Orlando City SC and New York City FC drew 1-1 on Wednesday at Exploria Stadium, with both teams getting on the scoresheet with first half goals from Chris Mueller and Keaton Parks.
The hosts got off to a strong start, taking two shots in the first minute, and maintained that momentum for the early part of the first half. They got their reward in the 18th minute through Mueller's goal. Ruan chased the ball to the endline, saving it from going out by sending it straight into the penalty area. From there, Mueller scored on a header from close range.
The tide shifted by the halfway point of the first half, when NYCFC went from having zero shots in the 24th minute to ending the half with nine and four on target. They, too, reaped the rewards of their offensive effort with a 43rd minute equalizer from Parks, who scored his second goal in three matches. Orlando and NYCFC competed for the ball near Orlando's goal, and Parks eventually won the ball in the box and scored from close range.
NYCFC continued that form into the second half, eagerly searching for a second half that saw them record another nine shots and four more on target. The likes of Jesus Medina and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi came closest to scoring a game winner, but goalkeeper Brian Rowe was able to match each shot and ended the night with seven saves, several of the spectacular variety.
Orlando occasionally had chances of their own to restore their lead in the second half, including a freekick from Nani in the 62nd minute saved by Sean Johnson, but only recorded one shot on target. In the end, Rowe's efforts allowed Orlando to hold off NYCFC and earn a point.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Orlando extend their unbeaten run to 11, but lost well earned momentum halfway into the first half and never gained it back, relying on goalkeeper Brian Rowe to bail them out. NYCFC will be unhappy with a slow start, but dominated most of the match and their one goal was not for a lack of effort.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: NYCFC fully announced they were back in the game with Keaton Parks' equalizer, and marked the midfielder's second goal in three games.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: In a strong offensive outing for NYCFC, Keaton Parks was particularly impactful. Scoring his side's lone goal, Parks also had another shot on target and overall took five shots as NYCFC actively searched for a game winner.
Next Up
- ORL: Sunday, October 18 at New York Red Bulls (7 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+; MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
- NYC: Sunday, October 18 at Columbus Crew (6 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+; MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
