Tuesday night marked the first time in 479 days that Exploria Stadium opened up to full capacity.
Daryl Dike was ready to welcome everyone back.
The 21 year-old sensation scored a brace in his first start for Orlando City since last year’s MLS Cup Playoffs, powering the Lions to a 5-0 thrashing of the San Jose Earthquakes and earning himself Heineken Man of the Match honors.
Dike’s first goal came with Orlando already ahead 2-0. Nani slipped a ball through the San Jose defense, leaving Dike to handle Quakes keeper J.T. Marcinkowski and finish through a tight window with his left foot.
Dike nearly finished two more chances before the break, blazing just over the bar and seeing a chip saved by Marcinkowski right at the halftime whistle. The big man wasn’t going to miss again, though, and when Nani found his head with a free kick in the 49th minute, Dike made no mistake.
With his brace, Dike has now scored 12 goals in 25 games in 2021 for three different teams, including his nine for Barnsley and one for the U.S. Men’s National Team. He has 10 goals for Orlando City in 19 MLS appearances in his career.
