Victory keeps Lions in hunt
Orlando City chasing second consecutive postseason berth
Orlando City flew into its final six-game stretch of the postseason push with a 1-0 win on Saturday night at FC Cincinnati, reinforcing the team’s position in the top layer of the Eastern Conference.
Júnior Urso thundered into the match to power the Lions. The midfielder tested a low, skipping shot toward the corner of the Cincinnati goal once, then buried the same shot in the 13th minute to give Orlando City an early lead.
The rest of the match wasn’t quite as dominant for the Lions. Cincinnati fought back with a fire on their home pitch, nearly earning a penalty kick in the final minute of stoppage time. But Orlando City held off the lowestranked team in the league to secure a second straight victory.
The Lions stumbled in the standings during a midseason slump, but Saturday’s victory set the team straight as it chases a second-straight postseason berth. Currently holding the fourth spot on the Eastern Conference table, the Lions (12-8-9, 45) are on pace to compete for one of the top three spots in the conference as they finish the regular season.
Only two days after facing Lionel Messi in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers, keeper Pedro Gallese led the Lions to their first clean sheet in nearly three months. The Lions’ last shutout came on Aug. 27 in a scoreless draw against Inter Miami.
The keeper made three saves to fend off an energetic Cincinnati attack, saving a point-blank sitter from Geoff Cameron in the first half.
Striker Alexandre Pato traveled to Cincinnati and made the bench for the first time in months after suffering an injury in the season opener. The Brazilian star struggled to return to the pitch, first after knee surgery, than with a series of undisclosed knocks.
Although he didn’t make an appearance in the match, Pato’s inclusion was a positive sign for the Lions as they aim to increase scoring to end the season.
The Lions dive right back into action at home this week with a Wednesday match against Montreal and a Sunday match against New England.