48' Sane  54' Colman 86' Yotun  90+1'	Report	Volot 7' Etienne 24' Collin  38' Kaku  54' Long 82'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 23,913 Referee: Jair Marrufo
Note: Sacha Kljestan, Carlos Rivas and Tommy Redding face their former teams for the first time following a trade involving all three in January

Orlando City v Portland Timbers

April 8 5	Orlando City	3–2	Portland Timbers	Orlando, Florida
4:00 p.m.	El Monir  28' Mueller 80' Kljestan 82' (PK) Dwyer 87',  90+3'	Report	Blanco  8' Valeri 20' (PK) Tuiloma 59' Gleeson  77'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 23,601 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

Philadelphia Union v Orlando City

April 13 6	Philadelphia Union	0–2	Orlando City	Chester, Pennsylvania
8:00 p.m. EDT	Real  67' Rosenberry  81'	Report	Dwyer 38',  74' Mueller 45' Bendik  63' El Monir  79'	Stadium: Talen Energy Stadium Attendance: 16,032 Referee: Chris Penso

Orlando City v San Jose Earthquakes

April 21 7	Orlando City	3–2	San Jose Earthquakes	Orlando, Florida
7:30 p.m.	Mueller 2' Kljestan 35' Yotún  65' Dwyer 69'	Report	Jungwirth 78', 90' Quintana  73'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 25,527 Referee: Ismail Elfath
Note: Adidas Parley for the Oceans campaign; all 23 MLS teams wearing plastic recycled-material kits; Dom Dwyer's 100th career goal

Colorado Rapids v Orlando City

April 29 8	Colorado Rapids	1–2	Orlando City	Commerce City, Colorado
4:00 p.m.	Badji 26' Boateng  60' Wynne  67' Castillo  68' Martinez  72'	Report	Higuita 52' Yotún 77' (PK) Tarek  87'	Stadium: Dick's Sporting Goods Park Attendance: 15,702 Referee: Jose Carlos Rivero

Orlando City v Real Salt Lake

May 6 9	Orlando City	3–1	Real Salt Lake	Orlando, Florida
5:00 p.m.	Bendik  51' El Monir  59' Dwyer 60' Sané 63' Higuita  74' Yotún 78'	Report	Baird 12'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 23,258 Referee: Robert Sibiga

Orlando City v Atlanta United FC

May 13 10	Orlando City	1–2	Atlanta United FC	Orlando, Florida
6:00 p.m.	Meram 57' Higuita  20' Bendik  32' Yotún  82' Rosell  88' Johnson  90+4'	Report	Martinez 10' (PK) Barco 31' Villalba  84'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 24,232 Referee: Alan Kelly

Toronto FC v Orlando City

May 18 11	Toronto FC	2–1	Orlando City	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
8:00 p.m.	Chapman 63' Telfer 87'	Report	Higuita 73' Johnson  84'	Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 28,009 Referee: Allen Chapman
Note: Joe Bendik becomes first Lions player to play 7,000 minutes

Orlando City v Chicago Fire

May 26 12	Orlando City	1–2	Chicago Fire	Orlando, Florida
7:30 p.m.	Higuita 28' El Monir  11' Schuler  40' Rosell  64' Mueller  70' Kljestan  90'	Report	Katai 13' Gordon 82' Ellis  45+1' Adams  89' Kappelhof  90+6'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 25,288 Referee: Nima Saghafi

New York City FC v Orlando City

June 2 13	New York City FC	3–0	Orlando City	New York, New York
7:30 p.m.	Tajouri 35', 79' Moralez  77', 87'	Report	Rosell  78' Johnson  86'	Stadium: Yankee Stadium Attendance: 22,103 Referee: Hilario Grajeda
Note: First of four road games (including one U.S. Open Cup match) in the span of 12 days

Vancouver Whitecaps FC v Orlando City

June 9 14	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	5–2	Orlando City	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
10:00 p.m.	Shea  33' Kamara 36' Aja  70' Davies 76' Reyna 87' Mezquida 90'	Report	Johnson  12' El Monir  27'  58' Higuita  45' Allen  50' Kljestan 64' Dwyer 90+4'	Stadium: BC Place Attendance: 22,120 Referee: José Carlos Rivero

Montreal Impact v Orlando City

June 13 15	Montreal Impact	3–0	Orlando City	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
7:30 p.m.	Piatti 5' (PK), 90+2' Tarek 55' (o.g.)	Report	Dwyer  17' Higuita  19' Rosell  49'	Stadium: Stade Saputo Attendance: 15,621 Referee: Armando Villarreal

Orlando City v Montreal Impact

June 23 16	Orlando City	0–2	Montreal Impact	Orlando, Florida
7:30 p.m.	Kljestan  58'	Report	Sané 55' (o.g.) Piatti 84'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 23,498 Referee: Drew Fischer

Atlanta United FC v Orlando City

June 30 17	Atlanta United FC	4–0	Orlando City	Atlanta, Georgia
7:00 p.m.	Martínez 3' Almirón 55', 78' Barco 57'	Report	Johnson 19'	Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Attendance: 71,932 Referee: Armando Villarreal
Note: Supporters' groups "Iron Lion Firm" & "The Ruckus" banned from next two matches in Atlanta due to "alleged" inappropriate behavior through 2019 season.

Los Angeles FC v Orlando City

July 7 18	Los Angeles FC	4–1	Orlando City	Los Angeles, California
4:30 p.m.	Diomande 28', 82' Blessing 32' Rossi 84' Ciman 90+1'	Report	Kljestan 59' Allen 61' Rosell 81'	Stadium: Banc of California Stadium Attendance: 22,000 Referee: Chris Penso
Note: New expansion club for MLS in 2018. James O'Connor's first game in charge of Orlando.

