Lions can’t pounce, settle for draw
TORONTO — On the surface, a draw against one of the league’s top teams on the road was a massive accomplishment — especially following three of the club’s worst performances of the year.
Orlando City (7-10-14, 35 points) earned a much-needed point against Toronto FC (13-8-10, 49 Orlando City’s Larin true to his roots, remains humble, C2 points) Wednesday night at BMO Field, but the Lions still lacked on both sides of the ball, failing to capitalize in a match during which TFC was missing its best player, Sebastian Giovinco, and played the final 30 minutes with 10 men.
The Lions entered the night in eighth place, desperate to break out of their worst slump of the season and climb back into playoff contention. Toronto already secured its bid to the postseason but was hoping for three points as it battles for the Eastern Conference title and Supporters Shield. Neither got the result they were hoping for.
Lions centerback José Aja was kicked in the face on an attempted bicycle kick from Toronto’s Tosaint Ricketts in the 70th minute. The move resulted in a second yellow card for Ricketts, who was ejected from the game, forcing the Reds to play out the match down a man.
Ricketts’ first yellow came in the 56th minute when he tackled Kaká from behind just outside the
box. Kaká’s ensuing free kick deflected to the left of the goal.
The ejection was the type of break Orlando City has been looking for after being saddled with bad calls by officials during some of its recent losses. The Lions’ time of possession immediately increased, as did the number of chances they created on goal.
Lions coach Jason Kreis subbed Matias Pérez García on for Brek Shea right after the call to help freshen the attack. He also subbed on Júlio Baptista for Kevin Molino in the final minutes in an attempt to secure the win.
It was a low-scoring affair for an Orlando City-Toronto showdown.
The teams scored a combined eight goals in their previous two meetings this season and TFC beat the Lions by a combined score of 9-1 in two visits to BMO Field last season.
Orlando City deployed a 4-4-2 formation for the first time this season, with Carlos Rivas joining Cyle Larin up top and Servando Carrasco,Shea, Molino and Kaká forming a diamond in the midfield.
Kreis was known for that formation in his championship-winning days with Sporting Kansas City, but he said he did not feel it fit the current personnel in Orlando when he first joined the team in July.
The new strategy lasted just 40 minutes before Kreis reverted back to the club’s familiar 4-2-3-1 formation by subbing defensive midfielder Cristian Higuita on for Rivas.
Giovinco, Toronto's leading scorer and last year’s league MVP, was not part of the 18-man roster for the match as he continues to recover from multiple muscle strains.
Toronto controlled possession in the first half, with a couple near-misses and shots that required Orlando City goalkeeper Joe Bendik to make some of his signature heart-stopping saves.
D.C. United and Montreal both scored wins Wednesday, leaving Orlando City in eighth place and five points behind the red playoff cut line with three matches left. The Lions likely need to sweep the games, collecting nine points, in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The next high-stakes matchup will be Sunday when Orlando City returns home to host Montreal. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN.