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Orlando City honors Robin Jansson. Playoffs Next
Photos by Deuce Bowers
An emotional evening at Inter.co Stadium set the seal on the final regular season game of 2026 for Orlando City – and paid tribute to long-standing defensive kingpin and captain Robin Jansson, who announced his retirement from soccer last week.
With a double mission to boost their playoff hopes and celebrate the eight-year Central Florida tenure of the mighty Jansson, the Lions handled both with aplomb as they first beat in-form New England 1-0 with one of their best defensive displays of the year, and followed up with a suitable honor for their Swedish mainstay.
On the field, City largely neutered a Revolution team that had won four of its last five games and clinched a top four finish in the Eastern Conference standings, needing just the solitary goal from a Braian Ojeda piledriver to take all three points.
The club then rolled out a fitting farewell to Jansson, a true legend in purple after setting a team record 263 appearances, 256 starts, and a staggering 23,050 minutes in all competitions. He chalked up seven goals and seven assists through an MLS career that started on March 23, 2019, and effectively concluded on October 10 this year with his final game before being sidelined by a broken bone in his right foot, which ultimately led to his retirement announcement on November 6.
The 34-year-old also won the hearts of City fans with his dynamic, non-stop energy at the heart of City’s defense, a never-say-die attitude, and an imposing Viking presence that energized the players around him. If there were stats for the number of 50-50 challenges won in the league, he would certainly have been in the top five. If it was for 40-60 challenges, he’d probably be No.1.
If he had stood at the back with a horned helmet and an axe, he couldn’t have been more emblematic of an indomitable warrior if he tried. He was Orlando through and through, and he has insisted he will remain with the team until the end of the campaign before returning to his native Sweden.
Sporting director and general manager Ricardo Moreira led the praise for Jansson, insisting: “Robin will always hold a special place in the history of this club, and for me personally, because he was the first player I signed for Orlando City.
“From the moment he arrived, he embraced everything this club stands for, and grew into one of the most important figures in our history. He is a club legend, not only because of his performances and accomplishments, but because of the person, leader, and teammate he has been throughout his time here. We love Robin and his family, and we wish them nothing but happiness and success in this next chapter of his life.”
Interim head coach Martin Perelman paid his own tribute to Jansson, adding: “I think the way he led us through the season was amazing. I told him privately that the way he’s leaving with the image being injury, it’s the image of a warrior. He gave everything, on and off the field. So from my side and the entire team, it’s only about saying thanks. He always put the team before himself, even his health.”
The continued absence of Jansson on the field had given Perelman fits in recent weeks as he sought to find a back four line-up that could stem the flow of goals into Max Crepeau’s net, especially on the road. Despite the post-World Cup break boost that was the arrival of French superstar Antoine Griezmann – who had bagged 14 goals and 7 assists in just 18 league appearances before Saturday – the Goals Against column continued to bulge to the tune of 22 in the past eight games, and a record 78 for the season.
But, against New England, that Achilles heel was fully covered by a back four of Vinicius Nogeira, David Brekalo, Wilder Cartagena, and Zakaria Taifi, only Brekalo of whom started the first game of the season back in February. True, Crepeau still had to weigh in with a couple of important saves, but otherwise the Revolution were largely muzzled.
That solidity in turn meant one goal might be all that was needed to mount a final climb in the standings. And, right on half-time, Ojeda provided it with a blistering right-foot volley into the top right corner of Matt Turner’s net from 20 yards out. It was only his second goal of the season after netting against San Jose in July, but it couldn’t have been better timed.
It was also a fitting reward for a non-stop display from the defensive midfielder, and he was backed up across the field by players in purple willing to run, cover, and tackle like demons for the full 90 minutes. And, while Griezmann didn’t add to his goal tally on the night, he still provided plenty of inspiration by helping out with defensive duties in the closing stages.
For a brief moment after the final whistle, it looked like City might even claim a sneaky seventh spot for the playoffs, as Cincinnati fell to a 2-0 home defeat by Nashville while Columbus were being held 3-3 at Chicago after being behind three times. But the Crew managed a late, late winner to leap-frog the Lions into that seventh position to avoid the playoff play-in game. The consolation prize for Orlando is the home advantage in a do-or-die showdown with Cincy on November 19, followed by a potential three-game series against MLS points total record-breakers Nashville.
But let’s not look too far ahead. Cincinnati will still be a formidable opponent, whether on the road or not, and City will aim to take their home record – a sparkling 10-4-3, behind only New England and Nashville for fortress-like form – into the post-season with serious hopes of success. The return from injury of full-back Glenn Dorsey is another positive, while Ojeda proved he can be a force to be reckoned with at both ends of the field.
Tickets for the home playoff game with Cincinnati are now on sale, on this link.
Simon Veness was the Orlando beat writer for MLSSoccer.com from 2015-2018 and now writes on sports, music and culture for Pulp City.
