Grinwis saves put Orlando into semis
Goaltender stops 2 penalty kicks to secure win for Lions
In the seconds leading up to the first penalty kick of Wednesday night, Exploria Stadium echoed with boos.
The minute before that had been a mad scramble. New York City FC elected to take the kicks on the goal opposite of the supporters’ section. When fans saw both keepers heading to the goal, they left their seats and sprinted around the concourse to fill in the seats behind the NYCFC goalkeeper.
When they arrived, however, the sea of purple fans was met with a row of yellowjacketed security officials who refused to let them pass. For a tense handful of seconds, the crowd piled up in the concourse and raised a chorus of angry shouts. Then the yellow line of security broke, the purple horde descended into the seats and the stadium rumbled with a happier cheer.
The crowd packed behind the goal needed a hero, and they were quickly met with one — goalkeeper Adam Grinwis, who turned up two saves during six penalty kicks as Orlando City defeated New York City FC in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. The game was tied at 1-1 after 30 minutes of extra time, and the Lions outscored New York City FC 5-4 on penalty kicks.
Orlando City will face Atlanta United FC in the Open Cup semifinals Aug. 7. A draw at 2 p.m. on Thursday will determine homefield advantage for the match.
Both teams struggled to piece together meaningful possession to start the game. At first, Orlando City couldn’t string together passes to escape its defending half. New York City peppered the backline with shots, forcing Grinwis to make a diving save in the 13th minute to bat away a header from point-blank range.
As the half wore on, however, the Lions began to find offensive rhythm, pushing New York City back onto its heels. Yet the increase in offensive pressure never resulted in serious chances on goal. At the end of the half, Orlando City had taken seven shots but placed none of them on frame.
After its sluggish start, Orlando City attacked in the second half. The Lions forced three corner kicks in the first five minutes of the half.
The break for Orlando City came in the 61st minute when Nani drove the ball into the box, then whipped a cross to the backside. The play was familiar, something that Nani had tried to no avail throughout the game. Every time the cross came, but the backside stretched empty, without a purple kit in sight.
But this time, forward Chris Mueller was waiting in a gap between two defenders, ready to head the ball down into the net to give Orlando City a 1-0 lead. The goal provided relief to the Lions, who grappled with their passing throughout the match.
Mueller’s goal lit a fire under New York City, desperate to level the score. That desperation became increasingly physical as the final whistle drew closer. In the 81st minute, Valentín Castellanos earned a yellow card after bowling over Robin Jansson, igniting a shouting match between the two teams. Players on both sides had to be tugged away after minutes of shouting before Jansson slowly rose to his feet to rejoin play.
Although New York City controlled possession in the final third of the game, it picked up as many yellow cards as shots in the second half with two apiece. But that all changed in the final seconds of regulation, when a curling cross into the box was deflected off multiple Orlando City players. New York City forward Maxi Moralez pounced on the ball, sliding to the ground to slice a shot around Jansson and into the net. The goal leveled the score with only seconds remaining on the clock, forcing the teams into extra time.
Faced with 30 extra minutes of time, both Orlando City and New York City flagged on offense. NYC ripped several shots at Grinwis in the final minutes of extra time, but he fended off the flurry and the Lions held on to ride out a penalty-kick battle.