Cyle Larin took care of the hard part early, heading in a goal off a cross from Rafael Ramos in the seventh minute of play.
The hard part for Orlando City would be holding on, trying to extend the lead and finishing off the rival New York City FC and pick up that first win of the season.
Like all Orlando City games, the team seemed to have its moments of shakiness, there were plenty of opportunities for a second goal left on the board, but the defense was the one that eventually stood tall. With New York City throwing everything it had at the goal, Orlando stood tall. Joe Bendik made big saves. The defense scrambled to make stops. And some luck helped too in a 1-0 win at Yankee Stadium on Friday.
For the first time all season, Orlando City was outshot in a game. New York City had a 16-10 shot advantage. New York was getting plenty of pressure on Orlando City and an injury to Larin certainly did not help Orlando City’s bid to extend the lead. Kevin Molino famously took an extra touch when he had a shot at goal — Kaka was certainly not happy with him watching from his home.
The Lions had to rely heavily on their defense to get stops and give the team a chance at the victory. The early lead allowed them to settle in for sure and protect the lead.
“I thought our midfield was a lot more combative than they have been in the last couple weeks and I thought we defended the box really well,” Head Coach Adrian Heath told OrlandoCitySC.com. “At times it was numbers – strength in numbers. If you look, three or four different people had really timely blocks. Our two center backs [Redding and Hines], I thought were terrific in defending the goal, Tommy Redding especially. A 19-year-old boy, he had to hang around with David Villa and his movement. I was pleased with some aspects but, I said to the players, we are better than that and we have to be better than that. We will get better.”
Kudos certainly go to Seb Hines, Tommy Redding, Rafael Ramos and Brek Shea. The group has been overall solid throughout the season, but has had its moments of shakiness. It was definitely uncertain whether they would be able to hold up like this.
But a gutsy 1-0 win says a lot about the team too. Those wins count the same as the 3-1 or 2-0 victories. And Orlando City desperately needed a game to take home all three points after draws in the first two games.
