Orlando City could not see out a game it had led since early in the first half, as Atlanta attacked the Lions relentlessly in the second half and finally scored to tie the game in the final minutes. The Lions will rue some great chances that they did not convert, and this one will feel more like two points lost than one point gained in a 1-1 draw.

Here are my five takeaways from the match.

Dorsey Was On His Horsey

Griffin Dorsey has taken a big step forward in recent weeks, and has now scored three goals in his last five games in all competitions. He scored the third of those against Atlanta, sprinting all the way forward to get on the end of a cross from Iván Angulo and finishing from close range to put the Lions ahead. Dorsey was one of Orlando’s leading attackers on Saturday night, constantly getting forward and into threatening positions, and he probably should have scored a second goal when he shot just wide from a pass from Duncan McGuire late in the second half. The 2026 acquisition delivered on defense as well, finishing second on the team with seven defensive contributions, and his efforts up and down the right side of the field were among the best from any Lion.

Fresher Legs Made A Difference

It was clear in the second half that one team looked much more energetic than the other, and an obvious reason for that is Atlanta had not played since last weekend while Orlando City had played on Wednesday night. Atlanta attacked in waves and threatened Orlando’s goal repeatedly, outshooting the Lions 16-4 in the second half and finally finding the equalizer late in the game. Orlando City rotated a few players in its starting lineup to try to offset the short turnaround time between games, but Robin Jansson suffered an injury in the first half and had to come off at halftime, and Marco Pašalić looked gassed at the end of the first half but gamely pushed on into the second half, trying to reduce the minutes Tyrese Spicer would need to play after he started last weekend and played more than 30 minutes (including stoppage time) on Wednesday. Braian Ojeda finally came off for the first time this season during MLS play, and at the end of the game all of Orlando City’s players looked exhausted, while Atlanta’s players looked like they could have gone for a while longer.

More Dribbling Than the Orlando Magic

Orlando City has some players that are adept at dribbling, but the Lions leaned heavily on the dribble against Atlanta and probably should have looked to pass more and dribble less. The Lions attempted to dribble by 18 players and were only successful eight times, losing several promising attacks because players went one-on-one with their defender instead of moving the ball. Against Philadelphia on Wednesday, they were more successful, going 13 of 22, so perhaps they were emboldened by that performance or perhaps it was part of the game plan. However, they turned the ball over on the dribble 10 times, which was as many times as Atlanta even attempted to take on an Orlando defender (Atlanta’s players were successful four times). Passing is generally more effective than dribbling, as it can move the ball farther and faster than a dribble can, but Orlando passed 72 fewer times than Atlanta and tried to beat defenders nearly twice as often, which contributed to why Atlanta constantly seemed to be on the attack over the final 60-ish minutes.

Another Dirty Sheet

As the clock ticked past 80 minutes, it seemed that the unlikely was finally about to happen, and Orlando City was going to keep its first clean sheet in an MLS game since shutting out Colorado in June of 2025. The soccer gods said “not today,” however, and Jay Fortune curled a shot past Maxime Crépeau and there was no longer a zero on the scoreboard next to Atlanta. The Lions have one MLS game remaining before the World Cup break, and unless they shut out FC Cincinnati on Saturday, their non-shutout streak in MLS games will extend past a full calendar year, as their next game after Cincinnati is not until late July.

Crepéau Saved a Point

The Canadian gave up that goal late in the game but he made up for it just a few minutes later, as he flew to his left to save a Matías Galarza shot from just outside the box that was headed for the top corner. That shot was literally the last play of the game, so Crépeau saved the Lions from earning nothing on the night despite leading for nearly 70 minutes. He finished the game with four saves, but none were bigger than that one at the death, which clinched one point for Orlando City.

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Those are my takeaways from Orlando City’s disappointing 1-1 draw against Atlanta. Coincidentally, the two teams will meet again on Tuesday in the U.S. Open Cup, with a berth in the semifinals on the line. Hopefully Orlando City will get a lead and hold it until the final whistle this time and take one more step towards winning its second cup.

Let us know your thoughts about the Atlanta match in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City was moments away from putting together back-to-back wins over teams below it in the standings. But Jay Fortune’s goal with four minutes to play in normal time canceled out Griffin Dorsey’s first-half goal in an unsatisfying 1-1 draw at Inter&Co Stadium.