Orlando City v Toronto FC

July 14 19	Orlando City	2–1	Toronto FC	Orlando, Florida
7:30 p.m.	Schuler  6', 34' Dwyer 48'	Report	Chapman  55' Bradley  67' Zavaleta  55' Hagglund 90+4'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 23,420 Referee: Allen Chapman

Columbus Crew v Orlando City

July 21 20	Columbus Crew	3–2	Orlando City	Columbus, Ohio
7:30 p.m.	Jonathan 26' Zardes 51', 88' Santos  84' Trapp 90+2' Williams  90+5'	Report	Kljestan 16',  43' Schuler 26' Pinho 58' El-Munir 87' Yotún 90+3'	Stadium: MAPFRE Stadium Attendance: 14,052 Referee: Silviu Petrescu

Orlando City v New York City FC

July 26 21	Orlando City	0–2	New York City FC	Orlando, Florida
8:00 p.m.	Dwyer  44' Higuita  62' O'Neill  83'	Report	Morález 40' Tinnerholm 45+1' McNamara  58' Johnson 87' Ring  90+5'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 23,790 Referee: Robert Sibiga

LA Galaxy v Orlando City

July 29 22	LA Galaxy	4–3	Orlando City	Carson, California
9:30 p.m.	Ciani  8' Giovani 39' Ibrahimović 47', 67', 71',  72'	Report	Higuita 18' Ciani 44' (o.g.) Rocha  48' Dwyer 54'	Stadium: StubHub Center Attendance: 24,941 Referee: Armando Villarreal

Orlando City v New England Revolution

August 4 23	Orlando City	3–3	New England Revolution	Orlando, Florida
7:30 p.m.	PC  6' Kljestan  39' Dwyer 45', 90+4' Tarek 71' Sutter 90+3' Yotún  90+8'	Report	Agudelo 7' Penilla 18' Bye  38' Bunbury 76'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 23,879 Referee: Hilario Grajeda

D.C. United v Orlando City

August 12 24	D.C. United	3–2	Orlando City	Washington, D.C.
6:00 p.m.	Acosta 45+4', 64', 90+6',  90+6' Birnbaum  49'	Report	Ousted 50' (o.g) Higuita  55' Dwyer 71' Tarek  86'	Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 17,020 Referee: José Carlos Rivero
Note: Orlando's first visit to newly opened Audi Field.

Orlando City v Atlanta United FC

August 24 25	Orlando City	1–2	Atlanta United FC	Orlando, Florida
8:00 p.m.	Sutter 39' Johnson  60' Rosell  86' Spector  90+3'	Report	González Pirez 21' Martínez 74',  75'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 25,058 Referee: Ismail Elfath

Orlando City v Philadelphia Union

September 1 26	Orlando City	2–2	Philadelphia Union	Orlando, Florida
8:00 p.m.	Dwyer 9' Sutter 90+1'	Report	Burke 32' Picault 88' Bedoya  89' Jones  90+5'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 22,912 Referee: Chris Penso

Sporting Kansas City v Orlando City

September 8 27	Sporting Kansas City	1–0	Orlando City	Kansas City, Kansas
8:30 p.m.	Gutiérrez 53'	Report	Mueller  38' Johnson  42'	Stadium: Children's Mercy Park Attendance: 19,332 Referee: Alan Kelly

Chicago Fire v Orlando City

September 16 28	Chicago Fire	4–0	Orlando City	Bridgeview, Illinois
5:00 p.m.	Nikolic 3', 70' Katai 28',  58' de Leeuw 56'	Report		Stadium: Toyota Park Attendance: 16,287 Referee: Allen Chapman

Orlando City v Houston Dynamo

September 22 29	Orlando City	0–0	Houston Dynamo	Orlando, Florida
7:30 p.m.	Spector  24' Ascues  73' Dwyer  90+1' Yotun  90+4'	Report	Wenger  33'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 23,723 Referee: Baldomero Toledo

FC Dallas v Orlando City

October 6 30	FC Dallas	2–0	Orlando City	Frisco, Texas
8:00 p.m.	Cannon  27' Gruezo  28' Mosquera 63' Ulloa 69'	Report	Dwyer  7' Yotún  35'	Stadium: Toyota Stadium Attendance: 16,519 Referee: Nima Saghafi

New England Revolution v Orlando City

October 13 31	New England Revolution	2–0	Orlando City	Foxboro, Massachusetts
7:30 p.m.	Penilla 51' Fagundez 55'	Report		Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 19,775 Referee: Dave Gantar

Orlando City v Seattle Sounders FC

October 17 32	Orlando City	1–2	Seattle Sounders FC	Orlando, Florida
7:30 p.m.	Dwyer 57' Ascues  90+2'	Report	Rodríguez 3' Bwana 13' Delem  78' A. Roldan  90+5'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 22,344 Referee: Mark Geiger

Orlando City v Columbus Crew

October 21 33	Orlando City	2–1	Columbus Crew	Orlando, Florida
	Dwyer  37' Yotún 57' (PK) Kljestan 90+6' (PK)	Report	Mensah  33' Higuaín 54'	Stadium: Orlando City Stadium Attendance: 23,642 Referee: Kevin Stott

New York Red Bulls v Orlando City

October 28 34	New York Red Bulls	1–0	Orlando City	Harrison, New Jersey
4:30 p.m.	Etienne 53' Muyl  74'	Report	Dwyer  45'	Stadium: Red Bull Arena Attendance: 20,023 Referee: Ismail Elfath
Note: Decision Day 2018; all matches start at 4:30 pm. EST

After the fourth round draw was held on May 24, Orlando City entered the 105th edition of the U.S. Open Cup on the road in South Florida, against Miami FC on June 6.^[64]