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Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Final Score 4-3 as Ojeda Leads Lions’ Historic Comeback Win

The Lions fell behind 3-0 but rallied behind a Martin Ojeda’s hat trick to win 4-3 on the road.

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3 months ago

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Image of Tyrese Spicer celebrating his winning goal against Inter MIami.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City conceded early and often in falling behind 3-0 on the road in a game that might have been far worse without Maxime Crepeau’s saves. However, the Lions improbably rallied from three goals down behind Martin Ojeda’s hat trick and Tyrese Spicer’s late winner to shock Inter Miami 4-3 at Nu Stadium.

With the win, Orlando City becomes the first visiting team to beat the Herons (5-2-4, 19 points) in their new home, where they are now 0-1-3, and Inter Miami remains winless there. It was the first road victory of the 2026 MLS season for the Lions (3-7-1, 10 points), and Orlando City became just the third MLS team in the league’s history to win after trailing by three goals.

“Well, happiness for the result. Like I said 48 or 72 hours ago, the effort of the players is what we should be highlighting now, because they are doing a huge effort,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match.

Perelman’s lineup featured Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio and Braian Ojeda started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Tiago. Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis led the attack up top.

Miami was dangerous from the jump and Orlando could not get out of their own end as has been the case so many times this season already. The Herons paid off that pressure just four minutes in off a corner kick. The initial ball was partially cleared, but Miami recycled it and a simple ball into the box found multiple wide-open Miami attackers in front of Crepeau’s goal. Ian Fray was the man who got his head to it to make it 1-0 before the crowd had even settled in.

The Herons should have gone up 2-0 just a couple of minutes after opening the scoring. Berterame had a wide-open look in front but he sent his curling shot wide of the right post.

Orlando’s first decent-looking attack came from a takeaway in the midfield in the 14th minute, but the resulting counterattack broke down as Dorsey ignored an open Martin Ojeda at the top of the area and instead got his cross blocked, ending the threat without a shot attempt. Martin Ojeda then had a chance to equalize in the 17th minute when left alone in space outside the box. The Argentine got plenty of power on his shot, but he couldn’t keep the ball on target and it fizzed over the crossbar to waste a good opportunity.

Things nearly got worse when Lionel Messi got in behind Jansson in the 18th minute. The Swedish center back turned into a linebacker, tackling the Miami star and earning a yellow card only because Iago was behind enough to negate the denial of a goal-scoring opportunity.

Crepeau then made a series of jaw-dropping saves on the ensuing set piece and in its aftermath. The Canadian denied Messi’s free kick and Luis Suarez twice before making a leaping stop on Rodrigo De Paul from distance.

Two corners later, Crepeau did well on Miami’s short corner to tip Messi’s curling effort over the crossbar.

Miami’s second came on the counterattack off a terrible pass from Angulo straight to an opposing player. At the end of the counter, Suarez sent Messi to the end line and the Argentine centered it for a tap-in for Telasco Segovia, who had beaten Marin. The game was effectively over already just 25 minutes in.

Angulo continued to give the ball awaywhen Orlando had possession, and the Lions were fortunate to stay within 2-0 for a short spell as the counterattacks continued. However, that ended in the 33rd minute when Messi stepped past an overcommitted Iago and curled a left-footed shot inside the left post to make it 3-0.

Another huge save by Crepeau on Segovia in front kept the score from becoming more embarrassing in the 36th minute. He then made two more big saves to stop De Paul and Berterame, as Miami kept putting the ball into threatening spots.

The Lions spoiled the shutout in the 39th minute with a quickly played goal down the middle. Jansson sent a long ball to Ellis, who chipped the ball to Martin Ojeda in space. The Designated Player made a move to the right to lose two defenders, spun to freeze a third and put the ball on his favorite left foot, and smashed a perfectly placed shot inside the left post past Dayne St. Clair to make it 3-1.

The Lions gave up another corner and looked to break after clearing it, but once again it was Angulo giving the ball away in space near midfield with plenty of options available.

Orlando kept looking for a second as time wound down in the first half, but Miami’s defense was able to clear two dangerous-looking crosses in the box early in stoppage time. The Lions then looked to be set up with a free kick in a dangerous spot in the fourth added minute when Maxi Falcon held Tiago from behind. Falcon was initially booked but the flag came up, negating both the set piece and the booking, despite the replay clearly showing two defenders keeping Tiago onside, which is not reviewable.

