ORLANDO, Fla. (May 28, 2022) - Orlando City SC (6-5-3, 21 points) dropped a 3-1 decision against FC Dallas (7-3-4, 25 points) on Saturday night at Exploria Stadium, in what served as the team’s first loss across the last five games in all competitions.
City forward Ercan Kara found the back of the net in stoppage time of the first half, his second consecutive goal in as many matches in the MLS regular season. It was Kara’s fifth of the season, which also leads the team. Mauricio Pereyra picked up the assist on the goal, his seventh of the season and 30th across his Orlando City career.
The match also saw midfielder Jake Mulraney make his first start for Orlando City.
To honor the victims of the Uvalde, Texas tragedy, both teams donned special patches on their kits with the state of Texas and Uvalde’s zip code. The teams also wore their annual Primeblue jerseys in the game, special-edition kits that are made of a high-performance yarn featuring 50% Parley Ocean Plastic.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“Well, first is understanding that the boys did a great effort today. Until [Dallas] scored the first goal, I thought we had a very good game and then lack of concentration in a couple of plays were. First one, on the first goal, we had the ball and then we gave it away and allowed something that Dallas knows how to do - just counter and have players in front [that are] dynamic. And then we conceded that equalizer that hurt us and then our reaction was not right, then we conceded a [third] goal as well. Overall I thought we fought, we pushed. A result that we don’t want but we have to accept because of the lack of concentration.”
Scoring Recap:
45+3’ Ercan Kara (Mauricio Pereyra) - ORL 1, FCD 0
The Lions took the lead just before the halftime break, with Mauricio Pereyra whipping in a free kick from the left flank, finding the head of Ercan Kara in the box, who was able to flick it into the back of the net.
67’ Paul Arriola (Franco Jara) - ORL 1, FCD 1
The visitors leveled with Franco Jara finding Paul Arriola on the opposite end of the area from the right flank, who was able to take a touch before roofing a shot for the equalizer.
70’ Franco Jara (Jesús Ferreira) - FCD 2, ORL 1
Dallas took the lead after Jesús Ferreira found Franco Jara over top of the Lions defense. Jara was able to control it on the bounce before tapping his shot into the net.
84’ Paul Arriola (Jesús Ferreira) - FCD 3, ORL 1
Dallas extended the lead after Paul Arriola collected a pass from Jesús Ferreira on the left wing and Arriola took a hard dribble into the box and fired it at the back post and over the goal line.
Match Notes:
- Ercan Kara scored his fifth goal of the campaign for the side, extending his team-high.
- Mauricio Pereyra notched his seventh assist of the year and his 30th across all competitions as a Lion.
- Midfielder Jake Mulraney earned his first start as a Lion.
- The Lions wore customized Primeblue uniforms in Saturday’s match, made from a high-performance recycled material and Parley Ocean Plastic™, in partnership with MLS and adidas.
- In addition to the Primeblue kits, both Orlando City and FC Dallas wore special remembrance patches to honor the victims of Tuesday’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made six changes to his starting lineup from Wednesday’s match, with Mulraney, Pedro Gallese, João Moutinho, Andrés Perea, Mauricio Pereyra and Ercan Kara all reentering the fold.
Next Match: The Lions head into an international break and will see nearly three weeks off from match play, returning to the field on Wednesday, June 15 at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
