WASHINGTON, D.C. – May 13, 2015 – Orlando City SC (2-5-3, 9 points) fell 2-1 to D.C. United (6-1-3, 21 points) at RFK Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night, despite going up 1-0 in the 11th minute of the first half.
Orlando City moved ahead early in the first 45 when forward Cyle Larin scored his third goal of the season, finishing a superb effort from the edge of the area.
However, things took a turn for the worse in the second half when veteran defender Aurélien Collin went down with an injury in the the 64th minute. Six minutes later, United leveled the scoreline when defender Kofi Opare scored a header from Taylor Kemp’s cross.
Following Opare’s finish, D.C.’s increasing momentum continued when Chris Rolfe neatly tucked away Jairo Arrieta’s cross in the box to put the home side ahead 2-1 with twelve minutes remaining. With the win, D.C. moves into first place in the Eastern Conference.
“I don’t think that we deserved not to take anything from the game. But, we can’t keep killing ourselves,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath. “We shoot ourselves in the foot every week. If I’m being realistic, I thought we were the better team tonight. But, hey, it takes experience at times, and tonight we let ourselves down again with people not doing their job.”
First Half:
2’ D.C. United striker Luis Silva had an early attempt from distance, but his shot did very little to trouble Donovan Ricketts as it skipped past the target.
5’ Perry Kitchen found space on the right-hand-side, curling a dangerous ball in the six. However, Ricketts was strong off his line to collect the cross.
11’ The Lions would find the back of the net first when rookie Cyle Larin produced a spectacular finish from the edge of the area. The 20-year-old striker displayed clinical technique with his finish, blasting his effort into the top corner for his third goal of the season and second in as many fixtures.
20’ Approaching the midway point in the first half, Orlando overtook D.C. on the ball, maintaining 51 percent of the possession.
33’ Approaching halftime, Orlando City moved the ball soundly around the pitch, as the Lions held on to their 1-0 lead.
34’ Rafael Ramos came close to matching Larin’s fantastic strike, cutting inside and blasting a left-footed shot from the edge of the box. Ramos’ effort narrowly missed the target.
45 (+1) At the end of the first half, Orlando City went into the locker rooms up 1-0, while winning the possession battle (52-48).
Second Half:
53’ Orlando City earned a very threatening free-kick after Harrison Heath was brought down on the edge of the area. Brek Shea’s ensuing set-piece looked dangerous but deflected off the the wall for a throw-in.
60’ United’s free-kick from the left side caused a nervous moment, but Ricketts was in a good position to make the save.
64’ Four minutes later, Orlando City lost a key defensive piece when Aurélien Collin went down with a left leg injury. As a result, Adrian Heath brought on 19-year-old defender Tyler Turner to play center-back.
68’ After receiving a ball deep in the box from Miguel Aguila, Nick DeLeon turned and hit a shot to the near post, however Ricketts made a quality foot-save to preserve the clean-sheet.
70’ With 20 minutes remaining in the match, United defender Kofi Opare nodded home Taylor Kemp’s set-piece to equalize.
76’ Heath introduced Bryan Róchez deep into the second half, as the Lions continued to search for the winning goal.
78’ However, second-half substitute Chris Rolfe scored the game winner in the 78th minute, volleying Jairo Arrieta’s cross into the back of the net.
86’ As the match approached the final whistle, United sat back deep in their half - making it difficult for the Lions to break through once again.
90’ Four minutes of stoppage time were added, providing City with another chance for a late game surge.
90 (+4) The referee blew the final whistle, resulting in a 2-1 final score.
Scoring Summary:
ORL - Cyle Larin (Unassisted) 11’
DCU - Kofi Opare (Taylor Kemp) 70’
ORL - Chris Rolfe (Jairo Arrieta) 78’
Misconduct Summary:
ORL - Luke Boden (Yellow Card) 60’
ORL - Eric Avila (Yellow Card) 63’
DCU - Taylor Kemp (Yellow Card) 94
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC – GK Donovan Ricketts, D Luke Boden, Aurélien Collin (Tyler Turner 66’), Sean St. Ledger, Rafael Ramos, M Harrison Heath, Darwin Cerén, Eric Avila (Carlos Rivas 80’), Brek Shea, Kaka, F Cyle Larin (Bryan Róchez 76’)
D.C. United – GK Bill Hamid, D Sean Franklin, Bobby Boswell, Kofi Opare, Taylor Kemp, M Nick DeLeon (Jairo Arrieta 76’), Davy Arnaud, Perry Kitchen, Michael Farfan (Miguel Aguilar 65’), F Chris Pontius, Luis Silva (Chris Rolfe 53’)
Substitutes not used:
ORL – Earl Edwards Jr., Seb Hines, Danny Mwanga
DCU - Andrew Dykstra, Steve Birnbaum, Chris Korb, Marcus Halsti
Match Facts:
Time of Match: 8:00 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
May 13, 2015
Attendance: 12,532
Stats:
Shots:
ORL: 7
DCU: 11
Corners:
ORL: 5
DCU: 6
Offside:
ORL: 2
DCU: 4
Fouls:
ORL: 18
DCU: 11
Saves:
ORL: 1
DCU: 0
The Lions’ next match will take place against the LA Galaxy, the defending MLS Cup Champions and five-time MLS Cup Champions, at the Orlando Citrus Bowl on Sunday, May 17. Kick-off is set for 5 p.m. ET. Over 33,000 tickets have been sold for the match so far.