The Lions (4-8-2, 14 points) had a chance to build on Wednesday’s win over Philadelphia, but they looked tired and sloppy throughout the second half as players racked up minutes and ultimately Atlanta (3-8-2, 11 points), which controlled the bulk of the game after Dorsey’s opener, found a breakthrough and could have taken all three points on a more clinical night.

“We were close, close to a win, which is what we always want when we play, always, but especially at home,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “I think the the guys did a huge effort. We we were able to play the game we wanted for most of the time of the game. There were periods that they played, and we felt a little bit the fatigue, I think, which is normal of having played 48 hours ago, but this is a quick turnaround.”

Perelman started Maxime Crepeau in net behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield inside of wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis leading the attack.

The first look at goal for either side wasn’t much of one, as Saba Lobjanidze cut inside on the right and fired off target in the second minute. Over the next 10 minutes, each team won a couple of corners but couldn’t do anything with them.

Martin Ojeda got in behind on a great ball in the 13th minute. He was one-on-one against Atlanta goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos but missed the right post by a couple of yards. The flag came up on the play, but it may have been just onside. Because the shot went wide, there was no need to review it.

Three minutes later, Ojeda took a shot from the top of the area but Juan Berrocal blocked it. A goal seemed to be coming for Orlando City and it happened in the 18th minute.

Marin gave the ball to Martin Ojeda near the top of the area. The Argentine nutmegged a defender with his pass, sending Angulo down the left channel. The Colombian used his speed to turn the corner on his defender and slipped a low pass across the six for Dorsey to tap in, as the right back scored in his second straight game.

Griffin Dorsey taps it home to put @OrlandoCitySC ahead!

📺 Apple TV: https://t.co/Fgi0pJxykj pic.twitter.com/BKg2wqRkCj

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 17, 2026

“It’s a play that we really trained and worked a lot,” Angulo said. “When, when Martin (Ojeda) or when Justin (Ellis) get the ball, just run into space, try and find that space, and then turn and try and find a teammate on the other extreme of the field, and just very happy for it working, because we’ve trained it a lot. Very happy for it to result in a goal.”

Following Dorsey’s goal, Atlanta controlled play for most of the rest of the first half, not creating a lot of clear-cut chances but keeping Orlando pinned in its half. However, before that happened, Martin Ojeda tried his luck from outside the box in the 24th minute, but he sent his shot right at Hoyos for an easy save on the Lions’ last shot on target of the half.

Atlanta kept a lot of the ball the rest of the opening period, creating a lot of corner kicks and set pieces but few shots. Aleksey Miranchuk took a pass and slipped in behind the defense in the 34th minute. Crepeau made a huge save with his right foot but the play was offside anyway.

Five minutes later, Crepeau went to ground to deny Lobjanidze on one of Atlanta’s best looks at goal of the opening period.

Orlando City survived a few more corners and saw out the half without conceding, but Atlanta carried momentum into the break.

The visitors held the halftime advantage in possession (55.3%-44.7%), shots (5-3), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (85.7%-82.3%). The Lions put more shots on target (2-1).

“I need to review the game, but now with the feelings I have, I have the sensation that we played a good 30-35 minutes,” Perelman said. “More or less, we were able to control, to find the spaces we were looking for to hurt and to score. Then at the end of the first half, they pushed a little bit, which is normal, it’s expected as well.”

Iago subbed on for Jansson at the break, possibly due to a knock that the captain picked up late in the half defending a corner kick. It took Atlanta only about 20 seconds to get a shot from the right side of the box, with Lobjanidze misfiring and sending his effort well off target.

Pasalic was involved in the next two Orlando attacks, but both were squandered. On the first, Pasalic dribbled the ball down the middle of the pitch, darting back and forth, but as he approached the box, he made one move too many and lost control. Moments later, Martin Ojeda took a pass and darted down the left flank, sending in a good cross that Pasalic muffed on his header attempt. However, Ojeda was clearly offside in the buildup so it wouldn’t have counted anyway.

