ATLANTA (March 17, 2024) – Orlando City SC (0-3-1, 1 point) dropped a 2-0 decision against Atlanta United FC (2-1-0, 6 points) on Sunday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Lions will have a full week before returning to MLS action, hosting Western Conference side Austin FC at INTER&Co Stadium next weekend. That match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 23 on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
Scoring Summary:
9’ Saba Lobjanidze (Giorgos Giakoumakis) – ATL 1, ORL 0
The hosts opened things up almost 10 minutes in, with forward Giorgos Giakoumakis playing a through ball to Saba Lobjanidze between the Orlando line. Lobjanidze took a touch and carried the ball towards the endline and calmly sent it far post and past goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
70’ Giorgos Giakoumakis (Brooks Lennon, Saba Lobjanidze) – ATL 2, ORL 0
Atlanta added one more to their lead in the second half, with Giorgos Giakoumakis turning from provider to scorer when Brooks Lennon and Saba Lobjanidze combined down Atlanta’s right side to unlock the Lions’ defense. Giakoumakis picked up the ball at the top of the 18 and let rip a shot that bounced off the underside of the bar and in.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“Obviously we’re frustrated at not getting the result, but the team that was on the pitch today has a big effort on the game and a commitment to try to do it the best possible way we planned it during the week. But I’m very proud of them. Obviously, the frustration at this point is probably bigger, but we are professionals, and we have to move on. There is a bunch of things that we saw today that left us with the taste that we can bounce back.”
Match Notes
- With the start, Martín Ojeda made his 50th appearance for Orlando City.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made three changes to his starting lineup from his side’s last match against Tigres UANL, with Duncan McGuire, Martín Ojeda and Rafael Santos all returning to the starting XI.
