Duncan McGuire scored his first goal of the season just before halftime and host Orlando City’s 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers on Saturday night.
Eduard Atuesta backed McGuire, with Orlando (7-2-6, 27 points) winning three consecutive MLS wins, extending the league’s unbeaten run to 12 games.
Pedro Galazé stopped two to keep his seventh clean sheet after a rare generous night in a 3-2 home defeat to Nashville in the 16 US Open Cup round on Wednesday night.
Maxime Crepeau made three saves to Portland (6-4-5, 23 points). This improved after halftime, but more possessions rarely translated into clear second half chances.
The Timbers chased 14-7 on overall shot attempts, scoring only twice in their final five matches in all competitions. They played 228 minutes without goals on the road of league play.
McGuire was once a regular starter for Orlando, but after scoring 14 goals at a time in his rookie MLS campaign, he appeared to be heading for European moves.
However, Marco Pasaric and Louis Muriel’s plays were to be used primarily in 2025, off the bench. He began his third time, perhaps as a result of efforts others have put in place in Wednesday’s US Open Cup defeat.
He placed Orlando in front of him 39 minutes after the host ruled to that point.
A chance from the second phase of the attack came after the timber partially cleared Ivan Anglo’s first cross from the right.
Atuesta defeated the ball with his body over the right corner of the penalty area, dribbled to the left and slotted a low vertical pass to McGuire near the corner of the 6-yard box.
McGuire reached it and fired a low finish past Crepoux from a slightly tighter angle.
This was McGuire’s first goal since October 2, when he placed 10th in the 2024 regular season.
– Field-level media
