MATTHEWS, N.C. (May 9, 2023) – Orlando City SC dropped a 1-0 decision to MLS opponent Charlotte FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 match on Tuesday night. The Lions won the 2022 edition of the U.S. Open Cup, bringing the Club their first-ever trophy in the MLS era. The match also served as the Lions first road game in the tournament since 2019.
City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar got the nod in the goal and kept the Lions in the match with three saves, all of which were fully-extended stops. Lions forward Duncan McGuire had the best chance of the game for City to level the match, but he was unable to control the ball to get the strike on target.
Scoring Summary
70’ Kamil Józwiak (Karol Swiderski) – CLT 1, ORL 0
The hosts scored the lone goal of the match in the 70th minute, with Karol Swiderski taking on a City defender one-on-one and being taken down. With advantage given, Charlotte substitute Kamil Józwiak carried on the play, taking two touches in the Lions’ box before chipping goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja
“Disappointed with being out of the [Open] Cup. We came with the highest intentions to defend the Cup and advance, but it was not like that. The game was frustrating with the options that we had to tie it up and just making mistakes that were costly. With the Cup, it is hard, but it is what the game brings when you have these objectives and try to do things and we couldn’t get the result and we are very disappointed.”
Match Notes
- Tuesday’s match marked Orlando City’s first road game of the U.S. Open Cup since June 12, 2019 when the Lions open tournament play at USL side Memphis 901 FC. The Lions would go on to reach the semifinals that year.
- With the start on Tuesday night, defender Robin Jansson appeared in his 125th match across all competitions for the Lions, extending his own Club record.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made seven changes to his starting lineup from his side’s last against CF Montréal, with Mason Stajduhar, Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, Gastón González, Felipe Martins, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson and Duncan McGuire all entering the Starting XI.
