April 29, 2023 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Orlando City SC News Release
ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando City SC (4-3-2, 14 points) took a 2-0 shutout victory over the LA Galaxy (1-5-3, 6 points) on Saturday night at Exploria Stadium. The match saw Ercan Kara and Facundo Torres each find the back of the net on the night, both scoring for the second time in all competitions this campaign.
Following a goal that was waved off in the 33rd minute for a handball, the Lions found the back of the net four minutes later thanks to a combination from Antonio Carlos and Mikey Halliday. The assist served as the second in as many matches for the former and the first of his professional career for the latter. The Lions would double their advantage shortly after the halftime break, this time with all three of their Designated Players combining for a Torres goal.
Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and the Lions defense tallied their third clean sheet of the campaign in a match that saw “El Pulpo” break the Club-record for goalkeeper appearances with his 93rd in all competitions as a Lion, passing former City goalkeeper Joe Bendik. Gallese secured the clean sheet for City with three saves in the match, including a point-blank stop in the 83rd minute to keep the visitors off the board.
The match also saw Orlando City Homegrown defender Alex Freeman make his MLS debut, entering the game in second half stoppage time.
Scoring Summary:
37′ Ercan Kara (Mikey Halliday, Antonio Carlos) – ORL 1, LA 0
The Lions took the lead with Antonio Carlos starting off the play, lofting a ball down the right flank to Mikey Halliday. The City Homegrown took his space down the sideline before cutting a ball to the edge of the area for Ercan Kara, who was able to run across his defender and poke in the first-time finish.
57′ Facundo Torres (Martín Ojeda, Ercan Kara) – ORL 2, LA 0
City doubled its advantage thanks to all three of its Designated Players with Ercan Kara finding Martín Ojeda off the backheel. Ojeda charged up the pitch before sliding a ball in between a pair of Galaxy defenders for Facundo Torres, whose strike trickled into the back of the net for his second goal against the LA-club.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“We’re very grateful to the people that came here to push us and make us feel at home again despite all the difficulties at home with results. Today the boys showed that they have such character and tremendous spirit to overcome [those difficulties]. I’m very happy for the fans and for the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at OurSports Central Major League Soccer MLS News…