SOCCER RECAP: Orlando City’s Late Rally Falls Short 2-1 at Real Salt Lake

Orlando returns to Orlando City Stadium on Saturday, April 20

ABOVE VIDEO: Orlando City SC (2-3-2, 8 points) fell 2-1 to Real Salt Lake (2-4-1, 7 points) on Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium. The loss was the first for the Lions on the road in 2019 and the first to the Claret and Cobalt in Club history.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA – Orlando City SC (2-3-2, 8 points) fell 2-1 to Real Salt Lake (2-4-1, 7 points) on Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium. The loss was the first for the Lions on the road in 2019 and the first to the Claret and Cobalt in Club history.

Nani scored the lone goal for City on the evening, his third in the last two matches. He now shares the team lead in goals scored with Dom Dwyer.

Head Coach James O’Connor: “Highly frustrated when you look at the game. I think we gifted the opposition two goals and made it very difficult for ourselves to get back into it. I thought we had some lovely passages, plenty of possession, plenty of shots. I think, again, you can’t keep giving the opposition two goals and then expect to get something out of the game.”

Scoring Recap:

17’ Sam Johnson – RSL 1, ORL 0
After a quick restart, Johnson found a gap between the City backline. Despite slipping in the box, the forward recovered on the ball before beating City goalkeeper Brian Rowe with a hard shot to the short side.

55’ Damir Kreilach (Jefferson Savarino, Aaron Herrera) – RSL 2, ORL 0
Savarino cuts a ball from the right side toward the top of the penalty area for Kreilach, who hits it first time into the net to double the lead for the home side.

81’ Nani – RSL 2, ORL 1

Nani finds the back of the net for the second consecutive match with a world-class finish off a set piece. Taking a free kick from just outside the area, Nani hits it perfectly to the near side to cut the deficit in half.

Match Notes:

• With Nani’s goal in the 81st minute, the Lions have now gone seven straight games with a substitute contributing either a goal or assist in a match. Nani came into the game in the 56th minute for starter Chris Mueller.
• Nani’s goal marked his third of the season, tying him for the team lead with fellow forward Dom Dwyer. The Portuguese forward has now scored in two straight games.
  Saturday’s loss marked the first road defeat for the Lions this season after opening the year 1-0-1 in their first two away games.
• Canadian defender Kamal Miller returned to starting lineup for the first time since March 9, marking the third start of the rookies career.
• The loss was the first for the Lions to Real Salt Lake in Club history. Prior to Saturday, City boasted a 2-0-2 record against RSL.

Next Match: 
Orlando returns to Orlando City Stadium on Saturday, April 20 when it faces the Vancouver Whitecaps. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m ET.

Scoring Summary:
RSL – Sam Johnson 17’

RSL – Damir Kreilach (Jefferson Savarino, Aaron Herrera) 55’

ORL – Luis Nani 81’

Misconduct Summary:
RSL – Nedum Onuoha (Yellow Card) 34’

RSL – Damir Kreilach (Yellow Card) 41’

ORL – Shane O’Neill (Yellow Card) 45+1’

ORL – Dom Dwyer (Yellow Card) 69’

RSL – Kyle Beckerman (Yellow Card) 74’

ORL – Will Johnson (Yellow Card) 90+1’

Lineups/Substitutions:

Orlando City SC – GK Brian Rowe; D Shane O’Neill, Robin Jansson, Kamal Miller; M Ruan, Sebastian Mendez, Sacha Kljestan, Will Johnson, Joao Moutinho (Josue Colman 77’); F Chris Mueller (Nani 56’), Tesho Akindele (Dom Dwyer 56’)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Adam Grinwis; D Kyle Smith; M Uri Rosell; F Benji Michel

Real Salt Lake – GK Nick Rimando; D Aaron Herrera, Nedum Onuoha, Justen Glad, Donny Toia; M Kyle Beckerman, Everton Luiz (Nick Besler 28’), Albert Rusnák, Damir Kreilach (Corey Baird 67’), Jefferson Savarino; F Sam Johnson (Brooks Lennon 86’)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Andrew Putna; M Justin Portille, Sebastián Saucedo; F Joao Plata

Details of the Game:
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Weather: Partly Cloudy
Date: April 13, 2019
Attendance: 16,770

Stats:

Possession:
RSL – 44.6%

ORL – 55.4%

Shots:
RSL – 10

ORL – 13

Saves:
RSL – 4

ORL – 3

Fouls:
RSL – 7

ORL – 13

Corners:
RSL – 4

ORL – 8

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