Orlando City 3–1 Sporting Kansas City: Late Goals Seal Victory at Inter&Co Stadium

By Alonso Contreras

Orlando City powered past Sporting Kansas City with a 3–1 home win, thanks to decisive second-half strikes from Ramiro Enrique and Nicolás Rodríguez.

The Lions came flying out of the gate, striking in just the second minute. Tyrese Spicer, finding space on the left side of the box, fired a composed left-footed finish into the bottom corner to make it 1–0. The early goal energized the crowd, but Sporting responded well.

In the 25th minute, Mason Toye slipped a pass through to Dejan Joveljić, who made no mistake from close range. His shot carried an expected-goals rating of 99%, a near certainty, and leveled the game at 1–1 heading into halftime.

The second half began with both sides trading blows, Martín Ojeda and Marco Pašalić forced saves from John Pulskamp, while Dániel Sallói tested Pedro Gallese at the other end. The breakthrough finally came in the 76th minute. Ojeda threaded a ball into Iván Angulo, whose second assist of the night set up Enrique. The forward calmly slotted home to restore Orlando’s lead at 2–1.

With momentum on their side, Orlando pressed for more. Just seven minutes later, Rodríguez sealed the result. After Angulo and Freeman applied pressure, the substitute midfielder pounced inside the box, finishing clinically with his left foot into the bottom corner to make it 3–1.

Kansas City pushed late, with Sallói and Stephen Afrifa both going close, but Gallese and the backline held firm. In stoppage time, Orlando controlled possession and saw out the victory.

Final Score: Orlando City 3, Sporting Kansas City 1

• Goals: Tyrese Spicer (2’), Ramiro Enrique (76’), Nicolás Rodríguez (83’), Dejan Joveljić (25’)

• Key Assists: Angulo (2), Ojeda

For Orlando, it was a statement win built on resilience and attacking depth, with Enrique and Rodríguez stepping up when it mattered most.