ORLANDO, Fla. (July 25, 2020) - Orlando City SC defeated the Montreal Impact on Saturday night by a score of 1-0 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.
With the result, the Lions advance to the Quarterfinals of the competition, where they will face the winner of the Seattle/LAFC matchup on Friday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Tesho Akindele scored the game-winner in the match, his second goal of the MLS is Back Tournament. Forward Daryl Dike and midfielder Joey DeZart each made their MLS debuts on the night, entering the match in the 75th and 83rd minutes, respectively. The former was selected fifth-overall at the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, while the latter went at No. 31.
“We’re very proud of the effort of the players in tonight’s match against a very difficult opponent, different than the ones that we have faced in the first stage of the tournament. We dominated the first half. The boys had the personality to put conditions and set the tempo of the game early on. We should have scored a couple goals, but those are things we need to improve slowly, but the chemistry within the group was very good, especially in the first half. The second half we had a much harder opposition because Montreal came out sharper. They changed their model and I think we were faithful in our concepts and the way we played and that’s one of the highlights of the game and the other one is just to congratulate the young players that came onto the field tonight. Daryl Dike and Joey DeZart debuted tonight and it was great, we are very happy for them.”
Scoring Recap:
60’ Tesho Akindele - ORL 1, MTL 0
The Lions took the lead with a flick from Nani sending Sebastián Méndez in behind the Montreal defense, whose touch deflected off the foot of goalkeeper Clément Diop. Tesho Akindele was there to clean it up, passing the ball into the back of the net for the finish.
Match Notes:
- Tesho Akindele scored his second goal of the MLS is Back Tournament in the match.
- Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese registered his second shutout for the Lions, having to register just one save in the contest.
- Forward Daryl Dike made his MLS debut on the night, entering the match in the 75th minute for Akindele. Dike was selected fifth overall by the Lions at the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.
- Midfielder Joey DeZart joined Dike in making his MLS debut in the match, entering in the 83rd minute for Méndez. DeZart was taken No. 31 overall by the Lions at this year’s SuperDraft.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made just one change in his starting XI from the Philadelphia match, with Sebastián Méndez featuring in the midfield to kickoff the contest.
- The winner of the MLS is Back Tournament earns a spot in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League.
- Next Match: The Lions will face the winner of the Seattle/LAFC fixture in the Quarterfinals on Friday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Scoring Summary:
ORL - Tesho Akindele 60’
Misconduct Summary:
ORL - João Moutinho (Yellow Card) 62’
ORL - Pedro Gallese (Yellow Card) 81’
ORL - Daryl Dike (Yellow Card) 90’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC - GK Pedro Gallese; D João Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, Ruan (Kyle Smith 87’); M Mauricio Pereyra (Andrés Perea 75’), Uri Rosell, Sebastián Méndez (Joey DeZart 83’), Chris Mueller (Rodrigo Schlegel 83’); F Nani ©, Tesho Akindele (Daryl Dike 75’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Brian Rowe; D Alex De John, Kamal Miller; M David Loera, Jordan Bender, Robinho; F Santiago Patiño, Benji Michel
Montreal Impact - GK Clément Diop; D Jorge Corrales, Luis Binks, Rod Fanni (Lassi Lappalainen 72’), Zachary Brault-Guillard; M Saphir Taïder, Wanyama, Samuel Piette © (Maximiliano Urruti 87’); F Bojan (Anthony Jackson-Hamel 64’), Romell Quioto, Orji Okwonkwo (Jukka Raitala 46’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Evan Bush; D Joel Waterman, Karifa Yao; M Amar Sejdic, Emanuel Maciel, Clément Bayiha, Shamit Shome, Mathieu Choiniere
Details of the Game:
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
Date: July 25, 2020
Stats:
Possession:
ORL - 56.6%
MTL - 43.4%
Shots:
ORL - 10
MTL - 7
Saves:
ORL - 1
MTL - 1
Fouls:
ORL - 11
MTL - 11
Corners:
ORL - 4
MTL - 7
Heineken Star of the Match: Sebastián Méndez
