By Official Florida FC
Orlando City may have produced a miracle that might leave storytellers in Central Florida incredulous. The Lions, trailing deep into second half stoppage time, eliminated Charlotte FC on penalty kicks during the MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday night at Inter&Co. Stadium.
Facundo Torres didn’t sulk when his 102nd minute penalty was saved by Charlotte FC’s indomitable goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina. Instead, he followed up his shot and bundled that effort home to send the first round match to penalty kicks.
Orlando converted all four of its penalty kicks to advance to the MLS Cup Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2020.
Torres scored 14 goals in the regular season. The Uruguayan international scored two goals in the three-game playoff series win over Charlotte. He will need to keep that form against a club he has yet to score against in his MLS career.
The Lions will host eighth-seeded Atlanta United on November 23 in Orlando. The announced kick off is slated for 3:30 EST.
