Tuesday night at Inter&Co Stadium felt less like a soccer game and more like a beatdown. By halftime, Atlanta United looked ready to pack their bags and head home early. Orlando City didn’t just beat their rivals — they embarrassed them, winning 4-1 in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals.
Orlando came out flying right from kickoff. Just five minutes in, Braian Ojeda whipped in a perfect corner, and David Brekalo rose up to smash a header into the net. 1-0.
In the 16th minute, Iván Angulo flew down the wing and slid a low cross in front of goal. Griffin Dorsey was there to tap it home — his third goal in three straight games. 2-0.
Then came the highlight of the night. Atlanta’s goalkeeper made a horrible mistake in the 24th minute, and young Brazilian Tiago pounced, calmly chipping the ball into the empty net. 3-0.
But Tiago wasn’t finished. Right before halftime, Ojeda played a beautiful through-ball, and Tiago finished it off smoothly for his first career brace. It was 4-0 at the break. The crowd was going wild, and Atlanta looked completely lost.
You’ve got to hand it to interim coach Martín Perelman. Since he took over, this team looks lighter, faster, and way more confident. The game plan was simple but deadly: sit back when needed, then explode forward with speed. Angulo and Tiago ran Atlanta’s defense ragged all night.
Atlanta’s coach, Tata Martino, tried to fix things at halftime by making four substitutions and changing their formation. It helped them control the ball a bit more in the second half, but the damage was already done.
Orlando took their foot off the gas and focused on keeping things tidy. Goalkeeper Javier Otero and the defense stayed solid. Atlanta did manage one late goal in the 84th minute — a nice volley from Emmanuel Latte Lath — but it was too little, too late.
With this big 4-1 victory, Orlando City is heading to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. They are two games away from lifting a trophy, but now with Antoine Griezmann at the helm.
Until next time, Vamos, Orlando!
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