ORLANDO, Fla. (Sept. 30, 2023) – Orlando City SC (15-7-9, 54 points) defeated CF Montréal (11-16-4, 37 points) in a 3-0 shutout win at Exploria Stadium. The match saw the Lions take all three points and set a new all-time single-season points record, previously set at 51 points. The win doubles as their 15th regular season, also serving as a new single-season record for the Lions.
The Lions struck first after some great link-up play by Rafael Santos and Facundo Torres resulted in Torres getting a shot on goal, hitting off the post and bouncing back off the Montréal goalkeeper for the opener as an own goal.
Midfielder Dagur Dan Thórhallsson became the first Lion of the night to score, earning his second MLS career goal with the help of Duncan McGuire and Rafael Santos. Four minutes later, Facundo Torres added the third goal of the night, extending his team-leading total of 13 goals on the year.
The win served as Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s 60th with the Club, while also extending City’s at-home unbeaten streak to 13 matches.
Scoring Summary:
19’ Jonathan Sirois (Own Goal) – ORL 1, MTL 0
The Lions struck first with Rafael Santos getting out wide and whipping a ball into the box that found the foot of Facundo Torres. Torres took the shot first-time, with the ball hitting the post and then bouncing off the back of Montréal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois and over the goal line.
50’ Dagur Dan Thórhallsson (Duncan McGuire, Rafael Santos) – ORL 2, MTL 0
City extended its lead with Santos striking a ball across the face of goal, clipping off of Duncan McGuire and getting through a crowd of players to find Dagur Dan Thórhallsson at the back post for the easy tap-in.
54’ Facundo Torres (Iván Angulo, Wilder Cartagena) – ORL 3, MTL 0
The third goal came after Wilder Cartagena slipped a ball through the backline finding an open Iván Angulo, who made a selfless pass to a wide-open Facundo Torres in the middle of the box. Torres was able to collect and put the ball into the back of the net.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“It was an important victory for our fans. It was a very well-played game against a rival [CF Montréal] that in the past has given us a lot of trouble to break their lines. Today we were able to find ways to impose our rhythm and score goals. I saw our team be very offensive [on the field]. I saw a team with confidence during the game. What’s important is that we keep our feet on the ground. We have to continue with consistency, it was a very well-played game. In the first half I saw how we took advantage of the spaces that gave us the win. We were crafty in the middle, but the most important thing is that we kept our balance defensively. The second half we stuck to the game plan and the boys continued to give us better results, especially when we attacked their [defensive] backs. Now we prepare for Nashville [SC] so we can finish the season strong.”
Match Notes
- Facundo Torres scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season with his second-half finish.
- Dagur Dan Thórhallsson recorded his second goal of the season and his second of his Lions career. His first goal came back on July 4th against Toronto FC.
- Iván Angulo earned his seventh assist of the season across all competitions.
- Wilder Cartagena picked up the secondary assist on Facundo Torres’ 54th-minute strike, tallying his second of the year.
- Rafael Santos provided his fourth helper of the season.
- Duncan McGuire recorded his third assist of the 2023 campaign.
- Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese earned his ninth clean sheet of the season.
- The own goal serves as the first own goal in favor of the Lions so far this season. The last own goal scored for the Lions was Sept. 17, 2022, in a 4-0 victory over Toronto FC.
- The victory serves as Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s 60th win at the helm of Orlando City.
- City has now broken the Club’s all-time single-season points record, which was previously set at 51 in 2021.
- The win is the 15th win of the season for the Lions, making it the most victories for the Club in the regular season since joining the MLS back in 2015.
- The result also extends the Club’s current home unbeaten streak to 13.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made no changes to his starting lineup since his side’s last match against Inter Miami CF.
Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoff vs Columbus Crew
Our Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoff tickets for our Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup against the Columbus Crew, presented by Publix, on Nov. 25 at 5:30 p.m. ET are live!