Lobjanidze got to the end line in the 50th minute but sent his cross attempt right at Crepeau. Six minutes later, Miranchuk got a decent look but his shot deflected out off the defense for a corner. Orlando partially cleared the corner but only as far as Tristan Muyumba just outside the box. The midfielder fired a shot that caught Pasalic on the arm, setting up a dangerous free kick straight out from goal.

Miranchuk went for goal with the free kick but didn’t get a lot of power on it. The placement was good, but Crepeau got over to his right to make the save in the 58th minute.

The Lions then had a short spell of control and the ball cycled to Braian Ojeda just outside the box. The midfielder blasted a shot a few yards wide of the right post, wasting a good opportunity.

Dorsey created a good scoring chance in the 66th minute getting the ball out wide ot the right and sending a good outside-of-the-foot cross to the left side. Martin Ojeda got to the ball first but the defense arrived in time to deflect his shot wide. Orlando City played the ensuing corner short but failed to execute properly, with the flag coming up for offside on the return pass.

The Lions’ best chance to double the lead came in the 72nd minute. Martin Ojeda unselfishly turned down a shooting opportunity on the left to send it into the middle to second-half sub Duncan McGuire. The big forward also was unselfish, laying off for Dorsey, but the fullback wasted the chance by firing wide of the left post.

Atlanta tried coming straight at Orlando down the middle. Cayman Togashi saw his shot blocked at the top of the area in the 83rd minute. A minute later, Muyumba’s shot from a similar spot was blocked and Crepeau claimed it. However, the keeper was ruled to have held it too long, and referee Tori Penso awarded Atlanta a corner.

Orlando survived the corner but Atlanta kept the pressure on and broke through in the 86th minute. Fortune found himself in space in the box on the right side. The closest Lion to Fortune was substitute Wilder Cartagena, who was late closing him down, leaving plenty of room for the Atlanta attacker to shoot. He hit it where Crepeau couldn’t reach it and yet another shutout bid by Orlando was gone.

Jay Fortune! 🤩@ATLUTD level it with just minutes remaining! pic.twitter.com/RqFTDHRnJY

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 17, 2026

From the equalizer on, only one team looked likely to find a winner and it was Atlanta, which continued to control possession. Miranchuk fired over the bar in the 89th minute. Matías Galarza fired a late blast that Crepeau did well to save. Miranchuk forced another save in the seventh minute of stoppage time, and that was the last look for either team.

Atlanta dominated the stat sheet, finishing with the advantage in possession (55.2%-44.8%), shots (22-7), shots on target (5-3), corners (10-4), and passing accuracy (87.6%-83.9%).

“I think our team is growing. We are in a transitional process. Every time I come here, I speak about it. We were able to improve in many things, and if this is one more, we will fix it as well,” Perelman said, referring to the team giving up late goals.

“It was a very complicated match, a match that was disputed between the two sides,” Angulo said. “Obviously, we have a bad taste in our mouth for finishing with the tie, because we put in a lot of work in all the phases of the game to come out with a victory tonight, but then it wasn’t that, and you know it was a good game and a very disputed game between the two.”

“It’s a tight game, it’s a draw. So, in two days from tomorrow, two days, we play against the same opponent,” Pasalic added. “We have to learn from our mistakes, do the things good, what we did good, and give the fans and the club a good game on Tuesday.”

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These two teams will play in the same place on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. Orlando City’s next MLS match is a week from tonight at FC Cincinnati.

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (4-8-1, 13 points) and Atlanta United (3-8-1, 10 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first of three scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals — the first of two scheduled MLS meetings — with the two sides meeting again in Orlando Tuesday in the U.S. Open Cup and the Lions scheduled to make the return trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 9.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

The Lions are 5-11-7 in the all-time series against Atlanta in league play and 3-6-3 at home. Orlando City is 6-12-7 against tonight’s visitors in all competitions (regular season, playoffs, and U.S. Open Cup).

The teams last met on May 28, 2025. Orlando led 2-1 in Atlanta late on goals by Cesar Araujo and Ramiro Enrique to more than offset Alexey Miranchuk’s goal. However, Araujo foolishly got himself sent off. The Five Stripes turned the game around on Bartosz Slisz’s goal with seven minutes remaining in normal time and Jamal Thiare’s winner deep in stoppage time in a 3-2 victory for Atlanta. The teams just met in Orlando a month earlier on April 26. The Lions prevailed 3-0 on goals by Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot), Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic.

