The match started with limited chances for the home side. Meanwhile, Columbus Crew SC created several chances that were either miraculously missed, annulated or saved by goalkeeper Joe Bendik.
The first clear chance came for the visitors in the seventh minute. Columbus’ midfielder Pedro Santos received the ball on the left flank and, after spotting forward Ola Kamara in the heart of the box, threw a cross that was netted by the forward. Columbus’ players thought they had taken the lead, but the linesman marked that Kamara was offside. Crew’s players argued with the referee even though the decision was already made.
Columbus’ forward Justin Meram had the chance to open the score seven minutes after thanks to a connection of passes with Kamara. The Iraqi-born player received the ball inside the box in front of Bendik. However, the shoot left slightly wide on Joe’s right-hand side.
Forward Dom Dwyer created the first chance for the home team just one minute later. The U.S Men’s National Team Player outran defender Héctor Jiménez, shot from the right flank, but the ball left wide from goalkeeper Zack Steffen’s goal.
Orlando’s midfielder, Antonio Nocerino, had a couple of opportunities to give his team the lead. First, in the 23rd minute, Steffen punched a cross out of the box and the Italian-born shot and aggressive volley that went over the goal. Then, in the 30th minute, Nocerino made another volley after receiving the ball on the penalty spot but, again, the ball went over Steffen’s goal.
“Tactically, when I first looked at him [Nocerino]…I really thought he was a prototypical number 6. Then, we decided we will look at him a little differently and put him in a more advanced roll”, said Orlando City SC head coach, Jason Kreis, about Nocerino. “I think that would be his role going forward.”
The visitors had another significant opportunity of scoring minutes after thanks to a long ball into the box to Meram from Santos. The Iraqi saw his companion, Kamara, entering the box and passed the ball to him. However, Orlando was lucky (again) because Kamara missed an inch to push the ball in.
Ten minutes before the end of the first half, forward Kaká had the chance of scoring with a free-kick that passed slightly over Columbus’ goal.
Columbus Crew SC dominated the second half and created the first chance in the 63rd minute. Midfielder Federico Higuaín shot from outside the box, the ball kissed the crossbar and left.
In the 66th minute, the goal for Columbus arrived as a result of a significant cross from Jiménez after spotting Kamara inside the box. The Norwegian forward had the easy task of netting the ball in front of the goal.
After the goal, Columbus managed to cool down the match and limit Orlando’s chances of converting. The game ended with 47% of the ball possession for Orlando City SC and a total of thirteen shots (zero on target). Meanwhile, Columbus Crew SC had 54% of ball possession and eleven shots (four on target).
“We didn’t live up to what I think the fans, our club, and the community deserved of us this season” said Kreis. “We need to do better than that. We will spend the pre-season getting really focused on where and how and when we can improve.”
Orlando City SC’s face, Kaká, played today his last match with the Lions’ jersey. On his three years at Orlando, the Ballon d'Or winner played a total of 74 matches and participated in 46 goals (24 goals and 22 assists). The Brazilian was also Orlando City’s marketing face and helped the club, and the city of Orlando lay a foundation of soccer in the area. Kaká is still deciding what he will do with his career. There are several options: retire and, as he stated, have a similar coaching career as Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane, or continue playing at some other club. By all means, Orlando City SC General Manager, Niki Budalic, is already looking for a replacement for the No. 10. Who will the next signing for the Orlando City be?
Orlando City SC starting line-up: Joe Bendik; Scott Sutter, Seb Hines, Jonathan Spector, Donny Toia; Antonio Nocerino, Servando Carrasco, Yoshimar Yotún; Giles Barnes; Dom Dwyer, Kaká (C).
Columbus Crew SC starting line-up: Zack Steffen; Harrison Afful, Jonathan Mensah, Josh Williams, Héctor Jiménez; Will Trapp (C), Artur; Pedro Santos, Federico Higuaín, Justin Meram; Ola Kamara.
Orlando City SC will close the season on the road against the Philadelphia Union on October 22nd, 2017 at the Talen Energy Stadium. Columbus Crew SC will play their last match of the regular season at the Yankee Stadium on October 22nd, 2017 against New York City FC.