ORLANDO, Fla. (July 14, 2018) – In James O’Connor’s first home match as head coach, Orlando City SC (7-11-1, 22 points) defeated the defending MLS Cup champions Toronto FC (4-11-4, 16 points) 2-1 on Saturday at Orlando City Stadium. Goalkeeper Earl Edwards, Jr. earned his first MLS win as Chris Schuler and Dom Dwyer scored.
“Obviously delighted that we were able to win. It’s really important that we got a win,” O’Connor said. “There were some lovely passages, some really good movement. I thought we created a number of opportunities. We just need to be a little bit more clinical. But we can be really proud of the players’ effort tonight. I thought the level of commitment and the effort from the players was really, really good tonight.”
The Lions started the scoring in the 34th minute when Dwyer ripped a shot from distance that Toronto goalkeeper Alex Bono couldn’t handle. The rebound popped out to Schuler, who calmly headed into the back of the net. It was Schuler’s first goal as a Lion.
City took its lead into halftime and added to it three minutes into the second frame. Dwyer collected a pass from rookie Chris Mueller, took space and drilled the bottom left corner for his eighth goal of the season.
Edwards, who was City's third-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, was called upon for three saves in the match, his biggest coming in the 59th minute. With Toronto pressing to get back in the match, Michael Bradley lofted a longball over the Lions back line to Sebastian Giovinco, who brought it down with one touch before putting it on net. Edwards charged out to block the shot and preserve City’s two-goal lead.
Nick Hagglund scored for Toronto in the 94th minute.
The Lions face a quick turnaround as they visit the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, July 18, in the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal. City continues MLS play when it visits Columbus on Saturday before returning to Orlando City Stadium to host New York City FC on Thursday, July 26.
Tickets to all City home matches are available at OrlandoCitySC.com or by calling 855-ORL-CITY.
Match Notes
- HC James O’Connor won his first match as Orlando City’s head coach.
- GK Earl Edwards, Jr. earned his first MLS win in his first league appearance of the season.
- F Dom Dwyer scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season and his 12th as a Lion in MLS, passing M Kevin Molino for third on the Club’s all-time scoring list. F Chris Mueller earned his fifth assist of the season on the goal.
- D Chris Schuler scored his first goal as a Lion and his first in MLS since 2014.
- M Tony Rocha made his first start since June 13 vs. the Montreal Impact.
- Orlando City opened the scoring in MLS play for the first time for the first time since April 21 (W, 3-2 vs. San Jose)
- D Shane O’Neill was available for selection and on the 18-man lineup for the first time since being signed on June 22.
- M Cam Lindley was on the 18-man lineup for the first time since March 31 vs. the New York Red Bulls.
- M Yoshimar Yotún made his first appearance at Orlando City Stadium since returning from the FIFA World Cup in Russia.
- Orlando City improves to 3-1-1 all-time against defending MLS Cup champions.
Scoring Summary:
ORL - Chris Schuler 34’
ORL - Dom Dwyer (Chris Mueller) 48’
TOR - Nick Hagglund 90+3’
Misconduct Summary:
ORL - Chris Schuler (Yellow Card) 6’
TOR - Jay Chapman (Yellow Card) 55’
ORL - Michael Bradley (Yellow Card) 67’
TOR - Eriq Zavaleta (Yellow Card) 82’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC - GK Earl Edwards, Jr., D Mohamed El-Munir, Amro Tarek, Chris Schuler, RJ Allen, M Tony Rocha (Dillon Powers 56’), Will Johnson (Donny Toia 77’), Yoshimar Yotún, ⓒ Sacha Kljestan, Chris Mueller, F Dom Dwyer (Stéfano Pinho 86’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Joe Bendik, D Shane O’Neill, M Josué Colmán, Cam Lindley
Toronto FC - GK Alex Bono, D Eriq Zavaleta, Nick Hagglund, Justin Morrow, M Nicolas Hasler (Tosaint Ricketts 75’), Ryan Telfer (Jay Chapman 46’), Michael Bradley (Liam Fraser 67’), Marky Delgado, Jonathan Osorio, F Jordan Hamilton, Sebastian Giovinco
Substitutes Not Used: GK Clint Irwin, D Ashtone Morgan, F Jozy Altidore, Ayo Akinola
Details of the Game:
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
Date: July 14, 2018
Attendance: 23,420
Stats:
Possession:
ORL - 46.5 %
TOR - 53.5 %
Shots:
ORL - 18
TOR - 16
Saves:
ORL - 3
TOR - 5
Fouls:
ORL - 8
TOR - 12
Corners:
ORL - 9
TOR - 2
