Martín Ojeda's Brace Powers Orlando City Past Charlotte FC 4-1

Orlando City walked into Wednesday night with one win in eight league games, an interim coach and an injury list long enough to need its own scroll bar. They walked out with four goals, a first professional goal for one midfielder, a first MLS goal for another, and Martín Ojeda looking every bit like the best player on the field.

Orlando City SC beat Charlotte FC 4-1 at Inter&Co Stadium, with Ojeda scoring twice in the second half, including a curling free kick in the 61st minute. Luís Otávio opened the scoring in the 21st minute, Morrison Agyemang headed Charlotte level in the 33rd, and substitute Ignacio Gómez sealed it in the 87th.

An Opener Out of Nowhere

The first 20 minutes were cagey. Rodolfo Aloko and Ojeda both missed the target early, Justin Ellis fired over in the 12th minute, and Ashley Westwood sent a shot over from a corner in the 18th.

Then Otávio, a central midfielder with no professional goals to his name, decided to improvise. Off a ball from Zakaria Taifi, he hit a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom left corner. The club described it as an outside-of-the-foot strike and called it the first goal of his professional career.

"It was improvisation. The way the ball came, instincts took over and I hope to do that a lot more," Otávio said.

Charlotte responded with their best spell. Pep Biel and Wilfried Zaha both had efforts from distance, Maxime Crépeau saved from Aloko in the 29th minute, and in the 33rd Biel's set-piece delivery found Agyemang, who headed in from point-blank range. Agyemang nearly scored again in the 44th, nodding a Biel corner wide.

It was 1-1 at the break, with yellow cards for Iván Angulo, Westwood, Otávio and Ojeda adding some spice.

Ojeda Takes Over

Four minutes into the second half, Orlando regained the lead. Tiago picked out Ellis, Ellis carried it into the area and squared it, and Ojeda finished with his first touch, a left-footed shot into the top right corner. Per the club, it was Ellis' first career assist, in his first MLS start.

Charlotte had a chance to answer when Aloko went close in the 53rd minute, and Angulo missed narrowly at the other end two minutes later. Harry Toffolo was booked in the 59th minute, and in the 61st Ojeda stood over a free kick. His left-footed strike bent around the wall and beat Kristijan Kahlina at his near post, according to the club, for 3-1.

Charlotte emptied the bench, bringing on Archie Goodwin, Kerwin Vargas and Brandt Bronico in the 73rd minute and David Schnegg and Djibril Diani in the 80th. Goodwin forced Crépeau into a save with a header in the 81st, and Crépeau also stopped Vargas in stoppage time.

The final word belonged to Gómez, who had come on in the 78th minute and been booked a minute later. In the 87th, Angulo slipped him through and he finished with his left foot into the roof of the net. The club says he is on a short-term agreement, and it was his first MLS goal in just his second MLS appearance.

The Standouts

Martín Ojeda scored twice on four shots, both on target. The club says those were his third and fourth goals of the season and his second multi-goal game of 2026.

Luís Otávio scored his first professional goal and was the one who kicked the door open.

Justin Ellis made his first MLS start and collected his first career assist. "I'm a striker by trade, but I like to get my teammates involved," he said.

Iván Angulo assisted the fourth goal in what the club says was his 150th appearance for Orlando across all competitions.

Maxime Crépeau made four saves, including the late stop on Goodwin.

Morrison Agyemang scored Charlotte's goal and was their biggest threat on set pieces.

Turning Point: The 49th Minute

At 1-1, Charlotte had more of the ball and had just found an equalizer. Ojeda's goal four minutes into the second half flipped that completely. Charlotte had to chase, and against Ojeda's left foot, every free kick near the box is a problem, as Charlotte found out 12 minutes later.

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Charlotte had 57 percent of the ball and completed 508 passes to Orlando's 374.
• Shots: Charlotte took 15 to Orlando's 11, but Orlando put six on target to Charlotte's five.
• Saves: Crépeau made four, Kahlina two.
• Tackles: Orlando attempted 17 to Charlotte's nine, with 13 effective.
• Cards: Orlando were booked five times, Charlotte twice.

What It Means

Orlando move to 2-1-6 with seven points. It was their first win since beating CF Montréal on March 14, ending a four-match winless run. They did it with seven players out injured, per the club's notes, and Bernardo Rhein, another player on a short-term agreement, made his first-team debut in stoppage time. Interim head coach Martín Perelman is not reading too much into one night. "This is a long season. What matters is where we stand at the end. That is our mindset," he said. Otávio was more excited. "This was one of the best games we've played so far," he said. Orlando begin a run of four straight road games at D.C. United on Saturday, per the club.

Charlotte drop to 4-2-3 with 14 points, just days after a 2-1 win at New York City FC. They travel to Nashville on Saturday.

The Closing Take

Orlando's season has felt like a show stuck in a bad first season, the kind people tell you to push through because it gets better. Wednesday was the episode that makes you believe them. Ojeda was the star, but the guys nobody expected, Otávio and Gómez, were the plot twists. One win does not fix a season. It does make the next episode worth watching.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and club notes as reported by OrlandoCitySC.com.