Orlando City stun Inter Miami in dominant road victory | OneFootball

By José Nuñez

Orlando City came out swinging against Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, and the rest of the Inter Miami CF squad on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire.

The Lions netted three goals courtesy of Luis Muriel, Marco Pašalić, and 70th-minute substitute Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, cruising to yet another shutout win.

The 3-0 victory continues their incredible streak of 12 consecutive matches (6W-0L-6D) without a loss across all competitions.

The rookie and the vet

Muriel continued his red-hot form, notching his sixth goal of the season — and his sixth in just eight matches — already surpassing his goal total from all of 2024.

“I have to admit, it is not a huge point of pride for me to have accomplished this,” shared the Colombian striker when asked about surpassing last year’s totals. “I am, however, happy that I am going through this moment, that I am helping my team by scoring, which is most important, and I want to keep it going, help my team succeed.”

On the other end of the age and experience spectrum, MLS SuperDraft rookie Joran Gerbet continues to impress — especially when tasked with defending none other than Messi. Now with six straight starts, he’s quickly proving himself a staple in Orlando’s midfield.

“I’ve said this a number of times already: we are so glad and so blessed to have Joran on our team. The quality he is developing is outstanding,” shared Orlando boss Oscar Pareja. “He was playing against Leo [Messi]; he knew he needed to mark him, but he also knew he needed to make his mark on the game. It was a tremendous job. It needed to be done well.”

Gallese does it all

Between the sticks, Pedro Gallese kept a clean sheet, making four saves. The shutout made Orlando City the first team to hold Inter Miami scoreless at Chase Stadium since October 2023, breaking the Herons’ 24-match scoring streak.

It was the Peruvian international's sixth clean sheet of the year, and sixth in his last eight league matches, a stunning run of form which has vaulted the Lions up the Eastern Conference standings.

But Gallese didn’t just keep a clean sheet — he also contributed with the rarest of feats for a goalkeeper: an assist.

“Pedro made an incredible pass into space, and I was able to control that ball, it wasn’t easy,” said Muriel, who finished off the play. “He saw it — that’s what was most important and most difficult.”

Florida rivalry grows

Orlando leave this match with not only bragging rights — at least until August — but also an extended lead in the all-time series between the clubs, boasting six wins in 16 encounters across all competitions.

“The commitment to the game plan was enormous,” Pareja told reporters. “They wanted so badly to give the fans and the club this performance — the importance of it, and at this moment — the players played a great game.”

Pareja and his squad will look to carry this momentum into their next match, as Nashville SC, currently above Orlando in the standings, come to town for a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 clash on Wednesday (7:30 pm).

WATCH: Orlando City dominate Inter Miami in Florida Derby clash