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Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 2-0 as Lions Ride Duncan McGuire’s Brace to Victory

The Lions closed the season with another shutout win on the strength of two more goals by the rookie striker.

Published

3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Duncan McGuire came off the bench in the second half and scored twice to lead Orlando City to a 2-0 road victory over Toronto FC at BMO Field on Decision Day. With the win, the Lions (18-7-9, 63 points) clinched the best road record in MLS (9-4-4) and extended their unbeaten run against Toronto (4-20-4, 16 points) to eight consecutive matches (6-0-2), completing a season sweep of the Reds for the second straight year.

“We’re very happy with the performance,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The players have (had) a great season but the most important part is is coming. It was not easy for us. It’s a difficult place.”

Pareja’s lineup was a heavily rotated one, with backups starting just about all over the field. Mason Stajduhar started in goal behind a back line of Luca Petrasso, Rodrigo Schlegel, Antonio Carlos, and Michael Halliday. Cesar Araujo was joined in central midfield by Felipe behind an attacking line of Gaston Gonzalez, Junior Urso, and Martin Ojeda, with Ramiro Enrique up top.

As expected from the lineup filled with backups, the game didn’t exactly start crisply for Orlando City. There was very little early possession beyond the center circle and defensively the Lions sometimes looked confused in coverage.

The rust of some players was evident early. Petrasso coughed up the ball in his own defensive third just five minutes in but Stajduhar did well to cut off the ensuing cross from Federico Bernardeschi.

The first half-chance for Orlando ended up on Felipe’s foot off a long throw-in by Araujo. The midfielder had a weak shot blocked by the traffic in front of Sean Johnson’s goal.

A minute later, Osei Owusu had a free header in the box off a Kobe Franklin cross, but he couldn’t get it on frame.

Toronto was forced into an early substitution in the 17th minute when Aime Mabika pulled up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. With no defenders on the bench, Michael Bradley moved from the midfield to the back line and that turned out to be a key factor in the match.

The only shot on target for Orlando in the first half came in the 24th minute. Carlos got his head to a corner kick cross by Ojeda but he generated no power on the shot and it was an easy catch for Johnson. That was the last time in the half Johnson’s goal was even mildly threatened.

Four minutes after that attempt, Schlegel partially whiffed on his attempt to clear a cross into the box but Stajduhar was able to collect it. Bernardeschi then had his shot deflect off of Petrasso for a corner in the 30th minute. Owusu shook free of Schlegel for a free header on the corner kick but again missed the net.

Lorenzo Insigne sent a free kick over the bar in the 37th minute after Carlos brought down Owusu about 25 yards out from goal.

The Lions finally had a good-looking attack going in the 42nd minute when Gonzalez was sent down the left channel. The MLS U22 Initiative winger sent a cross through the top of the box that didn’t come close to a teammate and Toronto broke the other way, winning a corner. The Lions were able to clear the second ball after an unconvincing punch by Stajduhar left the ball near the top of his penalty area.

Insigne fired a shot from distance that Stajduhar stopped in first-half injury time after Urso turned the ball over cheaply in his own half. That was the last look for either side, despite a late corner won by Toronto. The game went scoreless to the break.

The hosts finished with more possession (59.7%-40.3%), shots (7-2), corners (3-1), and passing accuracy (88.3%-80.3%). Each team directed one shot on frame. Toronto was the much more threatening side as Orlando City generated very little offensively, often overcooking direct passes over the top and failing to pick out passes once they approached midfield.

“I think the first half the boys sustained,” Pareja said. “Toronto brought a lot of energy. This allowed us to bring the players that were on the bench who have been more regular in the lineups with more space.”

Pareja made no changes at halftime and Orlando City didn’t look any better to start the second period. Stajduhar was forced to make a save in the opening minute of the half when Insigne got in tight down the left.

Halliday was sent down the right in the 48th minute but he sent a cross straight to Johnson.

Bernardeschi then started creating mischief down the right. He sent a cross through the Orlando area in the 50th minute that Halliday was able to clear. A minute later, Bernardeschi sent a shot right at Stajduhar from the top of the area as the Lions were caught by Toronto’s movement.

Toronto’s Owusu scored in the 52nd minute but the flag came up immediately. The play wasn’t offside by much, but Carlos stepped forward just in time to put the Toronto forward off.

Gonzalez sent a decent cross through the Toronto area in the 54th minute but Ojeda couldn’t quite get there before it skipped through.

Just beyond the hour mark, Pareja made some substitutions and it made a huge difference. McGuire, Mauricio Pereyra, and Ivan Angulo came on for Enrique, Felipe, and Gonzalez.

