Did Orlando City just produce the best comeback in MLS history?
You won’t see many better than Saturday's historic 4-3 comeback victory at Florida Derby rivals Inter Miami CF.
Led by a hat trick from star Designated Player Martín Ojeda, the Lions overcame a 3-0 deficit with four unanswered goals to secure a wild win at Nu Stadium, capped by a second-half stoppage-time winner from Tyrese Spicer.
“The way we came out in the first half, it wasn’t us,” Ojeda said after the game. “In the second half, we came out and showed who we can be as a team… Very proud to win a clásico away and very proud of this group.”
Martín the magic man
Just over half an hour into the match, Orlando appeared down and out. Miami, led by 1g/2a from Lionel Messi, were cruising. By the end of a chaotic 90-plus minutes, however, Orlando had flipped the script.
Such a crucial win over their in-state rival could be the spark they need to turn their season around.
In this case, it was Ojeda who spearheaded the turnaround. The Argentine attacker diced through Miami’s defense for a pair of sweet left-footed goals, then potted a penalty kick to level the match at 3-3. He’s now up to seven goals on the year.
Even as Orlando’s early-season struggles dropped them near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, they have continued to show their attacking quality. In midweek, Ojeda played the full 90 minutes in another thrilling 4-3 victory, this time over the New England Revolution in the US Open Cup.
“I'm so happy for Martín,” interim head coach Martín Perelman said. “Martín played 90 minutes 72 hours ago. He doesn't want to leave the field, even for one second.
"He's an exceptional player and I'm so happy for him, and for us to have a player like him.”
Nu woes
Meanwhile, Miami’s struggles in their newly minted stadium continued. The Herons are now winless in four games since opening their state-of-the-art venue in April.
Miami’s star-studded attack helped create a frenzied last 10 minutes, but it was Spicer, the 2024 No. 1 overall MLS SuperDraft pick, who emerged as the hero. He ran onto a brilliant dummy by Ojeda and slotted home the winner – completing one of the great single-game comebacks in MLS history.
Saturday's epic rally was just the third time in league history that a team trailed 3–0 and went on to win.
“It's reflective of the work we've been doing,” Ojeda said. “The only way to push forward is to continue to work. As a group, we're all very united and focused on the goals we have ahead of us.”
“We did an amazing job,” Perelman said. “Little by little, we are getting closer to the team we want to be."
