Alexandre Pato got on the board in his first action as a Lion as Orlando City completed a second preseason scrimmage on Thursday against New York City FC.
Chris Mueller found Pato with a yard of space on the edge of the box, and the Brazilian slammed it home with one touch, capping off a successful first outing with his new teammates.
“I scored a goal, but for me it’s great because I can feel the goal, I can feel the field, I can stay together with my teammates,” Pato said after the game. “I feel every day I’m better than before, so I’m happy. I will do my best for the team.”
The former AC Milan ace wrapped up his quarantine and completed his media tour of Exploria Stadium on Friday, joining up with his new teammates this week. Pato, 31, has enjoyed an illustrious career in Brazil, Italy, England, Spain, and China, but has seemed energized and ecstatic to be in Orlando.
“My goal is to enjoy this time, because...I talked with the players, with the older players and the younger players,” Pato said. “The emotions, I can see in their eyes, here is a team."
“I’m so grateful and glad to be here...my goal is to get a trophy this year,” he continued. “I think we can, because we are strong, we just need to be...brave and we can do anything we want.”
Robin Jansson also found the back of the net for Orlando City. The Lions will continue intensive training over the next few weeks in the ramp up to the 2021 home opener against Atlanta United, presented by Orlando Health, on April 17 at 3 p.m. ET. More details on the game, including ticketing information and return to stadium protocols, can be found here.
