ORLANDO, Fla. (March 1, 2026) – Orlando City SC (0-2-0, 0 points) fell to Inter Miami CF (1-1-0, 3 points) on Sunday night at Inter&Co Stadium by a 4-2 score. The loss marks the first time the Lions have been defeated at home by their rivals from South Florida.
Orlando City jumped out to a two-goal lead with Marco Pašalić and Martín Ojeda scoring within the first 25 minutes. The goals were the first for each in the 2026 campaign. Pašalić has now scored in four straight matches against the Herons, finding the net in every appearance across all competitions that he has made against Miami.
Defender Nolan Miller made his first professional start, earning the nod in the Lions’ backline after making his pro debut in last week’s season opener. However, he exited the match in the 59th minute after going down with an injury. 19-year-old Tahir Reid-Brown also entered the starting lineup, making his First Team debut for the Club.
The Lions will next hit the road for the first time in their 2026 campaign, taking on New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, March 7. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV.
Scoring Summary:
18’ Marco Pašalić (Iván Angulo) – ORL 1, MIA 0
24’ Martín Ojeda (Griffin Dorsey) – ORL 2, MIA 0
49’ Matteo Silvetti (Telasco Segovia, Facundo Mura) – ORL 2, MIA 1
57’ Lionel Messi (Telasco Segovia, Matteo Silvetti) – ORL 2, MIA 2
85’ Telasco Segovia – MIA 3, ORL 2
90’ Lionel Messi – MIA 4, ORL 2
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“It was a much better version of us today. Obviously, not getting the result in front of our fans and conceding those goals in the second half was painful for us. But overall, it was a much better version of our team. The boys played a good game. There is not much to be disappointed with. It was a very competitive match as always against Miami. I thought in the first half, tactically, the boys did a good job. In the second half, we got unorganized, especially in the final third when Miami was better. We cannot give those spaces. We knew that, and we still conceded them, and then we conceded goals.”
Match Notes
- Marco Pašalić scored his 16th goal across all competitions in his Lions career and his first of the 2026 campaign.
- Iván Angulo provided the assist on Pašalić’s opener, his 33rd across all competitions and his second in as many games this season.
- Midfielder Martín Ojeda scored his first goal of the season for the Lions, marking his 27th in regular-season play and his 34th across all competitions.
- Griffin Dorsey recorded his first goal contribution as a Lion with the assist on Ojeda’s finish.
- Defender Nolan Miller made his first professional start, while defender Tahir Reid-Brown made his Orlando City SC debut in the starting lineup.
- The Lions played in front of a sold-out Inter&Co Stadium for the second straight match this season.
- Head coach Oscar Pareja made four changes to his lineup from the Lions’ last match against Red Bull New York, with Iván Angulo, Colin Guske, Nolan Miller and Tahir Reid-Brown entering the starting XI.
