ORLANDO, Fla. (Nov. 24, 2024) – No. 4 Orlando City SC defeated No. 9 Atlanta United FC by a 1-0 scoreline at Inter&Co Stadium on Sunday afternoon. With the victory, the Lions advance to the Club’s first-ever Eastern Conference Final. Orlando will welcome the New York Red Bulls to Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 30, with kick off set for 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Tickets for the Eastern Conference Final match can be found here.
City was backed by a first-half strike from Ramiro Enrique that ended up serving as the game-winner. The goal counted as Enrique’s ninth goal of the season and his first in playoff play. The Lions’ backline held the Atlanta offense to zero shots on target, keeping goalkeeper Pedro Gallese protected as they picked up their 15th shutout across all competitions in the 2024 campaign.
Scoring Summary:
39’ Ramiro Enrique – ORL 1, ATL 0
The home side struck first off of a corner kick near the halftime break. Martín Ojeda sent the corner into the box and after the ball pinged off an Atlanta defender, where it fell right in front of the goal. Forward Ramiro Enrique beat goalkeeper Brad Guzan to the ball and knocked it past him into the net for the opener.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“We are obviously very excited and proud, but first from our players and our staff, we want to honor the fans that came today with such energy and helped us. It's beautiful to see the stadium that way, see the culture and how this Club has become one of the best in Major League Soccer. So, responding with this victory is great, and just having the boys in this moment with the way they're playing as well. Just makes us honor our God and show the gratitude that we have with him, just allowing us to become the team that we wanted to be at this stage, after the very difficult year we’ve had. We are now competing the way that we wanted. [We] one more step, we haven't won yet. We will be prepared for New York [Red Bulls], and hopefully we can advance to [MLS Cup].”
Match Notes:
- Ramiro Enrique netted his ninth goal of the 2024 season and his first in the MLS Playoffs.
- The Lions earned their 15th clean sheet of the season across all competitions, holding Atlanta to no shots on target.
- Defender Robin Jansson became the first player in Orlando City history to appear in 200 matches for the Club across all competitions.
- With the win, the Lions advanced to the Conference Semifinals for the first time in Club history.
- The match also marked the first meeting between the two rivals in the postseason.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made no changes to his starting XI from his side’s last match against Charlotte FC.
