ORLANDO, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2019) –
Orlando City SC
won its first preseason match of the inaugural Orlando City Invitational on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over NYCFC at Orlando City Stadium.
New York City took a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute off a long range shot from Maxi Moralez that just missed the fingertips of Orlando City Goalkeeper Brian Rowe.
The Lions answered just four minutes later with a goal from newcomer Tesho Akindele. A cross from Danilo Acosta found the head of Sacha Kljestan in the box, who flicked it behind to Akindele for the finish to even the match at 1-1.
Chris Mueller followed suit shortly after, giving the Lions a 2-1 advantage. Akindele added to his contributions on the night with an assist, sliding a ball down the left side for Mueller who smashed it home for the eventual game-winner.
NYCFC was reduced to 10 men in the 75th minute after Jonathan Lewis was sent off following his second yellow card of the evening.
In the 79th minute of the match, U.S. Youth National Team midfielder and Orlando City Development Academy product Jordan Bender entered the contest for City. Bender, 17, was signed in Nov. 2018 by Orlando City B as OCB’s first signing for the inaugural USL League One season.
After the Academy product made his impact on the pitch, the Lions maintained control of the remainder of the match finishing the contest with a 2-1 victory.
City will host its second match of the Orlando City Invitational on Wednesday, Feb. 20, against the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. The Lions will open their fifth MLS campaign at Orlando City Stadium on Saturday, March 2 against NYCFC at 2:30 p.m. on Univision Deportes.
Tickets to all City home matches are available at
OrlandoCitySC.com
or by calling 855-ORL-CITY.
<strong>Teams</strong><br> |
<strong> 1</strong><br> |
<strong> 2</strong><br> |
<strong> F</strong><br> |
<strong>New York City FC</strong><br> |
1<br> |
0<br> |
1<br> |
<strong>Orlando City SC</strong><br> |
2<br> |
0<br> |
2<br> |
Scoring Summary:
NYC - Maxi Moralez (Unassisted) 30’
ORL - Tesho Akindele (Sacha Kljestan, Danilo Acosta) 34’
ORL - Chris Mueller (Tesho Akindele) 37’
Lineups/Substitutions:
NYCFC
- GK Sean Johnson (Luis Barraza 62’), D Ben Sweat, Alex Callens (Sebastien Ibeagha 62’), Maxime Chanot (Tony Rocha 62’), Joe Scally (Anton Tinnerholm 62’), M Alex Ring (C) (James Sands 76’), Ebenezer Ofori, Maxi Moralez, Jesus Medina (Juan Pablo Torres 85’), F Jonathan Lewis, Ismael Tajouri-Shradi (Valentin Castellanos 62’).
Orlando City SC -
GK Brian Rowe, D Kamal Miller, Alex De John, Shane O’Neill, Ruan (Jordan Bender 79’), M Sacha Kljestan, Will Johnson, Sebastián Méndez, Danilo Acosta, F Tesho Akindele, Chris Mueller
Details of the Game:
Time: 7:50 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
Date: February 16, 2019
