ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (May 7, 2025) – Orlando City SC defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies 5-0 at Al Lang Stadium on Wednesday night in the Round of 32 of the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. With the win, the Lions advanced to the Round of 16 in the tournament and remain unbeaten all time against the Rowdies with a perfect 8-0-0 record.
The night was highlighted by 16-year-old Gustavo Caraballo, who scored a first-half brace in the match and became the youngest player in Orlando City history to score, while also being the youngest player in City history to bag a brace. Dagur Dan Thórhallsson and Martín Ojeda both collected assists on Caraballo’s respective finishes. For Ojeda, the helper served as his 27th all-time with the Lions which is good for the second-most assists in Club history behind former City captain Mauricio Pereyra. Thórhallsson would also add a goal to his night in the 90th minute serving as his second of the season across all competitions.
Ramiro Enrique wrapped up the first half for Orlando, scoring his first goal of the 2025 campaign. Forward Duncan McGuire also scored his first goal of the 2025 season with a second-half finish getting both players on the scoring sheet for the first time this year. Rafael Santos earned the assist on the Enrique finish while Nico Rodríguez provided the helper on the McGuire finish, both serving as their first goal contributions of the season.
Goalkeeper Javier Otero earned the start in between the sticks tonight for the Lions, making three saves on his way to earning the clean sheet. The shutout serves as the Lions’ sixth consecutive shutout across all competitions.
With the win, the Lions have advanced to the Round of 16 of the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and will host fellow MLS-side Nashville SC at Inter&Co Stadium on Wednesday, May 21. Additional details, including kickoff time, broadcast information and ticketing details, will be announced in the coming days.
The Lions will return home to Inter&Co Stadium next for a showdown with the New England Revolution on Wrestling Night, presented by Pepsi. Kickoff on Saturday, May 10, is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, with the match set to air live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Scoring Summary:
34’ Gustavo Caraballo (Martín Ojeda) – ORL 1, TBR 0
The Lions opened the scoring on the night just over 10 minutes before the halftime break, with Rafael Santos playing a through ball to Martín Ojeda down the left flank that broke through the Rowdies’ defensive line. Ojeda slid the ball back across the face of goal to Homegrown midfielder Gustavo Caraballo. Caraballo roofed it in past goalkeeper Nicolás Campisi to become the youngest player in Orlando City history to score a goal.
36’ Gustavo Caraballo (Dagur Dan Thórhallsson) – ORL 2, TBR 0
Shortly after scoring their first, the Lions quickly struck again to double their advantage. Defender Kyle Smith came up from his backline position to win a turnover, which found its way to the feet of defender/midfielder Dagur Dan Thórhallsson. The Icelandic player fed the ball out to Caraballo who added another to become the youngest Orlando City player to record a brace.
42’ Ramiro Enrique (Rafael Santos) – ORL 3, TBR 0
Just six minutes later Orlando City added a third, as midfielder César Araújo sent the ball forward from midfield line out to Rafael Santos. The Brazilian defender then squared the ball from out wide straight across the face of goal where Ramiro Enrique redirected the ball into the back of the net.
59’ Duncan McGuire (Nico Rodríguez) – ORL 4, TBR 0
Just 14 minutes after entering the match as a substitute, Duncan McGuire added yet another for Orlando City. McGuire and 2025 addition Nico Rodríguez worked around the defense together, running a give-and-go on the Rowdies’ defensive line that sprung McGuire in on goal. He held off the defender’s physical challenge and then slid the ball calmly into the lower right corner of the net.
90’ Dagur Dan Thórhallsson (Iván Angulo) – ORL 5, TBR 0
Dagur Dan Thórhallsson finished off the match by finding the back of the net for the 5th goal of the night for the Lions. The play started with Iván Angulo finding some space in the midfield and sliding a ball through to Dan Thórhallsson. The Icelandic International made no mistake with the finish, rifling a shot into the side netting of the goal, leaving the Rowdies goalkeeper no chance for a save.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“We are very happy to advance in the Cup. We really appreciate the fact that we are representing our Club in such a bold and prestigious tournament that we respect. Regarding the game, I think scoring today was so healthy for us. It was the first objective to try and keep the pace that we have defensively on being solid but at the same time moving on to that team that is scoring again. We are happy in that part. In between the boxes, I thought we played a good game. We saw the youngsters play and some of the other players that were not regularly in the lineup, it was very complete. It was a very complete game for all of us. We are excited now to put our minds to the next one against New England at home. Today, it was a game that we needed, what happened today here in Tampa.”
Match Notes
- Homegrown midfielder Gustavo Caraballo became the youngest player in Club history to both score a goal, his first, and record a brace at just 16 years and 252 days old.
- With the win, Orlando City moved to a perfect 8-0-0 against the Rowdies in competitive matches.
- With the assist on Caraballo’s opener, Martín Ojeda provided his fourth assist of 2025 across all competitions and his 27th all-time, giving him sole possession of second-most in Club history behind former captain Mauricio Pereyra.
- With his strike in the 42 minute, Ramiro Enrique scored his first goal of the 2025 campaign and his 17th all-time across all competitions.
- Defender/midfielder Dagur Dan Thórhallsson provided his first helper in 2025 and his ninth all-time for the Lions. He also recorded his second goal of the 2025 season with a 90th minute strike.
- Defender Rafael Santos contributed to his first goal in the 2025 campaign, adding the assist on Enrique’s goal that served as his 10th across all competitions all-time.
- Earning the start on the night midfielder and Designated Player Martín Ojeda made his 100th appearance for the Lions all-time across all competitions.
- The match served as the first starts as Lions for both Homegrown midfielder Gustavo Caraballo and forward Nico Rodríguez.
- Duncan McGuire scored his first goal of 2025 with Nico Rodriguez providing his first career assist for the Lions. The goal served as McGuire’s 27th all-time.
- Iván Angulo came on as a second half substitution and earned his second assist of the 2025 campaign, providing the helper on the Dan Thórhallsson finish.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made seven changes to the Starting XI after his side’s last match against Chicago Fire FC, with goalkeeper Javier Otero, defender Rafael Santos, midfielders Gustavo Caraballo, Martín Ojeda and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, and forwards Ramiro Enrique and Nico Rodríguez all joining the starting lineup.
