COLUMBUS, Ohio (June 29, 2019) - Orlando City SC (6-8-3, 21 points) shutout Columbus Crew SC (5-11-2, 17 points) on Saturday night, posting a 2-0 victory at MAPFRE Stadium.
The Lions scored a goal on each side of the half, with Chris Mueller adding his fourth of the year in the 41st minute and Tesho Akindele scoring his sixth goal on the season in league play in the 66th. Orlando captain Nani contributed on both goals, increasing his team-leading assist total to six.
Goalkeeper Brian Rowe finished with three saves en route to his fourth shutout of the year, including a full-stretch save in the 55th minute to stop a bicycle kick from Robinho from going into the back of the net.
Head Coach James O’Connor:
“Obviously very pleased, it was a tough game against a good opponent. For us to come away and to get three points was especially rewarding for the players because, not just tonight, but the level of performances, like we’ve been saying, have been very good. So to get the reward tonight was just deserved for the players...I don’t think words can do that performance justice when you look at the hard running and the intensity and the togetherness and the commitment that they’ve shown.”
Scoring Recap:
41’ Chris Mueller (Nani, Danilo Acosta) - ORL 1, CLB 0
The Lions got on the board just before halftime thanks to a quick combination play. Danilo Acosta found Nani at the edge of the penalty area, who played it first time in behind to Chris Mueller into the box. Mueller took one touch before flicking the ball inside the near post to give the Lions the lead.
66’ Tesho Akindele (Nani) - ORL 2, CLB 0
City doubled its lead on the counterattack, with Nani working down the left side before finding Tesho Akindele in the middle of the pitch. Akindele took one touch before teeing up a shot from 25-yards out that went straight into the right corner of the net.
Match Notes
- I’ll City’s win at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday night was its first at the venue in Club history.
Forward Chris Mueller scored his fourth goal of the season on the evening, surpassing his 2018 total in just his 16th appearance of the year. - Tesho Akindele’s finish in the 66th minute served as his seventh goal in 2019 across all competitions, trailing only Nani on the squad. Akindele has now registered five goals in the Lions’ last seven contests with four in league play and one in City’s U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 matchup against New England.
- Nani extended his team lead in assists with two in the match, bringing his total to six in the 2019 season. The two assists were his first since registering one against the Colorado Rapids on April 6 and the first time a Lion has registered multiple assists in a single match this season.
- Defender Danilo Acosta registered his first assist of the season after being awarded a secondary assist on Mueller’s goal. Saturday was his first appearance in the starting lineup since May 15 at Seattle and his fifth overall start of the season.
- Goalkeeper Brian Rowe recorded his fourth shutout as a Lion.
Next Match: Orlando City face a quick turnaround as it is set to host the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, July 3. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Exploria Stadium. A free fireworks show will immediately follow the match.
Scoring Summary:
ORL - Chris Mueller (Nani, Danilo Acosta) 41’
ORL - Tesho Akindele (Nani) 66’
Misconduct Summary:
ORL - Kyle Smith (Yellow Card) 15’
ORL - Sacha Kljestan (Yellow Card) 63’
CLB - Alex Crognale (Yellow Card) 82’
ORL - Carlos Ascues (Yellow Card) 87’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC - GK Brian Rowe; D Danilo Acosta, Robin Jansson, Lamine Sané, Kyle Smith; M Dillon Powers, Uri Rosell, Sacha Kljestan; F Nani © (Carlos Ascues 77’), Tesho Akindele (Santiago Patiño 87’), Chris Mueller (Benji Michel 65’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Greg Ranjitsingh; D Alex De John, Ruan, Shane O’Neill
Columbus Crew SC - GK Jon Kempin; D Waylon Francis, Gastón Sauro, Alex Crognale, Héctor Jiménez; M David Guzmán, Artur, Robinho (Eduardo Sosa 61’), Pedro Santos, Luis Argudo (Niko Hansen 77’); F J.J. Williams (Patrick Mullins 77’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Joe Bendik; D Connor Maloney, Aboubacar Keita; M Ricardo Clark
Details of the Game:
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Sunny
Date: June 29, 2019
Attendance: 17,715
Stats:
Possession:
CLB - 58.5%
ORL - 41.5%
Shots:
CLB - 11
ORL - 3
Saves:
CLB - 1
ORL - 3
Fouls:
CLB - 13
ORL - 13
Corners:
CLB - 13
ORL - 2
