ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 6, 2025) – Orlando City SC secured a win in its final Phase One match of the 2025 Leagues Cup, defeating Club Necaxa (1-1-1, 7 points) on Wednesday night at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions finish Phase One unbeaten and remain in contention to qualify for the Leagues Cup Quarterfinals pending other results.
Midfielder Martín Ojeda opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a volleyed strike, the first of his two goals on the night. With a brace and an assist, Ojeda extended the Club’s single-season record for individual goal contributions to 32. His first-half goal also marked his 13th consecutive match across all competitions with a goal contribution, extending another club record.
More history was made late in the first half when forward and Designated Player Luis Muriel recorded the fastest hat trick in Orlando City history, scoring three goals in just 11 minutes. Muriel also became the first player in Club history to net a hat trick in the first half of a match.
Forward Iván Angulo added two assists, setting up Muriel’s second goal in the 37th minute and Ojeda’s second in the 51st. Angulo now has nine assists across all competitions in 2025, including three goal contributions in his last two matches.
Orlando City remains at home as it returns to MLS regular season play this Sunday, Aug. 10, for a matchup against intrastate rivals Inter Miami CF. Kickoff at Inter&Co Stadium is set for 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass via Apple TV and Apple TV+.
Scoring Summary:
15’ Martín Ojeda (Alex Freeman) – ORL 1, NCX 0
35’ Luis Muriel (César Araújo) – ORL 2, NCX 0
37’ Luis Muriel (Iván Angulo) – ORL 3, NCX 0
45+1’ Luis Muriel (Martín Ojeda) – ORL 4, NCX 0
51’ Martín Ojeda (Iván Angulo) – ORL 5, NCX 0
71’ Alexis Peña (Franco Rossano) – ORL 5, NCX 1
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“Their commitment to the game, along with the opportunities we had, I saw the group with a lot of desire. Not just to win, but to push us harder, as they’ve done before. But today, things were bouncing our way, and we were lethal on our chances. It happened against Pumas [UNAM] too, but we couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net as today. We had players with a lot of clarity, which gave us the opportunity to keep going. I congratulate the players for their effort. It’s been a rough week with the weather and the workload. We’ve had players coming and going, so again, congratulations to the players for such an effort tonight.”
Match Notes
- Martín Ojeda extended his club record for goal contributions in a single season to 32, registering a brace and his 16th assist of the year.
- With his goals tonight, Ojeda has now recorded a goal contribution in 13 consecutive matches across all competitions for Orlando City.
- Alex Freeman tallied his fifth assist of the 2025 season across all competitions, setting up Ojeda’s goal.
- Luis Muriel recorded the first first-half hat trick in Orlando City history, bringing his season total to nine goals across all competitions.
- César Araújo notched his fourth assist of the season and 13th all-time across all competitions, assisting Muriel’s 35th-minute goal.
- Iván Angulo added his eighth and ninth assists of the season across all competitions, contributing to Muriel’s 37th-minute goal and Ojeda’s 51st-minute strike.
- In the 85th minute, Robin Jansson reached a career milestone of 20,000 minutes played for Orlando City.
- The Lions have now scored in 18 consecutive matches across all competitions, a streak that began after a scoreless draw against Chicago Fire FC on May 3.
- Orlando City has scored three or more goals in 11 of their 30 matches in 2025 across all competitions.
- Head coach Oscar Pareja made three changes to the starting lineup from the previous match against Atlas F.C., reintroducing Alex Freeman, Luis Muriel, and Marco Pašalić to the starting XI.
