Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire scored second-half goals as host Orlando City beat Charlotte FC on Wednesday.
Orlando (12-10-7, 43 points) pulled ahead in the 52nd minute off a free kick. While Charlotte’s defenders were trying to get on the same page, Orlando sent a pass down the left sideline, moving the ball from Ivan Angulo to Martin Ojeda, who sent a cross into the box.
Torres approached the cross in the 18-yard box and took a left-footed shot to give Orlando a 1-0 lead. Torres scored for the fourth time in the past three matches.
McGuire sealed the win in the 88th minute, chipping a goal over Kristijan Kahlina. Luis Muriel sent a through ball to McGuire, who took a right-footed shot from the center of the box to score his second goal in two matches.
Orlando, which has won seven of its past nine matches, moves into fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Orlando won the possession battle 58 percent to 42 percent, outshot Charlotte 12-4 and had seven corners to Charlotte’s three.
Charlotte’s offense couldn’t muster any dangerous chances other than first-half counterattacks. Each time, the Orlando defense stopped it or a direct shot on goal went to Pedro Gallese, who finished with two saves. It’s Gallese’s eighth clean sheet of the season.
Charlotte (10-11-8, 38 points) suffered its third loss in a row, stretching its winless streak to six matches.
Orlando now travels to face the Columbus Crew, who are third in the Eastern Conference. Columbus won the last matchup between the two playoff contenders 2-0 on the road in May.
–Field Level Media