Orlando City SC Falls, 1-0, to Houston Dynamo FC
MLS Orlando City SC

Orlando City SC Falls, 1-0, to Houston Dynamo FC

Published on April 18, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Orlando City SC News Release


ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando City SC (1-6-1, 4 points) fell to Houston Dynamo FC (3-4-0, 9 points) by a 1-0 score Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium. The result marked the first home loss in club history for the Lions against the Dynamo.

Orlando generated multiple chances throughout the match but could not convert in the final third, while Houston found the breakthrough in the 75th minute through Hector Herrera and held on to claim all three points.

The match marked midfielder Martín Ojeda's 100th start across all competitions in his Orlando City career and featured the Major League Soccer and home debuts of Homegrown forward Justin Ellis and Orlando City B midfielder Ignacio Gomez, who both entered as second-half substitutes.

Orlando City will next host Charlotte FC in a midweek matchup Wednesday, April 22, at Inter&Co Stadium. Kickoff on Apple TV is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Goal Highlights:

75' Hector Herrera - HOU 1, ORL 0

Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman:

"Well, of course, sad. Defeats hurt even more at home, where we always want to win, so that is the first thing we have to say about the game. At home, we want to win, and that's it. Other than that, I think everybody saw what happened in the game. I think there was almost one team on the field dominating. We couldn't score, and they found that goal in transition, and that's the game."

Match Notes:

The match marked midfielder Martín Ojeda's 100th start across all competitions in his Orlando City career. Ojeda became the third active Lion to reach the milestone, joining Robin Jansson and Iván Angulo.

The night also marked the MLS and home debut of Homegrown forward Justin Ellis, who entered the match as a second-half substitute.

Orlando City B midfielder Ignacio Gomez made his MLS and home debut after entering the match in the second half. Gomez was available for the first team on a short-term agreement.

Interim head coach Martín Perelman made seven changes to the lineup from the Lions' previous match against FC Naples. Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, defenders Iago and Robin Jansson, midfielders Eduard Atuesta and Martín Ojeda and forwards Iván Angulo and Tiago entered the starting XI.

Defender David Brekalo (lower leg) and Griffin Dorsey (thigh), midfielders Wilder Cartagena (thigh) and Joran Gerbet (knee) and forward Duncan McGuire (lower leg) all missed the match due to injury. Next Match: The Lions will next host Charlotte FC this Wednesday, April 18. That match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Inter&Co Stadium.

Teams 1 2 F

Orlando City SC 0 0 0

Houston Dynamo FC 0 1 1

Scoring Summary:

HOU - Hector Herrera 75'

Misconduct Summary:

ORL - Eduard Atuesta (Yellow Card) 18'

HOU - Felipe Andrade (Yellow Card) 28'

HOU - Jimmy Maurer (Yellow Card) 78'

ORL - Braian Ojeda (Yellow Card) 90+6'

Lineups/Substitutions

Orlando City SC âˆ' GK Maxime Crépeau; D Zakaria Taifi (Harvey Sarajian 79'), Iago, Robin Jansson (c), Adrián Marín; M Tyrese Spicer (Justin Ellis 58'), Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta (Ignacio Gomez 90'), Iván Angulo; F Martín Ojeda, Tiago

Substitutes Not Used: GK Javier Otero; D Nolan Miller, Tahir Reid-Brown; M Gustavo Caraballo, Colin Guske, Luís Otávio

Houston Dynamo FC - GK Jonathan Bond (Jimmy Maurer 46'); D Lawrence Ennali (Ibrahim Aliyu 90), Antonio Carlos, Agustin Resch, Franco Negri (Sam Vines 63'), Felipe Andrade; M Diadie Samassekou (Artur 63'), Hector Herrera (Agustin Bouzat 80'); F Guilherme, Ezequiel Ponce, Mateusz Bogusz

Substitutes Not Used: D Erik Sviatchenko; M Duane Holmes; F Ondrej Lingr, Nick Markanich

Details of the Game:

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Weather: Clear

Date: April 18, 2026

Attendance: 19,243

Stats:

Possession:

ORL - 60.0%

HOU - 40.0%

Shots:

ORL - 17

HOU - 19

Shots on Goal:

ORL - 3

HOU - 6

Saves:

ORL - 4

HOU - 3

Fouls:

ORL - 16

HOU - 9

Offsides:

ORL - 0

HOU - 1

Corners:

ORL - 4

HOU - 3

Heineken Star of the Match: Iago

Check out the Orlando City SC Statistics

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 18, 2026


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