Junior Urso broke a 2-2 deadlock with just over 20 minutes remaining and Orlando City SC ran their unbeaten streak against MLS opponents to seven matches, beating the Columbus Crew 3-2 at Exploria Stadium on Saturday evening.
The victory puts Orlando at 38 points and in second place in the Eastern Conference standings by virtue of a tiebreaker with Nashville SC. Columbus have now dropped four in a row away from home and seven of their last eight matches overall.
Orlando sent a few warning shots Columbus' way over the opening portions, but couldn't solve Crew goalkeeper Eloy Room. Yet they found their breakthrough in the 26th minute when Daryl Dike capped a brilliant run with a perfect strike to take a 1-0 lead. Then in the 29th minute, Silvester van der Water doubled the margin as his cross from the right of the box skipped past Room, expanding the Lions' lead to 2-0.
But Columbus pulled a goal back in the 52nd minute via an Orlando own goal when Antonio Carlos inadvertently headed the ball into his own net to make it a 2-1 scoreline. Then, in the 54th minute, the Crew pulled level. A Lucas Zelarayan entry pass was touched by Derrick Etienne Jr. to Miguel Berry, who chipped it past Adam Grinwis to tie it at 2-2.
Orlando regained the lead in the 69th minute when a low, driven shot by Urso caught Room off guard, putting the hosts ahead 3-2. They had a glorious chance to put the match away in the 84th minute as Tesho Akindele found himself 1-on-1 with Room, but he missed the target.
Despite a lively finish to the match, Columbus couldn't equalize again and Orlando saw out the win.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Orlando had Pedro Gallese and Sebastian Mendez at Conmebol World Cup Qualifiers while a host of others didn't play due to injury, notably midfielders Andres Perea and Oriol Rosell. And while it wasn't a perfect evening for goalkeeper Adam Grinwis – starting an MLS game for the first time in over three years with Mason Stajduhar out injured – the Lions still earned three points. Columbus entered with a host of injured players and two of their own (Liam Fraser and Jonathan Mensah) on international duty. Despite turning around a 2-0 deficit, they couldn't fully complete the comeback as their road woes continue.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: The "Little Bear" roared to put Orlando ahead for good in the 69th minute. The Brazilian midfielder cashed in for just the third time this season, providing the match-winner.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: It was a strong night for Chris Mueller, who generated three shots and won a team-high 13 duels for Orlando. While he didn't find the scoresheet, he turned in a solid shift.
Next Up
- ORL: Friday, September 10 at Atlanta United | 8 pm ET (FS1, Fox Deportes)
- CLB: Saturday, September 11 vs. Inter Miami CF | 8 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