The rivals met in the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals, with the Lions eking out a 1-0 home victory on Nov. 24, 2024. Enrique provided the game’s only goal, and the Orlando defense was dominant, allowing the visitors just seven total shot attempts — none on target. That win pushed the Lions into their first-ever conference final.

Prior to their postseason meeting, these two teams met on Decision Day 2024, with Atlanta scoring two early goals and holding on for a 2-1 win on Oct. 9. Saba Lobjanidze and Thiare gave the visitors an early lead. Martin Ojeda pulled one back and Duncan McGuire appeared to tie the game late, but the latter goal was overturned on video review for a handball. The teams also met at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 17, 2024, when Orlando City fell 2-0 on goals by Lobjanidze and Giorgos Giakoumakis.

The last meeting of 2023 took place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Orlando City capturing a 2-1 away win. Atlanta took the lead through Caleb Wiley, but Antonio Carlos and McGuire scored to lead the Lions’ comeback. The southeast rivals also met in Orlando on May 27, 2023, at Exploria Stadium and played to a 1-1 draw. It was a heartbreaking dropped two points for the Lions, who took the lead through Kyle Smith at the half-hour mark and held that advantage until four minutes from full time, when Tyler Wolff pounced on a fortunate rebound in the box and equalized.

Atlanta went 1-0-1 in the season series in 2022. On Sept. 14 at Exploria Stadium the Five Stripes won 1-0 on a Thiago Almada goal despite the Lions out-shooting Atlanta 20-10. The sides played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting of that year on July 22 in Atlanta. Mauricio Pereyra staked the Lions to an early 1-0 lead on a beautiful free kick. Juan Jose Purata equalized in the second half, but Atlanta bombarded Orlando the majority of the game and completely controlled the midfield, outshooting the Lions 18-3 in the match.

Orlando had a six-match unbeaten streak in the series (3-0-3) snapped on Sept. 10, 2021, as the Five Stripes won 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. George Campbell and Ezequiel Barco scored for Atlanta, sandwiched around a Daryl Dike own goal to hand Gonzalo Pineda his first win as manager for United.

The second of three 2021 meetings took place July 30 at Exploria Stadium, with the Five Stripes taking the lead twice on goals by Josef Martinez and Marcelino Moreno, but the Lions not only fought back twice on strikes by Smith and Silvester van der Water, but Nani scored a late game winner by heading in VDW’s cross in Orlando City’s 3-2 win. The first meeting of that season between the two rivals came on opening day — April 17 — and they played to a 0-0 draw.

The final meeting of 2020 came on Oct. 28, when Orlando City ran away with a 4-1 win over Atlanta at Exploria Stadium. Dike, Chris Mueller, Tesho Akindele, and Matheus Aias scored the goals for the Lions, with Cubo Torres preventing a shutout with a late goal for the visitors. Prior to that, the teams met in Atlanta on Oct. 7, 2020 and played to a 0-0 draw. Robinho and Nani each hit the woodwork and Brad Guzan stood on his head to prevent Orlando from taking a deserved three points in that one, while Brian Rowe held down the fort at the other end to earn a shutout in Pedro Gallese’s absence.

Back on Sept. 5, 2020, a late, unforced turnover by Kamal Miller led to Adam Jahn’s 92nd-minute tying goal that offset a Benji Michel strike in a 1-1 draw at Exploria Stadium. Orlando City finally got on the board in the series against Atlanta United with a 3-1 win on the road on Aug. 29, 2020. Junior Urso, Mueller, and Nani supplied the offense to more than counter a Brooks Lennon headed goal. That three-goal explosion snapped a three-match scoreless streak against the Five Stripes for Orlando.

Orlando City created an incredible 17 scoring chances on Aug. 23, 2019, yet finished none of them in a 1-0 home loss. Martinez scored the game’s only goal in the second half. Only 17 days earlier at Exploria Stadium, Orlando also failed to score and lost 2-0 to Atlanta, getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. On Mother’s Day of 2019, Atlanta United claimed a 1-0 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pity Martinez scored the goal.

