NEW YORK (Monday, August 24, 2026) – Orlando City SC forward Antoine Griezmann was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 22 of the 2026 MLS season.
Griezmann recorded his first career brace in MLS with Orlando City SC, scoring both goals for the Lions in their 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake (Watch Highlights From His Performance Here). Griezmann has now played in six regular-season matches since joining Orlando City from Atlético Madrid, starting each match and playing all 540 minutes, while totaling three goals and two assists. Across his six starts, Orlando has produced a 3-2-1 record with all six games coming against current Audi MLS Cup Playoffs teams. Prior to Griezmann joining, Orlando had recorded 14 points and was sitting outside a playoff position in 12th place in the Eastern Conference. Following Saturday’s victory, the Lions are up to 9th place in the Eastern Conference and occupy an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs position.
After falling behind in the first half, Griezmann equalized in the 53rd minute, picking up the deflected ball in the six-yard box and tapping home his finish from close range (Watch Here). The former FIFA World Cup winner recorded the game-winning goal nine minutes before the full-time whistle, when he calmly navigated multiple Salt Lake defenders and scored to send Inter.co Stadium into a frenzy (Watch Here).
Griezmann is the second Orlando City player to be named MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA this season, joining MartÃn Ojeda (Matchday 11). Griezmann is the eighth different former World Cup winner to also earn Player of the Matchday honors, joining Lionel Messi (14), Thierry Henry (six), David Villa (four), Thiago Almada (three), Youri Djorkaeff (two), Kaká (one), and Thomas Müller (one).
Griezmann and Orlando look to continue their strong form when they travel to face Minnesota United FC on Saturday, August 29 at Allianz Field (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS on Apple TV).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while an Instagram fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
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