ORLANDO, Fla. (July 20, 2020) - Orlando City SC (2-1-2, 8 points / 2-0-1, 7 points) played to a 1-1 draw against the Philadelphia Union (2-1-2, 8 points / 2-0-1, 7 points) on Monday night at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.
Mauricio Pereyra scored the lone goal for the Lions in the match, his first for the Club. Orlando City captain Luis Nani earned the assist on the finish, his second of the tournament.
With the result, the Lions finish atop Group A at the MLS is Back Tournament on goal-differential and will face a third-place finisher from either Group C, D, or E in their Round of 16 matchup, slated for Saturday, July 25 at 8 p.m. ET.
“First of all, let me congratulate this group of players. They had a great effort today to bounce back and they even deserved to win it. They decided from the first minute to be protagonists of the game and I think they did that. We had another experience where we were down in the score and we bounced back quickly and that just tells us that the team has personality and desire and that made us feel very confident. They played against a very good team also, [Philadelphia are] well-coached and very dynamic in the middle, but at the end we’re content. We were the protagonists of the game and we wanted it all of the way and could have deserved more, but we’ll take the point. To qualify as the first of the group is something to be proud of.”
Scoring Recap:
68’ Ilsinho (Alejandro Bedoya, Brenden Aaronson) - PHI 1, ORL 0
The Union took the lead with Brenden Aaronson finding Alejandro Bedoya at the edge of the area, who then pushed it wide to the right side to Ilsinho. The Brazilian midfielder took a touch before sending his shot into the far post of the net.
70’ Mauricio Pereyra (Nani) - ORL 1, PHI 1
The Lions leveled just two minutes later, with Nani teeing up a cross that found the head of Mauricio Pereyra at the near post for the finish, good for his first in purple.
Match Notes:
- The Lions finished atop Group A on goal-differential, holding a +3 advantage to Philadelphia’s +2 through three matches.
- Mauricio Pereyra scored his first goal for Orlando City since joining the Club midway through the 2019 season.
- Nani recorded his second assist of the year on Pereyra’s finish, a team high, and his 11th for the Club.
- Tesho Akindele recorded his 25th start for City, the only change for Head Coach Oscar Pareja in his starting XI from the two previous contests.
- Ruan registered his 30th appearance for the Club.
- João Moutinho made his 20th start for the Lions throughout his Club tenure.
- Matches in the MLS is Back Tournament count toward the team’s regular season standing, with the winner of the tournament earning a spot in the 2021 Concacaf Champions League.
Next Match: The Lions will face a third-place finisher from either Group C, D, or E in the Round of 16 of the MLS is Back Tournament on Saturday, July 25 at 8 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
PHI - Ilsinho (Alejandro Bedoya, Brenden Aaronson) 68’
ORL - Mauricio Pereyra (Nani) 70’
Misconduct Summary:
PHI - Alejandro Bedoya (Yellow Card) 56’
ORL - Uri Rosell (Yellow Card) 67’
PHI - Jakob Glesnes (Yellow Card) 80’
ORL - Ruan (Yellow Card) 90+1’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC - GK Pedro Gallese; D João Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, Ruan; M Mauricio Pereyra (Santiago Patiño 88’), Uri Rosell, Júnior Urso (Sebastián Méndez 19’), Chris Mueller (Andrés Perea 87’); F Nani ©, Tesho Akindele (Benji Michel 74’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Brian Rowe; D Alex De John, Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith, Kamal Miller; M David Loera, Jordan Bender; F Daryl Dike
Philadelphia Union - GK Andre Blake; D Kai Wagner, Mark McKenzie, Jack Elliott, Raymon Gaddis; M Warren Creavalle (Jakob Glesnes 73’), Jamiro Monteiro, Alejandro Bedoya ©, Brenden Aaronson (Matt Real 90+4’); F Sergio Santos (Ilsinho 59’), Kacper Przybylko
Substitutes Not Used: GK Joe Bendik; D Aurélien Collin, Olivier Mbaizo; M Matej Oravec, Cole Turner, Anthony Fontana, Jack de Vries; F Andrew Wooten, Michee Ngalina
Details of the Game:
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
Date: July 20, 2020
Stats:
Possession:
PHI - 46.3%
ORL - 53.7%
Shots:
PHI - 12
ORL - 10
Saves:
PHI - 6
ORL - 3
Fouls:
PHI - 11
ORL - 12
Corners:
PHI - 3
ORL - 6
Heineken Star of the Match: Mauricio Pereyra
