It was my first time covering the Leagues Cup and I have to say, it was a phenomenal experience. From the front office and the people on the stands, it was amazing. Orlando City came to this game with the mentality of winning another trophy for the City Beautiful. Houston on the other hand, lined up an alternate squad and hoped for a chance to stun the lions off the counter.
On the first half, Oscar Pareja unleashed a starting lineup with no Mauricio Pereyra, Martin Ojeda had the start. Orlando dominated all chances in attack and had over 2-3 clear chances to score. Houston was slowly gaining momentum due to the mid losing grip and turning over the ball. Also Orlando’s wings were not able to mark Houston wingers in transition. As well, Orlando had several set piece chances and was not able to capitalize. Houston had a high pressure lineup and was pushing Orlando against the ropes but Gallese was able to put out the fire quickly. In the 38th minute, Houston came close to scoring their first goal. Luis Caicedo threw a superb rocket that went close past Gallese. Without dominating the stats, Houston was able to make a statement. In the 39th minute, Martin Ojeda had a beautiful shot outside the box, it went to a corner kick. In the 90th minute, after a complete dive, Houston undeservedly was awarded a penalty kick. Amine Bassi scored and put Houston up 1-0 before the half.
On the second half, Oscar Pareja made a substitution, Kyle Smith (was not having the best of games) for Dagur Dan. The substitution immediately paid off. After a play in transition, Duncan heavy pressed Tarbell and the Houston keeper turned over the ball and the “Haaland of the Heartland” did not miss a beat. Orlando City leveled with justice. After Duncan’s goal it was all Orlando dominating chances in attack and possession of the ball. In the 63rd minute Ercan Kara and Ramiro Enrique entered the game. It was still Orlando dominating and Dagur Dan and Ivan Angulo doing a superb job defensively. Orlando had everything to win this game but Ercan Kara and Facundo Torres were unlucky in several occasions. In the second half, what truly drove Orlando’s attack was the Dagur-Angulo connection. In the 70th minute, after a great combination between Dagur and Angulo, Facundo Torres was close to score Orlando’s second but his shot went wide. In the 72nd minute, a great run by Ramiro 1v1 with Tarbell and the Argentinean attempted to lob the ball with his right foot and missed, it could’ve been Orlando’s second. Orlando also was not taken advantage of any set pieces, and the game went to penalty kicks, which are a Russian roulette. After a wonderful save from el Pulpo Pedro Gallese, Orlando won in PK’s. Houston left sad and upset with the result. Overall, Orlando deserved to win, they generated the most chances and also cause the post impact offensively. Things to consider, Orlando still needs to work on finishing those chances, there were plenty, Orlando could’ve left the game with a bulkier score and without forcing a PK shootout.
Orlando City comes back to Exploria next Saturday to face tougher competition in Mexican powerhouse Santos Laguna for Leagues Cup.
Vamos Orlando!
