We take a look back at Orlando City’s past MLS postseason experiences as the team prepares for the upcoming playoffs.
The Audi 2023 Major League Soccer playoffs have finally here, and the Lions have a clear route before of them to accomplish something that has never been done in club history following a demanding season of facing opponents from throughout the MLS. It all begins on Monday night at 7 p.m. with a home first-round battle against a well-known opponent in Nashville, SC. Here at The Mane Land, we thought it might be a good idea to take a trip down memory lane and relive previous OCSC playoff runs before the festivities of the best-of-three series get underway.
The Season of Breakthroughs
Orlando City’s breakout season finally arrived in 2020, having failed to make the playoffs in the team’s first five MLS seasons. Following the December 4, 2019, announcement of Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s hiring, the Lions concluded the 2019 season with 41 points, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The team had its greatest season to that time in club history. The season also included the COVID break and the MLS is Back Tournament.
In the opening round of the MLS playoffs, the Lions squared battle against New York City FC, another 2015 expansion team. After regular ended in a 1-1 draw, the match eventually progressed to penalties and became team folklore.
With Orlando keeper Pedro Gallese seemingly making a diving save to deny Taty Castellanos, and NYCFC veteran Maxi Moralez’s first shot hitting the crossbar, everyone thought OCSC had done well enough to advance through to the penalty kicks.
A second yellow card and ejection from the remaining PKs were awarded to Gallese after a video review determined that he had come off his line early. The expression “Papi, I can do that” originated when Rodrigo Schlegel was finally replaced after much turmoil and confusion.
The unbelievable occurred when Schlegel blocked a shot by Gudmundur Thorarinsson, allowing Orlando City to go to the next round thanks to a penalty kick scored by Benji Michel.
In the second round, Orlando City’s luck ran out as the New England Revolution upset them 3-1 in a heartbreaking loss that saw the Revs take an early 2-0 lead with to goals from Carles Gil and Gustavo Bou. Junior Urso cut the lead in half before the half, but Orlando City’s hopes of winning the MLS Cup in 2020 were dashed when Mauricio Pereyra was sent off, forcing them to play a man down. Nani’s penalty attempt was also saved.
Once is Good but Twice is Nice
After the previous season’s success, it was evident going into the 2021 campaign that a culture shift had occurred, with making the playoffs becoming the expectation rather than the goal. But in order to qualify for the postseason, the Lions needed to win on Decision Day at CF Montreal, and Orlando easily handled business with a 2-0 victory led by Sebas Mendez and Daryl Dike.
In the first round of the 2021 playoffs, Orlando City, seeded sixth, took on Nashville SC, ranked third, on a chilly November night in Music City. Orlando took an early lead through a goal from Dike, but Mukhtar’s brace and another late-stoppage-time goal from Cadiz proved to be too strong for Orlando.
At the end of the 2022 season, Orlando City was one point behind the Columbus Crew for the last playoff position, and the Lions were looking in on Decision Day.
The Crew was the Lions’ opponent on Decision Day, therefore the task at hand was an easy one: win and you’re in.
After Lucas Zelarayan’s assist, Derrick Etienne scored for Orlando to overcome a 1-0 first-half deficit. And Orlando prevailed.
Exploria Stadium saw a glimmer of optimism when Urso scored in the 56th minute following a swift move, and rookie Facundo Torres converted a penalty kick in the 84th to send the Lions to their third consecutive postseason berth.
In the Lions’ first-round playoff game, Orlando faced a formidable opponent as they travelled to CF Montreal, which had just finished in its finest year ever and had earned the second spot in the East. The Lions lost the contest 2-0 despite without having a single shot on goal during the mostly forgettable encounter.
Undoubtedly a luxury, but it was also a little strange to know that a playoff spot was guaranteed before Decision Day this past season. The Lions’ opponent in the first round is well-known, and in the days before the game, you can catch up on all the pre-game coverage of Orlando vs. Nashville.
Which former playoffs or Decision Day memories are your favourites? Comment below with your thoughts, and as always, Vamos Orlando!