The game between Orlando City and Toronto FC saw huge amounts of tension and an electric atmosphere in the stands. Fans in purple filled the seats, expecting a heated game, and they got one in the form of a 3-0 masterclass from the Lions. This win does not only continue Orlando’s incredible run of going five games unbeaten, but it also showcases the team’s development in tactics, tremendous squad depth, and of course, the wonderful magic of Antoine Griezmann.
The game began as a tense battle of tactics. The teams would rather keep control of the midfield for the first 10 minutes. The first chance for Orlando to score occurred in the 12th minute and belonged to Tyrese Spicer, who blasted his shot just over the crossbar. The response to the miss came right away when Josh Sargent put the ball over the crossbar and Derrick Etienne Jr. put Maxime Crépeau to work in the 14th minute.
Orlando seemed to have scored in the 32nd minute. A deadly delivery of Griezmann was headed into Toronto’s net by their defender Walker Zimmerman; however, after reviewing the situation with VAR, Luis Otávio was called offside and interfered with the play. As a consequence, the referee wiped out his goal. Toronto remained dangerous on the counterattack and almost converted this gift from Etienne Jr. and Theo Corbeanu, who missed the target as the half neared its end.
However, in stoppage time, Orlando managed to find the rhythm. In the 45+1 minute, the Taifi-to-Griezmann connection was made. Orlando’s young fullback Zakaria Taifi received the ball from the wing. He recognized the space and pointed where Griezmann wanted to get the ball. Griezmann cut backdoor and called for an alley-oop. Taifi delivered a pinpoint cross, and Griezmann finished with a wonderful, athletic poke shot, which hit the underside of the crossbar and went inside the net. The spectacular “Grizi golazo” gave Orlando the 1-0 lead and became Griezmann’s fifth goal in five consecutive games, tying the club record, which was held by Dom Dwyer.
At halftime, Orlando dominated in terms of statistics. The Lions controlled 58.5% of possession and had 87.8% of passing accuracy.
As there was an important U.S. Open Cup semifinal approaching on Wednesday, interim manager Martín Perelman had to make some difficult decisions about the rotation to keep his players fresh for this match while trying to maintain Orlando’s winning momentum against the red-hot Toronto. Perelman’s biggest experiment was to change the composition of his backline. He dropped the winger Iván Angulo to the left-back position and brought to action Zakaria Taifi and Iago to replace his regulars Griffin Dorsey and Robin Jansson, alongside David Brekalo.
This rotating backline bent but did not break. The use of Angulo as the left-back in a new position provided transition speed, thus allowing Orlando to pass the ball quickly whenever Toronto over-committed.
At halftime, realizing Toronto’s threat in midfield, Perelman decided to bring Wilder Cartagena to replace Joran Gerbet, thus adding an additional defensive line in front of the back four.
Toronto FC showed up in the locker room ready to fight. In the early second half, the team actually got the lead in the expected goals (xG) and forced another giant save from Crépeau right after the halftime. For 35 minutes, Orlando kept fighting for its narrow 1-0 lead while absorbing Toronto’s pressure.
Then, Perelman used his bench and changed everything. In the 69th minute, he surprisingly substituted Griezmann and brought young American Justin Ellis. Ellis absolutely dominated the midfield. Fresh-legged and fearless, he managed to have 10 progressive plays during his short 20-minute stint on the pitch. During that time, Orlando had a +2 differential.
In the 80th minute, Perelman made his last substitution, sending rookie Harvey Sarajian into action. Two minutes later, the rookie made a surprising play. Jumping high to control the ball, he momentarily lost control of it but then ran after it. The rookie bulldozed through two Toronto defenders, laid the ball to striker Daryl Dike, and continued his run. Dike found him with the return pass, and Sarajian coolly put the ball in the far corner for his first career MLS goal, celebrating with a beautiful ishowspeed backflip.
Having Toronto deflated, Iván Angulo sealed the night with Orlando’s third goal in the 95th minute.
Why was Orlando City so dominant even with their rotated lineup?
The most striking difference between this version of the Lions and the one that started the season in 2026 is undeniable confidence and squad depth. In the early part of the year, Orlando would probably have crumbled under the pressure and have drawn the game 1-0 with Toronto. Now, the team can withstand storms and possesses lethal squad depth, as demonstrated by Ellis and Sarajian. Of course, Griezmann’s influence cannot be underestimated; he acts as a sage on the field and draws out the best performances from young players like Taifi.
However, the game was not without any drawbacks. Having these factors in mind, Perelman and his team have a giant aspect to work on before their next game on Wednesday, which is the U.S. Open Cup semifinal. Orlando allowed Toronto to create dangerous chances and dominate the xG in the early second half. Sometimes, Orlando’s defense relied too much on the heroics of Crépeau and the poor finishing of Toronto’s attackers, who wasted several chances by missing them off-target and hitting the woodwork. In case of facing a more clinical team in the knockout competition, giving that much space to players like Corbeanu and Etienne Jr. would have proved fatal.
Overall, this stunning 3-0 victory proves that Orlando City is playing at the peak of their game, and it comes at the perfect time.
Off to the U.S. Open Cup Semis, Vamos Orlando!
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