Orlando City ends 9-game skid with win over Toronto FC
TFC now winless in their last 6 (0-4-2)
Chris Schuler scored his first MLS goal since 2014 to help Orlando City beat slumping Toronto FC 2-1 on Saturday night and snap a franchise-record nine-game losing streak.
Defending champion Toronto (4-11-4), meanwhile, is winless in its past six games (0-4-2) and is now 11 points out of a playoff spot.
"Again, a lot of self-inflicted wounds over the course of the night," Toronto coach Greg Vanney said. "Whenever you play MLS (in the) summer, especially in Orlando, in the south, where the temperatures and humidity are high, we have to be more efficient with the ball, we have to be cleaner with the ball."
Orlando City (7-11-1) won for the first time since beating Real Salt Lake 3-1 on May 6. Orlando City's skid was tied for the third-longest in MLS history. The New York Red Bulls lost 12 in a row in 1999 and Real Salt Lake lost 10 straight in 2005.
Schuler, a 30-year-old defender, headed home the rebound of a long-range shot by Dom Dwyer from point-blank range in the 34th minute.
Dwyer doubled the advantage in the 48th when he blasted a left-footer from the top of the arc past the outstretched arms of a diving Alexander Bono.
Earl Edwards Jr., making his second career appearance, had three saves in his first MLS win.
'We got to keep fighting'
Nick Hagglund, making his 100th appearance with Toronto, scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
"We got to keep fighting," Vanney said. "We've got a lot of guys who are on the edge of returning back into the team and the guys who've been in this team have been competing and fighting every single week. We've got to keep doing that."
Toronto now switches its focus to the Canadian Championship. TFC is in Ottawa to face the Fury in the first leg of a semifinal on Wednesday.
"It's just good to get games," Hagglund said. "Especially after a loss, the best thing to do is to get back on the field, to put a good performance out there. And so, that's what we're going to try to do on Wednesday."