Jay Fortune's Late Strike Earns Atlanta United 1-1 Draw at Orlando City in Rivalry Doubleheader Opener

Atlanta United had peppered Orlando City all night and had nothing to show for it. Then, in the 86th minute, substitute Matt Edwards found Jay Fortune in the middle of the box, and Fortune hit a first-time, right-footed shot that climbed into the top left corner. One clean strike erased almost 70 minutes of frustration.

The goal earned Atlanta a 1-1 draw with Orlando City on Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium, after Griffin Dorsey had given the Lions the lead in the 18th minute. It was the first half of a rare rivalry doubleheader: the same two teams meet again on Tuesday in Orlando in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. If this was the trailer, the sequel should be worth watching.

Dorsey Strikes, Atlanta Piles Up Corners

Orlando found the opener on a move it had clearly rehearsed. Iván Angulo got in behind Tomás Jacob, according to Atlanta's club site, and slid the ball across the face of goal for Dorsey to finish from very close range into the bottom left corner. Angulo said afterward it was no accident.

"It's a play that we have really trained and it has worked well," Angulo said through an interpreter.

Martín Ojeda nearly doubled the lead with a shot from distance that Lucas Hoyos saved in the 24th minute, but the rest of the half belonged to Atlanta's set pieces. The 5-Stripes won eight corners before halftime, which their club site said was the second-most they have earned in a first half in club history. None of them produced a goal. Saba Lobjanidze forced Maxime Crépeau into a save in the 39th minute, and Fortune and Matías Galarza both missed from corners in first-half stoppage time. Orlando went to the break up 1-0.

Crépeau Stands Tall

The second half turned into a shooting gallery aimed at one end. Lobjanidze sent a shot over in the 46th minute and forced another save from a tight angle in the 50th. Orlando had a chance to put it away in the 52nd, when Ojeda's effort from a difficult angle was saved by Hoyos, but mostly the Lions were defending. Crépeau saved a long-range Alexey Miranchuk shot in the 58th minute, and Miranchuk dragged a shot just wide from the six-yard box off a Fortune pass in the 61st.

Atlanta went to its bench in the 68th minute, bringing on Stian Gregersen for the injured Enea Mihaj, plus Emmanuel Latte Lath and Edwards. According to the club, it was Gregersen's 50th MLS regular-season appearance. Orlando answered with Duncan McGuire and Luis Otávio a minute later, and Dorsey nearly sealed it in the 72nd minute with a left-footed shot that slid just wide. Fafà Picault, who had come on in the 59th minute, went off with an injury in the 78th.

Between the 78th and 83rd minutes, Atlanta had five attempts blocked or off target. Crépeau, booked in the 83rd, saved a Tristan Muyumba shot at the bottom left corner in the 84th. The equalizer had been coming, and two minutes later it arrived.

Turning Point: Edwards to Fortune

Edwards, part of that 68th-minute triple change, picked out Fortune in space inside the box, and the midfielder made no mistake. Atlanta said it was Fortune's second goal of the 2026 season and the fourth of his MLS career, and that he has now scored in consecutive matches after totaling three goals in his first 62 regular-season games.

Atlanta nearly completed the comeback in the sixth minute of stoppage time, but Crépeau saved Galarza's shot at the top right corner.

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Crépeau was the reason Orlando got anything at all. He made five saves, including the late stop on Galarza, and finished the night as the busiest player in purple.

Fortune scored the goal that mattered and was involved all night, with two shots and the setup for Muyumba's late chance. Miranchuk led everyone with seven shots, though only one of them tested Crépeau. On the other side, Dorsey scored with one of his two attempts, and Angulo's assist was the kind of creative play Orlando's attack is built on.

Orlando's interim head coach Martín Perelman sounded like a man who knew two points had slipped away.

"We were close, close to a win, which is what we always want when we play, but especially at home," Perelman said.

Marco Pasalic, who started and came off in the 59th minute, offered a frank diagnosis. "Maybe it's sometimes better to protect a 1-0 lead than push for another goal," he said.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Atlanta 21, Orlando 7.
• Shots on target: Atlanta 6, Orlando 3. Crépeau made five saves; Hoyos made two.
• Corners: Atlanta won 10 corners to Orlando's four.
• Possession: Atlanta held 54.7 percent of the ball.
• Crosses: Atlanta attempted 28 crosses and completed three; Orlando completed none of its nine.

What It Means

Orlando moves to 4-2-8 with 14 points, now with three wins, a draw and three losses at home. Coming off a 4-3 home win over Philadelphia on Wednesday, the Lions had a chance to string together wins and let it slip late.

"We're left with a bad taste because we finished with a tie," Angulo said.

Atlanta moves to 3-2-8 with 11 points. The point lifts the 5-Stripes' road record to one win, one draw and three losses, and it follows a 2-1 home loss to the LA Galaxy a week earlier. After Tuesday's Open Cup meeting, Orlando visits FC Cincinnati next Saturday and Atlanta heads to Columbus on May 24.

Closing Take

Think of this as the first episode of a two-part TV finale. Orlando had the early plot twist, Atlanta had most of the screen time, and the episode ended on a cliffhanger with neither side getting the payoff. Perelman said his team will adjust for a different competition on Tuesday, and Atlanta will arrive with 21 shots' worth of evidence that it can carve this defense open. Part two, same stadium, three days later. Clear your Tuesday.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by Orlando City SC (orlandocitysc.com); match notes from Atlanta United (atlutd.com) and the AP recap via ESPN.