Alexandre Pato scored his first MLS goal and Benji Michel added his own 10 minutes later as Orlando City SC defeated CF Montréal 2-0 at Exploria Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
After a difficult 2021 season rife with injuries, Pato took the monkey off his back by opening his MLS account in Orlando's 2022 season opener. Following a 13-pass sequence that started with goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, Ruan outpaced Kamal Miller along the right flank and sent the Brazilian a low cross towards the far post in the 49th minute.
The floodgates opened for the hosts when Michel doubled Orlando's lead in the 59th minute. Mauricio Pereyra picked up his second assist of the afternoon by finding the 24-year-old with a through ball inside the box. His shot beat CFM goalkeeper Sebastian Breza, giving Orlando their second in the span of 10 minutes.
The second half went from bad to worse for Montréal after Romell Quioto picked up a red card. In the 66th minute, the Honduran forward punched Robin Jansson in the chest after the whistle and was immediately sent off, leaving Montréal with a mountain to climb and only 10 men. Jansson followed suit with a second yellow card, sending Orlando's center back out of the game in the 81st minute.
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Orlando loves starting things off the right way. Since joining MLS in 2015, the Lions remain undefeated on opening day. While the game marked Facundo Torres’ debut, Pato stole the spotlight with his first goal in purple. After playing an emotional midweek Concacaf Champions League game, CF Montréal couldn’t keep their composure in the Florida heat with two goals conceded in the span of 10 minutes and a sending-off in the second half.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Orlando’s first goal of the season was great in multiple ways. Pato finally found his first marker in MLS, but it was a true team effort behind a 13-pass sequence.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Alexandre Pato’s smile of relief was a picture worth one thousand words. The Brazilian featured in the starting XI for the first time since April 2021 and gave his team the opening goal following a scoreless first half.
Next Up
- ORL: Saturday, March 5 at Chicago Fire FC | 6 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada)
- MTL: Saturday, March 5 vs. Philadelphia Union | 3:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US; TSN4, TVA Sports in Canada)
