CHICAGO — Orlando City SC built a two-goal lead in the first half Wednesday night at Soldier Field, then watched Chicago Fire FC rally for a 2-2 draw. Even so, Orlando holds on to a place among the East’s automatic playoff qualifiers heading into the last two weeks of the regular season.
Orlando needed only six minutes to score. Luís Otávio sent the ball forward to Antoine Griezmann, who found Iván Angulo racing down the left side. Angulo cut into the box and beat goalkeeper Chris Brady at the near post from a sharp angle for his seventh MLS goal of the year.
Griezmann doubled the lead in the 35th minute. Otávio started the move again, Vinícius Nogueira moved it on, and the French World Cup winner turned outside the area and bent a shot inside the post. It was his 15th goal in all competitions since he joined Orlando in July, and the assist on the opener stretched his run of MLS matches with a goal or assist to 12, matching the club record Martín Ojeda set in 2025.
Chicago changed the game at halftime by sending on Jonathan Bamba. He headed in a Leonardo Barroso cross at the far post in the 57th minute, then set up Maren Haile-Selassie for the equalizer in the 69th minute after captain Jack Elliott won the ball back deep in Orlando’s half. It was Haile-Selassie’s 12th goal of the season.
Orlando, now 12-13-7 with 43 points, played without injured defenders Griffin Dorsey and Robin Jansson and forward Tyrese Spicer, and midfielder Eduard Atuesta sat out a yellow card suspension. With both goals, Orlando has now found the net in 25 straight games of any kind, a club best.
The Lions close their two-game road trip Saturday, Oct. 31, at Charlotte FC, with kickoff at 1 p.m. Chicago, 15-10-7, stays fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Section: More Orlando FL sports news
Filed under: Orlando FL Sports News
