Final Whistle: Atlanta United Crashes Out Of Open Cup Quarters In Listless 4-1 Loss To Orlando City

The winner in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup quarterfinals would come from one of two directions: an Atlanta United team that was dominant on the field in the final 65 minutes of their MLS meeting at Inter&Co Stadium, or an Orlando City SC side that had surrendered their seventh goal in the 75th minute or later in six of their last six matches.

Atlanta United blown out in the US Open Cup quarterfinal in Orlando on Tuesday night.

That was then. Tuesday night was something else entirely.

The "rematch," if you want to call it that, carried considerably more weight. The winner would be only two wins away from CONCACAF Champions Cup play in the 2027 season.

Atlanta United lined up in a probable 4-4-2. Jayden Hibbert started in net, as he has in Open Cup competition throughout 2026. The backline featured Elias Báez, Stian Gregersen, Ronald Hernández, and Matt Edwards. Pedro Amador, Will Reilly, Jay Fortune, and Cooper Sanchez filled the midfield, with Latte Lath and Alexey Miranchuk up top.

Martín Perelman kept Orlando City essentially the same as the weekend. Javier Otero started in goal. Griffin Dorsey, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson (c), and Adrián Marín were at the back. Iván Angulo, Braian Ojeda, and Eduard Atuesta worked the midfield, with Tiago, Martín Ojeda, and Justin Ellis leading the attack.

The Lions showed none of the fatigue from Saturday. None.

Orlando got on the board in the fifth minute off a recycled set piece. A David Brekalo header beat Jayden Hibbert for the opening goal off an outswinging corner, with Brekalo getting to the ball just outside the six ahead of Latte Lath.

Dorsey nearly made it 2-nil in the ninth, but Matt Edwards came back to clear off the line as Atlanta worked to sort out the shape change on the night.

The margin doubled in the 17th. Dorsey pushed forward again, playing more like a striker in the Perelman system. Iván Angulo sprinted down the left and found a charging Dorsey at the edge of the six for a goal in his third straight match.

Orlando nearly added a third in the minutes that followed. Jayden Hibbert made a save on a Martín Ojeda shot from the left in the 20th. On the next Atlanta possession, Elias Báez found Latte Lath down the attacking left and he chipped Otero, only to hit the far post flush.

The third came in the 24th minute. Pressure from Orlando forced the ball back to Hibbert to restart. Running to his right, Hibbert's outlet did not make it past the edge of the 18. Tiago stepped into the lane, intercepted the pass, and returned the ball past Hibbert for 3-nil.

With the game stretched and Atlanta chasing, Hibbert atoned with three saves as the half progressed, stopping Tiago, Martín Ojeda, and Dorsey. Alexey Miranchuk had a shot the other direction that was right at Javier Otero.

In added time, Ronald Hernández crossed from the right and found Jay Fortune for a shot on goal, which Otero saved. The recycled chance ended with Will Reilly sending one well over the bar. A fourth goal came at 45+4, Tiago running around the back to get on a through ball and taking it right at Hibbert at full speed.

Orlando had seven big chances in the first 45 compared to one for Atlanta. Shots were 11-7 in favor of Orlando (9-3 on target). Javier Otero had three saves in the first half, Hibbert four.

The second half opened with four changes for Atlanta. Matías Galarza, Saba Lobjanidze, Juan Berrocal, and Tristan Muyumba came on for Fortune, Reilly, Hernández, and Báez.

Atlanta got its first real chance of the second half in the 54th minute as Saba worked down the right trying to get a ball past Otero at a sharp angle. It went wide of the far post. A combination among Galarza, Saba, and Miranchuk in the 56th produced a near miss on a header to the near post. Alexey's follow-up header into the ground just missed the target.

Saba kept creating, totaling four progressive carries, two successful crosses, and one big chance in his first 20 minutes. But with 20 minutes remaining, Atlanta was still down four. With 15 to go, Sergio Santos came on for Alexey Miranchuk, and Matt Edwards wore the captain's armband for the first time in his first-team career for the remainder of the match.

In the 83rd minute, Saba tried again down the right, but the effort went wide. The next time into the attacking half, Saba cut the ball back to Latte Lath for a volley into the net from the penalty spot, pulling the margin back to three at 4-1.

All the momentum built at the weekend evaporated in the first half in a rivalry match with a Cup semifinal on the line. The rivalry both sides have come to acknowledge was not much of a rivalry in central Florida on Tuesday night.

There are real questions to answer for the Five Stripes after the last match of the MLS season before the World Cup break. The first chance to answer them comes in Columbus on Sunday night, as 3-8-2 Atlanta United (11 points, 14th in the East) faces the team directly above them in the standings, the Crew (3-7-4, 13 points, 13th in the East).