The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Philadelphia defeats NYCFC at MLS is Back tournament
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. — Alejandro Bedoya scored in the 63rd minute and the Philadelphia Union defeated NYCFC 1-0 on Thursday in the MLS is Back tournament.
NYCFC goalkeeper Sean Johnson dove and got a hand on the ball but couldn’t keep Bedoya’s leftfooted strike out of the net after a scoreless first half.
The teams met on the second day of the monthlong tournament played without fans in attendance at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World.
Goalkeeper Andre Blake preserved Philadelphia’s first win of the season in the 86th minute when he dove to push away Brazilian forward Heber’s shot from the left side of the box.
Teams are divided into six groups for the opening stage of the World Cup-style tournament, with results counting toward the regular season. FC Dallas was forced to withdraw after 10 players and a coach tested positive for COVID-19.
NYCFC finished atop the Eastern Conference last season. The team returned much of its roster, including midfielder Maxi Moralez, who led the league in assists last season with 20. Heber had 15 goals in 22 appearances last season.
NYCFC lost both of its games played before the season was shut down on March 12. The team has yet to score a goal this season.
The Union, which had a loss and a draw to start the season, finished third in the East last year. Forward Kacper Przybylko, who led the Union with 15 goals last season, started.
Players for the Union wore jerseys with the names of people killed by police. Ray Gaddis wore the name Taylor for Breonna Taylor, and goalkeeper Blake wore Floyd, for George Floyd.
Late Wednesday
Orlando City 2, Inter Miami 1: Nani called it beautiful and emotional. He wasn’t talking about either goal he played a part in during Orlando City’s victory over Inter Miami.
Nearly 200 players took the field for an 8-minute, 46-second moment of silence to protest racial injustice before Major League Soccer’s return to action. Players wore black T-shirts, black gloves and black facemasks emblazoned with Black Lives Matter.
The shirts had varying slogans that included Black And Proud, Silence Is Violence and Black All The Time.
The players walked toward midfield, raised their right arms one at a time and held the pose so long that some could be seen stretching fatigued muscles afterward.
“I felt for a couple of minutes,” Nani said shortly after scoring the go-ahead goal in the seventh minute of stoppage time. “We all want to change the world. We want a better world — no differences, no discrimination . ... Everyone in the world should stop for a couple of minutes and think about our children and teach them how to be a better person and create a better world.”
Several other players from Orlando City and Inter Miami took a knee near midfield during the demonstration.