Facundo Torres broke a scoreless deadlock — setting a club record for all-time goals in the process — and Duncan McGuire added an insurance goal as Orlando City won its second straight match, beating the Philadelphia Union 2-1 Wednesday night in Orlando, Fla.
Luis Muriel assisted on both goals as Orlando (14-11-7, 49 points), which qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs with a win over FC Dallas on Saturday, won for the fifth time in six matches.
Philadelphia (9-13-10, 37 points) saw its three-match unbeaten streak (2-0-1) end.
Torres’s goal came in the 57th minute, as his shot from the left side of goal from a Muriel pass inside the box deflected off Union goalkeeper Andre Blake and into the net.
It was Torres’s club-record 45th goal with Orlando across all competitions, passing Cyle Larin. It was also his team-high 14th of the season and his sixth in as many matches.
McGuire made it 2-0 in the 64th minute as he got on the other end of a Muriel pass and finished his run with a shot beyond Blake to double his team’s lead. McGuire’s goal was his 10th of the season and his third in five matches.
Quinn Sullivan gave a lifeline to the Union and ended Orlando’s shutout bid with his goal in the 72nd minute, his fourth of the season.
But Orlando, which held a healthy advantage in both shots taken and possession throughout the night, saw its efforts rewarded as the Union were unable to find the equalizer.
Pedro Gallese made two saves for Orlando in the win. Blake made one save in a losing effort for Philadelphia.
Martin Ojeda was also credited with an assist for Orlando, his team-high 13th. Mikael Uhre and Daniel Gazdag were awarded assists on Sullivan’s goal.
–Field Level Media
