ORLANDO, Fla. (April 26, 2025) – Orlando City SC (4-2-4, 17 points) defeated Atlanta United FC (2-5-3, 9 points) 3-0 at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday night, marking the Lions’ third win at home this season and a Club record fourth consecutive clean sheet.
Saturday night’s scoring was opened with forward Luis Muriel finding the back of the net on a penalty kick in the 42nd minute. The conversion from the spot marked Muriel’s fourth goal of the season and his ninth across all competitions for the Lions.
Defender Alex Freeman was able to double the Lions’ lead nine minutes later off a Marco Pašalić assist. Pašalić then turned from provider to striker, cutting off a clearance outside the box from the Atlanta defense and letting loose a shot from distance to find the back of the net.
With the 3-0 victory, Orlando City extended its unbeaten streak to seven matches and secured a Club record fourth consecutive clean sheet, as the defense blocked three shots and ensured that goalkeeper Pedro Gallese didn’t have to make a save to lock up the shutout. The Lions also reached a new defensive milestone, surpassing the previous Club record of 364 minutes without conceding a goal in the 19th minute of tonight’s match and extending their record to 436 minutes.
The Lions head to the Windy City next for a showdown against Chicago Fire FC next Saturday, May 3, on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Kickoff from Soldier Field is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
42’ Luis Muriel (Penalty Kick) – ORL 1, ATL 0
The Lions opened up the scoring on the night with a first-half penalty kick goal from forward Luis Muriel, after video review determined that the Colombian was fouled inside the box. Muriel was able to capitalize on the opportunity, striking the ball into the lower right corner of the net, sending Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan the wrong way, for the Lions’ first goal of the match.
51’ Alex Freeman (Marco Pašalić) – ORL 2, ATL 0
Defender Alex Freeman kicked off the second half for Orlando City by netting a goal off a Marco Pašalić assist. Carving through the Atlanta defense, Pašalić spotted Freeman making a sharp cut to the right and delivered a precise pass, which Freeman powered into the bottom left corner of the net to double the Lions lead.
67’ Marco Pašalić – ORL 3, ATL 0
Orlando City extended its lead to three with a goal from forward Marco Pašalić just 16 minutes later. A clearance from an Atlanta United FC defender was cut off by Pašalić, who gained possession quickly before cutting into the middle of the field and curling the ball into the bottom right corner of the net from well outside the 18-yard box for City’s third of the night.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“It's nice to see that we kept our balance defensively. We improved something that has been costing us points in the last three games while not scoring. Getting back to that mode made us feel very good. The game we played in the first half, we had some difficulties finding our spaces, but we were patient until we scored the first one and we knew they were coming on the second one. We will have those spaces naturally and organically they will open for us and we saw that. The boys understood, they were very responsible with their duties defensively, and offensively we look like we can harm teams and that made us feel good.”
Match Notes
- Converting his penalty kick in the 42nd minute, forward Luis Muriel scored his fourth goal of the 2025 campaign and his ninth goal all-time across all competitions for the Lions.
- Defender Alex Freeman scored his third goal across all competitions for the Lions in the 51st minute.
- Forward Marco Pašalić scored his fifth goal across all competitions for the Lions.
- Marco Pašalić also recorded his second assist across all competitions for the Lions with his helper on defender Alex Freeman’s 51st-minute goal.
- Keeping a clean sheet throughout tonight's match, Orlando City set a new Club record for consecutive minutes without conceding a goal at 436, passing the previous mark of 364 in the 19th minute of the match.
- Saturday night’s clean sheet against Atlanta United FC marked the first time in Club history that the Lions have recorded four consecutive clean sheets.
- With the win, Orlando City extended its unbeaten streak to seven matches.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made four changes to the Starting XI after his side’s last match against CF Montréal, with midfielder Eduard Atuesta, forward Duncan McGuire, and defenders Rodrigo Schlegel and Kyle Smith returning to the starting lineup.
