1. Another road game, another The Cardiac CatsTM appearance as the Lions once again left it late, pulling out a 1-0 victory against the San Jose Earthquakes in California.
2. Jack Lynn strikes again! The MLS SuperDraft pick from 2022 scored his second goal in MLS, and what better way to do so. The forward was forced on early after Duncan McGuire was unable to continue following a shoulder injury, but Lynn showed just why he is the sole record holder in goals for MLS Next Pro. A great run by Ivan Angulo turned into a cross and mishit volley by Martin Ojeda, but the shot turned into a pass right to Lynn to finish off just before the 90th minute.
3. In three of the Lions' last four road games, Orlando has scored result-changing goals in the 88th minute or later. Two of those three games went from draws to wins (D.C. and San Jose), while the other was a draw with Montreal. Having these results at this point in the season, and on the road no less, is huge for this team to help forget those early-season woes.
4. The shutout on Saturday also is the second straight clean sheet for the Lions, a massive note for both goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and the three-man backline. Since shifting Wilder Cartagena into the backline along with David Brekalo and Rodrigo Schlegel, the Lions have only allowed two goals over three games, quite an impressive stat considering how the season started.
5. After not playing much the last few matches, the veteran Brazilian midfielder Felipe played a full 90 minutes on the road, and played very well in the middle of the park. At the end of it, he finished with 90% passing accuracy, was second on the team in tackles and tied for second in duels won. Felipe is the epitome of a grizzled vet who's ready when his number is called, and he put in quite a shift to help Orlando get all three points.
6. The victory over the Earthquakes marked a first-ever win for the Lions in San Jose and also a first win by a road team in the all-time series against the California side. Prior to Saturday, the Lions had gone 0-1-2 in matches out in San Jose. It was also the first time in over five years that Orlando had visited PayPal Park, with that game ending in a 3-0 loss for the Lions.
7. It was mentioned earlier, but Duncan McGuire's shoulder injury is a bit worrying coming out of this one. The Lions' leading goalscorer was forced out of the match in the 16th minute after going up for a header and trying to brace his fall.
8. After three games in the last seven days, the Lions will now have a full week to recover and prepare as they host the Columbus Crew on Saturday May 24. The match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at INTER&Co Stadium.
