Down to ten men, on the road, hanging on to save a point. It’s a dire scenario; one that requires a maximum goalkeeping effort, razor-focused defense, and just a little bit of luck.
Tally Hall and the Orlando City defense did their part on Saturday to preserve a result in Salt Lake. After giving up an early lead and going down a man, the pressure was on Orlando to keep the ball out of the net for over 45 minutes.
“The clock from like 75’ to 90’ goes real slow as you keep holding off wave after wave and you know you’re going to be defending a lot. The guys did great,” Hall said after training on Tuesday.
Real Salt Lake peppered the Lions all night, firing 23 shots while dominating almost 60 percent of possession. Hall was lauded for his season-high six saves, but he rightfully shifted the praise to his defenders; the Lions got in front of nine shots to stop them from even getting to Hall in the first place.
With the clock ticking away, Real Salt Lake turned up the heat yet again. In the 71st minute, Sean St. Ledger blocked a shot from Joao Plata. The Royals would regain possession and come back to take another attempt, only to be blocked by Pedro Ribeiro. Luke Boden, Seb Hines, and Rafael Ramos all sacrificed their bodies to block shots, doing their part to preserve crucial points in the standings.
“It was a special defensive performance… The guys did a great job of holding the formation in the second half, and working very hard to make sure they were doing that,” he said.
Not only did Hall record his highest save total of the season, but they were spectacular ones. In the fourth minute, RSL had a huge opportunity with a shot from less than ten yards out. Hall dove to his right to keep the ball out and just 32 seconds later, Kaká scored his ninth goal of the season.
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“That first one was cool because the guys go down and score so it makes the save a little more important. They go down and they score, obviously puts a big smile on my face,” said Hall when asked about his favorite save of the game.
“Probably the one that I was happiest with is one that probably no one remembers but it was a shot to my left. It was pretty simple, but if I bobbled it or let up a rebound it was going to be for sure a goal.”
Those were his favorites, but there was one that he actually thought had beaten him. In the 84th minute, RSL defender Sebastian Saucedo ripped a shot from over 30 yards that Hall barely managed to deflect off the post.
“That thing moved a lot and so I was kind of gutted right away because I thought it went straight in. I had enough distance for the save for sure but the ball moved and I didn’t think I had enough and luckily I turned around right as it’s hitting the post and it goes out harmlessly.”
Hall has been a huge part of the Lions’ run of form since his return a month and a half ago. Since recovering from a torn ACL, Hall has recorded three shutouts and City has gone 4-1-3, climbing into a tie for second place in the Eastern Conference.
“I think I’m a little bit [of] a benefactor of the guys up the field clicking and I come in and I’m trying to add something to the team but I think the guys in front of me have played absolutely phenomenal,” said Hall when asked about the team’s play since his return. Adrian Heath was a little more direct in his evaluation.
“He gives the back four a bit of confidence. We knew when we brought him in – that was one of the most important things, we thought we needed a top keeper and we’ve got a top keeper.”
