1. A tale of two halves, but three points all the same. Orlando City SC managed yet another result at home as the Lions took down the Portland Timbers 1-0 on Saturday night.
2. With the win, the Lions extend their unbeaten run to 12 games in league play, tying their Club record streak from 2020. Despite the loss in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, the streak remains alive in MLS matches. The streak is also the longest active unbeaten run in the league thus far, and making Orlando the fourth MLS team with an unbeaten run of 12 or more games over the last five seasons. March 8 marked the last loss the Lions suffered against New York City FC, and now, the Lions will look to close out May keeping that the case.
3. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke after the match about why the team has been on such a memorable unbeaten run: "They trust us. I think there's a big reason the tactical discipline that we have had in the last two or three games has been first-class. And when you sense that the team believes in the idea, and and you see it, then you have a big chance to win games. You see that this group, they love each other, and I have the fortune to coach them, and we will keep pushing."
4. Welcome back, Duncan McGuire. The forward finally got back on the score sheet in league play with a tidy finish in the box late in the first half. After a missed clearance by Portland fell to Eduard Atuesta, the midfielder played a quick ball into the forward, who fired home the only goal of the game.
5. The celebration after the goal was a nice bit of fun for McGuire and Alex Freeman, who joined in on the fun. Last month, Duncan celebrated with Freeman after the fullback scored, and one month later, the roles were reversed. "Obviously, glad to finally do a celebration that Freeman and I planned," McGuire said. "Obviously, we have one planned every time one of us scores, and anytime you get to celebrate a goal, it's a good time, but means a little bit more when you're the one that scored it."
6. The midfield maestro returns. Atuesta made his return to the pitch after missing the last month due to injury. Despite not playing in games, he's been in training and working to keep his fitness up, making his return to the field as seamless as possible. Even with that, he played a full 90 minutes for the first time. After the game, he said that he was tired, due to the match and the humidity, but at the end of it, the team got the win, and he got an assist, so a good return overall for the Colombian.
7. The second half was a tough one for an already tired Orlando team. The Timbers held most of the possession and forced the Lions to expel a lot of energy chasing the ball around. With this being their seventh match of the month and third in seven days, it was a tough ask to hold a clean sheet against one of the top five teams in the West. However, the defense held firm and "suffered" as Eduard Atuesta put it, securing the three points and a clean sheet.
8. Speaking of those tired legs, Pareja said after the game that he "felt like I could have done better on rotating some other players" and that he was "fearful" of rotating some. Ultimately, he said that the players were committed and that they "want to close this month at the top of the league," so he balanced that drive with the resting of legs. Tonight, it ended up working out.
9. Two games still remain in the month of May for the Lions, including a midweek match at Atlanta United next Wednesday. Kickoff for that one is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
