TORONTO (July 3, 2024) – Orlando City SC (6-9-6, 24 points) picked up all three points at Toronto FC (7-12-3, 24 points) on Wednesday night, downing the home side 2-1 at BMO Field. After going down a goal just five minutes into the match, Orlando was led by a goal from Martín Ojeda and a forced own goal from Facundo Torres to complete the comeback for the victory.
The Lions were backed by a strong performance on the defensive end, with the opening goal standing as the lone shot allowed on target over the 90 minutes. The match also saw the return of Peruvians Pedro Gallese and Wilder Cartagena from Copa America play, with the pair earning the start at goalkeeper and in the midfield, respectively.
The Lions will return home to INTER&Co Stadium this Saturday, July 6, to host D.C. United before Orlando City’s first MLS captain, Kaká, is honored as the first-ever Legends’ Terrace inductee. That match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Scoring Summary:
5’ Derrick Etienne Jr. (Raoul Petretta, Federico Bernardeschi) – TOR 1, ORL 0
The hosts opened things up early into the match as Italian star Federico Bernardeschi sent a ball across the field for Raoul Petretta. Petretta knocked it back in for Derrick Etienne Jr. who smashed a shot past goalkeeper Pedro Gallese for the opener.
27’ Martín Ojeda (Iván Angulo, Facundo Torres) – ORL 1, TOR 1
The Lions were able to equalize just over 20 minutes later when Facundo Torres held the ball at the top of the Reds’ box and fed Iván Angulo in behind the defense down the left wing. Angulo hit a cross in first-time with his left foot where Martín Ojeda was able to get his head on the end of it and power it past goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
45’ Nickseon Gomis (Own Goal) – ORL 2, TOR 1
The Lions added one more in the seconds just before first-half stoppage time as midfielder Martín Ojeda carried the ball up the middle of Toronto’s formation before feeding a streaking Facundo Torres down the right wing. Torres looked to cross it in front of goalkeeper Sean Johnson, but defender Nickseon Gomis tried to deflect it out in an attempt that wound up in the back of the net for an own goal.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“We want to dedicate this game to Mason [Stajduhar] who has suffered this tremendous injury and I know he's happy to see us winning, but we want to share the joy when it is joy with him. So this is for Mason. Today we were all talking about it in the locker room...I want to congratulate the players for such an important result and this moment that we need to add winning games. Today they demonstrated the commitment that they have with the Club. So we're very proud of these results and the effort they had in the pitch. The first half, I liked it a lot. I thought we played very well; This is pretty much what we are. We scored goals and despite that first [Toronto] goal in the first minutes that shouldn't happen, the reaction was outstanding for the players. Second half, it happened that we defended in the last period of the game, very low. We could contain the numbers and the volume of players that Toronto sent, but we had also some opportunities to put the game to 3-1. So again, we're happy. This is a good step for us in this moment. Now we're looking forward to going back home and then winning there.”
Match Notes:
- Martín Ojeda scored his second goal of the 2024 MLS campaign and third across all competitions on the night. The tally served as his ninth all-time for the Lions.
- Forwards Iván Angulo and Facundo Torres provided their fifth and fourth assists of the year respectively across all competitions, serving as their 16th and 20th all-time.
- Entering as a second-half substitute, Ramiro Enrique made his 50th appearance across all competitions for the Club.
- With the win on the night, the Lions remain undefeated at BMO Field dating back to 2018.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made three changes to his starting lineup from his side’s last match against New York City FC, with Wilder Cartagena, Pedro Gallese and Kyle Smith returning to the Starting XI.
