COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (March 7, 2020) - Orlando City SC (0-1-1, 1 point) fell 2-1 to the Colorado Rapids (2-0-0, 6 points) on Saturday night at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Chris Mueller found the back of the net for the Lions in the match, his ninth goal in MLS play.
Andrés Perea recorded his first start for Orlando City on the night, earning the assist on Mueller’s second-half finish. Fellow newcomer Rodrigo Schlegel made his Club debut, playing the entirety of the match.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“I think it was a good game. I was very proud of the effort that we had and the execution of the plan for the game was really good. We’re not going to look for any excuses, but the game was very well played by the players and I stay with that.”
Scoring Recap:
64’ Younes Namli (Keegan Rosenberry) - COL 1, ORL 0
The home side took the lead with Younes Namli dribbling into space and ripping a shot off with his left foot from the edge of the area into the lower right corner of the net.
82’ Chris Mueller (Andrés Perea, Júnior Urso) - ORL 1, COL 1
The Lions leveled with Chris Mueller coming off the bench and finding the back of the net for the first goal of City’s 2020 campaign. The play began with Júnior Urso finding Andrés Perea in the midfield. The 19-year-old then played a ball in behind the Rapids defense to Mueller on the run, who slotted the ball into the back of the net past Colorado goalkeeper Clint Irwin for the finish.
90’ Drew Moor (Jack Price) - COL 2, ORL 1
The Rapids retook the lead just before second half stoppage time with Drew Moor getting his head on the end of a corner kick from Jack Price, hitting it home into the right side of the net.
Match Notes:
- Chris Mueller scored City’s first goal of the 2020 MLS regular season. The tally was Mueller’s 10th for the Club across all competitions and his ninth in MLS play.
- Rodrigo Schlegel made his Orlando City debut, starting the match at left back.
- Andrés Perea recorded both his first start and his first assist as a Lion, just a week removed from his Club debut in the Lions’ season opener.
- Kyle Smith made his first appearance for the Lions this season.
- Tesho Akindele made his 30th appearance in his Orlando City tenure.
- Robin Jansson registered both his 30th start and appearance as a Lion.
- Nani missed his second of two matches due to suspension. The Portuguese midfielder will now be eligible for selection in City’s next match on Saturday, March 14 against the Chicago Fire.
- Not conceding until the 64th minute, the Lions set a new record for the longest streak without allowing a goal to open a season in Club history at 154 minutes, besting 2017’s number of 142.
Next Match: City returns home for its first intraconference match of the season, hosting Eastern Conference side Chicago Fire on Saturday, March 14 at Exploria Stadium with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
COL - Younes Namli (Keegan Rosenberry) 64’
ORL - Chris Mueller (Andrés Perea, Júnior Urso) 82’
COL - Drew Moor (Jack Price) 90’
Misconduct Summary:
ORL - João Moutinho (Yellow Card) 15’
COL - Younes Namli (Yellow Card) 24’
COL - Drew Moor (Yellow Card) 55’
COL - Kellyn Acosta (Yellow Card) 76’
ORL - Rodrigo Schlegel (Yellow Card) 81’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC - GK Pedro Gallese; D Rodrigo Schlegel, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, Kyle Smith (Ruan 73’); M João Moutinho (Mauricio Pereyra 73’), Sebastián Méndez, Júnior Urso ©, Andrés Perea; F Tesho Akindele, Benji Michel (Chris Mueller 79’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Brian Rowe; D Kamal Miller; M Joey DeZart; F Santiago Patiño
Colorado Rapids - GK Clint Irwin; D Keegan Rosenberry, Drew Moor, Lalas Abubakar, Sam Vines; M Kellyn Acosta, Jack Price ©, Younes Namli (Nicolás Mezquida 72’), Sam Nicholson (Jonathan Lewis 90’); F Kei Kamara, Andre Shinyashiki (Diego Rubio 62’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Andre Rawls; D Danny Wilson, Deklan Wynne; M Cole Bassett
Details of the Game:
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
Date: March 7, 2020
Attendance: 13,062
Stats:
Possession:
COL - 54.7%
ORL - 45.3%
Shots:
COL - 12
ORL - 14
Saves:
COL - 4
ORL - 3
Fouls:
COL - 10
ORL - 8
Corners:
COL - 4
ORL - 2
