ORLANDO - Antoine Griezmann scored his 11th and 12th MLS goals of 2026 and Martín Ojeda added a scorpion-kick finish as Orlando City SC dismantled D.C. United 4-1 Saturday night at Inter.co Stadium, keeping the Lions in an automatic playoff qualification spot with four regular-season games remaining.
Griezmann opened the scoring in the 15th minute, linking with Daryl Dike and Ojeda in a quick give-and-go before finishing calmly. The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner then reversed roles with Ojeda on the second goal, lofting a pass over the back line for the Argentine midfielder to convert with an acrobatic scorpion-kick finish in the 22nd minute. The brace was Griezmann’s third of the year and extended his streak of MLS matches with at least one goal contribution to 10. He has now recorded 20 goal contributions - 13 goals and seven assists - in 18 appearances across all competitions since joining Orlando City in July, becoming the first player in MLS history to record a goal contribution in 12 of his first 14 league matches.
D.C. United (7-10-12, 33 points) cut the deficit to 2-1 just before halftime when Tai Baribo converted a penalty, placing his shot to goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau’s right after an Orlando defender fouled a player in the box during a corner kick. Griezmann restored the two-goal lead in the 50th minute by intercepting a D.C. United defender’s pass and finishing. Designated Player Marco Pašalić sealed the result in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, running onto a through ball from homegrown forward Justin Ellis - who recorded his 13th assist of the season across all competitions, tying Iván Angulo for the team lead - and beating goalkeeper Sean Johnson one-on-one.
Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman credited his Designated Players after the final whistle. “Today we scored with all three [Designated Players] that we have, so I think that’s important, and in this league, it’s very important,” Perelman said. “Sometimes they are able to do it and sometimes not, but nobody can [dispute] the talent that they have.”
Ojeda, who earlier in the week became Orlando City’s all-time leading goalscorer across all competitions, scored his team-leading 16th goal of 2026 and extended his club record to 49 career goals. His assist on Griezmann’s opener was his fourth of the season across all competitions and 46th for the club, leaving him one shy of former captain Mauricio Pereyra’s club record of 47. “I think the word is happiness,” Ojeda said. “Happiness for getting the result that we hoped for tonight, for the result that we had trained these most recent days for and happiness for being able to play the game tonight in the way that we did.”
Pašalić, who scored his fourth goal of 2026 across all competitions and 19th for the Lions, said the result carried weight for the group. “It’s nice when you can watch the team whether you play or not because this is a team sport,” Pašalić said. “I think it’s really important for the team now.”
Orlando City (12-13-5, 41 points) hosts New York City FC next Saturday at Inter.co Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV.