Orlando City star Mauricio Pereyra didn’t give D.C. United any time to breathe on Sunday night as he punched in an early goal to lift the Lions in a high-paced 1-0 road win.
Pereyra netted the game-winning goal in the seventh minute, collecting a ricocheting ball in the box and bodying off a defender before he buried the ball.
The goal was ultimately the Lions’ only shot on frame in a physical night of exhausting end-to-end action between the two teams. But it was enough to cement the Lions’ second win and third shutout of the season, moving the team up to second place in the Eastern Conference table.
“Today the matureness of the team is shown,” coach Oscar Pareja said. “I think we’re getting better, defensively we’re stronger. … I think today we needed much more than football, and the boys did it. Many other games we have dominated the game and then we come up with a sour result. Today, we must win this game, that was our commitment, and the group did it.”
But Pereyra’s goal was also bittersweet for the midfielder as he dedicated the moment to his lifelong friend and former teammate Santiago “Morro” García, who died by suicide in February.
Pereyra and García grew up together in Uruguay, playing soccer with each other since they were 10-year-old boys with dreams of becoming soccer stars. They achieved those dreams together, winning the Uruguayan Primera División together for Nacional in 2009 and 2001.
The moment Pereyra peeled himself away from a series of ecstatic hugs and kisses from his teammates, he tugged up his jersey to reveal an undershirt emblazoned with a picture of García.
Pereyra said he wore the shirt under his kit for every game he played this season, waiting to score a goal in his honor. When the moment came against D.C. United, the midfielder kissed the picture of García, pointing to the sky and celebrating another goal with his friend.
“It was a happy and a difficult moment for me,” Pereyra said. “I was waiting for it since I came back to the field. … I was really waiting for this moment. I had a lot of moments with him and the honor it was with him. I’m a little bit lighter now.”
The shutout marked a continued dominance by the Orlando City backline as key starters continue to return from the injured list.
Starters Robin Jansson and Joao Moutinho both began the season on the sideline due to injuries but made significant returns against D.C. United. Moutinho started his first game in over nine months while Jansson played a full half for the first time this season.
Defense was critical for the Lions as D.C. United launched a full-fledged assault in the second half, showing no signs of the quick turnaround from their midweek match against Chicago on Thursday.
Pareja brought in Jansson at the half as a fifth defender to fully bolster the backline and support Moutinho, who is still getting into the rhythm of the season.
The Lions have allowed the least goals in the league this season, ceding only two through the first five matches of the year.
“That defensive consistency is one of our one of our main focuses,” Moutinho said. “I think that’s been showing. We’ve been very organized, not conceding many goals, and hopefully we can keep it like that until the end of the season because I do believe that the teams that concede the least amount of goals are the ones that are closer and closer to winning.”
The Lions will return to Orlando to face Toronto FC in its next match on Saturday.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Julia Poe at jpoe@orlandosentinel.com.