Atlanta won at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 24, 2018 by a 2-1 final score. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez bundled home a rebound off Joe Bendik, who misplayed Barco’s free kick to open the scoring just 21 minutes in. Scott Sutter tied the game just before the half, but Josef Martinez broke the deadlock in the second half, with only 16 minutes remaining in normal time.

Atlanta easily claimed the June 30, 2018 meeting at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, 4-0. Josef Martinez and Barco each scored a goal and Miguel Almiron added a brace. Orlando lost the first matchup of 2018, 2-1, on May 13. An early penalty on a Cristian Higuita foul gave the visitors a leg up on a Josef Martinez goal from the spot and Barco doubled the lead before halftime. Justin Meram scored his first goal as a Lion to pull one back, but Orlando could get no closer. The unfortunate ending included a shower of debris coming out of the stands due to dissatisfaction with referee Alan Kelly’s decisions that night.

Hector Villalba’s two late goals in the first two meetings turned what could have been an Orlando draw and a win into a loss and a draw. The two teams kicked off their series with Orlando suffering a late 1-0 loss at home on July 21, 2017. Villalba found the net late. He then scored a stoppage-time tally to rescue a 1-1 draw for Atlanta in the second meeting on July 29, 2017. Kaká scored one of his best goals as a Lion in that match to provide Orlando’s lone score.

Orlando City became the first visiting team to take any points out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 3-3 draw in Atlanta that September. Dom Dwyer scored his first brace as a Lion (in MLS, anyway) and also assisted on Cyle Larin’s goal. Josef Martinez’s hat trick spoiled Orlando’s bid to take all three points.

Overview

Orlando is coming off a crazy, 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday. The Lions gave up a two-goal lead in the second half but found a late Ojeda winner. It was Orlando’s third win in its last four games in all competitions and the team’s fourth consecutive Wednesday night win in all competitions. Orlando City will play a team below it for the second straight game, as Wednesday’s win propelled the Lions over Atlanta in the standings, although tonight’s visitors have a game in hand. Orlando City is 3-3-0 at home in 2026.

Atlanta is 1-3-0 on the road in 2026 and coming off a 2-1 loss at home to the LA Galaxy a week ago and enters on a full week’s rest. The Five Stripes have won three straight road games in all competitions (two of those in U.S. Open Cup), despite its weak away record in league play. Miranchuk leads Atlanta in goals (5) and goal contributions (7).

Orlando City’s defense will have to keep tabs on Lobjanidze, who has two goals and an assist on the season and seems to save his best performances for Orlando.

“I understand it’s true that we have two games against them, but we’re just focused on the first one, and we go one game at a time,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “Always the most important game is the next one, so that’s it, and that way we’ll prepare. We know (Atlanta) and we respect very much their coaching staff, and of course the entire club and the players. We know they have talented players and they like to be protagonists with the ball.”

Orlando City will be without Joran Gerbet (knee). Atlanta’s Almiron (knee) is listed as questionable.

Match Content

• Our Intelligence Report features info on tonight’s opponent from Sydney Hunte, one of the co-founders of Atlanta blog Scarves and Spikes. 
• The latest episode of The Mane Land PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for the match.
• Our David Rohe provided his three keys to an Orlando City victory over Atlanta for both tonight and Tuesday.

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Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Justin Ellis.

Bench: Javier Otero, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Tiago, Tyrese Spicer, Duncan McGuire.

Atlanta United (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Lucas Hoyos.

Defenders: Juan Berrocal, Enea Mihaj, Tomas Jacob.

Wingbacks/Midfielders: Ajani Fortune, Elias Baez, Tristan Muyumba, Will Reilly.

Forwards: Matias Galarza, Aleksey Miranchuk, Saba Lobjanidze.

Bench: Jayden Hibbert, Ronald Hernandez, Stian Gregersen, Matthew Edwards, Pedro Amador, Steven Alzate, Fafa Picault, Cayman Togashi, Emmanuel Latte Lath.

Referees

REF: Tori Penso.
AR1: Brooke Mayo.
AR2: Kathryn Nesbitt.
4TH: Jon Freemon.
VAR: Edvin Jurisevic.
AVAR: Robert Schaap.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

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Enjoy the match. Go City!