1. A home shutout and all three points! A first half goal from Antoine Griezmann helped Orlando City get all three points at Inter.co Stadium as the Lions beat San Diego FC for the very first time.
2. The win marks yet another result for Orlando in their first times playing MLS expansion teams. Over the past three seasons, Orlando has won against Charlotte FC, St. Louis CITY SC and now San Diego FC in all of their first meetings. You can even go back further since 2021, where Orlando City now an 11-2-6 record overall against teams that entered the league since the shortened 2020 season.Â
3. It was a frenetic first few minutes for both sides. San Diego came out of the gate playing a high line of pressure, looking to force the Lions into mistakes early on. Orlando responded by creating some early chances of their own, with Justin Ellis and Griezmann getting early looks within the first 10 minutes.Â
4. It took a few bites of the apple, but the Lions finally were able to break through thanks to their French talisman in the middle. A great longball from Robin Jansson in the 28th minute unlocked Daryl Dike as he made his way into the box. A quick touch over to Justin Ellis gave Griezmann space to run into space. Ellis then one-timed the pass into the Frenchman, who took a quick touch and fired his shot past CJ dos Santos to send the Lions faithful screaming in joy. Added into the celebration was both Ellis and Griezmann with an homage to Monkey D. Luffy and One Piece, pulling out the iconic "Second Gear" pose from the anime.
5. The combination between Justin Ellis and Griezmann was the third time the two connected on goals and the second straight game that Ellis has assisted Griezmann. The two have been forming a dynamic partnership through the last 11 games and it continues to grow every match.
6. Orlando was able to handle the continued pressure as they defended through the rest of the game. Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau said it was a "collective effort" from the team defensively, with all 11 players coming back to help in the late stages of the match.
7. The last 11 minutes saw San Diego pushing numbers forward and even hitting the post on one shot in stoppage time. At the end of it, though, San Diego only mustered two total shots on target through the 90 minutes, and the Lions were able to see out a much-needed win at home.
8. The win also marked the second shutout in MLS play for the Lions, with the first coming against Nashville SC back in July. Coming against a team with the third-most goals in the Western Conference, that comes as a fantastic result for Orlando.
9. The shutout itself meant so much more for Orlando's goalkeeper, Maxime Crépeau. His father, Rémi, passed away due to liver cancer earlier this week and the team held a moment of silence for him prior to the match. After the game, Crépeau said that, "It's more difficult than than other situations, but once the whistle blows, football helped me a lot to go throug the last couple of months. He passed of liver cancer, so towards the end it was not easy. But football and the people in the industry helped me a lot."
10. Now the Lions return to midweek matches, with Orlando now heading on the road to take on Atlanta United on Wednesday. That match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
