Just like that, Orlando City SC are the Eastern Conference's highest remaining seed.
Inter Miami CF, Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati couldn't advance past their respective Round One Best-of-3 Series, making the Lions the East's only top-four side left standing in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Pedro Gallese ensured that Saturday night at Inter&Co Stadium, saving two penalty kicks in a 4-1 shootout win over Charlotte FC. The sides had battled to a 1-1 draw in Game 3.
“At some point, everyone's going to be a hero in penalties, and today it was me,” Gallese said post-match via translator. “I knew that I was able when I stepped up. I was able to really help my team. So I did everything I could to be able to do that.”
Late-match heroics
The journey to PKs was far from straightforward.
Charlotte appeared to have won the match when Karol Swiderski put the visitors ahead in the 81st minute. But after throwing everything and the kitchen sink at Charlotte’s goal for the closing minutes, Orlando finally got their break when Duncan McGuire earned a penalty kick in the seventh minute of stoppage time, injuring himself in the process.
After Facundo Torres leveled the match from the spot, McGuire could be seen visibly frustrated with the coaching staff on the sidelines after they chose to keep him out of the shootout.
“I think he will be fine…. He wanted to stay,” said head coach Óscar Pareja. “... I know he was mad at me, and I love that. His braveness and compromises is bigger than everything. But that was a decision that needed to be done for the team.”
In the shootout, Gallese proved to be the matchwinner. The veteran ‘keeper and Peruvian international was back to his best, saving Charlotte’s first two attempts to give the Lions an insurmountable lead.
“This week I studied a little bit more, really focused on the PK takers of our rivals tonight,” he said. “We knew that the way that they play, there was a good chance that we would go to penalties again. So we were all putting in the extra effort to make sure that we were ready for that and thankfully it paid off.”
“A lot goes through your head when you're standing on the goal line and watching that taker step up, but as a goalkeeper, you have to stay serene in those moments,” Gallese added. “You have to have confidence and confide in the preparation and the studies that you had during the week. But a lot of it comes down to when you're on the line, you have to make that decision in that moment.”
Championship mentality
After a slow start to the season, Orlando quietly rounded into form down the stretch. Since July, the Lions earned the second-most points in all of MLS, taking an impressive 31 points from their final 14 matches. That form fueled their internal belief that they could do something special when it mattered.
“Probably since summer, we were one of the best teams in the league,” said Pareja. “It's easy to quit and they did not quit at any time in the season. Today, when it was 97 minutes or so, that's what they did. They did not stop. I thought the game rewards us, and it was a good example of the culture that we have here in the club.”
For the second year in a row, the Lions find themselves through Round One and into the Conference Semifinals. Instead of a Florida matchup against Miami, they'll host upstart Atlanta United on Nov. 24, fresh off of one of the biggest upsets in MLS history.
For Orlando, it doesn’t make a difference who they’re playing: The goal remains the same.
“One thing for sure is that I sense in the locker room that we don't want to stop here,” Pareja posited. “There is a bunch of things happening for Orlando, and we're going to chase a cup.”
