ORLANDO, Fla. — Facundo Torres and Martin Ojeda scored as Orlando City FC blanked Charlotte FC 2-0 in the opening match of their MLS playoff series.
Torres, Orlando's leading scorer, made his goal in the 32nd minute after a Charlotte defender attempted to clear a cross from Orlando's Rafael Santos. The ball fell right at Torres' feet before he put it away in the top left corner of the net.
Ojeda's score came in the 76th minute with a shot just beyond the 6-yard box.
Charlotte midfielder Pep Biel was given a red card in the 90th minute for kicking an Orlando defender while he was on the ground. The red card leaves Biel with a one-game suspension.
Orlando outshot Charlotte 17-9 and controlled possession for 55.8% of the match.
Charlotte closed the season with four wins and one draw in its last five matches. The Crown finished fifth in the Eastern Conference. Orlando won three of its final five matches to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Orlando beat Charlotte 2-0 on Sept. 18 and played a 2-2 draw with them on June 19.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series is on Friday, Nov. 1 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Orlando will move to the next round with a win. A Charlotte win would force a Game 3 in Orlando on Nov. 9.