Milestones, storylines and more ahead of the Lions Leagues Cup match vs. Club León:
Milestones
- Eduard Atuesta’s next appearance will be his 50th in all competitions for Orlando City.
- Iván Angulo is one assist away from becoming the third player in club history to reach 40 assists in all competitions for Orlando City.
- Daryl Dike’s next goal will be his 20th for Orlando City, making him the 11th player in club history to reach that milestone. Dike is two goals away from regaining a spot in the top 10 – he would tie former teammate Tesho Akindele with 21.
Stats & Storylines
- Orlando City picked up a huge win to open Leagues Cup 2026, taking down Liga MX gigante C.F. Monterrey 2-1 behind goals from Antoine Griezmann and Tyrese Spicer. Griezmann’s was his first official goal at Inter.co Stadium. Spicer’s sixth goal of the season came from the penalty spot.
- With 8g/6a in 1075 minutes, Spicer is averaging 1.17 goals and assists per 90 minutes for his Orlando City career. For comparison’s sake, only Leo Messi and Evander are averaging a higher G+A/90 than 1.17 among qualified players in MLS this season. Spicer has 3g/2a in his last three games.
- Griezmann recorded another brilliant performance, leading Orlando City with four key passes and five touches in the penalty area to go along with his goal. The French legend covered 6.7 miles across his 90 minutes of work while adding four defensive contributions. Griezmann has played every possible minute through four games in purple.
- With the win, Orlando improved to 4W-2L-7D all-time against Liga MX opposition. Monterrey joins Santos Laguna, Atlas F.C., and Club Necaxa on the list of Mexican teams to fall to Orlando City. The Lions have also won penalty shootouts against Toluca FC and Atlético de San Luis.
- Orlando started three teenagers again on Wednesday, penciling Justin Ellis (19), Luís Otávio (19), and Bernardo Rhein (18) into the XI for the second time in three matches. Martín Perelman has started three teenagers in three separate competitions in 2026 (MLS, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, Leagues Cup). Otávio and Rhein each went 90 minutes, while Ellis provided two key passes and succeeded on both his dribble attempts.
Series History
All-time vs. Club León - First meeting
Meet the opponent: Club León
- Orlando City faces off against Mexican giants CF Monterrey in a blockbuster opener to Leagues Cup 2026 on Wednesday night. The Lions have never faced “Rayados” (striped ones) before, though they have tangled with Monterrey’s clasico rival Tigres UANL multiple times over the years.
- Monterrey was founded in June 1945 and has worn its famous blue and white striped uniforms since 1965. Rayados have won five Liga MX championships in their history, most recently in fall 2019, as well as five CONCACAF Champions Cups. Monterrey is coming off a rare down season, having missed the liguilla (Liga MX’s playoffs) for the first time since spring 2020 and for the first time in a full season since fall 2016.
- Rayados responded to their poor campaign with a double dip into MLS’ Designated Players, signing Diego Rossi from the Columbus Crew and Hugo Cuypers from the Chicago Fire for what’s been reported as a combined $16 million. Rossi is a former MLS Golden Boot winner with 85g/41a in 192 career MLS games, while Cuypers departed Chicago upon the arrival of Robert Lewandowski as the current Golden Boot leader with 13 goals. Both players started Monterrey’s most recent game, a 2-0 win over Atlas.
