Orlando City SC shuts out Nashville SC by knocking down their barriers

Orlando City SC responded to season urgency and shutout opponent Nashville SC 3-0.

Orlando City SC players officially recognized the season's urgency for wins, points, precision, and mental focus. The team launched this resolve by defeating Nashville SC 3-0.

In their previous match, they fell 3-0 to Sporting Kansas City. That team sat just three notches above last place in the MLS Western Conference. Mastering the next opponent, Nashville, meant defeating a team that was fully in last place in the MLS Eastern Conference.

However, the only goal of Orlando City in this match wasn’t just to win. Orlando had to overcome any barriers to players’ focus during the match. Those barriers just as significantly caused their fall to Sporting Kansas City as did their opponents’ preparation for and execution in the game.

Yes, it was a shutout. The opponent didn’t score. Yet Head Coach Oscar Pareja noted that as early as the first 15 minutes Nashville SC created chances for their players just the same. He said they worked skillfully to complicate their game.

But Orlando City finished while Nashville didn’t.

To achieve the focus in this match that Orlando missed in the previous one, Pareja said players committed to beginning with what he described as a lethal instinct.

As a result, midfielder Facundo Torres scored his 13th and 14th goals of the season across all competitions and 41st all time. Winger Martin Ojeda and defender Dagur Dan Thorhallsson provided the assists on the goals, their ninth and fifth respectively across all competitions.

Torres now needs three goals to tie the all-time club record by Cyle Larin, 44. Midfielder Nico Lodeiro tallied a secondary assist on Torres’ second goal. That ties the club’s single-season record with 12. Also, Lodeiro scored the 90th assist of his career in MLS regular season action, only the 12th player in league history to do so.

Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese got his third clean sheet of the season.

But the players had to work for it.

As they faced the efforts of Nashville early on, they had trained to maintain focus, rather than become distracted and frustrated. That’s what happened in their previous losses.

Even with the score 2-0 in Orlando’s favor at the half, Pareja said they weren’t in control. By controlling space, City could ensure they close the game. To get to that closing, they had to control the space and shut down the chances they saw Nashville players creating.

During the second half, Nashville's chances diminished. Torres scored his second goal in the second, assisted by forward Duncan McGuire and Lodeiro. That went with his previous goal and a score by winger Ivan Angulo, assisted by Martin Ojeda.

So with his 52nd club score, Torres has passed Nani for most goal contributions in club history.

Staying focused and persistent, more history will be made this season. It starts for Orlando City SC in the MLS post-season.