There's no slowing Orlando City SC at Inter Miami CF | OneFootball

After making a statement in the first half, Orlando City SC performed a second-half soccer clinic on the pitch at Inter Miami CF.

Orlando City SC goalkeeper Pedro Gallese enjoyed his first primary assist plus a clean sheet. That’s among an array of player feats as Inter Miami CF fell 3-0 to the Lions.

The coaches ran the match in stages. So only at the 70-minute mark, with the score 2-0, did Head Coach Oscar Pareja bring in personnel to plug up the net. That would ensure that Gallese got his next clean sheet.

Orlando players moved speedily throughout the game, at a pace Inter Miami never tried to match. The Miami side's strategy was to try to slow the pace by discussing perceived infractions with officials.

The Lions turned the Miami Ref-Conference strategy against them for the first score. Forward Luis Muriel took off on a sprint during one of the Miami meetings. Keeper Pedro Gallese sent a long punt toward him that looked as if it were wire-guided.

Muriel effortlessly shot the punt past Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari for a score in the 43rd minute. Gallese was on the assist.

The score remained 1-0 at the half.

In the second half, Orlando City maintained the speed. But Miami seemed to slow up. As Lions players and coaches realized that, the balance between offense and defense was ready for adjustment.

Just eight minutes into the second half, midfielder Martin Ojeda moved the ball from the right flank to the middle, where forward Marco Pasalic caught it and fired the hardest, fastest shot in the memory of all observers.

May 18, 2025; Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA; Inter Miami CF midfielder Sergio Busquets (5), forward Luis Suarez (9), defender Jordi Alba (18) and forward Lionel Messi (10) argue with the referee after a goal by Orlando City during the first half at Chase Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Ustari measured Pasalic’s shot and got his fingers on it. But the force was too much, and it continued into the net for a score in the 53rd minute, with an assist from Ojeda.

By the 70th minute, Orlando Head Coach Oscar Pareja elected to bring in, among others, versatile defender Dagur Dan Thorhallsson. The idea was to install a hybrid back-five formation to ensure a clean sheet.

But Thorhallsson has strong offensive skills. When he saw the chance four minutes into stoppage time, he banked it. Defender Kyle Smith fed the surging forward Duncan McGuire. He squared the ball across the six-yard box for Thorhallsson to tap in, with assists to McGuire and Smith.

The Lions won 3-0 and get another three points.

Now Orlando City SC has proven to itself and its supporters that it can win with balance, speed, and determination.