FRISCO, Texas (Sept. 28, 2024) – Orlando City SC (13-11-7, 46 points) secured a 3-1 victory against FC Dallas (10-14-7, 37 points) on Saturday night at Toyota Stadium. With the win, City have officially clinched a spot in the top seven of the standings along with a place in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. Head Coach Oscar Pareja has led the Lions to a playoff spot every year since he took over as manager.
With a place in the postseason booked and at least one home game guaranteed, fans can register for playoff ticket pre-sale access at the link here. 2024 Season Ticket Members will automatically receive their seats for the playoffs unless they chose to opt out.
City was backed on the night by goals from Ramiro Enrique, Rodrigo Schlegel and Facundo Torres. Enrique started off the night finding the back of the net in the 18th minute which served as his ninth goal of the 2024 campaign across all competitions.
The Lions extended their lead to two goals in the second half, with Schlegel running onto a Martín Ojeda corner, before Torres added another insurance goal following a slipped-in ball from Enrique.
Dallas ended Orlando’s shutout bid with a late-game penalty kick, but the visiting side was able to secure all three points on the evening.
Orlando City returns home to Inter&Co Stadium following tonight’s match, set to host Eastern Conference foes Philadelphia Union in a midweek matchup on Wednesday, Oct. 2. The Lions and Union will face off on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, with kick off set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
18’ Ramiro Enrique (Rafael Santos, Martín Ojeda) – ORL 1, DAL 0
The Lions got things started early when Martín Ojeda fed the ball out wide to Rafael Santos on the left wing of the Dallas defense. The Brazilian left back took a touch to settle before firing a cross to the near post where Ramiro Enrique slammed home the header to get the Lions on the board.
51’ Rodrigo Schlegel (Martín Ojeda) – ORL 2, DAL 0
Orlando City added another shortly after the start of the second half off a corner kick opportunity. Martín Ojeda took the corner, sending an outswinger to the middle of the Dallas box. Defender Rodrigo Schlegel beat his man and sent a header to the far corner of the goal for the Lions’ second of the night.
55’ Facundo Torres (Ramiro Enrique) – ORL 3, DAL 0
The Lions added a third just four minutes later. Ramiro Enrique capitalized on a chaotic sequence in the midfield, with the ball changing possession numerous times, before sending a through ball to Facundo Torres. Torres was one-on-one with the Dallas goalkeeper and calmly slotted it into the lower right corner for the tally.
78’ Paul Arriola (Penalty Kick) – ORL 3, DAL 1
The Toros got a goal back on a penalty kick from captain Paul Arriola. Dallas built up an attack in the Orlando defensive zone before Bernard Kamungo was taken down in the box. The home side was rewarded a penalty and Arriola stepped up and sent a shot past goalkeeper Pedro Gallese to cut the lead down to two.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“We're so excited, and we have a lot of gratitude with the Club and with the fans that have supported us this year. One more time we qualify for the playoffs. It’s great for a group of players that have a big heart and a big love for the Club too, and a lot of passion for what they do. So, I'm very happy. It’s a special night today, coming here to Dallas, in a very difficult city to play against and we won, scored three goals. I thought we played an excellent 75 minutes, and the reaction of Dallas in the last part was very good as well. Complicated game, but we finally clinched, and that was the first objective, and we're happy.”
Match Notes:
- Orlando City secured its fifth-straight spot in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday night, reaching the postseason each year under the guidance of Head Coach Oscar Pareja.
- Designated Player Facundo Torres scored 17th goal across all competitions on the night. The goal served as his 44th all-time for the Lions, tying former Orlando City forward Cyle Larin for the most goals scored in Club history.
- Forward Ramiro Enrique scored his ninth goal across all competitions in the Lions’ 2024 campaign and his 13th all-time. Enrique also picked up his second helper of the campaign and fourth all-time.
- Defender Rodrigo Schlegel notched his first goal of the 2024 campaign and his third all-time. The goal served as his first for the Lions since June 29, 2022, in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
- Brazilian defender Rafael Santos provided his second assist of the season across all competitions on the Enrique finishing, marking his eighth all-time for the Lions.
- Midfielder Martín Ojeda added his 12th and 13th helpers of the campaign in all competitions, tying Nico Lodeiro for the team lead on the year. The assists also served as Ojeda’s 22nd and 23rd all-time in Orlando.
- With the 3-1 win at Toyota Stadium, the Lions recorded their first-ever win at FC Dallas in Club history.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made three changes to his starting lineup from his side’s last match against the Columbus Crew, with César Araújo, Ramiro Enrique and Kyle Smith returning to the starting lineup.
