Orlando City has played with fire for much of its first three games. Comebacks and playing a man up and escapes and all the like. Then there was the romp. Orlando City was a streaking star taking advantage of the momentum.
What will happen when it all halts?
Down some key players — including defenders Tyler Turner and Brek Shea — the Lions entered Philadelphia to take on another team that missed the playoffs last year but was streaking to start the season. And they played with fire too much.
A poor clearance from the defense and a foul just outside the box cost Orlando City. The final one — the free kick from just outside the box — will sting the most.
Tranquillo Barnetta fired in a free kick to the upper 90 of the goal, curling it to leave Joe Bendik dumbfounded and deliver the Philadelphia Union a 2-1 win, handing Orlando City its first loss this season.
“I’m bitterly disappointed because I thought we should’ve taken something out of the game with the good opportunities that we had on the break. I thought they played with a lot of intensity, a lot of energy, and we had to weather the storm. I always thought at some stage we were going to get a break in the second half,” Head Coach Adrian Heath told orlandoCitySC.com. “I thought we were very naive in certain parts of our play this evening, and if we want to achieve what we want to achieve this season, we have to be better when we have the opportunities that we had tonight.”
The Lions gave up a goal early in the game on a poor clearance from Rafael Ramos. A cross deflected off him and fell to the feet of C.J. Sapong for a second minute goal.
Orlando City took back control of the game and had opportunities, finally equalizing on a beautiful fast-break goal from Adrian Winter. Winter flipped the ball over a defender before poking the ball in after a searching pass from Kevin Molino.
The teams exchanged opportunities. Bendik stood tall.
The Lions though committed fouls in difficult areas and called on their goalkeeper too often to make saves. There was very little Bendik could do when the free kick came curling his way.
That is the pain of giving up free kicks in dangerous areas late in a game. They come back to haunt.
Inevitably Orlando City would suffer its first loss at some point. They are all heartbreaking, but perhaps none like this. How Orladno City recovers could be a big part of the story of their season.