Carlos made a vital sliding block as Toronto quickly got forward in transition after the game restarted. That was huge, because Orlando took the lead just seconds later.

Stajduhar started the play that gave the Lions the lead with a long ball forward. It was over the midfield and bounced high. McGuire ran onto it and chipped it past Bradley and then sped past the former USMNT man. Once he cleared his last defender, McGuire smashed an unstoppable shot into the upper left corner past Johnson to make it 1-0.

“That strike by Duncan was incredible,” said Stajduhar, who picked up his first career assist on the play. “I hit the long ball and kind of fell off to my left a little bit, saw him take the touch by Bradley, and I started to organize our prevent, our defense. And all of a sudden, I see the ball hit the back of the net. And I was like, ‘Holy crap, what a what a shot.'”

McGuire added a second in the 74th. This time substitute Kyle Smith, who had come on for Petrasso, sent a gorgeous through ball up the left side that was perfectly timed. McGuire again blazed past Bradley and slotted the ball past Johnson to make it 2-0 with his 13th strike of the season, .

“Happy to see Duncan scoring again,” Pareja said. “I think it’s the whole team, not just what happened in the second half, but the work that the boys did in the first half as well was important.”

From that point, Orlando City seemed content to see out the match, playing safely and not getting forward often over the final quarter of an hour. Robin Jansson replaced Schlegel, who appeared to be cramping, in the 78th minute.

In the 81st minute, John Herdman subbed off Bradley for the final time in his professional career. Latif Blessing replaced the former USMNT captain.

Just after the substitution, Orlando had a chance to make it 3-0 when Toronto turned the ball over to Ojeda at the top of the area. The Argentine took the ball into the area but a second touch allowed the defense to close and his shot was blocked.

The last chance for Toronto to pull one back came in the 90th minute after a bad giveaway by Araujo at the top of his penalty area. Sending a pass straight to Insigne, the Uruguayan had to breathe a sigh of relief when the Italian’s shot deflected off the outside of the left post and out for a goal kick.

That was the last decent opportunity of the match and the regular season came to an end with yet another Orlando City road victory.

Toronto maintained its possession advantage at the final whistle (59.5%-40.5%), and the Reds had the edge in shots (12-5), corners (5-1), and passing accuracy (88%-81.5%), with each team putting three shots on target. The Lions simply had one more Duncan McGuire than Toronto FC and that was all the difference in this match.

“Anytime you play anybody in this league, regardless of who it is, what their record is, it’s a tough game,” Stajduhar said. “There’s no real bad team. There’s a lot of parity in this league, so you have to be ready for anything, no matter who you play. Toronto probably had the better of us in the first half but we were able to hold it and take advantage of our opportunities.”

Following the match, both Pareja and Stajduhar dedicated the win to club equipment manager Chafik Tounzit, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier in the week.

And that will do it for the 2023 regular season. The Lions will next play in the postseason against Nashville SC in a best-of-three, first-round series. The dates and times of the matches will be announced soon.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The (finally) rolling Lions host the red-hot Reds as both teams try to continue climbing the Eastern Conference table.

Published

12 hours ago

on

September 12, 2026

By

Image of Martin Ojeda taking a shot against Toronto FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to your preview and match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (9-11-4, 31 points) and Toronto FC (6-7-11, 29 points) at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). It’s the first of two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals this season, with the return fixture in Toronto scheduled for Oct. 14.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

Orlando is 10-10-3 in the evenly split all-time, regular-season series. The Lions are 6-5-0 at home. The teams split their two meetings a year ago, with the home side claiming all three points in each.

The last time Orlando City faced Toronto FC was on Decision Day 2025 — Oct. 18 — with the Reds running rampant in a 4-2 win over the Lions. Djordje Mihailovic scored in each half, with Jonathan Osorio and Deandre Kerr adding a goal apiece to more than offset Orlando’s strikes by David Brekalo and Duncan McGuire. The loss knocked Orlando into the final position in the Wild Card play-in game, so it was costly.

The teams first renewed acquaintances in 2025 on March 1 in Orlando, with the Lions winning 4-2. Cesar Araujo and Alex Freeman scored moments apart, with Martin Ojeda and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson chipping in goals, while Sigurd Rosted and Deybi Flores scored for the visitors.

The teams met at BMO Field in Toronto on July 3, 2024, with the Lions earning a 2-1 revenge win on an Ojeda goal and an own goal by Nicksoen Gomis forced by Facundo Torres, coming from behind after Derrick Etienne, Jr. had given the Reds an early lead.

