Team 1 2 Final
Orlando City 1 1 2
Charlotte Eagles 0 1 1
Scoring Summary:
OC – Jamie Watson (Kevin Molino) 14
OC - Matt Luzunaris (Jerome Mechack) 53
CHA - Christian Meza (unassisted) 79
Misconduct Summary:
CHA – Joe Kabwe (Caution; Intentional handball) 83
Lineups:
Orlando City – Miguel Gallardo, Jerome Mechack, Kyle Davies, Rob Valentino, Luke Boden, Anthony Pulis, James O’Connor, Kevin Molino (Erik Ustruck 83), John Rooney (Charlie Campbell 70), Jamie Watson (Ian Fuller 87), Matt Luzunaris (Dennis Chin 70)
Substitutes not used: Sean Kelley, Kieron Bernard, Wes Allen
Charlotte Eagles – Eric Reed, Josh Rife, Devon Grousis, Sean Bateau, Scott Jones (Luke Williams 46), Milton Blanco (Christian Meza 46), Miguel Ferrer (Joe Kabwe 70), Juan Guzman (Chris Salvaggione 75), Darren Toby, Darryl Roberts, Nate Thornton (Mauricio Salles 46)
Substitutes not used: Clint Irwin, Cheyne Roberts
Referees:
Referee – Rob Mauws
Referee’s Assistants – Rob Hufham, Daniel Gutierrez
4th Official – Joshua Thompson
Match Facts:
Time of Game – 7:30 p.m.
Weather – Clear, 87 degrees
Attendance - 6,821
Orlando, Fla. - After a disappointing draw on Thursday, Orlando City Soccer Club (7-0-2) regained winning form by defeating the Charlotte Eagles (2-7-2) 2-1 Saturday night at the Florida Citrus Bowl in front of 6,821 rowdy fans. Jamie Watson’s goal in the first half and Matt Luzunaris’s score in the second lifted Orlando to the win, and kept their unbeaten streak alive at nine games.
Orlando City struck first in the opening 15 minutes. Watson found himself with a clear lane ahead of him inside the 18 yard box after a great feed by Kevin Molino. Watson put the ball in the upper-left corner of the net, giving Orlando the early 1-0 lead. The goal marked Watson’s first of the 2012 regular season.
Watson remained on the attack, nearly having another goal in the 41st minute. The Dallas, Texas, native rocketed a shot toward the upper part of the net, with Charlotte Goalkeeper Eric Reed having to deflect the attempt over the bar.
City earned their second goal of the match in the 53rd minute of play from another striker who hadn’t scored so far in the regular season. Jerome Mechack found a streaking Matt Luzunaris on the left side of the pitch, leading the forward perfectly in stride. Luzunaris headed the ball, with it going wide until it hit the post and into the net to give Orlando a 2-0 advantage over Charlotte.
Charlotte didn’t go down without a fight. In the 79th minute, Midfielder Christian Meza gave the Eagles their first score of the match after blasting a shot above leaping City Goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo. Despite the goal, Orlando remained on the offensive until the final whistle blew.
Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath commented on his team’s play after the match and his thoughts on Tuesday’s game against the MLS’ Sporting Kansas City in the Open Cup.
“I thought that we played with more tempo and did the simple things right,” said Heath. “I am happy with the win but we still have a lot to improve on. (Sporting) Kansas City has a great front line. They’ll be a real handful (Tuesday).”
Next up for Orlando City is a trip to Kansas City for the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Lions will face former teammate Lawrence Olum and the rest of Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Tuesday, May 29 at 8:30 p.m. EST. If City advances, they will host either Colorado Rapids from MLS or Tampa Bay Rowdies from the NASL on June 5 at the Citrus Bowl.
Orlando City resumes USL PRO league play on June 2. The Lions will visit the Wilmington Hammerheads for the second clash between the two clubs this season. Orlando defeated Wilmington 4-1 on April 15 at the Citrus Bowl. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST. The match will be broadcast on USLNation.com, the United Soccer Leagues' free online video streaming network.
