1. And breathe. Orlando City SC finally got its first home win of the summer, taking down the Chicago Fire 4-2 in an end-to-end affair.
2. The summer of Facundo Torres starts now. After a goal and assist in Charlotte on Wednesday, the Lions' No. 10 delivered two of his best goals in his time in purple. His first in the fourth minute, a curling ball to the far post, was a thing of beauty. His second in the 60th minute was an absolute missle from the top of the box. It was a massive confidence-boosting performance for Torres, who had been struggling leading into this week with finding the back of the net, and these two performances are just what he needed.
3. The Homegrown put on for his city. Mason Stajduhar put on a stellar performance in goal, making 10 saves en route to the win. With a total command of his box, Stajduhar looked comfortable in the net, directing traffic and providing some impressive long throws that led to counterattacks. Head Coach Oscar Pareja said it best, "I think we've seen the best from Mason."
4. It was Luis Muriel, not Facundo Torres, who took the penalty that was earned by Ivan Angulo in the 20th minute. The other Designated Player managed to notch his first goal at home and his third overall with a cool finish, sending goalkeeper Chris Brady the wrong way. Plus, we got this little celebration afterwards.
5. Right place, right time. The Lions' third goal on the night came from Angulo just being in good positioning. Dagur Dan Thorhallsson did well to create the play, driving to the endline and cutting it back into the box. Angulo had just made a run into the box, right in the middle and as the ball came in, deflecting right to him off the keeper. Those moments of simply just being in the right spots to clean up those balls can be the difference-maker between wins and losses.
6. Getting four goals in total was an offensive outburst the team desperately needed. Especially over the last few months, when they have struggled to find a rhythm offensively, having a breakout game and scoring the most goals they have had this season can be a huge confidence booster at a time when it was low. Pareja even spoke to his team before the game about raising the confidence of the team. His answer was simple: "Win."
7. It was a rare 24 minutes of play for rookie Jeorgio Kocevski tonight, who came in for Nico Lodeiro in the 67th minute. It was the most minutes he's played in an MLS game so far in his career, and despite not doing much in terms of stats, it's still good to see a young player like him get some run in a moment where the team was looking tired and needed some fresh energy on the pitch.
8. The Lions will have just under a week before they head out to the city that never sleeps to take on New York City FC. Kickoff for that is set for Friday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Yankee Field.