Inter Miami’s dominance on the scoreboard was reflected on the stat sheet, as the Herons dominated in possession (61.7%-38.3%), shots (16-2), shots on target (10-1), corners (8-0), and passing accuracy (90.4%-75.2%). If not for Crepeau’s seven saves, the match would have already been a massacre by the break.

“We knew that wasn’t the performance we should be having,” Perelman said about his team’s first half. “But as well we knew that we trust in ourselves, and we knew we were able to turn around the game. We spoke that we scored four goals in the past, so we can do it again, one goal at a time.”

Perelman made two changes at the break to try to get his team back in it, sending Eduard Atuesta and Spicer on for Otavio and Tiago.

The first look at goal of the second period fell Ellis’ way in the 49th minute. Near the top of the area on the left, Ellis sent a shot toward goal that deflected up into the chest area for St. Clair to catch.

Atuesta ignited Miami’s first look at goal after halftime with a heavy touch near midfield, setting up a four-on-four counterattack. Messi picked out Segovia on the left but he got under his shot and sent it badly off frame in the 51st minute.

Duncan McGuire returned from a lower leg injury in the 59th minute, replacing Ellis, who had played a big role in Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup win. McGuire’s return took place midway between two decent back-post balls from Dorsey that found no teammate making a run. The second of those set up a corner kick. Martin Ojeda picked out Braian Ojeda at the top of the area, but the ball came in awkwardly for the midfielder, who sent it off target off his upper leg.

Spicer’s giveaway led to Miami breaking three on three in transition, but an uncharacteristically heavy touch from Messi ended the threat. Orlando quickly recovered and scored at the other end. Marin ran onto a clearance from Miami and carried it forward before finding Ojeda to his left. The Designated Player quickly smashed it in off the right post to make it 3-2 in the 68th minute.

“I’m so happy for Martin,” Perelman said. “Martin played 90 minutes 72 hours ago. He doesn’t want to leave the field, not even one second. He’s an exceptional player, an amazing person. I’m so happy for him and for us to have a player like him.”

Inter Miami quickly won a corner just seconds after the restart but De Paul’s shot was blocked. The Lions went the other way, but Yannick Bright broke up the play by fouling Martin Ojeda and perhaps was fortunate not to receive his second yellow. The set piece found Iago on the right and the big Brazilian headed it dangerously back in front but he was offside on the play, ending the threat.

Orlando should have done better in transition in the 73rd minute when a pass split the defense and sent Atuesta down the middle. The midfielder, however, did not have the pace to get in cleanly. He took a touch to his left and could have shot, but instead he waited and found Martin Ojeda on his right. Ojeda took a touch, allowing St. Clair time to get off his line and cut down the angle, ultimately making a point-blank save to keep the game 3-2.

Two minutes later, McGuire got down the left side and tried to sneak a shot past St. Clair at the near post but the Canadian international made the save. Orlando City won a corner kick and the set piece led to Orlando’s opportunity to pull level. The referee was watching a battle between Iago and Falcon, holding up the set piece to talk to both players. After the ball came in, Iago shook free of Falcon, who caught up and pushed the Brazilian down from behind. The foul in the box was called and Orlando City had a penalty kick with a chance to tie the match.

Martin Ojeda stutter-stepped late in his run-up, sent St. Clair one way, and completed his hat trick into the empty side of the net in the 79th minute, tying the match at 3-3.

“I enjoy those moments. I like those moments, those penalties,” Ojeda said. “From when I was a kid, I was prepared for those and trained for those. I never feel pressure in those moments. The pressure that I feel is in my life, when my son or when my family is sick with an illness or or a flu. In those moments, I don’t feel pressure on the pitch. And so, I think when I get to those moments, I try to enjoy them. I think of of my son, of my family, of all the people behind me that are giving me that hand of support in those moments and try and find a moment of peace when there’s those pressure moments.”

Despite improbably pulling level, Orlando quickly allowed another golden opportunity for a Miami goal. The ball cycled in from the right to Tadeo Allende in the area. He mishit his shot and sent it left to Berterame, who was offside. However, the ball skipped just wide of the net and would likely have counted since it didn’t appear to be touched.

Orlando forced a good opportunity to take the lead in the 81st minute when Angulo poked the ball away in Miami’s defensive third. Spicer sent it to Martin Ojeda on the left near the top of the area. Again St. Clair rushed quickly off his line and this time the shot hit the goalkeeper in the face. Spicer sent the rebound well off target from distance. St. Clair needed treatment and went through concussion protocol but stayed in the match.

