1. Three points at home. After a long drought between wins in the friendly confines of Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando City finally secured all three points against Atlas FC in the second Phase One match of Leagues Cup 2025.
2. The win and the three goals the Lions scored keep them in the race for the quarterfinals and sets up a must-win match next Wednesday against Club Necaxa. A few other results need to go their way, but Orlando is still in with a shout.
3. In back-to-back matches, the Lions were able to get on the board early. This time, it was Iván Angulo who got on the scoreboard. After pressure from a goal kick, Robin Jansson stepped into the midfield to help win the ball back for the Lions. The ball rolled to Angulo, who took one dribble in towards goal and curled a shot around Atlas goalkeeper Antonio Sanchez and put Orlando on the board in the ninth minute. It's been a resurgent last few matches for the winger, who notched three assists in his last few league matches. Now adding a goal to into the mix, the player that Orlando needs is continuing to step up in a big way.
4. The game was a physical one for both teams, with 32 total fouls (16 called on each team) called and a number of challenges not called. It definitely led to a bit more spice to the match as the game wore on.
5. Orlando was able to take its 1-0 lead into halftime, but right out of the gate in the second half, the Lions conceded the equalizer. It was lackadaisical defending on a ball into the box that the defense just could not clear, allowing Matías Cóccaro to get his head on the ball and tie up the game. It's another preventable goal from the Lions that they need to be more aggressive on, working to clear their lines more effectively and communicating on those balls in the box.
6. Thankfully for the Lions, the goal didn't come back to haunt them as some have in the past few home games. The introduction of Alex Freeman and Marco Pašalić helped open up the offense for the Lions, and seven minutes after conceding, Orlando took back the lead. Pašalić played a perfect through ball for Freeman to chase, and as he entered the final third, the fullback played a cross-field ball for Martín Ojeda to smash home, restoring the advantage for the Lions. That marked 12 straight matches for Tincho having a goal contribution, continuing his unprecedented streak of goals and assists.
7. It took much longer for the Lions to really seal this game away, with an extra 10 minutes of stoppage time, mixed in with a scuffle near the Orlando goal in the 92nd minute. It wasn't until the 13th minute of stoppage time that Pašalić would find the back of the net, thanks to a cheeky through ball from Ojeda. The goal marked one of the latest goals in team history, tying the mark with Facundo Torres' penalty against Charlotte last year in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
8. With the three goals tonight, City has now scored three or more goals in 10 of the team's 29 games this season across all competitions, which is over 1/3 of their total overall games.
9. Orlando has also now gone 18 consecutive matches across all competitions scoring at least one goal, with the last shutout coming all the way back on May 3 against Chicago. It's an incredible run of matches for the Lions' offense, which has been on an absolute tear in 2025.
10. Just one more match remains in the Leagues Cup group stage for the Lions, as they'll host Club Necaxa this coming Wednesday. That match will kick off at 7 p.m. ET, with tickets available here.
