KISSIMMEE, Fla. — There are wins, and then there's what happened on Saturday night in Miami, Florida.
Down 3-0 on the road in a rivalry match, Orlando City SC clawed all the way back to beat Inter Miami CF 4-3, with Tyrese Spicer's late goal completing the biggest road comeback in MLS history.
"Amazing win. It was a very good week, not just because of the Derby, but because in the Open Cup we also won," Midfielder Eduard Atuesta said at Orlando Health Training Ground at Osceola Heritage Park. "After a comeback like that, it's just amazing. You can't describe the feelings that you have after that. We're just happy and trying to enjoy what's coming for us, trying to feel more confident after a week like that to face the games we have in front."
"The mood is good. Happy for the victory, but also knowing that it's over," Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman added. "We rest a little bit after the game because we came from a tough calendar. Then we were working again, working hard as always, because we want to finish the best we can."
After a relentless stretch of midweek and weekend fixtures, a slightly longer runway before Saturday's match has given Perelman a chance to rest the group ahead of the "Last Sprint" before the FIFA World Cup 2026™ break at the end of the month.
The first part of that sprint comes this weekend as the Lions are hoping to ride their good times into Saturday's trip to Stade Saputo in Montréal.
Since the Lions last played CF Montréal back in March, the team has fired Head Coach Marco Donadel and assistant Philippe Eullaffroy has stepped in as interim manager. The Canadian side has now won two of their last three MLS games and are finding their footing under their new leader.
"They changed the coach, so that changed a bunch of things," Perelman said. "We have analyzed them like they analyzed us. We are going to prepare the game like we always do, knowing they are at home. We want to go there with a lot of energy, fighting like always for the points, because at the end of the day, it's what we want."
Stade Saputo has historically been an uncomfortable destination for the Lions, having a 4-5-3 record when playing in Montréal, having not won there since Decision Day in 2021.
"We need to be intelligent," Atuesta said on the game. "We need to start from the first half what we were doing in the second half last game. It's not easy and it's not going to be repeatable that you can win every game coming from three goals down. We need to be more concentrated, defend better. Even 1-0, the three points come home. So we need to respect them and go play, but trying to fix all the things that I mentioned."
Kickoff at Stade Saputo in Montréal is set for Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. with the match available on Apple TV.
Odds and Ends:
- Marco Pašalić was out at training after missing the last few matches due to injury.
