Orlando City SC and visiting FC Cincinnati will look to build on strong starts in their season openers when they meet on Saturday in Florida.
Orlando City (1-0-0, 3 points) is coming off a 1-0 win over the visiting New York Red Bulls on Saturday, while FC Cincinnati (1-0-0, 3 points) held on for a 2-1 home victory over the Houston Dynamo the same day.
Orlando’s Facundo Torres scored the game’s lone goal on a penalty kick in the 56th minute after New York’s Sean Nealis was called for a hand ball in the penalty area.
Torres tallied his 10th career MLS goal when his shot beat goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, who guessed wrong by diving to his left.
Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese took care of the rest. He earned his 20th career clean sheet by making four saves, including denying Cristian Casseres Jr. in the 88th minute before Orlando City withstood eight minutes of stoppage time.
“I think (Pedro’s) incredible, and we’re very pleased to have him for sure,” Orlando City coach Oscar Pareja said of Gallese, who signed a two-year contract this offseason to remain a Lion through at least the 2024 season. “We’re happy to have Pedro back and he knows that he’s an important piece of this team.”
Orlando had six shots but just one was on target. The Lions, who had possession for 50.9 percent of the game, completed 71.4 percent of their 364 passes.
“I think the best part of the game for us was that we covered that intensity at the time and our hearts were great today,” Pareja said. “It was a very deserving three points.”
Cincinnati also withstood a late-game charge after taking the lead early in the second half of their first game of the season. After Sergio Santos gave Cincinnati a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute, the Dynamo tied the game when Tate Schmitt headed Hector Herrera’s corner kick into the back of the net in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
But the Orange and Blue came out of the locker room energized, attacking from the outset and scoring what turned out to be the game-winning goal in just the third minute after the break.
Obinna Nwobodo scored in his MLS debut when he took a pass from Alvaro Barreal and ripped a shot that deflected off a defender’s foot and across the goal line for the decisive tally.
The Orange and Blue, who had 14 shots but just five on target, completed 73.7 percent of their 358 passes. However, they possessed the ball for just 37.7 percent of the game.
“Early on in the season when teams aren’t at their best, you emphasize the importance of winning. That was one of the things that we succeeded in tonight,” Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said. “But from myself on down, I would say every player on the field outside of the reserves that came in I think did a pretty good job.”
Cincinnati swept a pair of meetings against Orlando City, winning 2-1 in Florida on March 12 and 1-0 at home on June 24.
–Field Level Media
