Orlando City SC faced a challenging match against Liga MX side Club León, suffering a 2-1 defeat in their second Phase One encounter of Leagues Cup 2026 on Saturday night at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

First Half Highlights

The Lions took an early lead in the 38th minute, with Designated Player Marco Pašalić scoring his third goal of the season. Pašalić, who made his first start since May 15 after participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, connected with a diagonal pass from Tyrese Spicer and struck a left-footed shot into the lower right corner, beating León goalkeeper Óscar García. This goal marked Pašalić's 18th since joining Orlando City ahead of the 2025 MLS season. Spicer's assist was his fourth of the season and his third in the last three matches, bringing his total to six goal contributions over the Lions' last four games.

Orlando City maintained their 1-0 advantage into halftime, thanks in part to goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, who made five crucial saves before the break.

Second Half Turnaround

The momentum shifted in the second half when Club León equalized in the 54th minute. Juan Guevara scored with a header from a curling free kick taken by Jordi Cortizo, leveling the match at 1-1. León then took the lead in the 72nd minute when Iván Moreno assisted Daniel Arcila, who found the back of the net with a left-footed shot from the top of the box, making it 2-1 in favor of the visitors.

Orlando City will look to bounce back in their next match against Atlético de San Luis, scheduled for Wednesday, August 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Post-Match Reactions

Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman expressed his disappointment, stating, “I think, of course, very, very sad for the result – for us, for our people, for everyone. We were trying to compete in the best way as possible and trying to win, and we couldn’t – especially when we are at home – so, we suffered.” He acknowledged León's performance, saying, “Congrats to them. They did a really good job.”

Forward Marco Pašalić shared his feelings about returning to the pitch, saying, “The best feeling was to be back on the pitch today and to be able to help the team. I was happy to help in the first half with the goal.” However, he noted a setback, “Sadly, I got hit on the knee, so my knee was getting numb.”