Martín Ojeda Scores First as a Lion in City Defeat to Charlotte

March 18, 2023 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Orlando City SC News Release

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando City SC (1-1-2, 5 points) fell to Charlotte FC on Saturday night by a 2-1 scoreline at Exploria Stadium. The match saw Martín Ojeda score his first goal as a Lion, tapping in a ball from 2023 MLS SuperDraft selection Duncan McGuire in the second half. The assist marked the second-straight goal contribution from McGuire in league play, after scoring last weekend in D.C.

City fell victim to two offside calls on the night, taking away a finish from Ojeda in the fourth minute and another from Ramiro Enrique in the 79th.

The Lions return to league play on Saturday, March 25, traveling to take on the Philadelphia Union in a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Subaru Park.

Scoring Summary:

26′ Enzo Copetti (Jaylin Lindsey) – CLT 1, ORL 0

The visitors took the lead thanks to a ball over the top from Jaylin Lindsey, finding a running Enzo Copetti just outside the 18-yard box, who took a touch before slotting the ball into the back of the net.

37′ Kerwin Vargas (Harrison Afful) – CLT 2, ORL 0

Charlotte doubled its lead in the first half, as Harrison Afful found teammate Kerwin Vargas just outside the 18-yard box who, after some fancy footwork, launched the ball inside the near post.

56′ Martín Ojeda (Duncan McGuire) – CLT 2, ORL 1

After Duncan McGuire’s first attempt at getting the Lions on the scoreboard was blocked by Charlotte goalkeeper George Marks, McGuire regained possession of the ball and passed to Martín Ojeda across the penalty area, with the Lions’ Designated Player proceeding to fire it into an open net.

Head Coach Oscar Pareja:

“It’s a moment where we lost three points at home in a match that we all assumed that we should win. You could see in the two halves and the way the game ended, I have to say that I’m very proud of these players. It’s my responsibility to create a lineup and to create a game plan and in that part, I have to analyze what occurred in the first half and it did not help the boys. The effort in the second [half] was fantastic. I just kept that image. I have to move forward, once again, I take that responsibility of being very unorganized [in the first half].”

Match Notes:

Martín Ojeda scored his first goal as a Lion in the match.

Duncan McGuire tallied his first assist for the Club on the Ojeda finish. The 2023 MLS SuperDraft selection scored his first goal in the side’s last league outing at D.C. United.

The assist marked the second-straight goal…