It was a nervy last few minutes for Orlando City on Saturday night. Five minutes of stoppage time turned into 10, Atlanta United continued to push numbers forward for an equalizer and the defense had to stand on their heads to keep the 2-1 lead intact. Pedro Gallese's acrobatic save on Thiago Almada's late free-kick, capped off the marquee victory for the Lions.
It was part of a mindset that drew back from the first meeting between the two teams earlier in the year. Back on May 27, Orlando held a 1-0 lead heading into the final stages at Exploria Stadium, but conceded in the 86th minute to end with a 1-1 draw.
Head coach Oscar Pareja and crew didn't want that to happen again.
"I'm still carrying a little bit of pain from the two games at home against Atlanta and New York City where I could have helped the team by adding a third defender in a moment that we needed it. Today, in the last 15 minutes, I said well, we're coming from a hard game in Salt Lake, so it's normal that they were feeling the pressure.
"So we said okay, we're going to defend when an extra centerback, because crosses are going to come and we're going to make sure that we control that part. We know that when we do that, we're going to give spaces in front of us but that's the game. I would like, in those moments, just to have probably a couple of options in behind. We didn't have them but the game was really controlled and I'm proud of the boys."
Prior to that defensive shape, the Lions got another big boost thanks to their rookie sensation, Duncan McGuire.
His goal in the 60th minute, his eighth of the season, would prove to be the eventual game-winner for Orlando, a classy finish in space.
"I'm very proud of Duncan and the players that are contributing with his evolution," Pareja said." He has in front of him a very tough task, but today we asked him to make a rupture, because Mauricio [Pereyra} will find him. I told him, just keep doing it Mauro will find you and in the second half, even where we felt that there was going to be more spacing. Mauro just found that spot, found him on the run and his finishing was class."
