ORLANDO, Fla. (July 14, 2020) - Orlando City SC (2-1-1, 7 points / 2-0-0, 6 points) earned a 3-1 victory over 2015 expansion rivals New York City FC (0-4-0, 0-2-0, 0 points) on Tuesday night in its second match of the MLS is Back Tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla.
With the win, a win or draw by the Philadelphia Union in this evening’s match against Inter Miami CF would automatically qualify the Lions for the MLS is Back Tournament Knockout Stage presented by Audi. City will close out group play against the Union on Monday, July 20 at 8 p.m. ET.
Forward Chris Mueller led the effort for the Lions, scoring the fastest brace in Club history with finishes in the fourth and 10th minutes respectively. Mueller passed former Lions forward Cyle Larin for that nod, who previously held the record with eight minutes, scoring in the 62nd and 70th minutes on October 16, 2015 also against NYCFC. Mueller also holds the record for the fastest finish in Club history, scoring in the second minute of play on April 21, 2018 against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese registered seven saves in the match to maintain the victory for the Lions, his highest mark since joining the Club ahead of the 2020 season. After signing a contract extension this week, forward Tesho Akindele accounted for City’s remaining finish on the night, scoring the insurance goal in the 81st minute.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“It’s a great night for the Club and for the boys. They had a terrific effort on the field and that effort was rewarded. I think we had much more volume in the attack today and we had a lot of people in the match, many times in a lot of sequences, that had the personality to have a good start and at the end hold the result against a team who is well structured and has very good players too. It is a night to grow, it is a night to feel confident about what we’re doing here. I don’t get tired to say that this is very well deserved for the players who made a great effort on the field.”
Scoring Recap:
4’ Chris Mueller (João Moutinho) - ORL 1, NYC 0
The Lions opened their account in the fourth minute of the match off a set piece from João Moutinho, an in-swinging free kick from the left side of the pitch. Moutinho’s ball found an outstretched Mueller at the far post, who volleyed it out of the air with his right foot for the finish.
10’ Chris Mueller (Dom Dwyer, Ruan) - ORL 2, NYC 0
City doubled its advantage with Ruan crossing a ball in from the right side, finding the head of Dwyer at the back post. Dwyer headed the ball across the face of goal to the feet of Mueller, who settled it before cutting past New York City goalkeeper Sean Johnson and hammering the ball into the back of the net.
38’ Jesús Medina (Héber) - ORL 2, NYC 1
The Pigeons halved the Lions lead with Héber finding Jesús Medina at the edge of the area, who bounced it off his chest before striking it on the half-volley with his left foot into the right side netting.
81’ Tesho Akindele - ORL 3, NYC 1
City regained its two-goal advantage in the 81st minute, with Tesho Akindele finishing a play he started, finding Júnior Urso at the edge of the area, who then played a ball for Nani at the right side of the box. Nani lobbed a pass for Benji Michel at the far post, whose effort deflected right off Sean Johnson. Akindele was there to clean up the rebound, heading it home for the Lions.
Match Notes:
- Chris Mueller scored the fastest brace in the Club’s MLS history in the match in six minutes, breaking former Lion Cyle Larin’s previous record of eight minutes set on October 16, 2015, also against New York City FC. The two finishes marked the third and fourth of his 2020 campaign.
- Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese registered a season-high seven saves for the Lions in the match.
- Tesho Akindele scored his first goal of the season, sealing the victory for Orlando City with his finish in the 81st minute.
- A result in favor of the Philadelphia Union later this evening would automatically qualify the Lions for the Knockout Stage of the MLS is Back Tournament.
- João Moutinho, Dom Dwyer and Ruan each registered their first assists of the season in the match.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja utilized the same starting XI as the Lions’ tournament opener against Inter Miami CF.
- 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 close out the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament on Monday, July 20, facing the Philadelphia Union at 8 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
ORL - Chris Mueller (João Moutinho) 4’
ORL - Chris Mueller (Dom Dwyer, Ruan) 10’
NYC - Jesús Medina (Héber) 38’
ORL - Tesho Akindele 81’
Misconduct Summary:
NYC - Valentín Castellanos (Yellow Card) 18’
ORL - Robin Jansson (Yellow Card) 22’
NYC - James Sands (Yellow Card) 37’
NYC - Alexander Ring (Yellow Card) 52’
ORL - João Moutinho (Yellow Card) 56’
ORL - Pedro Gallese (Yellow Card) 73’
ORL - Mauricio Pereyra (Yellow Card) 79’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC - GK Pedro Gallese; D João Moutinho, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, Ruan; M Mauricio Pereyra (Andrés Perea 80’), Uri Rosell (Sebastián Méndez 65’), Júnior Urso, Chris Mueller (Benji Michel 80’); F Nani ©, Dom Dwyer (Tesho Akindele 61’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Brian Rowe; D Alex De John, Kyle Smith, Rodrigo Schlegel; M David Loera, Robinho; F Daryl Dike, Santiago Patiño
New York City FC - GK Sean Johnson; D Anton Tinnerholm, James Sands (Keaton Parks 68’), Alexander Callens, Ronald Matarrita; M Maxime Chanot, Alexander Ring ©, Jesús Medina (Alexandru Mitrita 68’), Gudmundur Thórainsson (Ismael Tajouri-Shradi 46’); F Valentín Castellanos (Gary Mackay-Steven 87’), Héber
Substitutes Not Used: GK Luis Barraza; D Tayvon Gray, Joe Scally; M Juan Torres, Tony Rocha, Justin Haak, Nicolás Acevedo
Details of the Game:
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
Date: July 14, 2020
Stats:
Possession:
NYC - 51.8%
ORL - 48.2%
Shots:
NYC - 26
ORL - 12
Saves:
NYC - 4
ORL - 7
Fouls:
NYC - 12
ORL - 10
Corners:
NYC - 13
ORL - 2
Heineken Star of the Match: Chris Mueller
