ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 5, 2026) – Orlando City SC opened Phase One of Leagues Cup 2026 with a 2-1 victory over Liga MX side C.F. Monterrey in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.
Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring for the Lions in the 27th minute, sliding at the near post to slot in a low, driven cross from Tyrese Spicer. The goal was Griezmann's second across all competitions for Orlando City since his summer arrival and his first at Inter.co Stadium, while Spicer's assist was his second over the Lions' last two matches and his third across all competitions this season.
Fifteen minutes into the second half, Spicer earned and converted a penalty to double Orlando’s lead. Justin Ellis played a ball forward to a sprinting Spicer, who drew a foul from an onrushing Luis Cárdenas inside the box before powering a lofted penalty into the upper left corner.
The strike continued a strong run of form for Spicer, who finished the night with a goal and an assist. The forward has now recorded five goal contributions (3g, 2a) over Orlando City's last three matches across all competitions.
Just before the final whistle, C.F. Monterrey pulled a goal back through former Chicago Fire FC striker Hugo Cuypers, who headed home a cross from Lucas Ocampos in the ninth minute of second-half stoppage time.
Orlando City will now face off against Club León in their second Phase One matchup of Leagues Cup 2026 on Saturday, Aug. 8 (6:30 p.m. ET | Apple TV), as they look to make a deep run in the tournament for a second consecutive year. At the conclusion of Phase One, the top four MLS teams and top four Liga MX teams in the Leagues Cup standings will advance to the tournament’s knockout round.
Scoring Summary:
28’ Antoine Griezmann (Tyrese Spicer) – ORL 1, MTY 0
60’ Tyrese Spicer (Penalty Kick) – ORL 2, MTY 0
90+9’ Hugo Cuypers (Lucas Ocampos) – ORL 2, MTY 1
Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman:
“Very happy for the victory. Again, it was another huge effort by our players. It was an amazing environment with our people, our fans, the stadium and the energy. Wednesday night against a team, of course, that we respect. So, I think it was a really good victory. I am so happy for everyone in the club, especially our players and our fans. Very, very happy for them.”
Match Notes
- Tyrese Spicer has totaled five goal contributions (3g, 2a) over Orlando City's last three matches across all competitions.
- Antoine Griezmann's 28th-minute strike marked his second goal in four appearances across all competitions with the Lions and his first at Inter.co Stadium.
- Tyrese Spicer's assist on Antoine Griezmann's goal was his second over the Lions' last two matches and his third across all competitions this season.
- Marco Pašalić made his first appearance for the Lions since Orlando City's May 23 match against FC Cincinnati, entering as a second-half substitute.
- Daryl Dike made his first appearance for the Lions since his 2022 transfer to West Bromwich Albion, having last appeared for Orlando City during the 2021 MLS Cup playoffs.
- With the result, the Lions move to 4W-2L-7D across all competitions when facing Liga MX opposition.
- Interim head coach Martín Perelman made three changes to his starting lineup from the club’s previous match against Red Bull New York, with Luís Otávio, Bernardo Rhein and Tyrese Spicer into the starting XI.
- Defender Nolan Miller (knee) and midfielders Braian Ojeda (foot) and Martín Ojedá (thigh) missed the match due to injury. Defender Clovis Archange and midfielder Colin Guske were away on international duty.
