CINCINNATI (Sept. 2, 2023) – Orlando City SC (13-6-8, 47 points) defeated FC Cincinnati (17-4-6, 57 points) at TQL Stadium on Saturday night via a 1-0 scoreline. The victory snapped a 13-game unbeaten streak FC Cincinnati held at their home stadium so far in the 2023 MLS regular season. The Lions now have an MLS-best seven wins on the road.
The Lions were backed by a goal from Facundo Torres, which served as his 11th goal of the 2023 campaign across all competitions. That is good enough to now lead the team in goals scored and is also his 24th goal since joining the Lions, which sets him tied for fourth on the all-time scoring list alongside Dom Dwyer. Torres also joined former City forward Cyle Larin as the only Orlando players to score at least 10 game-winning goals for the Club. On the goal, Ramiro Enrique and captain Mauricio Pereyra combined for the assist, with the former earning his first assist as a Lion and the latter picking up his ninth of the year.
Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese made four saves on the night on his way to earning his ninth clean sheet of the season across all competitions and marking his 30th clean sheet with the Club all-time. The match also saw defender Robin Jansson appear in his 150th match with the Lions, becoming the first City player to reach that achievement in the Club’s history.
The Lions face a two-week gap between games for the international break before returning to Exploria Stadium on Saturday, September 16, to host the Columbus Crew. That match is set to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Scoring Summary:
44’ Facundo Torres (Ramiro Enrique, Mauricio Pereyra) – ORL 1, CIN 0
The Lions opened the scoring just before the halftime break with Ramiro Enrique going on the fast break up the middle of the field, played in by a direct pass from captain Mauricio Pereyra. Enrique took the ball to the endline, sliding it back to the penalty spot for a waiting Facundo Torres. Torres hit it one-time to Roman Celentano’s left and in for the opener.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“First, I would like to congratulate the players that did wonderful work today for the Club and the fans. We played against a rival that has not lost one game at home, so a very difficult place to play. First half was at a very good level and I thought we created most of the chances and we controlled the game. We were thinking that this is the consistency that we are fighting for and playing for. The second half, Cincinnati is a very good team and started putting more numbers up front. We started to defend a little lower than we wanted, but today we played very well with the ball and we played even better without it, which is something you have to know how to do. That is why I am very proud of this group and will be looking forward to the next rival and just keep moving on.”
Match Notes
- Facundo Torres scored his 11th goal of the season across all competitions, which now leads the team. Torres has now scored four goals in the last Club’s last four matches.
- With the goal, Torres has 24 goals in his City career, which is now tied with former Lion Dom Dwyer for fourth on the all-time scoring list.
- Forward Ramiro Enrique earned his first assist on the Torres finish.
- Mauricio Pereyra picked up his ninth assist of the 2023 season, with the secondary helper on Torres’ goal. With the assist, Pereyra extends his Club record in assists with 44 helpers all time.
- Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese earned his ninth shutout of the season and his 30th all-time with the Lions.
- With the start on Saturday night, defender Robin Jansson made his 150th appearance across all competitions for the Lions. Jansson is the first player in Orlando City history to play 150 matches for the Club.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made two changes to his starting lineup since his side’s last match against Charlotte FC, with Iván Angulo and Wilder Cartagena both getting the start on the night.
