TORONTO (Aug. 10, 2019) - Orlando City SC (8-11-6, 30 points) battled to a 1-1 draw with Toronto FC (9-10-6, 33 points) on Saturday night, splitting the points at BMO Field. Benji Michel scored for the Lions in the match with a finish that served as his second of the 2019 season.
Head Coach James O’Connor:
“Very proud of the level of the performance, I thought it was very good. I thought at the end of the night maybe we would’ve been able to get all three, but great credit to the guys. I thought there were some outstanding performances. I thought our shape was very good tonight and as I said, I am very, very proud of the commitment that the lads showed tonight.”
Scoring Recap:
69’ Benji Michel (Chris Mueller) - ORL 1, TOR 0
The Lions opened the scoring on the counter-attack, with Chris Mueller playing a ball across the pitch for Benji Michel. The substitute took one touch before sending a ball past Toronto goalkeeper Quentin Westberg into the right side of the net.
77’ Patrick Mullins - ORL 1, TOR 1
After the Reds were denied a penalty kick by Video Review, they were awarded a free kick from the right side. Alejandro Pozeulo played it to the top of the area for Michael Bradley, whose shot was deflected before falling to the foot of Patrick Mullins for the finish.
Match Notes:
- Benji Michel scored his second goal of the season with just his second touch of the match, entering the game for Robinho in the 68th minute. Michel scored his first goal of 2019 on July 13, good for the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Columbus.
- Chris Mueller registered his fourth assist of the season in the match, now tied for second on the squad with defender Ruan.
- With his four saves in the match, goalkeeper Brian Rowe tied Tally Hall for second in Club history in saves, now sitting at 73 as a Lion.
- The result served as the Lions’ first at BMO Field since 2016.
Next Match: City returns home on Wednesday, August 14 to face Sporting Kansas City at Exploria Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
