Antoine Griezmann Scores His 300th Professional Club Goal on MLS Debut as Orlando City Rout San Jose 4-0

Three minutes into the second half, Justin Ellis picked off a San Jose pass in the final third and slipped Antoine Griezmann through on goal. What happened next looked effortless. Griezmann held off three defenders, according to Orlando City, and tucked a low left-footed finish into the bottom right corner. It was his first official goal for the Lions, it came in his MLS debut, and the club said it was the 300th professional club goal of his career.

Orlando City SC beat the San Jose Earthquakes 4-0 at PayPal Park on Wednesday night, in what the club noted was its first match following the MLS break for the World Cup. David Brekalo, Iván Angulo and Braian Ojeda also scored, Eduard Atuesta assisted three of the four goals, and Maxime Crépeau made seven saves for what the club described as Orlando's first MLS clean sheet of the season.

Set Pieces, Then a Star Turn

San Jose had the first chance, with Ousseni Bouda dragging a shot wide in the second minute. Griezmann's first effort in MLS, a long-range attempt in the fifth, sailed high and wide. Two minutes later Orlando were ahead: Atuesta swung in a free kick, and Brekalo, unmarked per the club, headed it into the top right corner.

The Lions had their foot on the gas for the next stretch. Brekalo forced Angus Gunn into a save with another header from a Griezmann cross in the 12th minute, and Tiago missed twice in quick succession, once off a Griezmann pass and once with a header after a Griffin Dorsey cross on the break. Crépeau had to deal with Beau Leroux and Bouda at the other end, saving both.

In the 29th minute Atuesta found Angulo just outside the box, and Angulo drove a low shot past Gunn for 2-0. The Earthquakes kept probing before halftime, but Crépeau saved a Leroux attempt in the 42nd minute, and San Jose went in two down at the break.

Then came Griezmann's moment in the 48th. San Jose responded with a flurry, and Crépeau was outstanding. He saved Timo Werner in the 49th minute, then stopped Jack Skahan and Werner again in the 57th. Orlando lost Tiago to an injury just before the hour, with Tyrese Spicer replacing him.

The fourth goal was another set piece. Gunn saved an Atuesta shot in the 72nd minute, Orlando won the corner, and Atuesta's delivery found Ojeda for a header into the bottom right corner. Bouda then hit the right post from outside the box in the 74th minute, which pretty much summed up San Jose's luck. Ellis later went off injured in the 84th minute, and Gunn made late saves on Spicer and Harvey Sarajian to keep it at four.

The Lions Who Roared

Griezmann scored on one of his two shots and was the engine of Orlando's attack, setting up chances for Brekalo, Tiago and Spicer. Interim head coach Martín Perelman did not oversell it. "Everybody knows how special he is on the field," Perelman said, per the club. Crépeau was more effusive: "He doesn't need a couple of chances, that's why he's such a great player."

Atuesta was the quiet MVP, credited by ESPN with three assists, two of them from dead balls. It is worth remembering where this group was before the break: Orlando's last league match was a 6-2 loss at FC Cincinnati in May, and the club said Perelman made just one change to that lineup, handing Griezmann his first start. One change, four goals, zero conceded.

Crépeau made seven saves and earned the clean sheet. The club also noted the Lions have not conceded a goal to San Jose since 2019. "So to not concede tonight is something amazing," the goalkeeper said, per Orlando City.

Brekalo, Angulo and Ojeda all chipped in, with the club saying it was Angulo's first goal of the year and Ojeda's first of the season. For San Jose, Bouda had four shots, two on target and one off the post, while Leroux and Werner each forced Crépeau into two saves.

The Turning Point

The Griezmann goal. San Jose came out for the second half with a change at the break and just needed one to make it a game. Instead, 3 minutes in, Ellis jumped a pass, Griezmann finished, and the Earthquakes' fight became a damage-limitation exercise. Their best spell came right after, and Crépeau shut it down. Perelman singled out exactly that part of the night. "I really like the way the team defended," he said, per the club.

Stats That Matter

• Shots on target: 8 to 7 for Orlando, with 15 total shots to San Jose's 11.
• Saves: seven for Crépeau, four for Gunn.
• Interceptions: 16 to 5 for Orlando, which also cleared the ball 24 times.
• Fouls: San Jose committed 20 to Orlando's 10, with four Earthquakes booked.
• Possession: 51.5 percent for San Jose, without a goal to show for it.
• Offsides: seven for San Jose, with Preston Judd flagged three times.

What It Means

Orlando improved to 5-2-9 with 17 points, and Perelman framed it as the right kind of restart. "It was a really good start to the second part of the season, so we're so happy," he said. The Lions now head home to Inter&Co Stadium for the first time since May, hosting Nashville SC, whom the club called the Supporters' Shield leaders, on Saturday, July 25.

San Jose dropped to 10-2-4 with 32 points. It was only the Earthquakes' fourth loss of the season, and they host the LA Galaxy on Saturday.

Final Word

Some debuts are slow burns. This one was the cold open of a summer blockbuster: the star walks on, the music swells, and three minutes into the second act he does exactly what the trailer promised. Orlando have been searching for a spark all season. On a Wednesday night in San Jose, a 300th club goal looked a lot like one.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and match notes as reported by Orlando City SC.