In a match that had everything a soccer fan could ask for, Martín Ojeda delivered a dramatic 90th-minute winner to give Orlando City a thrilling 4-3 victory over the struggling Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night. The Lions' striker was the hero of the hour, scoring twice—including a first-half penalty kick and the late game-winner—to snap their two-match losing streak and keep the Union winless in their last seven outings.
Orlando City (4-8-1) struck first in the 19th minute when Ojeda converted from the spot after being fouled by Union goalkeeper Andrew Rick, who received a yellow card on the play. It was the striker's seventh goal of the season, and he wasn't done yet. Defender Griffin Dorsey doubled the lead in the 27th minute with an unassisted strike, his first goal of the campaign and the 12th of his career in 143 appearances, sending the Lions into halftime with a comfortable 2-0 advantage.
The Union (1-9-3) showed fight after the break, with Milan Iloski pulling one back in the 54th minute off assists from defender Nathan Harriel and 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan, who had just entered the match before halftime. But Orlando City responded quickly, as Duncan McGuire scored in the 72nd minute off a Tyrese Spicer assist to restore the two-goal lead. It was McGuire's second goal of the season and the 29th of his career in 83 appearances, moving him into fourth place on the club's all-time scoring list with 32 goals across all competitions.
Just when it seemed Orlando would cruise to victory, the Union mounted a stunning comeback. Cavan Sullivan scored his first career goal in his 25th appearance in the 75th minute, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Then, four minutes later, Ben Bender—who assisted on Sullivan's goal—found the back of the net himself for his first goal in two seasons and the eighth of his career, with Stas Korzeniowski picking up his first career assist in his sixth appearance to tie the match at 3-3.
But Ojeda had the final say. With the clock ticking toward full time, assists from Adrián Marín and Iván Angulo set up the Argentine striker for his second goal of the night, securing all three points for Orlando City in dramatic fashion. Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau made four saves for the Lions, while Rick stopped two shots in his first start of the season and the 21st of his career.
The victory was a welcome rebound for Orlando City, who had won two straight matches in second-half stoppage time before falling 2-0 to CF Montreal last time out on goals in the 94th and 98th minutes. Under coach Martín Perelman, the Lions have gone 4-5-1 since a disastrous 0-3-0 start that led to the firing of Oscar Pareja. For the Union, it's a different story. Bradley Carnell's side is off to the worst start in club history, becoming the first MLS team to lose nine of their first 13 matches and extending their winless run to seven games.