Waving the red card
UNION 3, LIONS 1 Orlando City falls to Philadelphia while down two due to infractions
After ceding two red cards, Orlando City fell 3-1 to the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday during the first of two games this week between the two teams.
Orlando attacked early and often to open the game, forcing Philadelphia onto its heels. In the eighth minute, forward Chris Mueller collected the ball in midfield and, with no pressure from the defense, charged onto the goal to take a clean shot from just inside the box.
The goal put Orlando ahead 1-0 and set the supporters section roaring, but that momentum didn’t last long. As Philadelphia continued to pressure, Orlando City’s passing broke down in the midfield, leaving the team vulnerable to counters.
In the 33rd minute, Tesho Akindele coughed up a pass in the midfield to Jamiro Monteiro, who played it long to Kacper Przybylko. Defender Robin Jansson slid past Przybylko and buried the ball in the side netting.
The tide completely turned in the 43rd minute. A full-field pass to Union midfielder Haris Medunjanin sent Jansson scrambling in transition. As the two sprinted for the ball, Jansson grabbed Medunjanin’s left arm, sending the midfielder tumbling to the ground.
Jansson earned a yellow card, but after going to the sidelines for VAR, the referee overturned the yellow card for a straight red, sending the center back off the field with a full half left to play.
In the first minute of the second half, Alejandro Bedoya flicked a volley from the goal line and Przybylko hammered it home to take a 2-1 lead. Six minutes later, FabriceJean Picault stretched it to 3-1.
The final dagger for Orlando came in the 67th minute, when midfielder Sacha Kljestan lost the ball in the midfield, lunged for it and landed on Monteiro’s ankle. The foul earned a red card.