JUSTIN ELLIS, PICTURED
Orlando City SC advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after a dramatic 4-3 victory over the New England Revolution at Centreville Bank Stadium on Wednesday night. This marks the first time Orlando City has made it to the quarterfinals since winning the cup in 2022.
Wednesday’s match unfolded as a back-and-forth affair between the two sides from the outset, with the Revs twice taking the lead in the first half and Orlando City responding quickly on each occasion. New England struck first in the 21st minute when Malcolm Fry was played into the box and held off his defender to finish at the near post. Orlando responded 10 minutes later, as Iago rose high to head home a Tiago free kick for his first goal in purple.
New England reclaimed their lead in the 37th minute through a set piece of their own. Gabe Dahlin recovered a loose ball in the six-yard box and laid it off to Andrew Farrell, who hammered a low effort into the net to make it 2-1. The lead lasted two minutes before Ivan Angulo floated a ball out wide to Griffin Dorsey, who played a one-two with Justin Ellis to slip through on goal and volley home Orlando’s second equalizer of the night.
The tit-for-tat continued after the break, with the home side taking a third lead in the 58th minute via Marcos Zambrano’s effort from outside the box. Ellis then netted his second goal in as many games, slotting home a rebound off Tyrese Spicer’s cross to level the score in the 70th minute.
In the 74th minute, Ellis scored again, but it was ruled offside. Many questioned the call, including The Mane Land, which said during their play-by-play coverage on Bluesky, “Oh wow, the replay shows everyone onside by a good margin.” The call went unchallenged, however.
The Lions then found the game-winner in stoppage time after Martín Ojeda played a ball over the back line to Spicer, who crossed a low, driven ball into the box for Zakaria Taifi to tap in and send his side to the quarterfinals.
Orlando City will face Atlanta United at home for the quarterfinals; a date is to be determined.
