WASHINGTON (Sept. 13, 2025) – Orlando City SC (13-7-9, 48 points) earned a point on the road after a 1-1 draw against D.C. United (5-15-10, 25 points) at Audi Field on Saturday night.
Jackson Hopkins put the home side ahead in the 33rd minute after receiving a diagonal ball in the box and turning into space to fire home a shot. Alex Freeman, who recently returned from international duty with the U.S. Men’s National Team, scored the equalizer eight minutes into the second half, heading in a rebound from Marco Pașalić's long-ranged effort.
Orlando City, currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, returns home next weekend to host a key matchup against fourth-placed Nashville SC (15-10-5, 50 points) with just five regular season games remaining. The top four teams in each conference earn homefield advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 Series in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Scoring Summary:
33’ Jackson Hopkins (Conner Antley, João Peglow) – DC 1, ORL 0
53’ Alex Freeman – ORL 1, DC 1
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“We have reasons to feel frustrated tonight for not achieving the objective of winning the game and getting the three points, especially after we tied the game and we have one more player. That feeling is there. But at the same time, I want to recognize that from the first minute, I thought Orlando dictated the tempo and the pace of the game and the majority of the options and many of the plays we could have scored, as well, has to be evaluated. And this frustration is part of the game. We have to polish in the last third again and be the team that we are when we create the options and score and that’s what makes you win games. But other than that, I thought the behavior of the boys tactically and the overall game, it was as you all saw it, very dominant for Orlando.”
Match Notes
- Defender Alex Freeman scored his fifth goal of the season, the fifth-most on the team.
- Defender Rodrigo Schlegel made his 175th appearance across all competitions for the Lions and his 150th start.
- Due to a red card picked up in the match against Nashville SC, forward Luis Muriel missed the match against D.C. United serving his suspension.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made four changes to the Starting XI after the side’s last match against the LA Galaxy, with David Brekalo, Joran Gerbet, Robin Jansson and Duncan McGuire returning to the starting lineup.
