Orlando City vs. Toluca, Leagues Cup: Final Score 0-0 (6-5) as Lions Reach Semifinals in Penalties

Pedro Gallese put the team on his back with two big saves in the penalty shootout and scored the winning spot kick to send Orlando City into the Leagues Cup semifinals. The Lions were far from their best against a tough Deportivo Toluca side in the Leagues Cup quarterfinals at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, CA, playing to a scoreless draw. Orlando then outlasted Toluca in sudden death in the ensuing penalty shootout, winning it 6-5.

It’s Orlando City’s first trip to the tournament’s semifinals, and the Lions are guaranteed two more matches in the competition, win or lose against rival Inter Miami. The loser of that match will play a third-place game to decide which losing semifinalist will qualify for a Concacaf Champions Cup spot.

It wasn’t the prettiest game, with the teams combining for one shot on target, and the Lions attempted just four in the entire match — one after halftime.

“The game played here in L.A. obviously caused some troubles,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The traveling — us coming from the south coast and traveling the whole country here. But our purpose with the group — and I think the boys did great in that sense — is that we didn’t have that context. We didn’t want to have any excuses. It was hard as well for Toluca traveling here. It was a competition that was neutral for both.”

Pareja started his typical first-choice lineup, with Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Luis Muiel up top.

Toluca nearly created the first chance early on Araujo’s turnover in the defensive third, but Freeman tracked back well to snuff out the last pass that would have put the Diablos Rojos in behind the back line in the second minute.

A minute later, Orlando jumped into the attack on the counter with Angulo firing from the left but sending it just wide of the right post. Freeman got in behind and scored in the fifth minute, but he was well offside and the flag came up immediately.

Play went back the other way and Helinho sent a shot from the right side that skipped just wide of the left post. It was ruled a corner — the game’s first. Orlando looked to have an easy clearance, but the ball took a weird bounce off a prone Toluca player in the box and the Liga MX side regained possession and recycled the attack. A deflected shot nearly caught Gallese going the wrong way but it went wide in the eighth minute. The Lions cleared the ensuing corner to end the threat.

Orlando again had the ball in the net, only to see the flag come up in the 18th minute. Ojeda tried to get his timing right on a beautiful through ball by Pasalic and slotted past Luis Garcia, but offside was called. It was a tight play and the video assistant referee took a long look, but the call on the field was upheld.

The game settled in for a bit of back-and-forth play without any chance creation for nearly quarter of an hour before Ojeda and Diego Barbosa traded shots from extreme range in the 32nd and 34th minutes, respectively. However, neither came anywhere close to the goal frame.

Orlando was sloppy with the ball in both halves, but Muriel and Pasalic had multiple giveaways in the final 20 minutes of the first half to spoil promising attacks.

Toluca had one of its best chances of the half in the 39th minute on a corner kick delivered into the box. Federico Pereira got a free head to the service but sent his shot wide of the left post.

The Lions finally won a pair of corners late in the half but could not connect on their crosses. Neither side could create another attacking chance in the half and the teams went to the half scoreless.

At the break, Orlando City held the advantage in possession (51.9%-48.1%) and shots on target (1-0). Toluca had the edge in total shots (7-3), corners (6-2), and passing accuracy (83.7%-83.3%). It was the Lions’ poor passing rate that prevented them from creating more attacking threat.

Not much changed early in the second half. Freeman won an early corner but Toluca cleared easily and went the other way, winning a corner at the other end off a Paulinho shot that Angulo deflected wide. Some careless giveaways handed Toluca some half chances, with Paulinho getting another shot deflected wide in the 53rd minute. Marcel Ruiz got a free header on the ensuing corner but sent it just wide.

Orlando had a shout for a penalty in the 55th minute when Freeman went down under contact in the box but no foul was called and the video review again favored Toluca on what appeared to be a legitimate foul. A minute later, Muriel was quite obviously fouled when he had a chance to get in behind but again there was no call.

Angulo blazed down the left and got in on goal on a cleared Toluca corner, but the Colombian ran himself into a defender and the chance evaporated without even a shot attempt in the 62nd minute.

A foolish foul by Schlegel gifted Toluca a dangerous free kick just outside the box moments later, but Jesus Angulo’s set piece shot hit the wall.

Orlando City did nothing to threaten goal over the last half hour of the match, despite bringing on the fresh legs of Ramiro Enrique and Tyrese Spicer for Muriel and Pasalic. Likewise, Toluca was hardly threatening during that period. The Mexican’s side’s best look came in the first minute of stoppage time, when Juan Pablo Dominguez fired from the top of the box but sent his effort wide.

The Lions won a late corner kick but did nothing with it.

In the end, Toluca dominated the stat sheet, finishing with the advantage in possession (52.1%-47.9%), shots (15-4), corners (10-5), and passing accuracy (86.3%-82.7%). Orlando City posted the only shot on target of the match on a wasteful night for both teams. Despite having done nothing offensively, the Lions went to spot kicks with a chance to advance.

It didn’t appear anyone would miss in the penalty shootout. The first 10 shooters all scored their penalties. Orlando’s shooters included three-fourths of the back line, as Jansson, Freeman, and second-half sub Kyle Smith all found the net behind Garcia. Fellow sub Joran Gerbet and Ojeda were the other Lions who converted.

Toluca’s penalties were picture perfect, as Alexis Vega, Pereira, Robert Morales, Jesus Gallardo, and Franco Romero all beating Gallese, who guessed correctly multiple times but could not get a hand to the shots.

Without a winner through five shooters, the shootout went to sudden death.

Gallese put Orlando in position to win it when he made a diving save with his right hand to deny Nicolas Castro, giving Enrique a chance to be the hero. However, the Argentinean striker was the first player to miss the net entirely, fizzing his shot just outside the left post.

Dominguez stepped up to the spot to try to regain the advantage for Toluca, but again Gallese dove to his right to make the stop.

“First, (I want to) just give big rewards to Pedro and Cesar Baena, his goalkeeper coach, the dedication that they have,” Pareja said. “I saw (Gallese) until the last minute so concentrated on the game plan, but also the plan with the PKs, so we were in good hands in that moment. We relied on Pedro and his experience, too.”

Having made two straight saves, Gallese was brimming with confidence, and he called his own number to take what was ultimately the winning kick. He sent Garcia diving the wrong way and slammed home the winner.

Pareja said the decision for Gallese to shoot was a combination of the Peruvian wanting to step up in that moment and the coaching staff being on the same page.

“It was a mix,” said Pareja. “We looked at him, and he was on the list. When I saw that he was so convinced to take it, it was no doubt that he was going to do it.”

With the draw, Orlando is now 3-2-7 in competitive matches against Liga MX sides. The Lions had lost their last two shootouts against the competition from south of the border — against Pumas and Cruz Azul — but snapped that short streak tonight.

“Hopefully, we can recover soon, because we have a very important game Saturday too,” Pareja said.

The Lions stay on the road to face Nashville SC on Saturday as they resume MLS play against a key Eastern Conference contender. Orlando City will travel to Inter Miami for the Leagues Cup semfinals a week from tonight. The time will be announced later.