The Lions and Reds met in Orlando on April 27, 2024, and the Lions led most of the match on a McGuire goal. However, the Reds flipped the game on its head late, scoring twice in the final three minutes of normal time. Former Red/current Lion Tyrese Spicer and Prince Owusu scored to lift Toronto to a 2-1 win.

The final meeting of 2023 took place in Toronto on Decision Day, Oct. 21, when McGuire came off the bench and scored twice to beat the Reds 2-0. The teams met in Orlando on July 4, 2023, with Orlando City putting the Reds to the sword on Independence Day, beating the Canadian side, 4-0. Cesar Araujo, McGuire, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and Ercan Kara scored for the Lions, and Toronto finished with 10 men after Federico Bernardeschi was shown his second yellow card just past the hour mark.

Orlando City also romped 4-0 over the Reds in the previous meeting, Sept. 17, 2022, at Exploria Stadium. Torres, Kara, and Tesho Akindele scored for the Lions to go along with a Lukas MacNaughton own goal. The Lions also won 1-0 on May 14, 2022, at BMO Field, thanks to a 92nd-minute goal from Kyle Smith, who flicked a header from a corner kick cross inside the far post to lift Orlando City to victory.

The Lions went 2-0-1 in three meetings with Toronto FC in 2021. The teams played to a 1-1 draw at BMO Field on July 17. Jozy Altidore came off the bench to score the opener but Nani equalized from the penalty spot minutes later. Benji Michel drew the penalty, which was originally ruled a foul on the Orlando winger but was overturned after video review by referee Marcos de Oliveira.

The other Toronto “home match” in the 2021 season series came on June 19 at Exploria Stadium. The Reds were dealing with pandemic restrictions in Canada that forced the team to play home games in the United States. Orlando City built a 2-0 early lead on goals by Akindele and Nani, only to see Toronto tie the match by halftime on goals by Ayo Akinola and Osorio. Junior Urso scored late to lift the Lions to a 3-2 victory. The teams first met that year on May 22, with Orlando City claiming a 1-0 win on Akindele’s goal.

The teams did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the MLS stoppage for the pandemic, the teams met most recently in Toronto on Aug. 10, 2019, with the Lions grabbing a point at BMO Field in a 1-1 draw. Michel opened the scoring in the second half, but the Reds equalized off a scramble following a set piece just eight minutes later. The other matchup between the sides that season came on May 4, 2019, when the Reds walked out of Orlando with a 2-0 win on goals by Osorio and Jay Chapman.

The teams split their season series in 2018. Orlando City captured a 2-1 win at home in James O’Connor’s first home game as head coach of the Lions on July 14, 2018. Chris Schuler and Dom Dwyer staked City to a 2-0 lead and Nick Hagglund ruined the shutout in the 94th minute off a Sebastian Giovinco free kick delivery. The 2018 meeting in Toronto saw the Reds get a 2-1 win at BMO Field on Ryan Telfer’s 87th-minute goal.

Toronto shredded Orlando in a 3-1 win on July 5, 2017. Altidore and Giovinco combined to score Toronto’s three goals. Carlos Rivas gave Orlando a consolation goal. In the first meeting of 2017, Orlando out-possessed, out-shot, and out-passed the hosts and played like the better team on the night. However, the Lions could not overcome a two-goal deficit and Giovinco’s first-half brace led Toronto to a 2-1 win.

The Lions got their first victory in the series on June 25, 2016, winning 3-2 at Camping World Stadium. Kaká scored from the spot in the 10th minute of stoppage time to win it. Cyle Larin and Adrian Winter each gave OCSC leads in the game, only to see Jordan Hamilton and Justin Morrow equalize until the captain’s late winner. The Reds took the second 2016 matchup in Orlando with a 2-1 victory and the teams also drew 0-0 on Sept. 28 of that year.

In 2015, Toronto took home all nine points in the three meetings, beating Orlando by a combined score of 11-1.

Overview

The Lions enter tonight on their best run of the 2026 season, having gone unbeaten in four matches (3-0-1). That includes Wednesday’s 3-2 win at Atlanta United in which Orlando City scored all five goals, unfortunately and accidentally putting two in the back of its own net. Antoine Griezmann has been on fire almost since his first minute on the pitch for Orlando, having contributed to 10 goals (7 goals, 3 assists) in his first nine MLS matches, including the opening goal and winning goal on Wednesday. Martin Ojeda made his first start since the World Cup break on Wednesday, contributing an assist and wreaking havoc with his off-ball movement throughout the night. He continues to lead the Lions with 11 goals on the year.

