Orlando City vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies: Final Score 6-0 as Lions Run Wild in Friendly on Griezmann’s Debut

The Antoine Griezmann era got off to a flying start as Orlando City crushed the Tampa Bay Rowdies 6-0 in a friendly match at Inter&Co Stadium. The French star scored a goal and added an assist in just over an hour of game time as five different Lions found the net and Tampa Bay added an own goal in the rout.

Interim head coach Martin Perelman’s lineup for what amounted to a second-half preseason scrimmage featured the first start for Griezmann since joining the team in late June. Javier Otero started in goal behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio, Eduard Atuesta, and Wilder Cartagena started in midfield, with Ivan Angulo, Griezmann, and Martin Ojeda leading the attack.

The Lions appeared to use the early part of the match with some specifics in mind, often pulling back from potential transition attacks and allowing Tampa Bay to set up defensively before trying to work their way through it. The shape was fluid, with Cartagena dropping to the left side of a three-man back line at times, allowing Marin to roam forward both up the left side and even in the middle at times.

Orlando could, and should, have scored a lot of goals in the first half, but the Lions were wasteful with multiple breakaways after getting in behind the Rowdies’ back line. Credit Tampa goalkeeper Jahmali Waite for some of that, but the finishing simply wasn’t precise enough.

Orlando fashioned the game’s first chance just two minutes after the start. Dorsey headed a long ball down to Griezmann, who worked with Atuesta before finally setting up a Cartagena shot from distance that deflected wide for a corner. The ensuing corner was played short for Griezmann, but he stepped on the ball and fell, ending the attack.

Ojeda sent Angulo in all alone in the sixth minute but the Colombian left his shot too close to Waite, who got a foot to it to knock it wide.

Tampa Bay sent a warning shot at Orlando in the ninth minute when a good cross from the right found M.D. Meyers in front, but his header crashed off the crossbar.

Two minutes later, Angulo got behind the defense again. This time his shot beat Waite but it too smashed into the crossbar. Ojeda got to a beautiful through ball from Griezmann in the 17th minute but Waite made another big save. Brekalo had a free run on the ensuing corner kick but headed wide.

The Rowdies created their second good chance of the match in the 21st minute when Evan Conway got behind the back line. Dorsey recovered enough to bother his shot, which the attacker sent straight at Otero for the save.

Just after the hydration break, the Lions appeared to hold the ball to invite pressure to play through, and it was nearly costly. Otero sent a wayward pass to the right that Conway picked off, volleying it toward goal. However, the shot in the 32nd minute was off line and the game remained scoreless — at least for a few more seconds.

Griezmann received the ball on the left wing, cut across the middle of the field near the top of the box, got the entire Tampa defense moving one way, then cut a soft shot back against the grain, sending it just inside the right post to make it 1-0 in the 32nd minute.

It took only two minutes for Orlando City to double the lead. Dorsey got down the right side and carried the ball into the box. He tried to send a pass through the area for Angulo, but Sebastian Cruz deflected the ball into his own net, doubling Orlando’s lead to 2-0 in the 34th minute.

Tampa got a look two minutes after the own goal, but Isaiah Le Flore sent a soft shot right at Otero.

Atuesta was nearly sent in behind by Otavio in the 42nd minute, but the midfielder didn’t have enough pace to break in alone on goal. As his defender arrived, he made two quick moves before firing into the outside netting in what turned out to be the last sight of goal in the half for either side.

Justin Ellis, Tiago, and Tristan Himes entered the game at halftime for Ojeda, Cartagena, and Otero.

Tampa Bay started well in the second half, getting forward early after picking off an errant Dorsey pass, but Jansson blocked the shot for a corner. Brekalo took a knock to the head after winning the aerial ball from Karsen Henderlong, ending the threat. In the 51st minute, Pedro Dolabella fired wide off another Orlando turnover that resulted from a heavy Tiago touch near the left sideline.

Tiago nearly got in behind in the 57th minute but backup Tampa goalkeeper Joshua Kachurak came out and just beat him to the loose ball over the top. But the Lions struck again just as a host of substitutes prepared to enter the match just past the hour mark.

Griezmann stole the ball in the Tampa Bay penalty area and stepped toward goal. Instead of shooting, the Frenchman calmly found Angulo, who was all alone in front of an empty net. Angulo converted to make it 3-0 in the 61st minute, ending the night for the starters.

Zakaria Taifi, Colin Guske, Iago, Bernardo Rhein, Ignacio Gomez, Dylan Judelson, Tyrese Spicer, and Harvey Sarajian all checked in after the celebration.

Ellis nearly put Sarajian in behind in the 64th minute with a great ball. Kachurak came out and beat him to the ball but misplayed it. With the net empty, Kachurak got to the loose ball just in time to knock it out of play.

Guske’s foul set up Tampa Bay with a free kick opportunity to the left side of the box moments later. Hal Uderitz got his head to the set piece cross, but he popped it up in heavy traffic and sent it over the bar.

Kachurak made a fantastic save to keep the game at 3-0 (for the moment) in the 69th minute. Spicer got down the right side, cut to the middle and blasted a low shot inside the right post. Kachurak laid out and got a strong hand to it, knocking it wide.

Iago took a silly foul in the 71st minute, handing Tampa a free kick in a dangerous spot just outside the box. Louis Perez took the shot but slammed his attempt into the defensive wall. He got to the rebound first, but sent that shot right back into the wall, ending the threat.

Orlando’s lead bulged to 4-0 two minutes later. Sarajian made a fantastic run and Ellis picked him out with a gorgeous through ball. The rookie fired his shot inside the right post in the 73rd minute.

Following a failed corner attempt by Tampa, the Lions added another in the 78th. After sustained possession around the top of the area, Ellis backheeled a perfect pass for Taifi to run onto. The fullback chipped a shot over the keeper and into the left side of the net to make it 5-0.

The final subs for Orlando took the field over the next few minutes, with Tahir Reid-Brown, Yutaro Tsukada, and Gustavo Caraballo all entering in place of Tiago, Spicer, and Judelson.

Ellis earned his third assist of the night in the 88th minute, working a give-and-go with Caraballo, sending the latter in behind the defense. Caraballo fired home to make it 6-0 and capping a beatdown of the Rowdies on the game’s final scoring chance.

The Lions will head to FC Dallas for another friendly a week from tonight. After that, the MLS season resumes with a July 22 road match at San Jose.