It had to happen eventually. Orlando City was finally forced to play more than a few minutes without their captain when Kaká earned a straight red in the 45th minute – a rare occurrence in his storied career. It was one of the Lions’ toughest tasks of the season and their performance was all Adrian Heath could have wanted.
The loss of their captain was particularly difficult considering the players already missing from the lineup. Both Cyle Larin and Darwin Cerén are playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Bryan Róchez is still away in Honduras, and Brek Shea is out for at least a few more weeks. On top of that, the Lions had four teenagers on the bench.
“I thought it was a magnificent effort from the players after the sending off and we had to withstand a lot of pressure,” Heath said to the Orlando Sentinel after the game. Real Salt Lake outshot City 23-9 and forced Lions’ keeper Tally Hall into some fantastic saves.
City started the second half in a 4-4-1 formation, moving Carlos Rivas from the left wing to forward and the much bigger Pedro Ribeiro back to left mid. 10-man Orlando City put nine men behind the ball to try and hold on to a result.
Despite playing with one fewer player, Orlando City created the best opportunity of the half. Luke Boden served a header up to Sean St. Ledger less than six yards from the goal, but St. Ledger’s header was barely tipped over the bar by RSL keeper Jeff Attinella.
The Lions have now lost just once in their last ten games across all competitions. The point moves them into a tie with the Columbus Crew for second-place in the Eastern Conference.
“It was a great second half from the guys. I thought they looked very disciplined. They had a good shape about them and they can be proud of their efforts.”