That said, it’s unclear how Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman will approach tonight’s match, considering the team flies to Columbus in a couple of days to face the Crew on the road in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. It seems likely there will be at least a partially rotated squad tonight, with key starters in the midfield or attack likely being limited to 45 minutes. On the other hand, it’s a vital, six-point-type match between two teams fighting for an Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Lions, who carry a 6-4-2 home record into tonight in league play, have climbed from outside the playoff places to sixth over their four-game unbeaten streak and sit four positions — but only two points — ahead of tonight’s visitors from the shores of Lake Ontario (sic).

Toronto FC is unbeaten in its last seven games (3-0-4) and has lost just once since the league’s restart, beating the New England Revolution, Inter Miami, and Nashville SC by identical 2-1 scores and playing to a wild 4-4 draw against the Chicago Fire in that span. Those are the top four teams in the Eastern Conference, and the Nashville win came just three days ago, so the Reds will carry a lot of momentum and confidence into tonight. They’ll also have a full week off after tonight, so they can go for it with their best lineup. Toronto, however, is 2-5-3 away from home this season.

One of the keys to Toronto’s recent success is USMNT striker Josh Sargeant getting on track. The big target forward has four goals in the last four games and has crept to the top of Toronto’s scoring list with seven, tied with former Sporting Kansas City star Dániel Sallói, who has chipped in a team-high nine assists.

To win tonight, Orlando must deny service to Sargeant, try to keep Sallói and new arrival Lewis Morgan off the ball, and find ways to beat Walker Zimmerman and the Toronto defense. Whoever plays left back and left wing for Orlando will need to track former Lion Richie Laryea. City must also be smart and not cost itself for Wednesday by running players ragged on short rest.

Orlando City will be without Braian Ojeda (foot), while Adrian Marin (thigh) has been upgraded to questionable. Toronto will be without Osorio (knee), Nelson Palacio (thigh), and Mihailovic (thigh).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Ivan Angulo, Iago, David Brekalo, Zakaria Taifi.

Midfielders: Tyrese Spicer, Joran Gerbet, Luis Otavio, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, Wilder Cartagena, Eduard Atuesta, Justin Ellis, Harvey Sarajian, Tiago, Daryl Dike.

Toronto (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Luka Gavran.

Defenders: Matheus Pereira, Benjamin Kuscevic, Walker Zimmerman, Richie Laryea.

Midfielders: Dániel Sallói, Markus Cimermancic, Niklas Dorsch, Theo Corbeanu.

Forwards: Derrick Etienne, Jr.,Josh Sargent.

Bench: William Yarbrough, Jackson Gilman, Nicksoen Gomis, Zane Monlouis, Alonso Coello, Kobe Franklin, Emilio, Raheem Edwards, Malik Henry.

Referees

REF: Jon Freemon.
AR1: Corey Rockwell.
AR2: Ben Pilgrim.
4TH: Sergii Demianchuk.
VAR: Kevin Stott.
AVAR: Robert Schaap.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Three Keys to Victory

Here’s what the Lions need to do in order to have a good chance of knocking off Toronto at home.

Published

2 days ago

on

September 11, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Following Wednesday’s 3-2 road victory against Atlanta United, Orlando City has quietly put together a run of four games unbeaten and has won three of those four games. Up next is a Toronto team that hasn’t tasted defeat in its last seven matches, and with fixture congestion once again an issue during September, OCSC will need to be at its best if it wants to come away with three points against a direct rival for the Eastern Conference playoff places. What follows are my three keys to victory against the Reds.

Ring the Rotations

Not only will the Lions be coming off short rest following a midweek match, but there’s another extremely important midweek contest looming on the horizon in the form of Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal in Columbus. Playing an unrotated XI against both Atlanta and Toronto would be tantamount to suicide, even without the extra game thrown in, but with the semifinal to consider, rotation is going to be key. We saw around this time last year and again in August how difficult it can be to win games when the team either can’t or simply doesn’t rotate, and this stretch of games is too important to keep asking the same 11 guys to play a highly physically demanding style every single match.

A number of OCSC players have begun to look leggy in recent weeks, and I don’t think it was an accident that Griffin Dorsey and David Brekalo didn’t play the full 90 minutes against Atlanta. They’ve barely come off the field this year and absolutely needed a little extra recovery time, but they aren’t the only ones. In an ideal world, we see guys on Saturday who haven’t been starting much lately, like Marco Pasalic, Tiago, Tyrese Spicer, Luis Otavio, Wilder Cartagena, Zakaria Taifi, and Iago; while guys who are coming back from injury or have lots of minutes on their legs like Dorsey, Robin Jansson, Antoine Griezmann, Joran Gerbet, and Martin Ojeda get some rest to start the game even if they’re subbed on in the second half. No such luck for Ivan Angulo, who will play the full 90 in every game until the end of time.

