All Square as Orlando and DC United Draw Pre-Season Opener
Orlando City SC kicked off its first-ever Major League Soccer (MLS) preseason match against DC United at IMG Academy in Bradenton last night. The evening opened with a glorious Florida sunset but the game itself was a typical pre-season friendly game that saw plenty of substitutions in order for both Head Coaches to get an early feel for the strength of their squads.
The Lions fell behind early in the first half when Chris Pontius deftly nodded home for the reigning Eastern Conference Champions in the 15th minute. It was a goal that had been coming as DC dominated the early play.
The second half saw a much improved performance from Orlando as they pressed the ball higher up the pitch. Carlos Rivas, making his debut for the men in purple, then scored a deserved equalizer for Orlando with a stroke of good fortune in the 66th minute. His tame-less curled free kick from the edge of the box somehow eluded Diego Restrepo, a former University of Virginia star, in the United goal and ended up in the back of the net.
After the match, Heath was complimentary of the Colombian’s performance at the number 10 slot, along with many of the other younger players on the squad. “I thought Rivas showed flashes of what he’s about with his explosive power and pace,” stated Heath. “I also thought Higuita did really well when he came on and so did the two young center backs, Donovan and Redding.” He added, “We went from having five days of training to playing a team that won the East last year, but what that shows is, we now have an idea of what we’re going up against, in terms of size and pace. Some of our young guys have been playing college soccer, and now suddenly, they’re playing against grown men. At times it showed, but overall I thought there was some good stuff out there tonight.”
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