Martin Ojeda's 90th Minute Header Delivers Orlando City a Stunning 4-3 Upset Over Union in the Rain

Orlando City just pulled off one of the wildest comebacks you'll see this season, and it took a dramatic header from Martin Ojeda in the final minute to do it. With the rain coming down and the Philadelphia Union thinking they had clawed their way back into this match, Ojeda rose up and buried a service from Adrian Marin in the 90th minute to secure a 4-3 victory Wednesday night at Inter&Co Stadium.

This was Ojeda's ninth goal of the campaign, and it arrived at exactly the right moment. Eleven minutes earlier, Philadelphia had tied things up at 3-3, looking like they were about to steal a result. But Orlando kept probing forward, and when Marin found Ojeda in the center of the box, Union goalie Andrew Rick had no answer. One header. Game over.

From 3-1 Down to Nearly Getting Out With a Point

Philadelphia came into this match already struggling, sitting at 1-9-3 with just 6 points in the Eastern Conference cellar. But they showed some fight, erasing Orlando's 3-1 deficit before running out of gas. Teen phenom Cavan Sullivan scored his first MLS goal to get things rolling, and Ben Bender followed four minutes later to make it interesting. Milan Iloski had gotten Philadelphia on the board in the 54th minute with his team-leading third goal of the year.

The Union trailed 2-0 at halftime, which tells you how well Orlando started this thing. By the time Bender, playing left back for the first time in his career, scored to make it 3-2, Philadelphia had momentum. Sullivan's high cross led to Bender sending it back to him for a stellar finish. The Union got within one, but they couldn't find the killer blow.

Ojeda Opens the Scoring With a Penalty, McGuire Piles On

Ojeda got things started in the 19th minute from the spot after drawing a yellow card on Rick with a dive that tripped him up. He hesitated just long enough to get the Union keeper to splay to the right, then calmly finished for the 1-0 lead. Griffin Dorsey extended it to 2-0 in the 27th minute on an open strike after Tiago recovered the ball twice in Orlando's end and shuttled it ahead.

Duncan McGuire added Orlando's third goal in the 72nd minute off a 3-on-1 break. Substitute Tyrese Spicer beat a weak challenge near midfield and found McGuire completely unmarked for an easy right-footed finish. Maxime Crepeau made four saves for Orlando to earn the win, while Rick made two saves in his first start of the season filling in for an injured Andre Blake.

Orlando City improves to 4-8-1 with 13 points and has won three of their last five. That's the kind of momentum that can turn a season around, especially when you've got a guy like Ojeda capable of delivering in the cruelest moments.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.