Martin Ojeda scored the decisive goal in the 31st minute and Orlando City SC defeated visiting CF Montreal on Saturday night in Orlando’s first match since the departure of manager Oscar Pareja.
Duncan McGuire also scored early for Orlando (1-3-0, 3 points), which broke through three days after Pareja parted with the club by mutual consent three matches into the manager’s seventh season with the club. Martín Perelman is working as the interim manager.
Pareja guided the Lions to the MLS Cup Playoffs in all six of his previous campaigns after they failed to reach the postseason in any of their first five in MLS.
But before Saturday, Orlando had won only once in its last 14 matches dating back to last August.
Prince Owusu scored for the second time in as many games for Montreal (1-3-0, 3 points), which has two matches remaining in its extended, season-opening road trip.
The visitors outshot the hosts 22-16 but trailed 6-5 in efforts on target on a night the final score accurately reflected the quality of each side’s attacks.
Marco Pasalic helped create McGuire’s 19th-minute opening goal when he slalomed in from the right and unleashed a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area that deflected off multiple players in the box.
Ivan Angulo eventually reached the rebound and directed a low effort off the near left post. That rebound fell kindly to McGuire, who was able to tap it into an open net from close range.
Montreal leveled five minutes later on a straightforward goal from a corner kick.
Wiki Carmona, who scored twice in his side’s 3-0 win at the New York Red Bulls last week, served the ball to the back post where Owusu met it with a powerful header past goalkeeper Javier Otero from close range.
But Orlando went back in front following more promising play from Angulo. Initially, the wide man turned his defender at midfield, got down the left and then played a ball for McGuire further up the pitch.
The pass was slightly short, but Angulo followed the play and reached the loose ball following a defensive deflection, played a give-and-go with Pasalic into the left side of the penalty area, and then fed Ojeda for the finish from about 15 yards out.
–Field Level Media
