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Final score 2-1 as the Lions complete the Union – The Mane Land win of the season

Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire each scored second-half goals off assists from Luis Muriel to lead Orlando City to a 2-1 win over Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions (14-11-7, 49 points) started well but then faded, with both teams mostly sloppy in the first half before starting the second half strong and building a 2-0 lead over Union (9-13). -10, 37 points). Sloppy defense allowed Quinn Sullivan to pull one back, and Philadelphia should have scored a couple of times from set pieces, but Orlando was able to hold on to all three points.

The win keeps the Lions in fourth place in a tight playoff race for home-field advantage in the best-of-three first round.

“We are obviously very happy and pleased with the way the team has found a way to win games and get us to this place in the table at this point in the season,” Orlando City head coach Oscar Pareja said after the Game. “Another tough game. Played well, but we could have been more precise in certain moments if we could have saved the game from Philadelpha.”

Pareja's lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a defensive line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel and Kyle Smith. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena lined up in central midfield behind an attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda and Torres with Ramiro Enrique at the forefront.

Orlando City came out brilliantly and Ojeda created several opportunities, but none of the other attacking players were anywhere near as sharp as the Argentine. It started in the third minute with a great cross from Ojeda that Enrique sent on, but he couldn't get enough of it and sent it past the far post.

Ojeda found Enrique again in the seventh minute, but this time his shot was deflected by the defense. On the following corner kick, Ojeda's cross was blocked by the defense. Angulo picked it up but quickly turned it over. Ojeda won it back and carried it into the penalty area. He hit a shot through the six-yard box, but no one could reach it at the back post and the ball went out.

Torres won a free kick near the left corner of the penalty area in the 15th minute, which Araujo took for some reason. The defensive midfielder hammered his shot into the wall. The ball bounced back to him, giving the Uruguayan a second chance, but this time he shot well over the crossbar.

Angulo continued his recent bad habit of giving the ball away cheaply in the first half, costing Schlegel a yellow card in the 19th minute when he beat Mikael Uhre to prevent the counterattack. Daniel Gazdag fired a shot past Santos and was out of the game moments later.

Philadelphia countered a poor shot from Angulo in the 33rd minute and were strong in attack, but were unable to connect in front of goal, ending the threat. Two minutes later, Tai Baribo was alone in front of the goal, but got under his header and sent it over the crossbar.

Enrique knocked down a cross for Torres in the penalty area in the 37th minute. His shot was blocked and found Angulo near the penalty spot, but the Colombian fired well over the bar. In the 39th minute, Cartagena managed to get under the ball from a throw near the top of the penalty area and send the ball well over the crossbar.

Orlando appeared to have something cooking in added time from a long-range set-piece courtesy of Torres, but referee Armando Villarreal interrupted Orlando's attack with a poorly timed half-time whistle.

The Lions finished the first half with a lead in possession (63.7% – 36.3%), shots (11 – 7) and passing accuracy (91.4% – 78.7%). Philadelphia won more corners (2-1) and neither team managed to get a single shot on frame.

Pareja sent Muriel on for Angulo at half-time. It was part of a press that almost paid off in the first minute of the second period when Enrique took the ball away and released himself to shoot, but missed the attempt by firing it over the net.

The Lions moved forward in the 51st minute and Cartagena were sent down the left side. With two men breaking at the top, he could have given a teammate a shot, but instead he shot from a tight angle and Andre Blake stopped him. Ojeda then caught a corner from Enrique in the 52nd minute, but the Argentine's shot went wide and missed the target again.

In the 55th minute, Muriel was just a few centimeters away from sending Torres alone on goal. Blake quickly sprinted off his line and touched the ball to prevent a dangerous chance for Orlando. However, with this pass, Muriel quickly managed to dial in.

Muriel found Torres on the left in the 57th minute and the designated player scored his 45th career goal, becoming the all-time leading goalscorer.

“Luis got the ball first and tried to pass it to one of our strikers,” Torres said. “Actually I told him I was all alone with this so he could have played me earlier but luckily we were able to win the ball back. And then he looked up and saw that I was still all alone. So he played me in, and I was in front of the goal, and so I shot it, and you know, the goalie was able to hit it, but luckily it still went in.”

“I am very happy for Facu, very proud of the way he has developed and carries us on his shoulders when we need him most,” said Pareja. “I see a player who has accepted this responsibility.”

Philadelphia Union defender Jakob Glesnes fired a long-range shot over the crossbar in the 60th minute.

McGuire checked in after an hour and came on for Ojeda, who had nothing to show for a strong performance. The tall striker immediately made his presence known.

