Written by George Simon
Orlando, FL - The purple Lions drew their third game in the last month, this time it was against the New York Red Bulls, a special game for former Orlando City SC player Aurelien Collin, who played his first game as a Red Bull against his former teammates.
The game got heated fast with a booking for Collin (NYRB) in the 17th minute, then came two successive bookings for Orlando’s Rafael Ramos and Kaka. The first half was tight with a lot of back and forward game, but it was the Red Bull who dominated the majority of the first especially after Bradley Wright-Phillips goal in the 19th minute.
Orlando City played with a lot of intensity during the rest of the first half; making a lot of fouls and taking away the pace that New York were giving to the game. In the last 5 minutes of the first half, Orlando found their composure and used their intensity to create chances. The closest ones were made by Kaka and Larin in a play that Red Bull’s goalkeeper Luis Robles saved both shots consecutively.
In the second half, Orlando kept the high pressure and organized intensity , pushing forward creating several chances that Cyle Larin couldn’t put in behind net. Orlando kept going forward and in the 67th minute Kevin Molino equalized the game with his 3rd goal of the season coming off an assist from Cyle Larin.
Orlando City SC dominated most of the game during the second half and the heat kept rising with yellow card for David Mateos (Orlando), Brek Shea (Orlando), Sam (New York) and Lawrence (New York). But Orlando lost their balance in the 84th minute when Colombian Midfielder, Christian Higuita, was red carded due to a dangerous two-footed challenge on Sacha Kljestan.
During the last five minutes, New York tried to go forward, but Orlando locked their midfield and defensive lines with the introduction of Servando Carrasco to the game, which helped both lines to defend New York’s attempts on goal. The game ended up in a 1-1 draw that didn’t help Orlando nor New York in their attempt to qualify to the playoff. The Montreal Impact kept the 1st place spot in the eastern conference with 14 points, while Orlando is still in 4th with 11 points and the New York Red Bulls are in 5th with 10 points.
In the postgame press conference, Orlando City SC head coach Adrian Heath addressed the lack of victories and the three draws during the last month “Sometimes you get a point that you don’t’ deserved, but this time I think we deserved the victory…I just said to the players you never underestimated a point that could be crucial for us in the long run”. About the referee performance, Heath admits that, “Being a ref is not an easy task and this wasn’t an easy game for Ted (Today’s referee)”.
Jesse Marsch (New York Redbull’s Coach) on the other hand praised his players for a great performance, “Our guys managed the game well and the subs got good performance… We have 3 unbeaten games in a row and it keeps the momentum going for us and in one way with are unsatisfied walking away without the 3 points, it was a hard point and we can walk away with our heads high and keep the momentum going”
Orlando City SC hit the road next Sunday when they visit Sporting Kansas City, looking to get an away victory and break the winless streak, the Lions comeback to the Camping World Stadium on Saturday, May 21st when they will face the current leaders of the eastern conference, the Montreal Impact.
The game got heated fast with a booking for Collin (NYRB) in the 17th minute, then came two successive bookings for Orlando’s Rafael Ramos and Kaka. The first half was tight with a lot of back and forward game, but it was the Red Bull who dominated the majority of the first especially after Bradley Wright-Phillips goal in the 19th minute.
Orlando City played with a lot of intensity during the rest of the first half; making a lot of fouls and taking away the pace that New York were giving to the game. In the last 5 minutes of the first half, Orlando found their composure and used their intensity to create chances. The closest ones were made by Kaka and Larin in a play that Red Bull’s goalkeeper Luis Robles saved both shots consecutively.
In the second half, Orlando kept the high pressure and organized intensity , pushing forward creating several chances that Cyle Larin couldn’t put in behind net. Orlando kept going forward and in the 67th minute Kevin Molino equalized the game with his 3rd goal of the season coming off an assist from Cyle Larin.
Orlando City SC dominated most of the game during the second half and the heat kept rising with yellow card for David Mateos (Orlando), Brek Shea (Orlando), Sam (New York) and Lawrence (New York). But Orlando lost their balance in the 84th minute when Colombian Midfielder, Christian Higuita, was red carded due to a dangerous two-footed challenge on Sacha Kljestan.
During the last five minutes, New York tried to go forward, but Orlando locked their midfield and defensive lines with the introduction of Servando Carrasco to the game, which helped both lines to defend New York’s attempts on goal. The game ended up in a 1-1 draw that didn’t help Orlando nor New York in their attempt to qualify to the playoff. The Montreal Impact kept the 1st place spot in the eastern conference with 14 points, while Orlando is still in 4th with 11 points and the New York Red Bulls are in 5th with 10 points.
In the postgame press conference, Orlando City SC head coach Adrian Heath addressed the lack of victories and the three draws during the last month “Sometimes you get a point that you don’t’ deserved, but this time I think we deserved the victory…I just said to the players you never underestimated a point that could be crucial for us in the long run”. About the referee performance, Heath admits that, “Being a ref is not an easy task and this wasn’t an easy game for Ted (Today’s referee)”.
Jesse Marsch (New York Redbull’s Coach) on the other hand praised his players for a great performance, “Our guys managed the game well and the subs got good performance… We have 3 unbeaten games in a row and it keeps the momentum going for us and in one way with are unsatisfied walking away without the 3 points, it was a hard point and we can walk away with our heads high and keep the momentum going”
Orlando City SC hit the road next Sunday when they visit Sporting Kansas City, looking to get an away victory and break the winless streak, the Lions comeback to the Camping World Stadium on Saturday, May 21st when they will face the current leaders of the eastern conference, the Montreal Impact.