Atlanta edge out Orlando 1-0

MIAMI: Josef Martinez scored in a 12th straight game Friday to carry Atlanta United to a 1-0 Major League Soccer victory over Orlando City in Florida.

Martinez extended the MLS record for goals in six career games against Orlando.

Atlanta also beat Orlando this month in the US Open Cup semi-finals — their first competitive meeting outside MLS play.

Atlanta, who host Minnesota in the US Open Cup title game on Tuesday, looked a little weary in the face of a spirited Orlando attack.

But while the Lions created a string of scoring chances they couldn’t convert any, thus failing to force a draw that would have at least temporarily put them in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Orlando are currently in eighth place, even on points with Montreal but one outside the top seven who advance because the Impact have one more victory.

Martinez’s 12 straight MLS games with at least one goal is three games more than the previous record.

Ezequiel Barco played a key role in the goal, freeing Martinez with a first-touch ball before combining in a give-and-go that set up the Venezuelan’s right-footed shot in the 60th minute. Martinez hit the post in the 68th.