ORLANDO, Fla. (July 31, 2020) - Orlando City SC defeated Los Angeles FC in a penalty shootout on Friday night in its Quarterfinal matchup of the MLS is Back Tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Kissimmee, Fla.
João Moutinho found the back of the net for the Lions in the match, scoring against his former club and getting on the end of a corner kick from Nani in the 90th minute to force the match into penalties late. The finish served as the first for Moutinho since joining the Club prior to the 2019 season.
Moutinho was one of five Lions to convert from the penalty spot for the victory along with Mauricio Pereyra, Kyle Smith, Antonio Carlos and Nani. With LAFC missing one shot, the strike from the Orlando City captain sealed the victory for the Lions, serving as redemption for him after his 57th minute penalty attempt was saved by LAFC goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeer.
With the win, the Lions punched their ticket to the Semifinal round of the competition, set to face the winner of tomorrow’s matchup between the San Jose Earthquakes and Minnesota United.
“First of all, I want to say that we are very proud of the group of players who have done an excellent job today and stayed in the game. That needed a lot of heart and desire and determination and I think they accomplished that in those 90-plus minutes. The game rewarded them because they were the best team on the field. They were patient in the difficult moments and I want to highlight that, that’s the heart of the team and the Club. We want to share that with our fans and the people who are just starting to believe and the people who have believed in us all the time. We’re ready to move forward, but congratulations to the players.”
Scoring Recap:
60’ Bradley Wright-Phillips (Diego Rossi) - LAFC 1, ORL 0
LAFC took the lead minutes after a missed penalty kick from the Lions, with Diego Rossi taking it down the right side before finding Bradley Wright-Phillips across the face of goal for the first-time finish.
90’ João Moutinho (Nani) - ORL 1, LAFC 1
The Lions leveled late with Nani whipping in an in-swinging corner from the right side that found the head of João Moutinho for the finish, his first for the Club.
Match Notes:
- João Moutinho scored his first goal for Orlando City since joining the Club ahead of the 2019 season, acquired via a trade with LAFC.
- Nani earned his third assist of the MLS is Back Tournament on Moutinho’s finish to extend his team lead.
- The Lions held LAFC to 0 shot attempts in the first half, the first time in franchise history the 2018 expansion side was unable to get a shot off in a half.
- The win served as the first for the Lions against LAFC in Club history, now with a 1-1-1 record through three matches against the Western Conference side.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja opted for the same starting XI as the Lions’ Round of 16 match against Montreal.
- The Lions scored all five of their penalty attempts in the shootout, with LAFC’s miss coming after Jordan Harvey struck the crossbar on the team’s second attempt
- The winner of the MLS is Back Tournament earns a spot in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League.
- Next Match: The Lions will face the winner of the San Jose/Minnesota fixture in the Semifinals on Thursday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. ET at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
Scoring Summary:
LAFC - Bradley Wright-Phillips (Diego Rossi) 60’
ORL - João Moutinho (Nani) 90’
Penalty Kick Summary:
LAFC - Francisco Ginella (Goal)
ORL - Mauricio Pereyra (Goal)
LAFC - Jordan Harvey (Missed)
ORL - Kyle Smith (Goal)
LAFC - Diego Rossi (Goal)
ORL - João Moutinho (Goal)
LAFC - Brian Rodríguez (Goal)
ORL - Antonio Carlos (Goal)
LAFC - Latif Blessing (Goal)
ORL - Nani (Goal)
Misconduct Summary:
LAFC - Diego Palacios (Yellow Card) 8’
ORL - Ruan (Yellow Card) 9’
ORL - Mauricio Pereyra (Yellow Card) 48’
ORL - Andrés Perea (Yellow Card) 86’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC - GK Pedro Gallese; D João Moutinho, Robin Jansson (Kyle Smith 80’), Antonio Carlos, Ruan; M Chris Mueller (Benji Michel 46’), Sebastián Méndez (Santiago Patiño 89’), Uri Rosell (Andrés Perea 71’), Mauricio Pereyra; F Tesho Akindele (Daryl Dike 71’), Nani ©
Substitutes Not Used: GK Brian Rowe; D Alex De John, Kamal Miller, Rodrigo Schlegel; M Júnior Urso, Robinho, Joey DeZart
Los Angeles FC - GK Kenneth Vermeer; D Diego Palacios (Jordan Harvey 77’), Eddie Segura, Dejan Jaković, Tristan Blackmon; M Mark Anthony-Kaye © (Francisco Ginella 65’), Eduard Atuesta (José Cifuentes 81’), Latif Blessing; F Diego Rossi, Bradley Wright-Phillips (Danny Musovski 77’), Brian Rodríguez
Substitutes Not Used: GK Pablo Sisniega; D Danilo Silva, Mohamed El-Munir, Andy Najar; M Alejandro Guido, Bryce Duke; F Christian Torres, Adrien Pérez
Details of the Game:
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
Date: July 31, 2020
Stats:
Possession:
ORL - 52.2%
LAFC - 47.8%
Shots:
ORL - 17
LAFC - 8
Saves:
ORL - 4
LAFC - 5
Fouls:
ORL - 17
LAFC - 11
Corners:
ORL - 7
LAFC - 4
Heineken Star of the Match: João Moutinho
