Orlando City SC couldn’t fully capitalize on its home-field advantage Saturday night, drawing CF Montréal 1-1 and maintaining sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
A slow start meant the Lions’ first shot of the match didn’t come until the 16th minute, when midfielder Martín Ojeda skied a left-footed volley above the goal and into the Lions’ Den. A mix of solid defense from Orlando and Montréal’s lack of offense, however, prevented the visitors from having a shot until the 33rd minute.
Though the Lions didn’t have many chances at goal in the first half, they capitalized on its best opportunity in the 28th minute.
A Montréal foul from an Orlando give-and-go earned City a free kick right outside the 18-yard box, and Ojeda snuck the ball below Montréal’s wall and slotted it into the bottom left corner. Ojeda’s free kick gives him his seventh straight match with a goal, setting a new club record and tying Marco Pašalic as the team’s highest goal scorer.
After Ojeda gave the Lions the lead, they held most of the possession for the rest of the first half. Forward Luis Muriel was a reliable presence up front, holding the ball up in transition and allowing Orlando to get numbers up the pitch offensively. Ojeda netted another shot off a through ball from forward Ramiro Enrique in the 34th minute, but it was called back for being offside.
Orlando went into halftime ahead 1-0, but Montréal started the second half with new life in them. Though they couldn’t score any goals off a couple of free kicks in Orlando’s final third, the Lions had lost the control they had in the first half.
In the 80th minute, Montréal forward Prince Owusu snuck behind Orlando’s last defender and earned exactly what Orlando was dreading: a penalty kick with a chance for an equalizing goal. Owusu proceeded to fake out Orlando goalkeeper Javier Otero and calmly placed his shot into the bottom right corner, tying the match at 1-1.
Despite earning another point, the result is representative of how Orlando’s been unable to close out games they should be winning. While coming back from a 2-0 deficit at Charlotte FC last weekend could be looked at as a success, Orlando desperately needs every point it can get to earn a top-four seed in the playoffs.
Orlando manager Óscar Pareja said that while the result is disappointing, the team needs to keep focused on their larger goal.
“The team confidence has to stay alive the whole year,” Pareja said. “I don’t consider that we have to depend to the results of work in our job, and our provisionalism tells us that when the game finished, you gotta move on to the next one. We have the responsibility to prepare for this game on Wednesday. That is a big challenge as well.”
Orlando made three substitutions before the 80th minute, which may have resulted in Montréal’s suddenly strong offensive form.
Pareja was without Pedro Gallese and Robin Jansson due to yellow card accumulation, and decided to start third-year Lion Alex Freeman at right back. The young star threatened the Montréal defense several times down the right side, taking advantage of the space he was being given. Pareja said that the sudden momentum swings throughout the match may have been the ultimate factor.
“We couldn’t just reach the rhythm the whole game,” Pareja said. “I have to say that we tried to move, and eventually we had some actions that ignite us a little. But the overall thing is that it was a very uncomfortable game for us. That’s part of the frustration, especially because we must win at home…That’s the frustration.”
Ojeda wasn’t the only player to set club history on Saturday. Defender Kyle Smith played his 200th match as a Lion, making him the second longest tenured player for the club. Coming from Louisville, Smith has now played seven seasons in the City Beautiful.
“This has become my home and I love this city,” Smith said. “I love the fans [and] the team. It’s gone by very quickly and I feel blessed and thankful that I’ve got this opportunity.”
One memory, however, stands out from the rest.
“The one that sticks out is when Rodrigo saved the PK against New York City in the [2021] playoffs. I think it was unbelievable.”
Orlando drew Montréal 0-0 in their first matchup back in April, and the Canadian side managed to earn a similar result despite having struggled since then and having little hope of playing in the postseason.
Orlando is now seven points back from first place in the conference, trailing behind fifth-place Inter Miami, which is now three points ahead of the Lions after beating Nashville SC 2-1. Dropping two crucial points against a weaker opponent is not what Orlando wanted, and issues on the offensive end need to be addressed before they take the pitch again.
The Lions are set to face seventh-place New York City FC on Wednesday night at Inter & Co Stadium.
