Orlando City Give Brazilian Champions A Fright As Deco Says They Are Good Enough For MLS
It was the game Orlando City Soccer fans had been looking forward to from the day it was announced last February. It turned out to be a thriller as Orlando took the lead and then watched as the Brazilian Champions Fluminese imposed themselves on the game to lead 4-1. Of course, this is Orlando City and the Lions never go down without a roar. And so it proved, as City fought back to within a goal as they ended up on the losing side of a 4-3 scoreline in front of a record 11,127 fans for an international friendly.
“It was great for some of our younger players to play against them,” said Orlando City Head Coach Adrian Heath (pictured below) after the game, “On the whole, I’m pleased with the evening.”
So he should be, as Orlando more than matched Fluminense in the early stages of the game before taking a shock lead in the 19th minute through a brilliant goal from Dom Dwyer. Dwyer turned and flicked the ball past his opponent in one movement and with a neat shot found the corner of the net to stun the Brazilian champions. A moment of pure class from the leading USLPRO goalscorer this season.
Fluminense then started to pile on the pressure but never really looked like scoring until the 40th minute when a well placed cross by Carlinhos found Gum inside the 18 yard box and he made no mistake with a firm header. 1-1 at half time.
The second half began differently as Fluminense were keen to set a different impression and two minutes into the second half, Rafael went down the wing, came across the byline and found Ryner who slotted home to make it 2-1 to the Brazilians. The difference in class was beginning to tell as Fluminese started to move the ball with the type of flair we have come to know from players of suck ilk. Third and fourth goals were added as Rafael and Samuel found neat finishes in the 61st and 68th minutes and the game looked over.
But this is Orlando and they weren’t prepared to go into the night quietly. Adama Mbengue pulled one back in the 78th minute and two minutes later Jean Alexandre found the net to make it 4-3. Could Orlando complete an improbable come back? They tried but in the end the Brazilians just had too much and they held onto the win.
It was a proud night for Orlando. Not many had given them any chance before the game and in the end, it was Deco (pictured above), the winner of two European Cups with FC Porto and FC Barcelona , who summed it up, as he said at the post match press conference that Orlando were ready for the next test and that they should have enough quality to become an MLS team in the future. It was a high compliment and one that Coach Heath and his players can take into their next game on Wednesday night when they play MLS team Chicago Fire for a place in the semi-final of the US Open Cup.
More photos at www.FloridaLeisurePhotography.com
Here’s some video:
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