Atuesta and Bright traded unsuccessful chances in the final minutes of normal time, and Martin Ojeda saw his shot blocked during a two-on-two transition attack in the first of eight added minutes.

Two minutes later, Orlando took its first lead of the match. Braian Ojeda sent a ball forward that an offside Martin Ojeda let go. Spicer blazed past the last defender to reach the loose ball first and tucked in the ultimate game winner through St. Clair’s legs.

Miami didn’t stop threatening, however, and an ill-advised Iago foul set Messi up with a dangerous free kick just outside the area deep in stoppage time. Messi’s free kick cleared the wall and fizzed just inches over Crepeau’s crossbar in the sixth added minute.

The Lions survived a corner in the 99th minute and the final whistle finally ended an unlikely comeback victory.

At full time, Inter Miami held the advantage in possession (61.2%-38.8%), shots (25-13), shots on target (10-8), corners (10-2), and passing accuracy (90.8%-78.7%). However, it was Martin Ojeda’s precision and a better defensive second half that helped the Lions forge a way back into the match, with Spicer’s speed and fresher legs making the difference.

“We tried at the beginning to close internal spaces where they were strong, but we couldn’t,” Perelman said. “And then we tried to press little bit higher. Even that was a risk, but we were down in the score, so we were forced to do it. And then offensively, I think the most important adjustments were focused on the offensive side.”

“There’s a huge emotion that I feel within that’s inexplicable, because, you know, the way that we came out in the first half, it wasn’t us,” Martin Ojeda said. “We fell behind. And I think it showed going into halftime, and then in the second half, we came out, we showed who we can be as a team.”

Orlando City will continue its road swing with a match at CF Montreal a week from tonight.

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Lion Links: 7/20/26

Pride fall to Utah Royals, OCB draws Chattanooga FC, Orlando City signs Clovis Archange, and more.

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16 hours ago

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July 20, 2026

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Image of Pedro Leao taking a penalty against Carolina Core FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work, but I checked out a Noah Kahan concert and watched the World Cup final while catching up with friends over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Fall at Utah Royals

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to the Utah Royals at America First Field Saturday night. Narumi Miura scored the lone goal for Utah to secure the win, while the Pride have lost back-to-back matches after losing to Boston Legacy Wednesday. That result also dropped Orlando below the playoff line, as the club sits ninth in the NWSL table with 20 points. The Pride will return home for their next match against the Chicago Stars Friday at Inter&Co Stadium.

OCB Wins Penalty Shootout After 1-1 Draw vs. Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B drew Chattanooga FC 1-1 on the road at Finley Stadium Saturday. Pedro Leao scored the opener for the Young Lions in the first half. However, in the second half, Chattanooga FC scored the equalizer. The Young Lions won the penalty shootout 4-3 to earn a second point. OCB will be back in action at home Sunday, facing Huntsville City FC at Osceola County Stadium.

Orlando City Signs Clovis Archange to Homegrown Player Contract

Orlando City announced Friday that the club has signed defender Clovis Archange to a Homegrown Player contract with the first team. The deal is a three-year contract lasting through the 2027 calendar year, with club options in 2028 and 2029. Archange has made six appearances across all competitions for OCB during the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season.

Latest MLS Transfer Roundup

According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic, there is no movement on the rumored Orlando City forward Marco Pasalic’s potential transfer to Hull City, but the English Premier League side has reportedly inquired about a loan deal.

The Columbus Crew have signed former Manchester United and Real Oviedo center back Eric Bailly. The contract runs through June 2027, with club options for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons. Liga MX side CF Monterrey is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Chicago Fire forward Hugo Cuypers.

LAFC has reportedly reached an agreement with Hammarby on a transfer fee to move midfielder Amin Boudri to the Swedish club. Lastly, San Diego FC is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign winger Elias Achouri from FC Copenhagen.

🇹🇳 Sources: San Diego FC is finalizing a deal to sign Tunisia int'l winger Elias Achouri from FC Copenhagen.Achouri, 27, joins San Diego as a Designated Player. He had 5g/7a in 2,368 mins (37 apps) last year & played in all 3 games for Tunisia at the World Cup

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-18T16:37:04.314Z

Spain Wins World Cup

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, Sunday to win the World Cup for the second time since 2010. Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off in stoppage time after committing a foul on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi. The match went to extra time, and Ferran Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in the 106th minute. Argentina was unable to find a late equalizer to send the match to penalties. Argentina was looking to repeat as champions but had only two shots in the game (both in extra time) and failed to record a shot on goal. As for the FIFA World Cup awards, Spain midfielder Rodri took the Best Player Award, while France striker Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot Award with 10 goals, the Golden Glove Award went to Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon, and Cubarsi won the Young Player Award.

Free Kicks

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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Orlando City

Daryl Dike Returns to Orlando City, Signs Deal Through 2027

Daryl Dike is back with the Lions after being out of contract with West Bromwich Albion.

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3 days ago

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July 17, 2026

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Image of Daryl Dike posing in his Orlando City kit after re-signing with the club on July 17, 2026.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Striker Daryl Dike has returned to the club that gave him his professional start. Orlando City announced today that it has signed Dike as a free agent through the 2027 MLS “sprint season” with an option for 2027-2028. The club also had to send $75,000 in 2027 General Allocation Money (GAM) to the Seattle Sounders in exchange for Dike’s Discovery Priority and could owe the Western Conference side another $75,000 in GAM if Dike meets undisclosed performance metrics.

The signing gives Dike a new start after an injury-plagued career at West Bromwich Albion.

“Daryl is a player our club and our fans know well, and we’re very excited to welcome him back to Orlando,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “He brings a powerful combination of strength, speed, and physical presence, and his ability to hold up play, bring teammates into the attack, and finish chances gives us another important option up front. Daryl has already shown what he can do in our league and in this city, and we look forward to helping him make an impact again in purple.” 

Dike, who will wear No. 9 for the Lions, returns nearly five years since Orlando City sold him to West Brom on Jan. 3, 2022, for a fee reported by The Athletic to be around $10 million.

The Edmond, OK native was Orlando City’s first-round selection with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft. As a rookie, he started to see minutes on the pitch during the MLS is Back Tournament, making his professional debut against the Montreal Impact in the competition’s round of 16. From there, the striker out of the University of Virginia blossomed, playing in 35 regular-season matches with Orlando, including 30 starts, for a total of 2,547 minutes. He contributed 18 goals and seven assists on 63 shots, getting 27 on target. He passed well (71.1% in 2020 and 72.1% in 2021), providing 14 key passes. Dike drew 71 fouls while committing 40 and was never booked during the regular season in his time in MLS.

He also played in all three of Orlando City’s playoff games during his first stint with the club, starting all three and scoring one goal on five total shots (two on target). He suffered seven fouls and committed four, and picked up one yellow card in the 2020 postseason.

Following his rookie season, Dike went on loan to Barnsley, where he scored nine goals in 22 matches from February to May of 2021.

Dike’s play with the Lions in his first two professional seasons quickly put him on the USMNT radar and before he was sold to West Brom he made eight appearances and scored three goals for the United States at the senior level. He has added two more caps since for a total of 10.

After his sale to West Brom in the EFL Championship, Dike struggled to stay on the pitch, dealing with Achilles injuries that kept him off the pitch for long stretches. Dike managed to score 11 goals in 68 matches when healthy. He scored twice and added an assist in 24 matches in 2025-2026, starting six times, as he was finally able to get a stretch of games in.

“I’m thrilled to be back where it all started,” Dike said in the club’s press release. “Orlando is where I first got the opportunity to play professionally, and returning here feels like coming home. From the moment I arrived the first time, I felt welcomed, and that same feeling has only grown since I’ve come back. Everyone has been incredibly supportive, and I’m grateful to be back in Orlando.” 

What It Means for Orlando City

Dike fills a hole vacated by the trade of Duncan McGuire to the Houston Dynamo a week ago. It will be interesting to see where his salary slots in when the MLS Players’ Association reveals its next salary information. McGuire, who had his own injury struggles in recent years, made a base salary of $600,000 and a total guaranteed annual compensation of over $920,000.

The hope will be that Dike can both stay healthy and contribute at a higher level than McGuire was prior to his trade to Houston. The new scenery may do McGuire good and a return to familiar surroundings may similarly help Dike regain his footing. At just 26 years old, Dike is still in his prime years and there are plenty of miles left in Dike’s legs if he can stay on the pitch. Fans will remember how he tossed center backs around like rag dolls during his two previous seasons in Orlando. That kind of physicality will open a lot of room underneath for Antoine Griezmann and Martin Ojeda.

With just a year and a half on the base deal, this is a low-risk and potentially very high-reward signing for the Lions.

