ATLANTA, Ga. (Oct. 7, 2020) - Orlando City SC (8-2-6, 30 points) battled to a scoreless draw against Atlanta United FC (5-8-3, 18 points) on Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, propelling its current Club-record unbeaten run into double figures at 10 matches.
Goalkeeper Brian Rowe registered three saves in the match to earn his first clean sheet of the year in his first start, also wearing the captain’s armband for the Lions in the match and earning Heineken Star of the Match honors. Midfielder Joey DeZart recorded his first professional start in the match, selected by the Lions 31st overall at the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.
The Lions return to action on Sunday, Oct. 11 to take on Columbus Crew SC at Exploria Stadium with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“No frustration at all. I think the players had another great game. Obviously we aim for three points in our ambition to have that protagonism and come away wherever we go to fight for the three points, it’s there. We had many options to score and not just that but I think we really dominated the game all the time. It’s much better when you translate that into three points, but there’s no frustration from my end. It's just pride about a group of players today with many players that came out today into a game when they’re not regular in the lineup and today they played excellent, so that’s the highlight of the game for us. The players came up big today and put the team on their shoulders and I’m proud.”
Match Notes:
- The Lions extended their Club-record unbeaten streak to 10 matches on Wednesday night, the longest streak in MLS this season.
- Goalkeeper Brian Rowe recorded his first shutout of the year in his first start, registering three saves to keep the clean sheet while wearing the captain’s armband for the Lions. The shutout served as the third for the Lions in 2020 in regular-season play and the fourth across all competitions.
- Midfielder Joey DeZart earned the first start of his professional career on the night. DeZart was taken No. 31 overall at the 2020 MLS SuperDraft by the Lions out of Wake Forest University.
- Midfielder Robinho registered his second start of the year in the match, one of four changes for Oscar Pareja’s starting XI on the night.
Next Match: The Lions return home to Exploria Stadium to take on current Supporters Shield leaders Columbus Crew SC, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
None
Misconduct Summary:
ATL - Franco Escobar (Yellow Card) 36’
ATL - Mo Adams (Yellow Card) 50’
ORL - Kamal Miller (Yellow Card) 77’
ORL - Rodrigo Schlegel (Yellow Card) 81’
ATL - Miles Robinson (Yellow Card) 90’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC - GK Brian Rowe ©; D Kamal Miller, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith (Alex De John 59’); M Joey DeZart, Júnior Urso (Antonio Carlos 87’), Robinho (Chris Mueller 59’), Andrés Perea; F Benji Michel (Nani 70’), Daryl Dike
Substitutes Not Used: GK Mason Stajduhar; D Michael Halliday; M Jordan Bender, David Loera
Atlanta United FC - GK Brad Guzan ©; D George Bello, Miles Robinson, Anton Walkes, Franco Escobar; M Mo Adams (Tyler Wolff 89’), Jeff Larentowicz, Emerson Hyndman; F Jon Gallagher (Jürgen Damm 66’), Adam Jahn, Brooks Lennon
Substitutes Not Used: GK Alec Kann; D George Campbell, Fernando Meza; M Manuel Castro, Jake Mulraney, Eric Remedi, Laurence Wyke
Details of the Game:
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Dome
Date: October 7, 2020
Stats:
Possession:
ATL - 52.3%
ORL - 47.7%
Shots:
ATL - 9
ORL - 15
Saves:
ATL - 6
ORL - 3
Fouls:
ATL - 12
ORL - 9
Corners:
ATL - 5
ORL - 7
Heineken Star of the Match: Brian Rowe
