ORLANDO - Orlando City SC homegrown forward Justin Ellis scored four minutes into his first appearance for the United States Men’s National Team on Saturday, becoming the fastest player to score on debut in modern USMNT history as the U.S. rolled past Peru 4-1 at a sold-out Inter.co Stadium.

Ellis, who made his MLS debut at the same venue just last year, headed home an assist from senior midfielder Giovanni Reyna to ignite the crowd and set the tone for an afternoon in which 11 U.S. players made their international debuts. Red Bull New York’s Julian Hall was the only other debutant to find the net.

“It’s like the perfect moment, man,” Ellis said. “I dreamed of this. I play in this stadium often, but to play in this stadium for my national team is unbelievable. I was just thinking, ‘Thank you, God,’ a lot. It’s probably one of the best moments of my life.”

The victory extended the USMNT’s perfect record at Inter.co Stadium to 8-0-0 since the venue opened in 2017, a run that has included FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and Concacaf Gold Cup matches. An hour after the final whistle, Ellis was still working through a flood of texts and messages in the locker room. “I’m more chill now,” he said, “but I don’t know if I’m going to be able to sleep too much tonight.”

Reyna, who predicted the assist the night before the match, pushed Ellis back toward the stands after the goal to receive another ovation from the Orlando faithful. “Gio and I spent a lot of time together this week, and he actually told me the night before the game that he was going to assist me,” Ellis said. “It ended up happening, and I’m very grateful for that.”

Sharing the pitch with Ellis was former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, now with La Liga’s Villarreal CF after departing Orlando in January. The two came up together through soccer in South Florida and through the Orlando City Academy pathway. “It was crazy,” Freeman said. “Scoring four minutes into your debut here in Orlando is honestly kind of ridiculous. I was just telling him after the game I was going to steal the goal, but it was an amazing header.”

“He’s like family to me,” Ellis said of Freeman. “Being able to celebrate with him, and really play with him for real, meant everything.”

Freeman, who never received a formal send-off before leaving for Spain, took a lap around Inter.co Stadium after the final whistle. “I wanted to thank the fans,” Freeman said. “I wanted to come around and see the stadium one more time, get a feel for the field I used to play on all the time. I wanted to take it all in and realize I came from here, and not to forget my roots.”

Ellis and the USMNT are expected to continue their fall international schedule in the coming weeks.