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Flashback Friday: July 15, 2023 at Atlanta United

Let’s rewind to a tense battle up in Atlanta that took place a little over three years ago.

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4 days ago

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July 17, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Well everyone, Major League Soccer is officially back. The league returned from its summer hiatus with three games Thursday night (four were scheduled but air quality from the Canadian wildfires caused Chicago vs. Vancouver to be postponed), and two more games are set to be played later today. Orlando City won’t take the field until Wednesday night against the San Jose Earthquakes though, so that means we have time for one more trip down memory lane. Last week, we went four years into the past and reminisced on a weird 1-0 win over Inter Miami that came courtesy of a Damion Lowe own goal. Today, we go back to mid-July 2023 and a road trip against Atlanta United.

Orlando had been in mostly good form heading into the team’s trip up I-75 to take on the Five Stripes but had hit a sizable bump in the road in the previous match in the form of a 4-0 hammering out west against Real Salt Lake. Oscar Pareja went to his usual 4-2-3-1 in an effort to get back to winning ways, with Pedro Gallese in goal; Rafael Santos, Antonio Carlos, Robin Jansson, and Kyle Smith at the back; Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena at the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in attacking midfield, and Duncan McGuire leading the line.

The Lions seemed determined to put the previous game’s woes behind them and fashioned a chance with not even a minute played. McGuire played a slick pass behind the defense for Pereyra, but a poor first touch let him down and Brad Guzan came off his line well to save from point-blank range. Torres, McGuire, and Araujo then tried shots in the fifth, sixth, and eighth minutes, respectively, but none of them troubled Atlanta’s goalkeeper.

Orlando then took its foot off the gas a bit after trying to come out of the gates and overwhelm the hosts, but some self-inflicted errors gave the Five Stripes some life and eventually led to them opening the scoring. The Lions took a poor throw-in during the 22nd minute which turned the ball over deep in their own defensive third. Miguel Berry drew four OCSC players to him before flicking a ball over the top for Machop Chol. Carlos saved Chol’s deflected shot off the line but Caleb Wiley was first to the loose ball and did well to lift his shot into the net over a recovering Gallese.

Fortunately, the good guys were able to find a quick response. Orlando had a dangerous free kick just three minutes after conceding, and Pereyra curled in a dangerous ball toward the penalty spot. Carlos rose highest and powered a vicious header into the far corner with Guzan left helpless.

Leveling the game gave Orlando a needed injection of belief. McGuire tried his luck at catching Guzan off his line in the 35th minute, and Angulo put a powerful shot just outside the post two minutes later. Smith even had a pop from distance in the 42nd minute, but it went high and that was the last meaningful action of the half.

Atlanta ended the opening 45 minutes with more of the ball (52.1%-47.9%) and more corners (2-0), while OCSC took more shots (7-5) put more shots on target (3-2), and passed more accurately (81.3%-78.2%).

The two teams traded chances after a slow start to the second half, with a deflected ball trickling just wide of the Atlanta net in the 51st minute, before Santiago Sosa put a ball onto the roof of Gallese’s goal four minutes later.

Orlando then went ahead in the 60th minute. Pereyra split Atlanta’s center backs with a great ball for McGuire, who held off Luis Abram’s recovery efforts, and put a low shot past Guzan and into the side netting.

The good guys really should have bagged an insurance goal in the 68th minute, but Ramiro Enrique’s diving header went off the post and out after a great cross from Torres. Pareja then switched to five at the back to try to see out the game, and Atlanta managed to generate some chances. Thiago Almada and Matheus Rossetto had chances in the 88th and 90th minutes, but nothing came of them. The most dangerous moment occurred deep in stoppage time. Atlanta had a dangerous free kick in the 98th minute, and Almada sent a wicked-looking effort on net, but Gallese got over well and put two strong hands on it to parry away.

Atlanta took the resulting corner, but the Lions cleared successfully and the final whistle blew to give the visitors a 2-1 win and all three points.

Atlanta finished with more possession (59.2%-40.8%), corners (7-1), and shot attempts (17-10), but each side put four shots on target. The hosts were also more accurate when it came to passing the ball (84%-76.3%).

Marcus Mitchell was on Player Grades for this one, and he gave Carlos the Man of the Match nod with a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Other high scorers on the evening were Pereyra and McGuire, who each earned grades of 7 out of 10.

Here’s hoping the Lions can pick up some road points in a similar fashion when they return to play next Wednesday. Vamos Orlando!

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