Orlando City changed two starters before its road match against Charlotte FC, with Wilder Cartagena and Marco Pašalić moving into the opening XI. Justin Ellis and David Brekalo came out of the starting group for the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff on Apple TV.
The lineup was announced on October 31, 2026, just ahead of the match, and it gave Orlando City a different look from the start. Maxime Crépeau was listed in goal behind Zakaria Taifi, Cartagena, Iago and Vinicius Nogueira, while Pašalić joined Luís Otávio, Braian Ojeda, Iván Angulo, Martín Ojeda and Antoine Griezmann in the XI.
That change mattered because Brekalo was unavailable for the opening lineup after yellow card accumulation ruled him out. Orlando City had to adjust before the first whistle, and Ellis was available off the bench if the team needed another option once the match began.
There was also a clearer bench picture behind the switch. Eduard Atuesta returned after serving a suspension in Orlando City’s previous match in Chicago, while Harvey Sarajian was back on the bench and replaced Bernardo Rhein among the substitutes. The rest of the bench included Javier Otero, Daryl Dike, Joran Gerbet, Adrián Marín, Nolan Miller and Tiago.
For Orlando City, the immediate question was not whether the lineup would change — it already had — but whether the reshuffled start could hold up away from home against Charlotte FC. The answer would come in the match itself, with the first test arriving at kickoff.
