ORLANDO, Fla. (July 25, 2026) – Orlando City SC (6-9-2, 20 points) earned a 1-0 win over Nashville SC (12-2-3, 39 points) in the club’s first match at the newly renamed Inter.co Stadium and its first home match since the MLS break for the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
The sides played to a scoreless first half, with the Lions creating several chances in the attacking third but unable to break through before halftime.
Orlando finally found the breakthrough in the 72nd minute through Tyrese Spicer. Adrián Marín picked out Justin Ellis between Nashville’s lines. After dribbling through multiple defenders, Ellis slipped a pass into the path of a darting Spicer, who tucked a low left-footed finish into the back of the net.
The assist was Ellis’ fifth in MLS play this season and his third over Orlando City’s last two matches after he recorded two assists in the Lions’ 4-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes earlier in the week. Marín’s secondary assist was his fourth of the season, while Spicer’s strike was his third MLS goal and fourth across all competitions in 2026.
Backed by three saves from 2026 MLS All-Star goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, the Lions secured their third clean sheet across all competitions this season and second in MLS play. The shutout was Orlando City’s second straight clean sheet since the break, following the Club’s win over San Jose, and the 29th MLS clean sheet of Crépeau’s career.
The Lions will head to New Jersey to take on Red Bull New York on Saturday, Aug. 1, at Sports Illustrated Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET | Apple TV).
Scoring Summary:
72’ Tyrese Spicer (Justin Ellis, Adrián Marín) – ORL 1, NSH 0
Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman:
“Very happy for everyone here at the club. I think this was a really good victory against a very difficult opponent. Highlight the effort off our players and highlight the support of our people, today they brought an amazing energy to the stadium, they filled the stadium. It was a really good night. We really enjoyed it.”
Match Notes
- The Lions held Nashville scoreless for their second consecutive clean sheet and third across all competitions this season.
- Tyrese Spicer scored his third MLS goal of the season, second-most on the team, and his sixth all-time across all competitions.
- Justin Ellis tallied his fifth assist of the regular season, second-most on the team, and has three assists over the last two matches.
- Adrián Marín earned his fourth assist of the MLS regular season on Spicer’s finish and his fifth all-time across all competitions.
- Tyrese Spicer made his 60th career MLS appearance and 20th MLS appearance for Orlando City after entering as a second-half substitute.
- Orlando City Academy and Orlando City B product Bernardo Rhein, 18, made his first career MLS start.
- The match marked the first time Orlando City started three teenagers in an MLS match, with Bernardo Rhein, Justin Ellis and Luís Otávio all in the starting XI.
- Interim head coach Martín Perelman made two changes to his starting lineup from the club’s previous match against the San Jose Earthquakes, inserting Bernardo Rhein and Luís Otávio into the starting XI.
- Defender Nolan Miller (knee) and midfielders Joran Gerbet (knee) and Martín Ojeda (thigh) missed the match due to injury. Defender Clovis Archange and midfielder Colin Guske were away on international duty, while midfielder Eduard Atuesta served a suspension for yellow card accumulation.
