Orlando City SC secured the final playoff spot in the MLS East with a near-miss 2-1 win over Columbus Crew on the final day of the regular season.
It was Facundo Torres’ goal on a penalty shot in the 84th minute that gave Orlando the win, putting them ahead of the Crew, who desperately needed a win to reach the playoffs.
Orlando (14-14-6) will face CF Montreal in the first round.
Orlando made the playoffs for a third straight year, coinciding with the arrival of head coach Oscar Pareja in Central Florida and general manager Luiz Muzzi.
A call for a handball once morest Milos Degenek led to the penalty. It was Torres’ ninth goal, second on the team behind Ercan Kara’s 11.
The club have only won one knockout round, it was a legendary first-round triumph over New York City FC on penalties in 2020 as defender Rodrigo Schlegel donned the goalkeeper’s gloves during the shootout.
Columbus (10-8-16) took the lead through Derrick Etienne in the 38th minute. That lead held until the second half when Junior de Almeida Junior tied the game with a goal in the 56th minute.
Pedro Gallese made five saves for Orlando City. Eloy Room stopped two shots for Columbus.
The Union finishes at the top of the East
The Philadelphia Union had no intention of losing first place in the Eastern Conference to CF Montreal by winning 4-0 over Toronto FC.
The Pennsylvania team started the game strong. Daniel Gazdag scored his first of three goals in the game in the fourth minute of play. He returned to the charge in the 60e minute on a penalty. Gazdag completed his hat trick in the 63e minute.
Mikael Uhre scored the other goal for the Union, which finished first in the East with 67 points, two more than the Montreal squad.
For Toronto FC, the season ends on a difficult note. The team was left out of the playoff picture with just 34 points in as many games.
This means that the playoff duels of the first round in the East will oppose CF MTL to Orlando, New York City FC will cross swords with Miami and the New York Red Bulls will face Cincinnati.
The games are made in the West
In the West, Real Salt Lake secured their playoff berth with a 3-1 win over the Portland Timbers, who had to win to reach the playoffs.
The Los Angeles Galaxy also cemented their place in the playoffs with a 3-1 win over the Houston Dynamo.
Minnesota defeated Vancouver 2-0 as Nashville won 1-0 over LAFC.
