ORLANDO, Fla. (May 25, 2024) – Orlando City SC (4-6-4, 16 points) had its unbeaten streak ended after a 2-0 loss against the Columbus Crew (6-2-6, 24 points) on Saturday night at INTER&Co Stadium.
Orlando City appeared to be granted a chance to break a 0-0 scoreline late in the first half, with Luis Muriel drawing a penalty. However, a video review flipped the script, bringing the ball back to the other side of the field, with a penalty kick given to Columbus on a foul that occurred minutes prior.
The visitors would add another, but the Lions continued pushing for a goal throughout the remainder of the match. Second half substitute Ramiro Enrique had perhaps the best chance in the 73rd minute but his attempt was stopped on the goal line. On Saturday night, Enrique made his first appearance since March 12, having missed the previous 10 matches due to injury.
The Lions will next head out on the road for the first of two away matches, taking on Chicago Fire FC at Soldier Field on Wednesday, May 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Scoring Summary:
45+1’ Diego Rossi (Penalty Kick) – CLB 1, ORL 0
The Crew broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time on a penalty kick from Diego Rossi. After a review, it was determined Orlando had committed a foul inside the Columbus box. Rossi stepped up and struck the ensuing penalty kick to give the Crew the lead just before halftime.
61’ Diego Rossi (Yaw Yeboah) – CLB 2, ORL 0
Columbus extended its lead on Rossi’s second goal of the night. Aidan Morris gained control near midfield before leading Yaw Yeboah down the left side of the Orlando defensive zone. Yeboah made his way through the Lions’ defense and made a pass behind the back line to Rossi who was able to chip in a shot past goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“Well, [we’re] frustrated with the game and the result. We did not create that sensation or put those things together in the game. But when you see the game, I thought we had the chances to find it and we couldn't score. They [Columbus] had some and the others I don't want to get deeper into. A lot of moments that frustrated us from decisions. That’s what we’re feeling right now, but the effort was there. The first half was very organized. We had a plan on conceding the space [to Columbus] and trying to use it, but we were not decisive on finishing and the PK [came] on a very difficult play. We couldn’t understand it. In the second half, we looked more unorganized. We were not as sharp collectively as the first half and we ended up giving up the second goal but lowered the frequency where we could have so many chances to score.”
Match Notes
- Ramiro Enrique made his first appearance since March 12, entering the game as a 60th-minute substitute.
- Midfielder Felipe made his 350th appearance across all MLS competitions (regular season and playoffs).
- Rafael Santos made his 50th appearance in all competitions for Orlando City.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made two changes to his starting lineup from his side’s last match against the San Jose Earthquakes, with César Araújo and Jack Lynn returning to the Starting XI.
