How Antoine Griezmann Fared in His Orlando City, MLS Debut

It was a starring day for Antoine Griezmann in his MLS debut, as the 2018 World Cup winner with France scored and flexed his overall quality in Orlando City’s convincing 4–0 win over Western Conference leaders, San Jose Earthquakes.

Playing as a hold-up striker, Griezmann impressed with his first touches and line-breaking passes throughout the evening, while also making runs that drew defenders and opened space for his teammates.

His partnership with creative midfielder Eduard Atuesta stood out, and Atuesta ended the night with assists on three of Orlando’s four goals. At the same time, Canadian World Cup No. 1 goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau put forth an impressive performance, making seven saves, including stops in the top corner.

While Robert Lewandowski disappointed in his Chicago Fire debut, Griezmann did the exact opposite, riding his good form from two tune-up friendlies during the World Cup break into a stellar Orlando debut.

Here’s how it all went down.

Antoine Griezmann vs. San Jose Earthquakes —How It All Unfolded at PayPal Park

Starting With Intensity

The start of Griezmann’s performance was indicative of the rest of the night, as he created chances from just moments after kickoff. First, it was a chip from distance after catching another MLS debutant, San Jose goalkeeper Angus Gunn, off his line, and although the ball drifted wide, it was a warning shot from the French attacker.

Soon after, Griezmann sliced a through ball to Thiago Carvalho to break in on goal, quickly switching the play and allowing the Brazilian to get a one-on-one opportunity. Minutes later, Griezmann sent in a pinpoint cross for teammate David Brekalo, whose headed effort in the 12th minute was thwarted by Gunn, just moments after Brekalo had opened the scoring from a similar chance.

The entire first half showed immense pace, effort and intensity from the former Atlético Madrid star and outside of the chances, he also drew two fouls with quick breaks down the right wing in the moments he drifted wider to allow for underlapping runs from Atuesta and Iván Angulo, who both were key offensive drivers as well.

Griezmann Takes on Chance Creation Role

Despite playing at the top of Orlando’s 4-4-2, Griezmann dropped back in possession and allowed players to hit top speed when running against the San Jose fullbacks, before sending perfectly weighted balls through defensive setups, breaking lines and building chances.

He consistently linked up with Atuesta throughout the 90 minutes, either allowing Atuesta to charge forward to find a final pass or doing so himself while Atuesta maintained the team’s attack pressure or created second phases of attacking play.

While Griezmann only managed two shots, including a goal, his vision stood out as he was able to pick out 19-year-old Justin Ellis with several line-breaking passes. At the same time, he was able to quickly make exchanges near the top of the final third, which helped him spring Angulo throughout the second half, ending his night credited with five chances created and an Expected Assists statline of 0.44.

All of that creation didn’t stop him from attacking in a goal-focused way either, as he showed on his finish in the 48th minute, right out of the halftime break.

Griezmann’s Goal

Griezmann has scored against some of the best defenders and defensive setups in his career. Wednesday’s opposition was not of such a high caliber and he completely exposed the Earthquakes’ faulty defensive setup, left alone in front of goal, before showing the patience to wait out diving defenders and finish past Gunn.

The chance came after a poor giveaway from the Earthquakes, which allowed Griezmann to be in the relatively surprising position. Yet, he made the quick decision to cut to his left, using the defender’s momentum running towards him to cancel out the defensive effort, before sticking his left foot through the ball and picking out a small space along the ground at the near post.

GRIZI GETS HIS FIRST IN @MLS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NfC5mfPZaS
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) July 23, 2026

It was one of just two shots for Griezmann on the evening, but it proved how clinical he can be in those moments, and how he can foresee a defensive error before exposing it as he did with the defender’s momentum.

Wednesday’s win was a remarkable beatdown for Orlando against the best team in the Western Conference up to this point in the season. It should offer plenty of hope through the second half of the campaign, with Griezmann instantly putting himself in the MLS Newcomer of the Year conversation.

The Numbers That Explain Griezmann’s MLS Debut

Griezmann’s chance creation was the most impressive part of his debut, and it came in massive numbers. He was credited with five chances created, but in reality, there were several more attacking moments that he played a vital part in.
Many veteran Designated Players, especially strikers, don’t come in with an unrelenting mentality in the press. Griezmann certainly did, and showcased it with seven recoveries in an overall tenacious effort from his entire team.
The Griezmann slicing pass is going to make for quite the highlight reel at the end of the season. It might be a long video, too, after he had six passes into the final third in his first minutes.

Statistic	Tally
Minuted Played	90
Goals	1
Assists	0
Expected Goals (xG)	0.13
xG on Target (xGOT)	0.66
Expected Assists (xA)	0.31
Accurate Passes	45/54 (83%)
Chances Created	5
Big Chances Created	2
Shots on Target	1
Shots Off Target	1
Blocked Shots	0
Shot Accuracy	1/2 (50%)

*Statistics Provided by FotMob

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