Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Five Takeaways

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.

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!