ORLANDO, FLORIDA ā Oct. 16, 2015 ā Orlando City SC (12-13-8, 44 points) staged a dramatic second half comeback on the back of two goals from rookie Cyle Larin to defeat fellow expansion side New York City FC 2-1 Friday night. The result extended the Clubās winning streak to five matches, giving the Lions a full head of steam going into its final regular season game against the Union in Philadelphia on Oct. 25.
Orlando City controlled much of the first half of play, attacking NYCFC relentlessly in the final third. The Lions outshot New York 8-5 in the first half, and controlled overall possession by a margin of 54-46. Despite the offensive effort, New York was able to sneak in a goal minutes before the end of the 45 on a rebound by Kwame Watson-Siriboe, following a questionable corner kick call.
At the start of the second half, Orlando City increased its attacking pressure and finally found the back of the net for the equalizer. Corey Ashe travelled up the right side of the field and delivered a perfect cross which Cyle Larin redirected past the outstretched arms of NYCFC goalkeeper Josh Saunders. Eight minutes later, Larin registered his second goal after receiving the ball from Adrian Winter. Winterās initial shot was saved by Bush, but the Swiss international shuffled the rebound to an open Larin for the easy tap in. Larin is now tied for third in MLS with 17 goals on the season.
Goalkeeper Josh Ford made his MLS debut in the 84th minute, entering the game for Tally Hall, who injured his right knee. Following the victory, the Lionsā players and coaching staff took a lap around the field to thank the fans who supported the Club so feverishly in its inaugural season.
āObviously weāre delighted with the result. Itās never easy winning a game of football that you know you have to win, and I thought the response of the players was incredible,ā said Heath. āThe desire of the guys to go and get a result was absolutely incredible. Iām pleased for every single one of them. Theyāve been unbelievable the past few weeks and weāre going to take it to the last game. And as I always say, we have the best fans in the league. For us to have this support after one year in the league, is incredible and they never cease to amaze me. They were there again tonight and I thought the atmosphere was electric in the stadium. I couldnāt be more proud of our supporters.ā
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First Half:
8ā An early cross from Rivas ricocheted off Winter to the feet of Cyle Larin, whose effort skipped just wide of the target.
15ā After intercepting an errant pass in New Yorkās half, Rivas was brought down from behind by NYCFC midfielder Ned Grabavoy, resulting in a dangerous free-kick for the Lions.
17ā Cerenās ensuing set-piece navigated its way through the box to find Seb Hines, who hit a volley high of the target.
22ā New York manager Jason Kreis was forced to use his first substitution of the night when Grabavoy went down with an injury, bringing on Mehdi Ballouchy as his replacement.
27ā Lewis Neal appeared to be brought down in the box by Mix Diskerud on a corner kick but the referee signaled play on.
35ā Cityās best chance of the half came when Winter collected the ball in the box and fired a chance that deflected inches wide of the far post.
38ā Winter created another close chance for the Lions when he drove deep into New Yorkās penalty area before pulling it back to Neal on the edge of the six. The ball was played a bit ahead of the Englishman, who only managed to connect with it slightly - poking it wide.
41ā Moments before halftime, the chances continued to pour in for the Lions when Rivasā cross found Larin, who was unmarked on the back should of the defender. The Canadianās header forced a tough save from Saunders at the near post.
45ā New York broke through just before the end of the half when the ball found its way to Kwame Watson-Siriboe in the box from a short corner, and the defender struck a first-time volley into the back of the net.
45 (+2) At the end of the half, the Lions went into the break down 1-0, despite dominating possession 54-46 and chances 8-5.
Second Half:
50ā Larin pounced on a loose ball in the box and struck a powerful shot to the near-post that narrowly missed the target.
52ā Orlando City announced that 43, 179 fans were in attendance - the second highest crowd at the Citrus Bowl this season - extending Cityās home average to 32,847, the highest ever for an expansion team.
62ā After a difficult start to the game with chances going just wide of the post, Larin leveled the score when he ran on to a well-placed ball from Ashe, flicking it past Saunders to notch his 16th goal of his rookie season.
70ā Orlando took the lead on a quick counter-attack when Winter escaped in behind on a broken play and fired a shot which was saved by Saunders. The ball rebounded directly back to the Swiss midfielder who unselfishly laid it across for Larin for a comfortable finish.
74ā The Lions nearly took a 3-1 lead after Cyle appeared to sneak in a goal to register the hat-trick. However, the ball was quickly put back in play by NYCFC, and the referee ruled it a non-goal.
80ā With ten minutes remaining, Heath brought on Bryan Rochez for Larin, who received a standing ovation from the City supporters for his clinical performance.
85ā A scary moment occurred for the Lions when Tally Hall went down injured, gripping his knee. Heath was forced to use his final sub, introducing Josh Ford who made his first league appearance.
90 (+4) After four minutes of stoppage time, the referee blew the final whistle - resulting in Cityās fifth consecutive win.
Scoring Summary:
NYC: Kwame Watson-Siriboe (Unassisted) 45ā
ORL: Cyle Larin (Corey Ashe) 62ā
ORL: Cyle Larin (Adrian Winter) 70ā
Misconduct Summary:
ORL: Cristian Higuita (Yellow Card) 36ā
ORL: Carlos Rivas (Yellow Card) 68ā
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC - GK Tally Hall (Josh Ford 85ā), D Corey Ashe, Aurelien Collin, Seb Hines, Luke Boden, M Darwin Ceren, Cristian Higuita, Adrian Winter, Carlos Rivas, Lewis Neal (Servando Carrasco 75ā), F Cyle Larin (Bryan Rochez 80ā)
Unused Subs: D David Mateos, M Eric Avila, Harrison Heath, F Pedro Ribeiro
New York City FC - GK Josh Saunders, D Jefferson Mena, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Chris Wingert, M Javier Calle (Kwando Poku 75ā), Mix Diskerud, Ned Grabavoy (Mehdi Ballouchy 21ā), Andrew Jacobson, Frank Lampard, Thomas McNamara (Khiry Shelton 65ā), F David Villa
Unused Subs: GK Erik Johansen, GK Ryan Meara, D Jeb Brovsky, F Patrick Mullins
Match Facts:
Time of Match: 7 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
October 16, 2015
Attendance: 43,179
Stats:
Shots:
ORL: 14
NYC: 10
Corners:
ORL: 8
NYC: 3