ORLANDO, Fla. (May 14, 2025) – Orlando City SC (5-2-6, 21 points) beat Charlotte FC (6-6-1, 19 points) 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium on Wednesday night. In the first home midweek match of the year, Orlando City was able to pick up their fifth win of the season and earn three points. The match extended Orlando City’s unbeaten streak to 11 matches, now just one off the Club record of 12 straight. City got the scoring started early and held the lead from the eighth minute on.
Lions forward Luis Muriel got Orlando City on the board early, netting his fifth goal of the season just eight minutes into the match. Later in the first half, midfielder Martín Ojeda followed up his hat-trick performance from last Saturday’s victory with another goal, marking his eighth of the season. Ojeda’s goal also brought him into a tie for third-most goals in the MLS this season. Second-half substitute Ramiro Enrique added an insurance goal in the 82nd minute, his first of the season.
City also received a big contribution from defender David Brekalo, who recorded his first and second assists of his career with his helpers on Luis Muriel’s and Ramiro Enrique’s goals. Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis made his Orlando City debut on his 18th birthday, coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute.
The Lions will next head down south to take on intrastate rivals Inter Miami CF on Sunday, May 18. Kickoff from Chase Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET, with the match set to air live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Scoring Summary:
8’ Luis Muriel (César Araújo, David Brekalo) – ORL 1, CLT 0
Orlando City took the early lead in the match with a strike from forward Luis Muriel. After a Charlotte turnover created by defender David Brekalo, midfielder César Araújo was able to pass the ball to the middle of the field where Muriel then fired in a shot that bounced just in front of diving goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina. The shot then skipped over and away from Kahlina for the opener.
24’ Martín Ojeda – ORL 2, CLT 0
Midfielder Martín Ojeda continued the scoring for the Lions by netting his eighth goal of the season. After a shot by forward Marco Pašalić was blocked and deflected out wide, Ojeda ran onto the rebound and sent a rocket of a shot from his left foot into the bottom right corner of the net.
34’ Wilfried Zaha (Ashley Westwood, Idan Toklomati) – ORL 2, CLT 1
Charlotte FC cut the Lions’ lead in half with a goal from forward Wilfried Zaha in the 34th minute. After receiving a pass just outside the 18-yard box from captain Ashley Westwood, Zaha turned and took controlled touches to open up some space before shooting and curling the ball into the bottom left corner of the net for Charlotte’s first of the night.
82’ Ramiro Enrique (David Brekalo) – ORL 3, CLT 1
Shortly after being subbed into the game, forward Ramiro Enrique scored his first goal of the 2025 season. Defender David Brekalo picked up his second assist of the match when he passed it up field to a sprinting Enrique. Enrique then took the breakaway, moved off the defender and goalie with two dribbles, and then curved the ball into the top right corner of the net.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“We're very happy with the three points. We are very happy with the effort of the players. In the short time, they got back the energy to get that start in the first half where I think we dominated the other team in the game. But it was a similar situation that we suffered in that first half when we conceded that one goal, but then our reaction in the second half was more steady and more solid. We understood that sometimes we can play good with the ball and have it and have options and all those things because you want to be aggressive and you want to head forward, but we have to learn that lesson and know that we have to be solid defensively as well. It's a combination of both. We have been always talking about balance and what I saw today with the team was we are acquiring some balance, and mentally, it was a great day for us. Not just to win against a rival that is in similar position to us and is a direct rival, and that magnified the importance of this win.”
Match Notes
- Midfielder Martín Ojeda scored his eighth goal of the season (tied for third-most in MLS) and 21st all-time for Orlando City (tied for eighth-most in Club history).
- Forward Luis Muriel scored his fifth goal of the season and 10th all-time across all competitions for Orlando City.
- Forward Ramiro Enrique scored his first goal of the season and 18th all-time across all competitions for the Lions.
- Midfielder César Araújo recorded his third assist of the season and 12th all-time across all competitions for the Lions.
- Defender David Brekalo recorded his first and second assists of his Orlando City career with the helpers on Luis Muriel’s goal in the eighth minute and Ramiro Enrique’s goal in the 82nd minute.
- 18-year-old Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis made his debut for Orlando City, coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute of Saturday night’s contest.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made no changes to the Starting XI after his side’s last match against the New England Revolution.
