By Emor Villa
A stellar performance from Martín Ojeda helped keep Orlando City in the fight for a spot in the Leagues Cup Knockout Stage. A solid win for Óscar Pareja’s team, who defeated Liga MX side Atlas de Guadalajara 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando.
The performance by Orlando’s magician, wearing the number “10,” was the X factor for the MLS side. With a goal to give his team the lead and an assist on the third strike, Ojeda was the player of the match — and arguably one of the standout players of the tournament so far.
Orlando took the lead after a defensive error from Atlas. Colombian midfielder Iván Angulo scored his first goal of the season with Orlando after beating Atlas goalkeeper Antonio Sánchez in the 9th minute. Despite scoring early, the battle on the field remained tight.
Atlas responded quickly in the second half. Uruguayan forward Matías Cóccaro struck with a powerful header in the box to tie the match just five minutes after the restart. But the tie didn’t last long.
Martín Ojeda took center stage in the 57th minute to lead his team to their first victory in Leagues Cup 2025. The Argentine scored with a powerful zurdazo to make it 2-1 after being found in the box by a well-placed pass from Alex Freeman.
Atlas suffered a red card in stoppage time, with goalscorer Matías Cóccaro being sent off — giving Orlando a man advantage for the final minutes. They capitalized when Ojeda assisted Marco Pašalić for a third goal in the final moments of the match.
Orlando still has hope of reaching the next phase. For now, Los Leones sit among the top four in the MLS standings with 4 points and will look to play their final card against Necaxa on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium. As for Atlas, they’ll only play for pride in their last match, after becoming the first Mexican team eliminated from the competition.
REACTIONS
- Orlando City Head Coach Óscar Pareja
- “We have a lot of respect for Leagues Cup. We know the energy that we put into this tournament, the level of play is amazing. We could have some advantage playing at home, but we have a lot of respect for the Liga MX teams who travel, they make it a great challenge for us. It’s a great competition for both leagues, and we would love to have the Leagues Cup in México, especially for the fans who I know that love the rivalry and they would love to have the chance to support their teams”
- Atlas Head Coach Gonzalo Pineda
- “The team showed great effort in this tournament, we faced a very good team from MLS. Our team had a good performance for instances, but two mistakes put us against in the scoreboard. However, it’s being a great challenge to face the MLS teams in the Leagues Cup.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
- Orlando City:
- The Argentinian Martín Ojeda was the special ingredient in Oscar Pareja’s formula. He finished with a goal and a assist.
GAME NOTES
- Orlando City is still unbeaten against Liga MX teams in Leagues Cup history in regular time. However, it was their second victory against a Mexican side, whom they had faced five times.
- Martín Ojeda continues being the top goal scorer for Orlando this season. The Argentinian midfielder has 13 goals in the MLS and scored his first one in Leagues Cup. The number ten is also the best creator for his team and the second best of the league with 12 assists.
- The Croatian forward Marco Pašalić got his first goal in Leagues Cup to finish any chance for Atlas. The Orlando City forward is the second best goal scorer in Oscar Pareja’s formation, now, he has 12 goals in all competitions.
- Atlas became the first Mexican team eliminated from Leagues Cup 2025, but it’s also the first time “The Foxes” will miss the Knockout Stage, as they played it on 2023 and 2024.
CARDS/INJURY REPORT
- Yellow Cards:
- Orlando: Robin Jansson, Martín Ojeda
- Red Cards:
- Atlas: Matías Cóccaro
LOOKING AHEAD
- Orlando City:
- Will play for a spot in Leagues Cup Knockout Stage when they face Necaxa at Inter&Co Stadium on August 6th.
- Oscar Pareja’s side needs the three points and then wait for other results from at least five teams.
- Atlas FC:
- Eliminated from Knockout Stage contention
- Their last match is against Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 6th.
