Several on the Orlando City SC squad looked for franchise scoring records against Real Salt Lake. They didn’t get the records. But the team struggled to get into a playoff spot.
Lions supporters have stayed faithful. But after a miserable start to the 2026 MLS season, they didn’t stay hopeful. Now, by razor-sharp execution and the wisest preparation from Orlando City SC coaches, they’ve edged into a playoff spot. It took a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake to do it.
Going into the Salt Lake match, Orlando City looked for franchise-record production from several players.
Daryl Dike was looking for his 21st goal to tie for tenth on the club’s all-time list. Marco Pasalic is two goals away from 20 for the club across all competitions.
Instead, Antoine Griezmann tallied his first brace for Orlando. That’s what it took to overcome the 1-0 deficit laid on them by Dominic Marczuk in the 36th minute, on assists by Sam Junqua and Alexandros Katranis.
Salt Lake’s third-year right-winger scored his first goal of the season off Junqua’s cross. It’s only his third for the club. It was his second MLS start.
But the Lions have established a strong consistency at this stage of the season, especially in goal contributions. One of the major players has been Griezmann, who now has three goal contributions in his past two matches.
His two goals – his third and fourth across all competitions – came in the 53rd and 81st minutes. He did what he was hired by the Lions to do.
Striker/attacking midfielder Griezmann was brought to the Orlando squad to light a fuse that would spur the kind of explosive play Salt Lake saw in the second half. Team owner and chair Mark Wilf said Griezmann brought with him the foundational qualities missing from the team at the start of the season.
The Orlando City SC organization has been looking for impact. To stay above the playoff line and keep rising, they must bring that impact back to the pitch every match.
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