ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 28, 2020) - Orlando City SC (9-3-8, 35 points) put on a show at Exploria Stadium on Wednesday evening, defeating neighbors to the north Atlanta United FC (5-12-4, 19 points) with a 4-1 victory in front of a limited crowd.
Four different Lions found the back of the net in the match, including recent signing Matheus Aiás, scoring in his home debut. Daryl Dike, Chris Mueller and Tesho Akindele all added a goal for the Lions en route to the victory, with Dike tallying an assist to register two goal contributions on the night.
With the win, Head Coach Oscar Pareja ties former New England Revolution boss Steve Nicol for ninth in MLS history in All-Time Coaching Wins with his 112th career victory, now one win shy of tying former D.C. United Head Coach Ben Olsen for eighth at 113.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“It’s certainly a game that means a lot for our franchise. First off, beating Atlanta, but secondly to see the boys performing so well as a group. We have had obviously two weeks where we have conceded a goal in the last minute and given away points. Tonight, it was an urgency for us to win those three points and they were big. A very good game, we can explain it in different phases. They tried to react, but we were very clear in front of the goal today and I think that’s the highlight. Congratulations to the players, the boys who came back from injury too and started performing again. Slowly we’re getting the team complete again and we’re happy.”
29’ Daryl Dike (Ruan) - ORL 1, ATL 0
The Lions took the lead with Ruan finding Daryl Dike just inside the area, who took a touch and turned before slotting a right-footed shot past Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan into the near post for the finish.
45+2’ Chris Mueller - ORL 2, ATL 0
City doubled its advantage in first half stoppage time, with Chris Mueller stepping up outside of the area for a free kick and curling his effort into the left side netting to extend his team lead with his ninth goal of the year.
60’ Tesho Akindele (Daryl Dike) - ORL 3, ATL 0
The home side added another in the second half, this time with Daryl Dike getting free down the right side and finding Tesho Akindele in the box, who hit it first time for the finish.
87’ Erick Torres (Marcelino Moreno) - ORL 3, ATL 1
The visitors got one back thanks to a corner kick from the left side off the foot of Marcelino Moreno, finding the head of Erick Torres for the finish.
90+2’ Matheus Aiás - ORL 4, ATL 1
City regained its three-goal lead after a free kick from Sebastián Méndez deflected off of Matheus Aiás into the back of the net, good for his first goal as a Lion in his home debut.
Match Notes:
- Chris Mueller extended his team lead in goals scored in the match, netting his ninth of the year.
- Daryl Dike scored his sixth goal of the season and his second in as many contests, trailing only forward Chris Mueller on the squad. Dike also added an assist in the match on Akindele’s 60th-minute finish.
- Tesho Akindele netted his third goal of the campaign in his first start since Sept. 27 at FC Dallas.
- Matheus Aiás scored his first goal as a Lion in his home debut after entering the match in the 79th minute for Daryl Dike.
- With the victory, Head Coach Oscar Pareja registered his 112th career MLS Coaching Win, tying him for ninth all-time with longtime New England boss Steve Nicol. Pareja is now one win shy of tying former D.C. United Head Coach Ben Olsen for eighth on the same list.
- Ruan registered his fourth assist of the year on the night, the most by a defender on the Lions’ roster.
- Alexander Alvarado made his Orlando City debut in the match, entering in the 79th minute for Chris Mueller.
- Pareja made three changes to his starting lineup from the Lions’ match, with Kamal Miller, Joey DeZart and Tesho Akindele all re-entering the fold.
Next Match: The Lions head back out on the road for the final time in regular-season play, traveling to take on the Montreal Impact on Sun., Nov. 1 at Red Bull Arena. Kickoff for that match is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
ORL - Daryl Dike (Ruan) 29’
ORL - Chris Mueller 45+2’
ORL - Tesho Akindele (Daryl Dike) 60’
ATL - Erick Torres (Marcelino Moreno) 87’
ORL - Matheus Aiás 90+2’
Misconduct Summary:
ATL - Fernando Meza (Yellow Card) 45+1’
ATL - Eric Remedi (Yellow Card) 81’
ORL - Benji Michel (Yellow Card) 88’
ATL - Mo Adams (Yellow Card) 90+1’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC - GK Pedro Gallese ©; D Kamal Miller, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, Ruan; M Chris Mueller (Alexander Alvarado 79’), Joey DeZart (Sebastián Méndez 68’), Júnior Urso, Tesho Akindele (Andrés Perea 62’); F Nani © (Benji Michel 62’), Daryl Dike (Matheus Aiás 79’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Brian Rowe; D Alex De John, Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith
Atlanta United FC - GK Brad Guzan ©; D George Bello, Laurence Wyke, Fernando Meza, Anton Walkes (Brooks Lennon 50’); M Matheus Rossetto (Eric Remedi 76’), Mo Adams, Ezequiel Barco (Jake Mulraney 71’), Marcelino Moreno, Jürgen Damm (Jon Gallagher 71’); F Adam Jahn (Erick Torres 71’)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Alec Kann; D George Campbell; M Emerson Hyndman, Jeff Larentowicz
Details of the Game:
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
Date: October 28, 2020
Attendance: 3,495
Stats:
Possession:
ORL - 45.6%
ATL - 54.4%
Shots:
ORL - 15
ATL - 14
Saves:
ORL - 2
ATL - 2
Fouls:
ORL - 10
ATL - 18
Corners:
ORL - 2
ATL - 9
Heineken Star of the Match: Daryl Dike
