ORLANDO, Fla. — On Sunday evening, Orlando City advanced in the MLS Cup playoffs with an impressive 2-0 win over Charlotte FC during their first-round match in a best-of-three series. Facundo Torres opened the scoring in the first half, while Martin Ojeda added to the tally in the second, alongside a solid defensive performance by goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, who secured his fourth clean sheet in postseason play.
Orlando City, seeded fourth in the Eastern Conference, took the lead at the 32-minute mark when Torres, the team’s top all-time scorer, executed a brilliant left-footed shot from the center of the box, finding the top left corner of the goal. This marked his 19th goal of the season across all competitions, a record for the club.
In the 76th minute, the score doubled to 2-0 as Martin Ojeda found the back of the net with assists from Iván Angulo and César Araújo. This goal was significant for Ojeda, representing his first postseason score in what was his initial start and third appearance overall. Angulo’s assist was notably his first in five playoff matches, while Araújo logged his second assist in five postseason starts.
Gallese demonstrated his skills in goal with two saves, having only conceded eight goals over seven playoff starts with Orlando City. For Charlotte FC, goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina managed to save five shots, although his previous postseason experience was marred by a 5-0 defeat to the New York Red Bulls last season.
During the regular season, Orlando City set a new club record with 14 players contributing to a club-record 59 goals.
In their regular-season encounters, Orlando faced Charlotte twice, drawing 2-2 away and winning 2-0 at home, with goals from Torres and Duncan McGuire in both matches.
The playoff series will continue on Friday in Charlotte, which has made significant strides this season, having never advanced past the wildcard round before now. They concluded the regular season strong, ending with a 4-0-1 record in their last five matches, with their only draw coming against the top-seeded Inter Miami.