Oscar Pareja hails 'important victory' for Orlando City over CF Montreal

Orlando City's impressive season continues after their 3-0 victory over CF Montreal, with the Florida based club sitting in second place after the home win.

The Lions picked up their 15th triumph of the season, a new club record, over the Canadian side as Facundo Torres' 54th minute striker rounded off the scoring at Exploria Field. Torres' strike stood as his 13th of the campaign to go along with his three assists as Orlando look primed for a deep postseason run.

"It was an important victory for our fans," Orlando head coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. "It was a very well-played game against a rival that in the past has given us a lot of trouble to break their lines."

Orlando has been on a streak in recent weeks, winning their last five out of eight games to propel themselves up toward the top of the Eastern Conference table. The win against Montreal also ushered in a new single season points record for the team, totaling 54 points in 31 games played.

Before the record-setting win, the most points Orlando earned in a season came in 2021 when they finished in sixth place with 51 points. However, the Lions' best-ever finish in a campaign came in 2020 when they earned a fourth-place finish.

Should Orlando finish in second or third place this season, it would set a new record, but they'll face stiff competition to do so against conference rivals Nashville SC and New England Revolution before their season finale against Toronto FC.

"Today we were able to find ways to impose our rhythm and score goals," Pareja added. "I saw our team be very offensive [on the pitch]. I saw a team with confidence during the game. What’s important is that we keep our feet on the ground.

"We have to continue with consistency, it was a very well-played game. In the first half I saw how we took advantage of the spaces that gave us the win. We were crafty in the middle, but the most important thing is that we kept our balance defensively."

Orlando has already punched their ticket to the 2023 MLS Cup playoffs, and they'll now look to shore up a tour-four finish to ensure home field advantage near the end of the month.

Sign up now for MLS Season Pass on Apple TV to watch all the action from the 2023 Major League Soccer season. Click here to subscribe!