There were plenty of strong choices for Heineken Man of the Match in Orlando City’s dramatic 3-2 win over Toronto on Saturday night. Tesho Akindele racked up two more goal contributions, Nani scored his fourth of the year in just six matches, Silvester van der Water continued his impressive form and Kyle Smith put in another terrific defensive performance.
But sometimes, it’s as easy as picking the guy who scored the late winner.
In the 84th minute, Júnior Urso stole an errant pass from Auro Jr. and sent it wide to Chris Mueller, who delivered a perfect one-touch return that Urso expertly slotted past Quentin Westberg to lock up three points for the Lions.
Urso’s goal was his second of the season, as the box-to-box Bear has continued to contribute on both ends of the field throughout his time in Orlando. Urso has now scored six goals in an Orlando shirt in 35 appearances in all competitions, while also leading the team in fouls won since his arrival at the start of 2020. Urso has not missed a single MLS regular-season game since signing with the Lions.
In this game, it was more than just the goal that earned Urso MOTM honors. The Bear passed the ball exceptionally well, hitting on 43 of 47 attempts (91.5%), including 27 of 30 in the opposing half. He was as active defensively as ever, notching a tackle, two clearances, an interception and five ball recoveries.
