ORLANDO, Fla. (March 22, 2025) – Orlando City SC (2-2-1, 7 points) defeated D.C. United (1-1-3, 6 points) at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday night via a 4-1 scoreline, giving the Red & Black their first loss of the season. Saturday night marked the first time in Club history that all three of the team’s Designated Players scored in the same match.
City came out firing early and eventually found the reward for its attacking intensity. The Lions broke through in the 21st minute and never looked back, scoring four unanswered goals before D.C. struck its lone goal in second-half stoppage time.
The Lions received offensive contributions throughout the lineup, highlighted by a one goal, two assist performance from midfielder Martín Ojeda and one goal, one assist performances from both Homegrown defender Alex Freeman and forward Luis Muriel. Marco Pašalić also contributed to the scoring by recording his fourth goal of the campaign.
Starting in net for the Lions was Homegrown goalkeeper Javier Otero. In his first ever start for the Lions’ First Team, Otero made four saves and held D.C. United to just one goal in his first MLS win.
The Lions will next fly cross country for a showdown with 2024 MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy on Saturday, March 29, on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Kickoff from Dignity Health Sports Park is set for 10:30 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
21’ Luis Muriel (Alex Freeman, Iván Angulo) – ORL 1, DC 0
The Lions opened things up in the 21st minute after a few tries of knocking on the door. Iván Angulo was fed into the center of the box on a quick through ball. Angulo then slid the ball back and outside to Alex Freeman who sent the cross in towards the head of Luis Muriel. Orlando City’s Designated Player ran onto it and powered a header past D.C. United goalkeeper Kim Joon-Hong.
44’ Martín Ojeda (Iván Angulo) – ORL 2, DC 0
Shortly before the end of first half, the Lions extended their lead thanks to a shot from midfielder Martín Ojeda that deflected off the back of a D.C. United defender. Iván Angulo provided his second assist of the match by poking a ball away from a defender and right to the feet of Ojeda.
50’ Alex Freeman (Martín Ojeda) – ORL 3, DC 0
A few minutes into the second half, the Lions earned a free kick and took advantage of the opportunity. Martín Ojeda sent a cross in from the far-left side of the field and found Alex Freeman crashing the net at the back post. Freeman hit the header just inside the post to add the third of the night for Orlando City.
56’ Marco Pašalić (Martín Ojeda, Luis Muriel) – ORL 4, DC 0
Orlando’s fourth goal came off the left foot of forward Marco Pašalić. The scoring opportunity began right outside the center circle with a back heel pass from Luis Muriel to Martín Ojeda. Ojeda then fed the ball to Pašalić. The Croatian international cut back toward the middle of the field before curling in a screamer just inside the upper-left corner to add to the Lions’ tally.
90+1’ Lukas MacNaughton (Christian Benteke, Rida Zouhir) – ORL 4, DC 1
D.C. United would get on the board with a stoppage time goal from Defender Lukas MacNaughton. MacNaughton used his head to power the ball into the net after a flick on header from Forward Christian Benteke following a cross from Midfielder Rida Zouhir.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“It was very important to add three points tonight. The result as well was a very good performance, and it gives confidence to the players. We felt that everyone is raising their level and that makes us collectively a stronger team. There is a lot of work to do still but tonight was that one game where we must add three points and play well so we can raise our confidence. Regarding the game, I thought we were the team that had the best chances all of the time and we imposed the game the way we wanted. I think collectively from the first minute we had the best options. Playing against a very tough team, a tough rival. But we did create things as well. The youngsters joined with a bunch of good things. [Javier] Otero had a very positive performance, coming from the academy. A very good night for us and thanks to all the fans that supported us today. It was great to see.”
Match Notes
- Midfielder Martín Ojeda recorded his 24th and 25th career assist for the Lions and now sits tied with former captain Nani for the second-most assists across all competitions in Club history.
- Designated Player Luis Muriel scored his second goal of the 2025 campaign, good for his seventh tally all-time for the Lions across all competitions.
- Defender Alex Freeman recorded his first assist of the 2025 regular season and second all-time for Orlando City across all competitions.
- Forward Iván Angulo provided his first and second assist of the 2025 regular season, marking his 23rd and 24th helpers all-time respectively across all competitions in Orlando.
- Midfielder Martín Ojeda scored his third goal of the 2025 campaign and his 13th all-time goal across all competitions.
- Defender Alex Freeman (20 years, 227 days) became the second-youngest player in Club history to record a goal and assist in a single match, behind only Daryl Dike (20 years, 147 days).
- Midfielder Marco Pašalić tallied his fourth goal of the 2025 campaign.
- Homegrown goalkeeper Javier Otero made his first career start and recorded his first career win for the Lions’ First Team.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made three changes to the Starting XI after his side’s last match against the New York Red Bulls, with César Araújo, Javier Otero and Rafael Santos getting the start.
