On Sunday night, Orlando City took on the Seattle Sounders in a heated battle that would end in a disappointing 3-1 loss for the home team. The scoring started early, with two goals scored in the first fifteen minutes of play. The first goal of the night would go to Orlando City Defender Seb Hines, off a corner kick in the 7th minute.
Hines isn’t new to scoring off corner kicks. In a preseason game against EC Bahia, Hines scored four goals off corner kicks in what would end being a 6-1 victory for Orlando City. The team has been much better at scoring off of set pieces than they were last year, and Hines has definitely been a part of that success.
“One of our first goals was to get an early goal,” Hines said after Sunday’s match. Hines scored the goal with his head, off a corner kick from team captain Kaká. The goal gave Orlando City the initial boost that they wanted.
Hines would have another chance to score off a set piece in the second half, when Kaká took a free kick near the 18-yard line. Julio Baptista headed the ball, but it bounced off the goal post. Hines was there to head the ball again, but the goalkeeper was too quick and managed to block it.
“It was just instinct,” Hines said after the match. “I thought being that close to the goal that was for sure gonna go in.”
While Orlando City was obviously disappointed in the results of the game, they look forward to developing their tactics and fitness in training with new Head Coach Jason Kreis. The club will travel next weekend for a match against the Chicago Fire, and will return home on Sunday, August 24th to take on Toronto FC.
