March 8, 2026; Harrison, New Jersey, USA; CF Montreal forward Prince Osei Owusu (9) scores a penalty kick during the game against Red Bull New York at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images Orlando City SC will begin life without coach Oscar Pareja on Saturday with a surprising win over a CF Montreal team in New York.
Pareja and the club parted ways on Wednesday after Orlando (0-3-0, 0 points) started the 2026 season in the same bad form he finished 2025 with.
The Lions won just once in their final 11 games in all competitions last season and currently have an MLS-worst minus-8 goal differential as they are one of four teams in the Eastern Conference yet to pick up a point.
In a press conference this week, sporting director Ricardo Moreira suggested the club’s problems lie deeper than the 57-year-old Colombian coach, who guided Orlando to the playoffs in all six of his full seasons.
“I know he took full responsibility for the result, but I think it’s a shared responsibility,” Moreira said. “Anytime a coach leaves a club… it’s a time for us and I especially to look in the mirror and assess our decisions, assess for ourselves what happened.”
Assistant coach Martin Perelman will take over as head coach on an interim basis.
Lions goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau will be sidelined while serving a one-match suspension for his early red card in last Saturday’s 5-0 loss at New York City FC.
Meanwhile, Montreal (1-2-0, 3 points) won 3-0 on Sunday over the New York Red Bulls, who had won their opening two games.
Coming into that game, Montreal’s form made Orlando’s early struggles look insignificant. They lost 5-0 to San Diego on opening weekend before losing 3-0 in Chicago.
However, in the third game of six in a row ahead of the season opening, Prince Owusu scored an early goal with a penalty kick. Wiki Carmona then added a goal either side of the first half for his first MLS brace against the club he played for five seasons.
The visitors were slightly behind RBNY in both shots and shots but created the more dangerous chances with ease and goalkeeper Thomas Gillier praised manager Marco Donadel’s tactics.
“We played a perfect game,” Gillier said, according to QMI Agency. “Marco understands the Red Bulls very well. I think it’s good for the team and we need to keep improving.”
The two teams have recorded a pair of draws in 2025 and have left the field on equal terms in four of their last five games.
–Field level media
