1. Well, that was fun, wasn't it? Knowing the Lions needed a win to have a chance to advance in the Leagues Cup, Orlando City SC came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, cruising to a 5-1 win against Club Necaxa.
2. With the result, the Lions now sit in a spot to move on to the quarterfinals of Leagues Cup 2025. Other matches still have to be played out on Thursday, but at the very least, the Lions have done their part.
3. The night started out for the Lions with an absolute thunderbolt. In the 15th minute, the Lions broke out on a counter attack started by Marco PaÅ¡alić and Alex Freeman. The fullback managed to get into the attacking third, chip up a cross to the top of the box, where MartÃn Ojeda was waiting. Rather than settling the ball down, the Argentine took the ball on a full volley and smashed the ball into the back of the net. It's now the 13th straight game for TÃncho with a goal contribution as he continues to extend his Club record-breaking streak.
4. From that point on, it became the Lucho Show. Early in the match, the struggles for Luis Muriel seemed to continue with a chance in the 23rd minute that the striker had that clanged off the post. But just over 10 minutes later, the goals started to flow again. As César Araujo crossed a ball from the wing into the box, Muriel made a darting run into the box and got his head to the ball, nodding it into the back of the net. The goal for Muriel broke a 14-match goalless drought and helped double the lead for the Lions.
5. Two minutes later, Muriel did it again. This time, it was Iván Angulo on the opposite wing doing the work. After faking out his defender and cutting towards the endline, one Colombian linked up with another as Angulo crossed it in for Muriel to, once again, head the ball into the back of the net. While it was a great finish by Muriel, the work from Angulo to create the goal was massive and a continuation of his re-found form.
6. Just as the first half ticked into stoppage time, Muriel capped off one of the best 11-minute segments in Orlando City history. On the break, Ojeda led the charge, drawing numbers forward in transition. This opened up space on the left for Muriel, who took the pass from Ojeda in stride, striking the ball into the right-side netting to score the fastest hat trick in Club history (2011-2025).
7. While 4-0 at half was a dominant scoreline, the Lions weren't done just yet. Just six minutes into the second half, TÃncho would double up his goals. Another counter attack moment for the Lions as Angulo got a long ball from the opposite side of the pitch. A few dribbles into his run, he passed it forward to Ojeda, who drove into the box and fired a shot from a tough angle into the back of the net. A second goal for Ojeda, a second assist for Angulo and a much-needed goal for goal differential in the Leagues Cup standings.
8. With the win tonight, the Lions have now secured an all-time winning record against teams from Mexico. Thanks to wins against San Luis in 2023 and Atlas this year, Orlando now sit at 3-2-6 (W-L-D) in their all-time matchups with teams from Liga MX.
9. A massive milestone for the captain. As the 85th minute came and went, Lions captain Robin Jansson crossed the 20,000-minute threshold, becoming the first in Club history to secure that feat. Since joining Orlando in 2019, Jansson has been a mainstay for the Lions' lineup and has led this team over the last few years to incredible success (and hopefully more to come).
10. As the Lions await their Leagues Cup fate, they will head back to MLS play as they get ready to host their in-state rival Inter Miami on Sunday. Kickoff for that one is set for 8 p.m. ET with tickets available here.
