With every Antoine Griezmann goal, optimism rises in Orlando. And so does the Lions’ place in the standings.
Capping his fourth consecutive game on the scoresheet with a second straight game-winning goal to complete his brace, Griezmann led Orlando City to a 3-2 victory over Atlanta United on Wednesday night, continuing their rapid rise up the Eastern Conference table in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs push.
The Lions remain unbeaten when Griezmann hits the back of the net, winning five of six matches across all competitions.
“I think we deserved it. We played a good game,” midfielder Joran Gerbet said postgame.
“Huge win for us on the road, especially a derby against Atlanta. That’s what we needed moving forward.”
Glorious Griezmann
The FIFA World Cup winner notched his first to cancel out an early Atlanta tally, later netting the eventual game-winner by linking up with 19-year-old striker Justin Ellis.
The combination Griezmann has built with the teenage homegrown has proven essential to Orlando’s vault up the standings. The dynamic duo have linked up on four of Griezmann’s seven goals in an Orlando shirt, six of which have come in the last four games.
A slow start to the season is now distant in the rearview mirror for Orlando. They’ve risen to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings and look primed to not only qualify for the playoffs, but prove a threat once they get there.
“Every game in the league is important since we made the step up into playoffs,” said Gerbet. “The team is conscious of it. Momentum is a big thing in MLS … We need to keep the momentum going.”
Building momentum
Orlando beat San Diego FC over the weekend courtesy of another Griezmann winner, one of five league wins they’ve secured since Griezmann’s debut on July 22.
They will look to keep up their form with a match against Toronto FC on Saturday (7:30 pm ET | Apple TV), before traveling to Columbus on Wednesday for the U.S. Open Cup semifinal.
“If we can be inside the top five or even inside of the top three, that's where we want to go, and we want to keep performing like we did tonight,” said Gerbet.
