Orlando City vs. Montreal Impact: Final Score 2-0 as Lions’ Five-Match Unbeaten Run Is Over

Orlando City entered Stade Saputo on Saturday night riding high on a five-game unbeaten streak in MLS play (and a six-game streak in all competitions), but that run came to an end in a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Montreal Impact. Donny Toia and Dominic Oduro each found the net for Montréal (5-5-2, 17 points), with Oduro’s 90th-minute score slamming the door on the Lions’ attempt to salvage a draw.

The Lions (5-6-5, 20 points) controlled nearly 60 percent of the ball in the opening half, but failed to turn that possession advantage into many dangerous chances, which — predictably — would come back to haunt them.

City’s fullbacks were effective early at generating quality crosses while overlapping up the flanks, as Rafael Ramos and Brek Shea combined to find a target on three occasions in the opening minutes of the match. Striker Cyle Larin was on the receiving end of a pretty ball from Shea in the seventh minute, as the left back crossed in and found the foot of the Canadian international at the edge of the six-yard box. The rookie probably should have put a shot on target at the very least, but the ball went high and off frame to waste the good service.

That seemingly set the tone for the rest of the night.

Tally Hall made a huge save for Orlando in the 33rd minute when Ignacio Piatti fired a right-footed shot off the volley towards the bottom left corner of goal from about 20 yards out. The 6-foot-4 keeper did well to react, getting down quickly to deflect the ball out of bounds with his right arm and quell the danger.

Hall was unable to replicate his excellent effort in the 36th minute, however, when Montréal’s Toia made the most of a short corner kick by redirecting the ball across the face of goal and into the left side netting from the right side of the box. Toia’s effort was stellar, and the looping redirect left Hall with virtually no chance to make a stop.

Although City controlled most of the possession, Montréal created the more dangerous chances and earned a five-to-one advantage on corner kicks in the first half. Larin’s early miss and a Cristian Higuita rip from distance that sailed just over the bar were the Lions’ best opportunities to score, but City failed to put either attempt on goal.

The second half was much more reflective of the result, as Montréal controlled the tempo and continued to look the more dangerous side.

The half got off to an inauspicious start for OCSC when Aurélien Collin went down in the 47th minute, clutching the hamstring he had injured previously against D.C. United on May 13. City’s stalwart center back was subsequently replaced by Seb Hines in the 49th minute.

Larin saw another pair of chances slip away in the second half, as he fired wide left from in front of goal in the 54th minute and then failed to get a shot off in the 84th minute, after mishandling his first touch on a ball in the box that then deflected off his body directly to Evan Bush.

Pedro Ribeiro was dangerous for Orlando after his 77th-minute substitution, but he couldn’t direct either of his chances away from Bush. The Lions looked to be in more of a 4-3-3 following the Brazlian’s entrance into the match, with Kaká, Ribeiro and Darwin Cerén sitting behind Shea, Larin and Carlos Rivas.

Ribeiro chested down a lovely ball from Cerén in the 87th minute and turned it into a left-footed shot in front of goal, but the effort was straight at Bush, who saved comfortably. Soon after, Ribeiro elevated to head a Shea cross on goal, but once again, the ball failed to truly trouble to Montréal keeper.

Oduro then sealed the win for the Impact a minute later when he made a speedy run down the right side and finished low past Hall. Hines had sprinted back to defend the striker, whose pace had given the Lions issues since his 67th-minute entry, but the center back’s deflection of a cross attempt went right back to Oduro and he did not waste his second chance to put the match on ice and extend Montréal’s MLS home winning streak to four games.

Orlando looked tired throughout the evening, after their 120-minute affair with Charleston on Wednesday in U.S. Open Cup play, but even the starters who sat out that match – like Shea and Kaká – did not look particularly sharp. Luke Boden and Lewis Neal looked a bit sluggish after playing major minutes mid-week, and the overall team performance was not one to remember for Orlando City, which didn’t record a shot on target until the 65th minute, when Rivas fired from 30-plus yards out.

The Lions will return to action on Wednesday at home against the Colorado Rapids.