LOS ANGELES (July 7, 2018) â Orlando City SC (6-11-1, 19 points) fell 4-1 to 2018 expansion side Los Angeles FC (10-4-4, 34 points) on Saturday at Banc of California Stadium.
âI thought we played to some wonderful opportunities, when you look at the saves that their keeper made, when you look at the shots, the chance creation I thought that was really positive,â Lions head coach James OâConnor said. âEqually we gave them too many opportunities. It was a pretty open game, we didnât intend it to be that way. Theyâve obviously got tremendous quality and are playing with a lot of confidence so I think that when you look at it it became pretty evident that youâve got one team that is full of confidence and one team that is really lacking confidence.â
In his first game at the helm, OâConnor rolled out a 4-2-3-1, with RJ Allen, captain Jonathan Spector, Amro Tarek and Donny Toia before goalkeeper Joe Bendik on the back line. Yoshimar YotĂşn, who recently returned from representing Peru at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, started the match at midfield alongside Uri Rosell, Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan and JosuĂŠ ColmĂĄn with Dom Dwyer up top.
Spector was substituted off in the 25th minute after an apparent injury. He was replaced by Chris Schuler, who made his fourth appearance of the season. Attacker Justin Meram replaced ColmĂĄn at halftime. Mohamed El-Munir replaced Mueller in the 64th minute.
LAFC opened the scoring in the 28th minute when Mark-Anthony Kaye found Adama Diomande. Latif Blessing scored in the 32nd minute.
In the 59th minute, Toia worked the ball to Kljestan, who curled a beautiful shot inside the far post to make it 2-1 LA. It appeared as though City had equalized in the 72nd minute when Dwyer tapped in Meramâs feed, but the goal was ruled off following Video Review.
Diomande scored a second goal following a mad scramble in front of goal in the 82nd minute. Diego Rossi scored two minutes later.
The Lions return to Orlando City Stadium on Saturday, July 14 to host Toronto FC.
Tickets to all City home matches are available at OrlandoCitySC.com or by calling 855-ORL-CITY.
Match Notes
- HC James OâConnor made his Orlando City and MLS head coaching debut.
- GK Joe Bendik made his 85th MLS appearance, which is the second-most in Club history. Bendik is two appearances away from tying F Cyle Larinâs all-time Club MLS appearances record (87).
- GK Joe Bendik made his 50th save of the season in the second minute of the match. It was the first of nine saves on the night for Bendik.
- M Sacha Kljestan scored his fourth goal of the season, which is second-most on the team (F Dom Dwyer, 7). D Donny Toia earned his first assist of the season on the goal in his third appearance.
- It was M Uri Rosellâs 26th birthday.
- D Donny Toia registered his first assist of the season.
- D Mohamed El-Munir lined up as a midfielder for the first time as a Lion when he entered for M Chris Mueller in the 64th minute.
Scoring Summary:
LAFC - Adama Diomande (Mark-Anthony Kaye) 28â
LAFC - Latif Blessing (Aaron Kovar, Mark-Anthony Kaye) 32â
ORL - Sacha Kljestan (Donny Toia) 59â
LAFC - Adama Diomande 82â
LAFC - Diego Rossi (Latif Blessing) 84â
Misconduct Summary:
ORL - RJ Allen (Yellow Card) 61â
ORL - Uri Rosell (Yellow Card) 81â
LAFC - Laurent Ciman (Yellow Card) 90+1â
Lineups/Substitutions:
Los Angeles FC - GK Tyler Miller, D Jordan Harvey, â Laurent Ciman, Walker Zimmerman, Steven Beitashour, M Mark-Anthony Kaye (Carlos Vela 64â), Aaron Kovar (Diego Rossi 64â), Benny Feilhaber, F Lee Nguyen, Adama Diomande (Marco UreĂąa 85â), Latif Blessing
Substitutes Not Used: GK Charlie Lyon, D Dejan Jakovic, Tristan Blackmon, Joao Moutinho
Orlando City SC - GK Joe Bendik, D Donny Toia, Amro Tarek, â Jonathan Spector (Chris Schuler 25â), RJ Allen, M Yoshimar YotĂşn, Uri Rosell, JosuĂŠ ColmĂĄn (Justin Meram 46â), Sacha Kljestan, Chris Mueller (Mohamed El-Munir 64â), F Dom Dwyer
Substitutes Not Used: GK Earl Edwards, Jr., M Dillon Powers, Tony Rocha, F StĂŠfano Pinho
Details of the Game:
Time: 11 p.m. ET
Weather: Clear
Date: July 7, 2018
Attendance: 22,000
Stats:
Possession:
LAFC - 63.1%
ORL - 36.9%
Shots:
LAFC - 19
ORL - 14
Saves:
LAFC - 8
ORL - 9
Fouls:
LAFC - 8
ORL - 12
Corners:
LAFC - 4
ORL - 4