ORLANDO, Fla. (July 20, 2024) – Orlando City SC (9-9-7, 34 points) played to a 1-1 draw against New York City FC (11-9-5, 38 points) on Saturday night at INTER&Co Stadium to extend its unbeaten streak to a season-high five games.
Lions’ forward Ramiro Enrique scored the lone goal for Orlando City, his fourth consecutive match with a goal. He joins former Lions Dom Dwyer, Nani and Daryl Dike as the only players in Club history to score in four straight league matches.
The Lions will next enter the mid-year break from league action, set to begin their Group Stage run in Leagues Cup 2024. The Lions will first host CF Montréal in group play at INTER&Co Stadium this Friday, July 26. The match will air on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, with kick off set for 8 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
53’ Ramiro Enrique (Martín Ojeda) – ORL 1, NYC 0
After a scoreless first half, the Lions got on the board early in the second half. Ramiro Enrique gained control at midfield and led Martín Ojeda out on the right wing in the New York defensive zone. Ojeda dribbled near the top of the box and ripped a shot on goal that was redirected by Enrique and beat goalkeeper Matt Freese at the near post.
57’ Hannes Wolf (Alonso Martínez) – ORL 1, NYC 1
Just moments later, the visitors scored the equalizer after an Orlando turnover in its defensive third. Alonso Martínez gained possession at the top of the box and gave a lead pass to Hannes Wolf behind the Lions’ defense who snuck in a shot past goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“Big effort from the players after these couple weeks that we had been playing every three days. I would like to value that effort. Two teams tried to put a good performance, and from our side, in the first half, we had control, but we were not as dangerous as we were coming in the prior games. They kept possession sometimes in their half, but not a dangerous place so we were in that side control. But we wanted more. Nico [Lodeiro] was helping us just to do a job, or in a position that is not very frequent for him, but I think he did great. And in the second half, it seems like we brought more energy and we started creating better chances and we have the game 1-0, which is something that this year has been a challenge for us to open the games. And then this goal that we concede, this is where we have that sensation of frustration for us that it was not that they did a lot of stuff to tie the game...and we had a few very clear options, including that last one that I, we all thought it was Luis [Muriel’s] moment to unbalance the game. We work with a bit of frustration, but as well, we are very proud of what the boys have done.”
Match Notes:
- Ramiro Enrique scored in the 53rd minute of the match, serving as his fourth consecutive match. Enrique becomes just the fourth player in City history to score in four straight league matches, joining Dom Dwyer (2018), Nani (2019) and Daryl Dike (2021), and the first since 2021.
- Midfielder Martín Ojeda provided his eighth assist of the year across all competitions and his 18th all-time for the Lions.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made one change to his starting lineup from his side’s last match against Nashville SC, with Nico Lodeiro returning to the starting XI.
