Orlando City Edges Closer To Title
Orlando City, already assured of a playoff berth, earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over American Division rival Charleston Battery tonight to pull within one point of assuring themselves of home field advantage in the opening round of the USL PRO playoffs. Jamie Watson scored the lone goal to give the Lions the win but the margin of victory really should have been bigger.
Jamie Watson scores to make it 1-0 v Charleston Battery
Both sides felt each other out in the opening minutes, looking for the elusive opportunity to break the game open and it was just past the quarter-hour mark when Orlando seized their chance. In the 16th minute Lions midfielder Kevin Molino broke past the Battery back line and moved Charleston’s defense to the right side of the goal, leaving open a big gap behind the Battery’s backline. Molino found Jamie Watson in that gap who applied a neat finish for his fourth goal of the season.
As the game approached half time Orlando really should have extended their lead as Watson was denied a second goal when his right foot effort beat the keeper but clipped the cross bar and went out for a goal kick. Charleston rarely provided any kind of threat even though their best chance came from a free kick that saw the ball headed off the goal-line by an Orlando defender.
The second half continued in similar vein and Orlando wasted further chances to make the game safe. Charleston rarely provided any threat and will surely go away feeling disappointed with their efforts. Orlando Head Adrian Heath commented on his team’s performance: “We played a solid game tonight but I felt like we missed on too many opportunities, but we were the better team and deserved the win.” Heath also commented on coming even closer to winning the regular season title. “We set out to win the championship from day one. I have been saying that all year and nothing has changed that expectation. Winning the regular season crown is big to me, and right now we are only a win away. We just have to take care of business on Saturday.”
With tonight’s win, Orlando is just one point from clinching a first round home playoff match and is just one more win away (three points) from hosting every potential playoff game at the Citrus Bowl. Next up for the Lions is a rematch with the Battery on Saturday and this will be the fourth time the teams have squared off this season. Kick off on Saturday is at 7:30 pm at the Citrus Bowl and tickets are still available by calling 855-ORL-CITY (855-675-2489). Orlando City is also monitoring Tropical Storm Emily and will make an announcement Friday if the storm is expected to have an impact on the match.
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