Antoine Griezmann announced his arrival in Major League Soccer in emphatic fashion, scoring on debut as Orlando City thrashed the San Jose Earthquakes 4-0 on Wednesday night.
The result came in the first match for both clubs since the World Cup break, with Orlando making an immediate statement on their return to action.
Griezmann, 35, was acquired by Orlando City in March from Atlético Madrid, where he spent years establishing himself as the club’s greatest ever goalscorer.
The French forward leaves Atlético Madrid as their all-time leading scorer, having netted 211 goals and registered 97 assists across 488 matches for the Spanish club.
The understanding when the deal was struck was that Griezmann would join Orlando after the conclusion of the La Liga season, and he wasted no time making his presence felt.
David Brekalo opened the scoring in the seventh minute, left completely unmarked to flick in a header from a perfectly placed free kick delivered by Eduard Atuesta into the centre of the area.
Atuesta was again the architect shortly after, playing a pass through to Iván Angulo, who approached the penalty box under no pressure before rifling a low shot past goalkeeper Angus Gunn to make it 2-0 in the 29th minute.
It was Angulo’s first goal since October 5, 2024, when he scored against Cincinnati, ending a lengthy drought in clinical style on the night.
Braian Ojeda added a third for Orlando before Griezmann capped the performance with the fourth, completing a resounding victory for a side that now sits at 5-9-2 on the season.
Goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau was largely untroubled throughout the contest but still produced seven saves to preserve the clean sheet for Orlando City.
On the other side, Angus Gunn made his own MLS debut between the sticks for the Earthquakes, managing three saves in what was a difficult night for San Jose.
Gunn, a 30-year-old Scotland international, signed with the Earthquakes on July 8 following his release by Premier League club Nottingham Forest.
His arrival came just days after San Jose traded their previous first-choice goalkeeper Daniel De Sousa Britto, known simply as Daniel, to Dallas on July 9.
Daniel had been a cornerstone of the Earthquakes’ goalkeeping department, recording 14 shutouts in 78 regular-season starts across more than three seasons with the club.
The Earthquakes, who came into the match with a solid 10-4-2 record, will need to regroup quickly as they adjust to major changes in goal and absorb a heavy defeat.
