When Orlando City signed Brazilian forward Júlio Baptista back in March it was a move to bring more experience to the Lions’ young roster. On Sunday, with Orlando City trailing by two goals late in the match on the road, you saw the savvy of a veteran who had been there before.
Having entered the match just 13 minutes earlier, Baptista saw his chance to change the game in the 70th minute. Kevin Molino lofted a pass to the Brazilian who took two deft touches and then calmly finished to the left of a diving Josh Saunders. With the momentum from the goal Orlando City would continue to push for the equalizer, eventually finding it in the form of a headed finish from Molino in the final minute of added time.
Baptista saw the difference in his side after his goal. “The second half after I scored the team started to play well,” Baptista said. “They took the confidence and played well for twenty-minutes.”
Baptista plays with a confidence you don’t often see in a Major League Soccer forward — and there’s a reason for that. Not many in the league they can say they have scored 164 professional goals. Not many can say they have played in a FIFA World Cup. Even less can boast a club resume as strong as his with stops including São Paulo, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Roma. There isn’t a thing you can throw at the man nicknamed “The Beast” that he hasn’t seen before, and that is a major asset to his team.
“Sometimes the players look at me, because I have more experience,” Baptista said after Sunday’s comeback. “When I have the field I’m not afraid to do anything. I have confidence.”
