SEATTLE (June 24, 2023) – Orlando City SC (7-5-7, 28 points) battled to a scoreless draw on Saturday night against Seattle Sounders FC (8-7-5, 29 points) at Lumen Field. The match saw goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, along with midfielders Wilder Cartagena and Facundo Torres all make their return to the pitch from international duty, with Gallese tallying his seventh clean sheet of the year in all competitions in his return.
Following a scoreless first half, the Lions continued to push for an opening goal in the second half, with their two best chances coming via combinations between midfielders Mauricio Pereyra and Facundo Torres. The first came in the 76th minute, with Pereyra starting the counterattack and finding Torres on the wing, who played it back to his fellow Uruguayan at the center of the area, but his effort went high.
Nearly 15 minutes later, the Lions’ captain would thread the needle between three Sounders defenders to find Torres on the run in behind, but his strike would trickle just wide of the net.
City now turns its attention to a weekend meeting with Chicago Fire FC on Saturday, July 1, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Exploria Stadium.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“We walk off the field with the sensation that we could have won it and that feeling is heavy right now in the locker room because we had our chances at the end, especially in the second half. Even in the first half, we had [chances]. It’s a game very well played by the players with a lot of personality in a very difficult place against a very good team. I think we dominated the game in terms of the clear options. We’re going to walk off with that point and take it proudly and take it to Orlando with our commitment to be heavy at home and keep ascending in the standings.”
Match Notes:
- Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese tallied his seventh clean sheet in all competitions of the campaign, extending his Club-record to 28 since joining the Lions ahead of the 2020 season.
- With the start against Seattle, midfielder César Araújo made his 60th appearance for Orlando City across all competitions.
- Saturday’s match served as the Lions’ first trip to the Emerald City since 2019, having hosted the Sounders at Exploria Stadium last season in what resulted in a 3-2 win for the home side.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made four changes to his starting lineup from the midweek, with Mikey Halliday, Wilder Cartagena, Pedro Gallese and Facundo Torres all getting the start.
