COLUMBUS, Ohio (April 16, 2022) - Orlando City SC (4-2-2, 14 points) remained unbeaten on the road on Saturday night, taking a 2-0 shutout victory from the Columbus Crew (2-3-2, 8 points) at Lower.com Field.
Rodrigo Schlegel and Ercan Kara each found the back of the net for City, the former scoring his first goal as a Lion while the latter tallied his second finish in as many matches for the Club. Facundo Torres recorded an assist on each goal, now leading the side with four helpers on the year.
The victory also saw Pedro Gallese earn his 26th victory in net as a member of the Club, breaking Joe Bendik’s record to move him to 26-13-15 in all competitions as a Lion. Recording a clean sheet in back-to-back matches, Gallese now sits with five on the year, extending his own Club record with his 16th shutout.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“Big result, but more important a big performance. I have a lot of respect for this group. The players understand that this is a commitment that we all have to each other. It’s a commitment that we have for a common objective and sometimes it may be difficult, but if we all have that heart and discipline, I think we’re going to get many good results like tonight. We played against a very good team in a very difficult place and gave a fantastic performance where we also saw how they’re collectively growing which made me even more content.”
Scoring Recap:
37’ Rodrigo Schlegel (Júnior Urso, Facundo Torres) - ORL 1, CLB 0
The Lions got on the board with a ball from Facundo Torres from the left side being sent into the area, finding the foot of Júnior Urso before falling to Rodrigo Schlegel, who was able to tap it into the back of the net for his first goal as a Lion.
51’ Ercan Kara (Facundo Torres) - ORL 2, CLB 0
Orlando City extended its lead in the second half, taking advantage of quick and accurate passing in close in the Columbus 18-yard box. After multiple quick passes, Facundo Torres slid the ball forward to Ercan Kara who spun and fired the ball past Eloy Room for the Lions’ second tally of the night.
Match Notes:
- With the win, goalkeeper Pedro Gallese passed Joe Bendik’s Club record with his 26th victory as a Lion. The match also served as Gallese’s fifth clean sheet of the year and his 16th in all competitions for City.
- City remains unbeaten on the road in 2022, now holding a record of 2-0-2 through four trips this campaign.
- Rodrigo Schlegel scored his first goal for the Club in the match.
- Ercan Kara scored his second goal of the campaign, both of which have come in the Lions’ last two contests.
- Facundo Torres tallied two assists in the match, his first multi-assist performance as a Lion to now lead the side with four on the year.
- Thomas Williams recorded his professional debut on the night, entering the match in second half stoppage time for Benji Michel.
- Júnior Urso tallied his third assist of the year on Schlegel’s first half finish.
- Benji Michel recorded his 90th appearance as a Lion against the side in which he scored his first MLS goal.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made three changes to his starting lineup entering the match, with Kyle Smith, Júnior Urso and Benji Michel each appearing in the first XI. The start served as the first for Smith on the year.
Next Match: The Lions return home, set to take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies in U.S. Open Cup play on Wednesday, April 20 at Exploria Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
