Orlando City benefited from two goals off set-piece situations in the first half to extend their winning streak to four matches with a 3-0 victory against host Nashville SC on Wednesday.
Orlando (9-9-6, 33 points) has won five of its past six matches.
Nashville (6-10-8, 26 points) has lost five straight.
The Lions took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. Martin Ojeda served a free kick from distance on the left side toward Cesar Araujo and Facundo Torres, both uncovered at the back post, and Araujo headed it in short side from the goal area.
An own goal off another set piece for the visitors made it 2-0. In the 41st minute, Nashville SC midfielder Alex Muyl tried to clear Ojeda’s service into the box with a header, but the ball hit his face and deflected into the net.
Nashville had one of its few scoring chances of the match in the 25th minute thanks to a corner, but Jack Maher’s ensuing shot attempt went just wide of the left post.
The Lions pressed to pad their lead in the second half, but Nashville SC goalkeeper Joe Willis kept them at bay. In the 47th minute, Willis came up to the top of the box to deny an onrushing Ramiro Enrique, then quickly got over to the right to get in front of Ivan Angulo’s attempt off the rebound.
Willis came off his line again in the 69th minute to save a try from Torres, and, three minutes later, he denied Nicolas Lodeiro at the edge of the goal area.
Enrique wouldn’t be denied in the 81st minute, though. After a broken play, Angulo found him at the right side of the area, and Enrique buried a right-footed shot to extend the lead to 3-0.
Nashville played the bulk of the seven minutes of second-half stoppage time with 10 men after Tyler Boyd was stretchered off the pitch following a non-contact injury.
–Field Level Media