ORLANDO, Fla. (May 17, 2023) – Orlando City SC (4-4-4, 16 points) played to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night against New York City FC (4-5-4, 16 points) at Exploria Stadium. The match served as the third game in the last nine days for the squad amidst a busy stretch in May.
The lone goal for the Lions was scored by forward Ercan Kara inside the first 10 minutes of the match. The goal counted as Kara’s fourth of the season across all competitions, which is tied for the team lead alongside fellow forward Duncan McGuire. Kara has now scored in back-to-back matches for the first time this season and is the third player to score in consecutive matches for the Lions in the 2023 campaign.
Gastón González and Designated Player Facundo Torres both picked up the assist on the Kara finish. For Torres, it served as his second assist of the season, with his first helper of the year coming in the last match against the Crew, which was also scored by Kara. González also tallied his second assist of the 2023 campaign after serving up a beautiful cross to Kara in the box.
Scoring Summary:
7’ Ercan Kara (Gastón González, Facundo Torres) – ORL 1, NYC 0
City opened the scoring on the night with great build-up play after Facundo Torres laid off a ball to Gastón González who whipped it towards the front post first-time and found the head of Ercan Kara who made no mistake with the one-time finish.
89’ Gabriel Segal (Talles Magno) – ORL 1, NYC 1
NYCFC earned a late equalizer with Talles Magno driving a ball in from the left flank across the face of goal, which found a sliding Gabriel Segal who was there for the tap-in.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“I have to start with the feeling that we all have after having the game that close and having the urgency to win it, but not being able to do it. Also, I have to recognize the effort of the players and I cannot be blind to what they did in the game and need to highlight it. It is a difficult thing to swallow right now, but a lot of things happened as well that make us feel like we are getting back to that team that we are. We will stay with our balance and our minds fresh because the turnaround is quick.”
Match Notes:
- Ercan Kara collected his third goal of the MLS regular season, and his fourth across all competitions, which is tied for the team lead.
- Kara has scored in back-to-back matches for the second time in his career as a member of Orlando City. The last time he did so was April of last year when he found the net against the Chicago Fire and the Columbus Crew.
- Facundo Torres recorded his second assist of the season on the Kara finish after getting the helper in the team’s last match against the Crew, an assist that also was finished off by Kara.
- Gastón González tallied his second assist of the 2023 campaign on the Kara finish.
- Kyle Smith’s appearance marked his 120th for Orlando City in all competitions, making him the third player to reach that mark for the club in the MLS era. The start was also the 75th of his Orlando City career.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made two changes to his starting lineup from his side’s last match against the Columbus Crew, with Mikey Halliday and Kyle Smith getting the start.
