ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 22, 2026) – Orlando City SC (7-11-3, 24 points) came back from a goal down to defeat Real Salt Lake (8-8-4, 28 points) 2-1 on Saturday night at Inter.co Stadium through Antoine Griezmann’s first brace as a Lion.
The visitors opened the scoring nine minutes before the halftime break as Sam Junqua sent a long cross to the far post for Dominik Marczuk behind the Lions’ defensive line. Marczuk volleyed it low to the ground and sent it back into the lower-left corner of the net for the opener.
Orlando City then responded in the second half, creating much more attacking presence and pressure on Real Salt Lake before breaking through in the 53rd minute. Substitute Justin Ellis sent a cross from the edge of the box to Daryl Dike, who spun and brought the ball down before having his shot saved by Mason Stajduhar. The rebound fell perfectly into Griezmann’s path to bury for the equalizer.
The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner then struck again in the 81st minute to put Orlando in the lead and complete the comeback. Tyrese Spicer fed Griezmann in the Salt Lake box, who then backheeled the pass into a defender before collecting his own rebound and slotting it low into the right corner of the net for his brace in Major League Soccer.
Orlando City will next hit the road to take on Western Conference side Minnesota United FC this Saturday, Aug. 29, at Allianz Field (8:30 p.m. ET | Apple TV).
Scoring Summary:
36’ Dominik Marczuk (Sam Junqua, Alexandros Katranis) – RSL 1, ORL 0
53’ Antoine Griezmann – ORL 1, RSL 1
81’ Antoine Griezmann – ORL 2, RSL 1
Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman:
“I think the players who went in were able to give us that control of the game against a team that sat back a little bit with the result in their favor. We kept fighting, trying to score through the sides and through the center, while being careful in transition because when you are attacking that high, you leave space. You open space for the opponent to counterattack. So yes, I think the guys made a huge effort. Fortunately, we were able to come back and win because we really needed it. Now, we need to rest and think about the next one.”
Forward Antoine Griezmann (Interpreted from Spanish):
“It was a complicated game. It's always difficult to start with a deficit. But we had to make some changes to do more damage, put more guys higher up the field and were able to get that goal, which really gave us some calm and allowed us to create more opportunities and chances. In the final zone, we were a lot more aggressive. We pressed more, were more aggressive with the ball and were quicker. That was the idea and now we continue pushing forward and growing.”
Midfielder Joran Gerbet:
“So happy to have the win at home. I think it was important because we've been working hard the last few months. A gritty win but a necessary win. We didn't start well and we gave them momentum because we didn't start well. So, we need to start working more timely.”
Match Notes
- Antoine Griezmann recorded his first brace as a Lion, tallying his third and fourth goals for the Club across all competitions.
- Griezmann has now made three goal contributions across his last two matches for the Lions (2g, 1a).
- With the start in tonight’s match, captain Robin Jansson has now made 250 starts across all competitions for Orlando City.
- Interim head coach Martín Perelman made four changes to his starting lineup from the club’s previous match against Chicago Fire FC, inserting Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pašalić, Zakaria Taifi and Tiago into the starting XI.
- Defenders Adrián Marín (thigh) and Bernardo Rhein (thigh) and midfielders Braian Ojeda (foot) and Martín Ojedá (thigh) missed the match due to injury.
