Sunday, August 11, 2013
ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando City SC defeated the visiting Seattle Sounders Reserves 2-0 on Sunday night in front of 10,697 fans, marking a regular season attendance record at Fifth Third Bank Field at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Kevin Molino and Rob Valentino were the goal-scorers for Orlando, propelling City back into a tie for first place in the USL PRO standings with the Richmond Kickers.
“One of the most pleasing performances of the season,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath after the win. “As a unit, from the front to the back, I thought we played really well.”
The Lions had a terrific start to the match, when Molino collected an errant pass deep in the Sounders’ half in the opening minute. The Trinidad & Tobago international ran at the Seattle defense and had Dennis Chin and Jean Alexandre in space, but decided to go for goal on his own.
The 2012 USL PRO MVP hit a hard strike from just outside the area, causing a deflection off Sounders’ defender Zach Scott and into the back of the net to give City an early one-goal lead. Molino’s effort came just 36 seconds into the match, and marked the fastest goal in the club’s history.
Seattle responded moments later with a chance of its own, when David Estrada found himself on the end of a well-placed cross. Estrada’s timed his run to perfection and nearly scored, but defensive stalwart Valentino was there to clear it off the line.
As the half continued, City held the majority of possession and looked threatening each time they ventured forward into Seattle’s defensive third. Midfielders Luke Boden and Molino were heavily involved in each of the attacking plays; however Valentino would be the one to provide the Lions with their second goal of the half.
The defender’s goal stemmed from a corner kick, when Anthony Pulis swung in a curling ball to the near post. Valentino surged past the Seattle defense and used the outside of his foot to flick the ball past Sounders Reserves goalkeeper Andrew Weber in the 30th minute.
Seattle also held several chances of their own through the first half, showing their MLS quality in brief spells. However, skipper Miguel Gallardo and the Lion’s back line remained firm and maintained a clean sheet heading into halftime.
To begin the second half, Seattle’s defense looked a bit sharper than it did in the opening period. The gaping holes that allowed Alexandre and Dennis Chin to get in behind and create opportunities were tightened up, and moving forward became more difficult for the Lions’ attacking players.
However, Heath brought on Chinese forward Long Tan for Alexandre early in the second-half, providing energy and fresh legs to the City front-line. Shortly after his entry, Tan began combining effectively with Molino and Chin in the final third, yielding several chances. Chin found himself on the end of a few of those opportunities and was unlucky to not convert after hitting the crossbar in what seemed to be a clear-cut chance. Despite their probing efforts, the second-half would remain scoreless and the match would finish with a 2-0 victory in favor of Orlando.
The win clinches a potential home semifinal match for the Lions, which is scheduled for Friday, August 30. Moving forward, Orlando has a stretch of crucial matches. City is set to travel to play the Kickers in Richmond, Va., on Wednesday night in a game that could potentially determine who takes home the 2013 USL PRO Regular Season Championship. The Lions will then return home to take on the Charlotte Eagles, on August 17, before their quarterfinal playoff match- set for Saturday, August 24. The playoff match will kickoff at 7:30 p.m., and the opponent is yet to be determined.