Ramiro Enrique (23) led Orlando City to their first-ever Eastern Conference final, eliminating Atlanta United from the MLS playoffs. Enrique’s first-half goal in the 39th minute proved to be the difference, as Orlando held on to a 1-0 lead in the second half to seal the victory. The result ended Atlanta’s hopes of a deep MLS Cup run, following their stunning first-round win over Inter Miami, and dashed their dreams of advancing to the next stage of the postseason.
With the win, Orlando City will host the Eastern Conference final next weekend, where they will face New York Red Bulls, who defeated New York City on Saturday to advance.
Later in the day, the Los Angeles Galaxy took to the field in their own playoff battle. Orlando City will also be watching closely, as they are set to host Minnesota United in the Western Conference semi-final, with a potential showdown against the Seattle Sounders on the line. The Sounders caused a major upset by defeating Los Angeles FC 2-1 after extra time in their own playoff clash on Saturday.
Orlando came out strong from the first whistle. In the fifth minute, Facundo Torres raced down the left wing and squared the ball to Dagur Thorhallsson. The Icelandic winger’s shot, however, struck the post, denying Orlando an early breakthrough. The match remained relatively quiet in terms of chances until the 39th minute, when Enrique took advantage of a loose ball in the box after Atlanta failed to clear a corner. Enrique pounced and calmly slotted the ball past Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan to give Orlando the lead.
Things quickly took a turn for the worse for Atlanta. Just moments after the goal, striker Jamal Thiare was forced off with an injury and was replaced by Daniel Rios. The situation deteriorated further for the visitors early in the second half when Rios, just minutes after entering the match, was struck in the head by a ball and had to leave the field due to a concussion, leaving Atlanta down to 10 men for the remainder of the game.
Despite having the advantage, Orlando struggled to capitalize on their opportunities to seal the win. Both substitute Duncan McGuire and Torres had chances to double the lead, but their shots from tight angles went narrowly wide or were well defended.
“We had a lot of energy, especially in the first half,” said Orlando head coach Oscar Pareja after the match. “It’s one more step closer to our objective, but now we can prepare for the next one,” he added in his post-game remarks to Apple TV.
The game also marked the final appearance of Dax McCarty, the veteran midfielder for Atlanta United, who announced his retirement from professional soccer at the age of 37. McCarty, who grew up near Orlando, reflected on his career after the game, saying, “The magic ran out for us today. It has been one of the most memorable months of my career—frustrating season, but we ended it with pride. We fought until the very end, and that’s all you can ask for.”
