1. For the second straight home match, Orlando City SC put four goals up on the scoreboard en route to a 4-1 win over D.C. United. Eight of their league-leading 13 goals have now come in the last two home matches, and the team continues to look better and better each match.
2. It took a bit longer than fans may have wanted, but Luis Muriel is starting to show why Orlando brought him in. After a few bites of the apple in the first 20 minutes, a good cross into the box by Alex Freeman was nodded home to open the scoring. The evolution of Muriel has been impressive early in the year, now with two goals and three assists on the season through five games. Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game how Muriel has been taking care of his body and training hard this season, and the fruits of his labor have now started to pay off on the pitch.
3. Just before halftime, the Lions doubled their lead thanks to some good pressure by Ivan Angulo and Muriel. The pressure forced a turnover to Martín Ojeda, who managed to get off a shot that deflected into goal. It was an important one for the Lions, just getting that two-goal cushion heading into the locker room was a big confidence booster as they came out for the second half.
4. Speaking of the second half, the Lions started just as they finished, with Freeman scoring just five minutes in. Ojeda placed a beauty of a ball into the box off a set piece into the box, and Freeman was there to nod it in on the back post. With his goal, he became the second-youngest player in Club history to score a goal and get an assist in a single match, behind only Daryl Dike in 2020. After the match, Pareja even said that Freeman should be getting looks for the U.S. Men's National Team with the form that he is in. If he keeps up this production, it'll be harder to argue that fact away.
5. Marco Pašalić: Baller. The fourth goal for the Lions was just about as silky as it comes for the Lions, with all three DPs playing a part. A backheel flick from Muriel, leading to a break from Ojeda, with the pass out wide to Pašalić, and it all came together with an absolute beauty from distance, curling into the top corner of the goal from the Croatian. It's his fourth goal of the season in just five games, and the more he plays, the better his game seems to get here in the City Beautiful.
6. For the first time in Club history, all three Designated Players were able to score a goal in the same match. Out of the 13 goals scored this year, the combination of Ojeda, Muriel and Pašalić have scored nine of them, while adding seven assists. Pašalić, after the game tonight, talked about how easy it has been to play with them and how easy it was for him to adapt to their style of play. The stats have backed that sentiment up, and hopefully, that trend continues on into the bulk of the season.
7. It was a special moment for homegrown goalkeeper Javier Otero, who got his first MLS start with the Lions. Though he didn't have too much to do on the night, the times he was called into action he impressed with some good saves, secure hands and good command of his box. Oscar praised the young Venezuelan's performance and his patience, biding his time and waiting for his moment to be able to play in front of his home fans for the first time.
8. While it wasn't a standout performance, a shoutout goes to Iván Angulo, who notched two assists on the night. Over the past two years, he has become a staple of Orlando City's lineups, having played in almost every single game since the start of 2023. While his speed has been his bread and butter, his defense has been a big reason why he's a mainstay for the Lions.
9. The Lions head back on the road, this time all the way out west, heading to California to take on the LA Galaxy. Kickoff is set for 10:30 p.m. ET at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday, March 29.
