ORLANDO, Fla. (Feb. 20, 2019) - Orlando City SC
looked primed for the 2019 Major League Soccer (MLS) regular-season to begin after putting six goals past the New England Revolution on Wednesday night en route to 6-2 win. With the win, City took home the trophy for the inaugural Orlando City Invitational. Orlando and Minnesota United, who earned 1-0 wins in both games of the tournament, finished tied atop the table with six points each; however, the Lions’ claimed the top spot with a 5-2 goal differential.
“I thought [the performance] was excellent. I thought the movement was very good; I think we can be very pleased,” Orlando City SC Head Coach James O’Connor said. “There was quite a number of players who had really strong performances. I’m delighted for our supporters, I’m delighted for the players and the coaching staff that we came to play like that. I’m really, really pleased.”
Orlando City SC started the match off with a penalty kick goal in the 29th minute by Spaniard, Uri Rosell.
The Lions kept the attack going three minutes later with a clear pass between Santiago Patiño and Rosell, which led to New England’s Brandon Bye scoring an own goal in the 32nd minute, deflecting Rosell’s cross in. After scoring two goals in just three minutes of one another, Orlando City ended the first half with a 2-0 lead.
Designated Player Josué Colmán started the second half off strong with a goal in the 47th minute off an assist from Cam Lindley, giving the Lions a 3-0 advantage. Lindley found Colmán across the field on a pinpoint long-ball, allowing the Paraguayan to rifle a shot home.
Colmán’s goal spurred a three-minute span, which saw the Lions score three goals, and a total of four goals over just nine minutes.
In the 49th minute, Patiño, an Orlando native, kept the heat going as he scored his first goal in Orlando City Stadium with an assist from Rosell.
Fourth year player Cristian Higuita added the Lions’ fifth goal on the night in the 50th minute with an assist from Colmán. Midfielder Dillon Powers capped off the scoring in the 56th minute after homegrown product Benji Michel drew a penalty. Michel was found open on a through ball from Colmán, but was taken down in the box by Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner.
Teal Bunbury scored two goals for the New England Revolution late in the game.
Orlando City fans got a glimpse of the Club’s latest Designated Player signing, Nani, as he came out prior to the start of Wednesday’s match to greet the fans.
With the Orlando City Invitational completed, the Lions will turn their attention to March 2 when they host New York City FC in the 2019 MLS regular-season opener. The match will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. from Orlando City Stadium.
Tickets to all City home matches are available at
OrlandoCitySC.com
or by calling 855-ORL-CITY.
Scoring Summary:
<strong>Team</strong><br> |
<strong>1</strong><br> |
<strong>2</strong><br> |
<strong>F</strong><br> |
New England<br> |
0<br> |
2<br> |
2<br> |
Orlando City SC<br> |
2<br> |
4<br> |
6<br> |
ORL -
Uri Rosell (PK) 29’
ORL -
Brandon Bye (OG) 32’
ORL -
Josué Colmán (Cam Lindley) 47’
ORL -
Santiago Patiño (Uri Rosell) 49’
ORL
- Cristian Higuita (Josue Colmán) 50’
ORL
- Dillon Powers (PK) 56’
NE -
Teal Bunbury 81’
NE -
Teal Bunbury 90’
Lineups/Substitutions:
New England -
GK Matt Turner, D Brandon Bye, Edgar Castillo, Antonio Delamea, Michael Mancienne, M Luis Caicedo (Wilfried Zahibo 52’), Diego Fagúndez, Cristian Penilla (Justin Rennicks 52’), Tajon Buchanan, F Teal Bunbury, Carles Gil (Juan Agudelo 67’)
Substitutes Not Used: Julil Anibaba, Scott Caldwell, Cody Cropper, Nicolas Firmino, Zach Herivoux, Brad Knighton, Gabriel Somi, Brian Wright, Giles Phillips, Trevor Burns
Orlando City SC -
GK Greg Ranjitsingh, D Hamady Diop, Matheus Silva, Lamine Sané (c), Dillon Powers, M Cristian Higuita (Jordan Bender 71’), Cameron Lindley, Uri Rosell, F Santiago Patiño (Moussa Sabaly 85’), Josué Colmán (Ates Diouf 85’), Benji Michel
Substitutes Not Used: Adam Grinwis, Danilo Acosta, Chris Mueller, Jhegson Méndez, Tesho Akindele, Kamal Miller, Shane O’Neill
Details of the Game
Date: February 20, 2019
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
