NEW YORK (Monday, October 19, 2026) – Orlando City SC forward Antoine Griezmann was voted the Major League Soccer Player of the Matchday presented by Michelob ULTRA for Matchday 31 of the 2026 MLS season.
Griezmann scored twice and added an assist in Orlando City SC’s 4-1 victory over D.C. United at Inter.co Stadium on Saturday night (Watch Highlights From His Performance Here). Since coming to MLS in July, Griezmann has produced 12 goals and seven assists in just 14 matches, with at least one goal contribution in 12 of those games. Despite entering MLS in July, Griezmann’s 19 goal contributions are tied for the second-most goal contributions among all newcomers, behind only Houston Dynamo FC’s Guilherme (26). He is the first player in league history to produce at least one goal contribution in 12 of his first 14 games and is one of only three players in league history to record multiple goal contributions in six of his first 14 games. In those 14 games, Orlando City SC is 8-3-3, having climbed from outside the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs line to the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with 41 points (12-13-5 record).
Griezmann opened the scoring in the 15th minute after receiving the ball from Daryl Dike, played a quick passing combination with MartÃn Ojeda, and then slotted home his finish from close range (Watch Here). He then assisted one of the best MLS goals of all time after a remarkable string of passes culminated in a sensational scorpion-kick finish from Ojeda to extend Orlando’s lead to 2-0 in the 22nd minute (Watch Here). After D.C. cut the deficit to 2-1 prior to halftime, the former World Cup winner with France scored his second goal of the night in the 50th minute after capitalizing on a defensive giveaway (Watch Here).
This is the second time Griezmann has been named MLS Player of the Matchday this season, having previously earned the honor on Matchday 22. Griezmann is the first French player to earn multiple MLS Player of the Matchday awards in the same season since Thierry Henry earned five with Red Bull New York in 2012.
Griezmann and Orlando look to move closer to an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spot when they host New York City FC at Inter.co Stadium on Saturday, October 24 (7:30 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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