New York City FC 2, Orlando City SC 2 | MLS Match Recap

Nick Rosano

New York City FC took another body blow on Sunday afternoon, throwing away a two-goal lead – and a golden chance at a three-goal lead – to concede a stoppage-time equalizer to Kevin Molino and Orlando City SC in a 2-2 draw at Yankee Stadium, just a week after a 7-0 rout at the hands of the New York Red Bulls.

NYCFC looked to be cruising well into the second half, after Frederic Brillant put them ahead with a header late in the first half before Andrea Pirlo found David Villa for a sublime finish in the 66th minute. But the home side missed a golden chance to put the game away in the 70th when Villa slipped and skied his penalty after a handball in the box from Seb Hines. Orlando would run right back down the field and score, thanks to Julio Baptista's first MLS goal, setting up a tense finish at Yankee Stadium.

The hosts looked like they would pull out the result, only to concede in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Molino found the roof of the net with an impeccable header to grab Adrian Heath's side a share of the points.

Box Score

42’ – NYC – Frederic Brillant (RJ Allen, Andrea Pirlo)
66’ – NYC – David Villa (Andrea Pirlo)
72’ – ORL – Julio Baptista (Kevin Molino)
90+4' – ORL – Kevin Molino (Cyle Larin, Carlos Rivas)
Full box score
Stats
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Three Things

AGAIN?!?: It’s a familiar feeling for NYCFC, and it’s not a good one. This game marks the fourth time in five occasions this season that New York have failed to grab the full three points from a winning position at home. It also brings their home record to an unenviable 1-2-5 – if you want to skip the math, that’s eight points of a possible 24 in the friendly confines, or an average of one point from every home game. It’s a recipe for disaster in MLS, unless they can somehow sustain their solid run of results away from Yankee Stadium.

STAR-J ALLEN: It was a rough day out for New York City FC overall, but they found another bright spot in the continued strong play of RJ Allen, who was perhaps their best player on both sides of the ball in the first half and continued with some solid play in the second. His most notable moment came at the end of the first period, when his perfectly-placed cross to the back post found an open Frederic Brillant for the first goal of the game. In a league with a paucity of top-tier left backs, NYCFC look to have found themselves a diamond in the rough that can be an integral part of their backline for years to come.

THE NEW GOONIES?:
Remember that 2012 San Jose Earthquakes team? The one that seemingly scored at the end of every game on the road to an improbable Supporters' Shield title? Well, we may be witnessing a new coming of the team nicknamed 'The Goonies' ('cause they never say die!) in Orlando:

5th goal THIS season scored by @OrlandoCitySC past the 90th minute. Amazing! #NYCvORL 2-2. https://t.co/EMPrjGE6mA
— Roberto Abramowitz (@RobAbramowitz) May 29, 2016

Of course, the Lions are already 12 points back of the Colorado Rapids in the Shield race (with one fewer game played), but they remain firmly in contention in
the Eastern Conference logjam
. If they can keep the magic going, they will certainly be a team to be reckoned with down the stretch.

They Said It

“When you are in good moments, you score in the last minute or this ball goes to the crossbar. We are I think in a bad moment, unlucky or in moments of the game we deserve it more.”

David Villa, NYCFC forward