ORLANDO, Fla. (March 14, 2026) – First-half goals from Duncan McGuire and Martín Ojeda helped Orlando City SC (1-3-0, 3 points) defeat CF Montréal (1-1-0, 3 points) 2-1 at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday night.
Orlando City opened the scoring in the 19th minute when McGuire tapped home a rebound after Iván Angulo had a shot hit off the near post. Montréal quickly responded via Prince Owusu, whose header off Wikelman Carmona’s corner kick leveled the match just five minutes later. Angulo would be involved once more, combining with Marco Pašalić to lay off a pass to Ojeda just above the penalty spot. The Argentine, wearing the captain’s armband on the night, squared the ball home with his first touch to give Orlando City its first points of the season.
The result marked the first win for interim head coach Martín Perelman, who took over managerial duties on Wednesday after former Lions head coach Oscar Pareja mutually parted ways with the Club. The win marked the first by an interim head coach in the Lions’ MLS era. Up next, Orlando City will travel to Tennessee to take on Nashville SC on Saturday, March 21, at GEODIS Park.
Scoring Summary:
19’ Duncan McGuire – ORL 1, MTL 0
24’ Prince Owusu (Wikelman Carmona) – ORL 1, MTL 1
31’ Martín Ojeda (Iván Angulo, Marco Pašalić) – ORL 2, MTL 1
Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman:
“First of all, I want to thank Mark Wilf, the owner of this club. The support he gave me this week was unbelievable, as well as the support from the Board. Ricardo Moreira has not only supported me now, but has always supported me. Of course, I want to mention Óscar [Pareja]. The way he took care of us this week made me feel proud of the culture we have here. He knows how much everyone at the Club loves him. To our players, the way they fight, the way they compete, the way they represent the jersey as it deserves to be represented, I am really happy for this group. They are something that needs to be honored. And lastly, the energy the fans brought was so nice, and I hope it continues to grow. I have been here for five years, I belong to this community, and I love seeing people happy.”
Match Notes
- The match marked interim head coach Martín Perelman’s first in charge of the Lions following the departure of Óscar Pareja this week.
- Forward Duncan McGuire scored his first goal of the season and his 31st across all competitions for the Lions, tying former captain Nani for fourth on the Club’s all-time scoring chart.
- Midfielder Martín Ojeda tallied his second goal of the 2026 season and his 35th all-time across all competitions for the Lions.
- Forward Iván Angulo assisted on Ojeda’s strike, his third of the year and 34th all-time across all competitions for the Lions.
- Marco Pašalić added the secondary assist on Ojeda’s goal, his first of the season. The Croatian forward now has seven all-time assists for the Lions across all competitions.
- Goalkeeper Javier Otero made his first start of the 2026 campaign, recording four saves to help secure the win.
- Orlando City B forward Pedro Leão made his first-team debut while on a short-term agreement, entering as a second-half substitute.
- Perelman made four changes to the lineup from the Lions’ previous match against New York City FC, with Eduard Atuesta, Adrián Marín, McGuire and Otero all entering the starting XI.
