Orlando City came back in the second half of Saturday’s match against the Columbus Crew to pull out a 1-1 draw. The Lions now have one more game at home this coming weekend before heading out on a four game road trip. Before we look ahead, however, let’s look back at this past weekends game against the Crew.
Giles Barnes: Mr Reliable
Giles Barnes has been all over the place for the Lions this year. He’s played in the midfield, on the wing, as an attacking midfielder and as a striker. While he’s been incredibly versatile for the team, he’s also been incredibly reliable for Jason Kreis. Barnes and goalkeeper Joe Bendik are the only players that have played in every single MLS game so far this season. Barnes also played in U.S. Open Cup match against Miami FC, making him the only player to play in all 26 games for the Lions this year over all competitions. He also scored the game-tying goal last match, which was his second of the season in MLS, but his third overall.
Young Players Stepping Up for Lions
Out of the players that took the field for Orlando City this past weekend, six of them were 23 years of age or younger. The pair of center backs, Tommy Redding, 20, and Leo Pereira, 21, have now started the last two games together and are starting to build some chemistry in the back. Substitutes Richie Laryea, 22, and Cristian Higuita, 23, both had a big impact in the second half, with Higuita providing the assist for Barnes’ game-tying goal. The strike pairing of Carlos Rivas, 23, and Cyle Larin, 22, have played well together over the course of the season and caused problems for the Columbus defense all throughout the match. These players getting consistent minutes continues to help their development and foster the future of the Lions roster.
Still in the Hunt
With the weekend’s result, Orlando City currently sits in 8th place in the Eastern Conference, but only 5 points out of a playoff spot. Both the Montreal Impact and Atlanta United sit ahead of the Lions at 6th and 7th place respectively. Nine games remain for Orlando, 4 of them coming at home. One game is against a current East playoff team, being Columbus in the final home game of the season. Three games are against current West playoff teams in Vancouver, Dallas, and Portland. The final five games come up against current East non-playoff team. Head Coach Jason Kreis put it best after the match, saying, “We know what everybody thinks. That’s fine. That’s absolutely fine because we also know what we think. We believe.”
