Facundo Torres scored his team-leading 13th goal and could’ve had another on a sequence that led to an own-goal, and Orlando City romped to a 3-0 victory over visiting CF Montreal on Saturday night.
Torres began the night three goals behind a trio of players for the MLS goal-scoring lead and now has scored six times in his last eight games.
Dagur Thorhallssson also scored for Orlando (15-7-9, 54 points), which moved closer to securing the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket after beginning the night a point in front of Philadelphia and two in front of three other chasers.
Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was rarely troubled, making two saves to keep his and Orlando’s ninth clean sheet of the season and help the Lions stretch their home unbeaten run to 10 matches.
Jonathan Sirois made five stops for Montreal (11-16-4, 37 points) but was also credited with an own goal as the visitors were significantly outplayed.
Manager Hernan Losada’s team was outshot 13-8 overall and 6-1 in efforts on targets while suffering a 12th away league defeat and 10th by multiple goals.
All three of Orlando’s goals were created down the flanks. On the first, Cesar Araujo played a sharp ball down the left for Rafael Santos, who dragged a low, left-footed cross back toward the penalty spot.
Torres met it in stride and hammered a low strike that bounded off the near post, then the arms and back of Sirois before crossing the line in an opener officially credited to the Montreal ‘keeper.
Thorhallsson doubled the lead five minutes after the break on an excellent team goal. Santos, Torres and Mauricio Pereyra all combined down the left before Santos got to the byline with an overlapping run and drove another low cross toward the near post.
This time Duncan McGuire got to it and sent a flick-on across the goalmouth, where Thorhallsson met it at the back post for a simple tap-in.
Torres got his deserved goal four minutes later after Orlando forced a turnover and quickly turned it into a transition opportunity, with Wilder Cartegena providing the final pass.
–Field Level Media
