Tyrese Spicer's Stoppage-Time Equalizer Rescues Orlando City in Wild 3-3 Draw at Minnesota United

Allianz Field was already celebrating. Minnesota United had erased a two-goal deficit in a blink, Kelvin Yeboah had sent the place into orbit and the clock was deep into stoppage time. Then Antoine Griezmann gathered the ball deep in Orlando territory and launched it down the left for Tyrese Spicer, who charged into the box and squeezed a left-footed finish past Alec Smir from a tight angle.

Orlando City SC 3, Minnesota United FC 3. Saturday night's draw in St. Paul had no winner, but it had just about everything else: a two-goal Orlando lead, three Minnesota goals between the 71st and 75th minutes, an overhead kick and a third-minute stoppage-time leveler that left the home crowd stunned.

Minnesota Pushes, Dike Punishes

Minnesota had the better of the opening half hour. Marcus Caldeira and Anthony Markanich both missed early, and Maxime Crépeau had to make three saves in a three-minute stretch, stopping Markanich in the 19th and 21st minutes and Jefferson Díaz in the 21st. Díaz also had a close-range header blocked a minute later.

Orlando scored with its first real chance. In the 28th minute, Daryl Dike won a 50-50 ball in the six-yard box, according to Orlando's match report, then turned and finished from the right side into the bottom right corner. The club said it was Dike's first MLS start since returning to Orlando this summer and his first MLS goal since leaving for West Bromwich Albion at the end of the 2021 season.

The goal came at a cost for Minnesota. Drake Callender, who the Loons said was hurt during the sequence, was replaced at halftime by Smir. Before the break, Yeboah headed wide, Joaquín Pereyra forced another save from Crépeau and Pereyra fired over in stoppage time.

Griezmann Strikes, Then the Roof Comes Off

The second half followed the same pattern for a while. Yeboah blazed over in the 48th minute and Crépeau saved from Pereyra in the 49th. Griezmann was booked in the 54th, and Orlando made two changes in the 59th, with Harvey Sarajian replacing Dike and Luis Otávio coming on for Joran Gerbet.

Then Orlando struck on the break. In the 64th minute, Justin Ellis slid a through ball into Griezmann, and the Frenchman finished with his left foot into the bottom right corner for 2-0. Smir denied him a second five minutes later.

What followed was four minutes of pure chaos. In the 71st minute, a Yeboah effort was turned in from very close range by Caldeira for 2-1. In the 74th, Pereyra swung in a corner and Markanich headed it into the top right corner for 2-2. And in the 75th, after Crépeau saved from Kyle Duncan, Yeboah finished from point-blank range for 3-2. Minnesota described the finish as an overhead kick, and MLSsoccer.com called it a "delicious bike."

Orlando's response was gradual, then sudden. Martín Ojeda and Marco Pasalic came on in the 81st minute, Ojeda forced Smir into a save in the 87th, and Pasalic had a shot blocked and picked up a yellow card in stoppage time. Then came Griezmann's pass and Spicer's finish in the 93rd minute. Carlos Harvey headed over for Minnesota deep into the seven added minutes, and that was that.

Griezmann Runs the Show

Griezmann finished with a goal and an assist, putting both of his shots on target. The AP counted his strike as his fourth goal in his seventh MLS appearance, and Orlando noted that the reigning MLS Player of the Matchday now has five goal contributions in his last three matches. When Orlando needed a moment of quality, it came from him twice.

Spicer, who came off the bench in the 73rd minute, made his only shot count. Orlando said it was his eighth goal across all competitions this year and his eighth goal contribution in his last nine games.

For Minnesota, Markanich was everywhere, with five shots, three on target and a header for his sixth goal of the season, per the AP. Yeboah scored and set up Caldeira, and the AP had it as his 11th goal of the year. Pereyra's corner for Markanich was his 10th assist of the season, according to the Loons, and Minnesota's recap credited him with a rabona cross late in the first half for good measure.

Crépeau made six saves, and without him, Minnesota likely puts this away much earlier.

The Turning Point: The Miss at 90

Every wild draw has a sliding-doors moment, and this one came in the 90th minute. Leading 3-2, Minnesota substitute Mauricio González found himself on the left side of the six-yard box and pushed his shot wide. A fourth goal would have ended it. Instead, Orlando got one more look, and Griezmann made sure it was a good one.

Interim head coach Martín Perelman summed up the whiplash. "Weird sensation because we were really close to winning, but a point on the road is always point," he said, per Orlando.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Minnesota 21, Orlando 6. Orlando put five of its six on target.
• Saves: Crépeau made six; Smir made two after replacing Callender.
• Crosses: Minnesota attempted 31 crosses to Orlando's two.
• Corners: Minnesota earned eight to Orlando's one, and one of them produced Markanich's equalizer.
• Possession: Orlando held 56.6 percent of the ball.

What It Means

Minnesota moved to 7-8-7 with 29 points, and the AP noted the Loons were coming off a 5-1 win at San Jose. Orlando is 7-4-11 with 25 points after its first trip to St. Paul since 2023, per the AP. Orlando hosts San Diego FC on Saturday, Sept. 5, while Minnesota visits the Portland Timbers the same night.

For Orlando, Dike captured the mood. "Frustrating match," he said. "I think we worked really hard from minute one. It's never easy to go anywhere away." Perelman was more upbeat about the first hour, saying "What everybody saw is probably 60 minutes really good."

The Post-Credits Scene

This match played like a Marvel movie. Orlando built the plot, Minnesota delivered the big third-act twist, and just when the crowd started reaching for its jackets, Spicer showed up in the post-credits scene to set up the sequel. Two teams, six goals, one point each, and nobody in St. Paul will forget it soon.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by orlandocitysc.com. Additional details from the AP, mnufc.com and mlssoccer.com.