Orlando City brace for stern test from MLS-best Nashville SC

Field Level Media|published: Fri 24th July, 19:32 2026 Jul 22, 2026; San Jose, California, USA; Orlando City SC midfielder Braian Ojeda (8) celebrates after scoring against the San Jose Earthquakes in the second half at PayPal Park. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Orlando City SC passed their first test coming out of the World Cup break. A second, perhaps even tougher, challenge awaits.

After opening the second half with a 4-0 road victory over Western Conference second-place team San Jose, Orlando returns home Saturday to host Eastern Conference-leading Nashville SC.

With Wednesday’s win, Orlando (5-9-2, 17 points) snapped a two-match winless span and moved closer to the playoff line. The Lions reside in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and will look for payback after suffering a 5-0 road defeat to Nashville (12-1-3, 39 points) on March 21.

David Brekalo, Ivan Angulo and Braian Ojeda each scored a goal against San Jose.

Antoine Griezmann, 35, also scored in his Lions debut, marking the 300th club goal of the veteran Frenchman’s career.

Lions coach Martin Perelman said Griezmann’s impact extends beyond the pitch.

“I’m not going to discover anything about him as a player,” Perelman said. “Everybody knows how special he is on the field. What I can tell you is that off the field, it’s amazing the way his energy — he’s so humble, he brings good energy to all of us. It’s a pleasure and an honor, not only for me, but everyone in Orlando, to share on a daily basis with him.”

Nashville SC have continued their winning ways since the restart, and expectations have only grown. The club is undefeated in 10 straight matches (8-0-2) and equaled a club record with its fifth consecutive victory. Nashville is on pace for 83 points, which would shatter Inter Miami’s league record of 74 in 2024.

Nashville opened the second half with consecutive 1-0 home victories, defeating Atlanta before edging CF Montreal on Wednesday after Sam Surridge converted a penalty kick in the 68th minute. Surridge leads Nashville with 10 goals this season.

“As long as we are difficult to play against, defend our penalty box well and attack our penalty box well,” Nashville coach B.J. Callaghan said, “that’s a successful formula for us to continue to get three points.”

–Field Level Media

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