ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 19, 2026) – Orlando City SC (6-11-3, 21 points) fell 2-1 to Chicago Fire FC (11-6-2, 35 points) on Wednesday night at Inter.co Stadium in a match delayed nearly 90 minutes by inclement weather just before halftime.
The visitors opened the scoring four minutes into the match when David Poreba intercepted a clearance from the Orlando defense. Poreba slid the ball to Puso Dithejane, who sent a shot to the far post and in for the opener.
After the delay, the teams played the final two minutes of the first half before taking a three-minute halftime on the field. The Lions equalized in the 52nd minute off a corner kick, with Antoine Griezmann sending an in-swinging cross toward the near post. David Brekalo met it with a run through the box and headed it past goalkeeper Chris Brady.
Chicago retook the lead after Robert Lewandowski was fouled in the Lions' box and awarded a penalty kick. The former FC Barcelona striker stepped to the spot and sent his attempt low into the left corner for the eventual game-winner.
The Lions will face Real Salt Lake in their final match of a six-game homestand at Inter.co Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 22 (7:30 p.m. ET | Apple TV).
Scoring Summary:
4’ Puso Dithejane (David Poreba) – CHI 1, ORL 0
52’ David Brekalo (Antoine Griezmann) – ORL 1, CHI 1
68’ Robert Lewandowski (Penalty Kick) – CHI 2, ORL 1
Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman:
“Of course, disappointed with the result. Very, very disappointed because we were playing at home and we wanted to win. I think it was a game where we could have gotten a different result. It’s over. Nothing to do. We played against a good team. We couldn’t score the chances we created. They were effective.”
Midfielder Luís Otávio (Interpreted from Portuguese):
“I believe our team started a little bit lower than expected, lower than what we worked for and what we trained for. After the break, we were able to come back better. Unfortunately, we received the penalty goal after the break, but I believe we can get better.”
Match Notes
- Defender David Brekalo scored his third goal across all competitions this season and the fifth of his Orlando City career.
- Antoine Griezmann recorded his second assist and fourth goal contribution across all competitions, setting up Brekalo's goal.
- Griezmann made his fifth career MLS appearance for the Lions.
- U22 Initiative midfielder Luís Otávio made his 15th career MLS appearance.
- Interim head coach Martín Perelman made two changes to his starting lineup from the club’s previous match against FC Cincinnati, inserting Wilder Cartagena and Adrián Marín into the starting XI.
- Defenders Nolan Miller (knee) and Bernardo Rhein (thigh) and midfielders Braian Ojeda (foot) and Martín Ojedá (thigh) missed the match due to injury.
