Minnesota United turned a one-goal deficit into a two-goal lead in the space of five second-half minutes, only for Tyrese Spicer to equalize in stoppage time and hand Orlando City a 3-3 draw at Allianz Field. Antoine Griezmann supplied the pass for Spicer’s late strike, adding an assist to his own 64th-minute goal as Orlando salvaged a point from a match they seemed set to lose. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Spicer’s goal capped a dramatic fightback for the Lions after Minnesota’s triple burst between the 71st and 76th minutes threatened to blow the game open.
Key Moments
- 28′, Daryl Dike opened the scoring for Orlando City, giving the visitors an early lead into the break.
- 64′, Antoine Griezmann doubled Orlando’s advantage, finishing from a Justin Ellis assist to make it 2-0 on the night.
- 71′, Marcus Caldeira pulled one back for Minnesota, converting from a Kelvin Yeboah assist to make it 2-1 and spark a frantic final stretch.
- 74′, Anthony Markanich leveled at 2-2, finishing from a Joaquín Pereyra ball just three minutes after Caldeira’s strike.
- 76′, Kelvin Yeboah put Minnesota ahead for the first time, making it 3-2 and seemingly securing the win for the Loons.
- 90′, Tyrese Spicer, on as a substitute since the 73rd minute, converted from an Antoine Griezmann pass in stoppage time to level at 3-3.
Tactical Breakdown
Orlando controlled the first hour with 56 percent possession and a stifling defensive shape that kept Minnesota’s 21 attempts largely peripheral early on. The Lions scored twice from just six total shots, converting an xG of 1.09 with a clinical efficiency Minnesota’s 3.64 xG could not match in the opening phase. Maxime Crépeau made six saves across the night, absorbing sustained pressure from a home side that out-attempted Orlando more than three to one.
The match turned on Cameron Knowles’s double substitution at halftime, replacing goalkeeper Drake Callender with Alec Smir, and on the wave of energy that followed Caldeira’s 71st-minute goal. Minnesota scored three times in six minutes, each goal building on the previous substitution pattern. Caldeira came off immediately after scoring, replaced by Nectarios Triantis, while Wil Trapp gave way to Mauricio González at the same moment, shifting Minnesota’s shape into a more direct mode. Joaquín Pereyra, operating as a forward, then delivered the assist for Markanich’s equalizer before Yeboah finished the burst.
Orlando’s back line struggled to deal with Minnesota’s volume of shots inside the box, where the Loons registered 20 of their 21 attempts. After Griezmann doubled the lead in the 64th minute, interim coach Martín Perelman’s side looked comfortable, but the withdrawal of Justin Ellis at 73 minutes removed the main ball-carrier who had set up the second goal. Minnesota exploited the space aggressively, and it took a moment of Griezmann quality late on to rescue the point.
Player Ratings
Match Context
Standings
Head To Head
Verdict
The draw leaves Minnesota United eighth in the Western Conference with 29 points, while Orlando City sit ninth in the Eastern Conference on 25 points, both sides holding playoff positions heading into the final stretch of the regular season. A point each does little to shift the standings in either direction, but for Orlando, Spicer’s late intervention prevents what would have been a damaging loss on the road.
Minnesota United FC
Orlando City SC
Antoine Griezmann
Tyrese Spicer