1. What a way to restart the season! After two months of not playing an MLS match, Orlando City SC went on the road against one of the top teams in the Western Conference and absolutely dominated from start to finish, coming away with a 4-0 win in Antoine Griezmann's Lions debut.
2. It started very early on for the Lions with a goal from a set piece. An Eduard Atuesta cross off a dead ball (we'll talk about him later) was swung into the box, finding a wide-open David Brekalo. A header into the top corner of the net got the Lions an early lead in the seventh minute.
3. The Lions had to defend a bit from there, but the game opened up again just before the half-hour mark. With some good build-up from the Lions, Atuesta (that man again) found Iván Angulo at the top of the box. The Colombian took a touch and unleashed a screamer low and to the left, beating goalkeeper Agnus Gunn. Angulo has had a tremendous year creating for others and leading the team in assists, but seeing the scoring side of him break back out could be a dangerous thing for the Lions' opposition.
4. As if it couldn't get much better from there, it did, right at the beginning of the second half. After some good pressing action by the Lions, Justin Ellis was able to intercept a pass in the San Jose defensive third. Waiting in the box was the most dangerous man on the pitch, Griezmann. Ellis found Grizi in space, and after a quick move to his left, the Frenchman fired a shot to the near post, beating Gunn and securing his first goal for Orlando City.
5. It was a milestone goal for Griezmann for another reason, as the goal marked his 300th goal across his illustrious career. A moment that will forever be remembered as happening as an Orlando City player. Pretty special, no?
6. About half an hour later, Orlando City put the game fully to bed in the 73rd minute. After earning a corner, the Lions took it short to Eduard Atuesta (him again!) as he crossed in to Braian Ojeda, who was unmarked in the box. A neat header flicked on to the near post, and the Lions added a fourth to their impressive tally on the night. That also marked Ojeda's first goal for the Lions in his 19th game with the Club.
7. Eduard Atuesta. What a night for the midfield maestro. Primary assists on the first, second and fourth goals for Orlando got him a hat trick of assists on the night. After a slow start to the season plagued by various knocks and limited minutes, a healty Atuesta could be a massive boost for this Lions team in the latter half of the season.
8. The World Cup hero comes in clutch! Maxime Crépeau came up huge for Orlando in this one, making save after save in crucial moments. Ending up with seven saves on the night, none might be better than the one he had in the 42nd minute.
9. With all those saves and the defensive work by the entire team, Orlando City finally secured their first clean sheet of the season. Having that two-month break allowed the team to work on a lot defensively; changing a bit of their system on how they defend outside the box allowed them to find that success they have been desperate to find.
10. The Lions come back home to officially welcome Griezmann to Orlando, as they will host Nashville SC on Saturday, July 25. That game will kick off at 7:30 p.m.
