CINCINNATI, Ohio. (Aug. 7, 2021) - Orlando City SC (8-4-6, 30 points) took a 1-1 draw on Saturday night against FC Cincinnati (3-7-7, 16 points) in the Club’s first visit to TQL Stadium. City captain Luis Nani scored his ninth goal of the year in the contest, now sitting with a goal contribution in five of the Lions’ last six matches.
On the defensive, Homegrown goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar preserved the result for the visitors in the fourth minute of stoppage time, coming off his line to deny a breakaway effort from Isaac Atanga. With the draw, City is now unbeaten in its last three contests as it takes a break from MLS play for the next week and now turns its attention to next week’s Leagues Cup match.
The Lions return to action on Thursday, Aug. 12, set to feature in the Club’s first international competition as the side takes on Liga MX side Santos Laguna in the 2021 Leagues Cup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Exploria Stadium with tickets available here or by calling (855) ORL-CITY.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“I think we came with the intention to set the tempo and be protagonists of the game and I think we did that. We knew that some spaces were going to be given to them, but from the first minute we came with the intention to win the game. That’s why the players left with a sour taste not getting the three points, which is something that I like because our mission for the team is to go away and win games. We had a much better second half in terms of dominating the spaces, we were more clear. In the first half we had some clear chances too, but a good game for us. We should have walked with the three points no doubt.”
Scoring Recap:
42’ Brenner (Álvaro Barreal, Luciano Acosta) - CIN 1, ORL 0
The home side got on the board just before halftime with Luciano Acosta finding Álvaro Barreal on the right flank, who cut it across the face of goal for Brenner to hit first time for the finish.
56’ Nani - ORL 1, CIN 1
City leveled off a finish from its captain, jumping on a Cincinnati turnover just one minute after entering the pitch before taking his space and sending a ball straight into the far corner of the net from outside of the area.
Match Notes:
- Nani extended his team lead with his ninth goal of the season, good for his 30th across all competitions as a Lion. The City captain serves as just the second player in Club history to reach 30 goals, with former Lions’ forward Cyle Larin the only other member of the side to do so.
- With his 56th minute finish, Nani pushed his goal-contribution streak to three-consecutive matches, recording a goal or an assist in five of the Lions’ last six matches. In total, the Portuguese international has been involved in 15 of the Lions’ 28 total finishes on the year.
- The result served as the Lions’ third in a row, with a win and a pair of draws through the Club’s last three contests.
- The visit served as City’s first to Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium, maintaining its unbeaten record against the 2019 expansion side, now 2-0-2 through four matches against the Orange & Blue.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made four changes to his starting lineup entering the match with Emmanuel Mas, Rodrigo Schlegel, Uri Rosell and Tesho Akindele all reentering the fold for the Lions.
Next Match: The Lions take a break from MLS action for the next week, set to face off in the Club’s first international competition with a matchup against Liga MX side Santos Laguna on Thursday, Aug. 12 in the 2021 Leagues Cup. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Exploria Stadium.