Muriel hit a perfect inside-out ball through the center backs in the 64th minute for McGuire to run towards. The striker chose his spot and shot it into the goal to make it 2-0.

“I thought that in today's game, Luis came in exactly in those moments with that talent and put us in front of the goal and it was definitely a fantastic night for him,” Pareja said. “I think the way he adapted to us and the group was much, much better. Every day it seems like he's going along with what we want. And good timing too. I am very happy for him and know that the group really values ​​his work and that he represents the unity we have.”

Feeling the pressure of falling below the playoff line, Union turned up the heat after Orlando's second goal and were the better team in the final 26 minutes of the game plus stoppage time. Philadelphia was a dangerous team for the rest of the game, especially from set pieces, creating enough chances to not only equalize but also take the lead. However, the guests were not determined enough in front of the goal.

The first warning shot came in the 70th minute when substitute Nathan Harriel headed a shot from a cross from the left that appeared to go past the right post, but Gallese caught it anyway.

Philadelphia scored in the 72nd minute from a throw-in that should never have been awarded to the Union. A cross from the right cleared everyone, but Villarreal decided the cross came from an Orlando header. The Lions argued vehemently, to no avail. Philadelphia passed the ball from the throw-in to Gazdag, who got to the end line and deflected a pass to Sullivan in the penalty area. Santos was in the penalty area but didn't mark his man well enough and a simple redirect sent the ball off the underside of the crossbar and into the goal to make it 2-1.

“Unfortunately, what changed the story of the game today is the goal that Philadelphia scored,” Pareja said. “Today it wasn’t a throw-in. It was very clear. The referee was 10 meters away from this play and this small detail changed things and then put the team under stress, which was very unfair for us. And after that we were very tense because it was 2-1, but we dominated the game. This goal should not be whistled as it was not a throw-in. It was very obvious and I was upset about it.”

The Union should have equalized the game in the 79th minute. After substitute Luca Petrasso deflected a cross for a corner, Harriel shot past the Canadian at the following set piece and scored a free header right on the doorstep. He placed his header past the left post and let Orlando off the hook.

The Lions were once again lucky not to concede a second goal, as a loss of possession following a throw-in in the attacking third ended with Samuel Adeniran countering the ball on the left. Adeniran served Uhre at the far post, but he was unable to direct the ball towards the goal. Seconds later, a header from the corner was deflected forward and Gallese grabbed the ball.

“Something is happening that we don’t want to go through,” Pareja said of his team, which is under pressure while leading for the second game in a row. “Controlling the game for the entire 90 minutes is not an easy task. I prefer to defend higher up the field and put pressure on the other teams and possession.”

Orlando had a chance to tie the game in the 84th minute when Muriel tried again to get McGuire behind the defense. The pass was a little overweight as Blake tried to get to it first. It seemed like McGuire just managed to get his toe on the ball, but he couldn't direct it past Blake. Three minutes later, second-half substitute Nico Lodeiro found Santos on the left. The full-back fired a shot towards goal towards the near post, but he was unable to beat Blake, who parried the ball and turned it into a corner.

In the 91st minute, Gallese intercepted a deflected shot and made great efforts to keep it in the game. He appeared to prevent the ball from going over the line, but Villarreal still gave Philadelphia a corner. Uhre stepped on Gallese's hand during the move and was lucky to only see a yellow card. The Lions objected to the call and Araujo was cautioned. Harriel got another free header after the corner kick, but again the shot went wide of the goal.

McGuire got caught in the middle of stoppage time against Villarreal. After being mistreated and not receiving a phone call, McGuire was booked. He will be suspended for Saturday's game in Cincinnati. He almost got the last laugh in the final seconds of the game. In the 96th minute, Muriel unlocked the defense again with a pass and sent McGuire behind the Union defensive line. McGuire tried to beat Blake, who reached out at the last second and blocked the shot.

“(I'm) happy because the team was able to win tonight, happy with my two assists, happy because, as I said in my last interview, I'm starting to get more into the mechanism and really, really get started.” We “We feel more comfortable here with the way we play and it’s starting to show on the pitch,” said Muriel.

That was the final action of the game as Orlando City scored a victory over Union.

Orlando ended up with an advantage in ball possession (53.4% ​​- 46.6%), shots (20 – 14), shots on goal (6:2) and passing accuracy (88.2% – 83.8%). Philadelphia won more corners (8-3).

“Overall I thought we were the best team on the pitch and we beat one of the best teams in the league for me,” Pareja said.

The Lions won their sixth straight regular season home game and are now 7-0-2 in their last nine home games in all competitions.

The Lions made another quick turnaround with an away game at FC Cincinnati on Saturday night.

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