Ramiro Enrique scored his first playoff goal six minutes before halftime and Orlando City SC set a new franchise high-water mark with a 1-0 victory over visiting Atlanta United FC in Sunday’s Eastern Conference semifinal.
With a shutout of ninth-seeded Atlanta — which won both these teams’ regular-season meetings — No. 4 seed Orlando reached its first conference final since the club began MLS play in 2015.
The win also came one day after the Orlando Pride beat the Washington Spirit to secure their first NWSL title.
The Lions will host the seventh-seeded New York Red Bulls, who defeated New York City FC in Saturday’s East semifinal.
“First and foremost, just happy, right? Happy, happy for this team and for this club, and to be able to move on to this moment, and to have a part in that by scoring the goal,” Enrique said after the game. “I think, you know, being able to get to the conference finals, we’re just really happy. We’re happy to be there. This club is going to take it step by step to ultimately get to what our end goal is, which we all know. I’m just really happy to be able to score tonight.”
Pedro Gallese kept his third clean sheet of the postseason, this time without having to make a single save against an Atlanta side that had scored eight goals in its first four playoff matches.
Atlanta’s season ends with the club’s best postseason finish since reaching the 2019 Eastern Conference semifinals.
Atlanta midfielder Dax McCarty played his final MLS game, finishing a career that began in 2006 with 488 league appearances and 35 more in the postseason.
The visitors won back-to-back matches just to qualify for the playoffs, then pulled off one of the biggest MLS Cup playoff upsets of all time in a three-game series triumph over Lionel Messi and Supporters’ Shield winners Inter Miami in Round 1.
But Orlando was the superior side throughout the first half Sunday and took a deserved lead through a set piece, an area that has given Atlanta trouble this season.
Enrique helped create the corner kick when he pressured goalkeeper Brad Guzan into spilling the ball over his own endline when trying to catch a high cross.
Martín Ojeda’s ensuing outswinger dropped to the turf after deflecting off at least one body in the box, and Enrique was first to the loose ball to poke home a finish past Guzan from close range.
Interim Atlanta manager Rob Valentino removed injured striker Jamal Thiaré — who scored twice in the Game 3 win over Miami — moments after Orlando’s goal. His replacement Daniel Ríos then also had to exit after taking a ball to the head early in the second half.
The attackers that remained had more opportunities in the second half than the first, but rarely made Gallese work.
“We are obviously very excited and proud, but first from our players and our staff, we want to honor the fans that came today with such energy and helped us,” Orlando manager Oscar Pareja said. “It’s beautiful to see the stadium that way, see the culture and how this club has become one of the best in Major League Soccer.
“So, responding with this victory is great, and just having the boys in this moment with the way they’re playing as well.”
Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.