Be Better on the Back Post

Lately I’ve felt like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day when watching Orlando City play, because I’m watching the Lions’ defense get repeatedly exposed in the same way: a ball is played in from a wide area, across the defense to the back post, and there’s at least one free man to get on the end of it. That’s how Orlando gave up a goal against Real Salt Lake and how it conceded both goals against Atlanta. If not for some wayward finishing by the Five Stripes, OCSC likely would have given up more goals in a similar fashion during Wednesday’s contest. The word is very much out on how to score against this team: put in either a cross or a diagonal switch that bypasses the nearest part of the defense and requires the team to pick up runners on the back side. That’s it. In theory, it shouldn’t be a difficult thing to fix, but if it isn’t cleaned up — and soon — then teams are going to continue making Orlando pay for that particular flaw and it’s going to cost the Lions points. Toronto is unbeaten in its last seven games and just put a couple goals past the best defense in the league. No need to make the Reds’ job any easier for them.

Clinical Finishing

Assuming that Martin Perelman makes significant changes to his starting XI with an eye on the Open Cup semifinal, we’ll probably be in for a rather disjointed offensive performance on Saturday. That means that quality chances will likely be hard to come by, which puts a huge emphasis on finishing the ones that the Lions create. Even if the offense is creating tons of good chances the way it did against Atlanta, the guys on the field need to do a much better job of finishing those chances. On Wednesday, the Lions created a whopping eight chances with an expected goals (xG) value of .25 or higher, meaning that a player taking that shot would be expected to score roughly 25% of the time. Orlando managed to finish just three of those chances, and a game that never should have been in doubt ended up having a nervy finish once Atlanta pulled a goal back in stoppage time. That sort of profligacy simply can’t happen on Saturday, especially in a contest where chances will probably be at a premium.

There you have it folks. Bring on the fresh legs, clean up the back-side defending, and be lethal finishing in front of goal, and the Lions should have a good chance of taking all three points at home on Saturday. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/11/26

Antoine Griezmann makes Team of the Matchday, reliving the Pride’s win over Houston, academy players head to U.S. training camp, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

September 11, 2026

By

Image of Antoine Griezmann watching his shot go in the net against FC Dallas in a friendly.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Today is the first of three straight days of games featuring Orlando soccer and hopefully the teams can replicate their impressive results last weekend as they push for the playoffs. Apart from working and enjoying the soccer, I plan on making some pasta by hand, so wish me luck in that endeavor. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Antoine Griezmann Makes Team of the Matchday

Orlando City star Antoine Griezmann was the only Lion to make the MLS Team of the Matchday following Orlando’s 3-2 win over Atlanta United. He scored twice and came up with a crucial goal-line clearance to lead the Lions to victory on the road. Griezmann has now scored in four straight games and already has seven goals so far this season despite only playing nine games. Hopefully he can keep finding the back of the net when Orlando hosts a Toronto FC side that has only lost once since the World Cup break.

Reliving the Pride’s Victory Over Houston

The Orlando Pride released a video of the sights and sounds from the team’s 3-1 win against the Houston Dash. It was interim head coach Yolanda Thomas’ first game at the helm and the team was able to get a win after an emotional week. From the different angles of Orlando’s goals to Thomas’ speech to the team following the win, it’s a great watch. The Pride will aim to make it another three points tonight when they play on the road against the Kansas City Current tonight.

Orlando City Academy Players Head to Camp

There are four Orlando City academy players heading to Georgia for the U.S. U-15 and U-16 boys national teams’ training camps at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center. Goalkeeper Luan Silva and defender Zorian Civil were called up for the U-16 team, while goalkeeper Mario Martinez Reyes and forward Molina Baladi will be joining the U-15 team. Hopefully they’ll all be able to impress at camp as they continue to develop for both club and country.

Uncertainty Looms Over Racing Louisville’s Future

Racing Louisville ranks near the bottom of the NWSL in both attendance and spending and there are questions circling the club regarding its investment and future in the league. Along with this, forward Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from the club this summer and 2025 NWSL Coach of the Year Bev Yanez’s contract is set to end after this season. A sale may very well be in the club’s future, with relocation possibly on the table as well. Louisville made the playoffs for the first time last year, but the club has lost 14 games so far this season and is 13th in the league standings.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando Pride moved up a spot to 11th in the CBS Sports NWSL power rankings after beating the Houston Dash.
  • American right back Sergino Dest scored the equalizer in PSV Eindhoven’s 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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