Vancouver hand Orlando first MLS loss with devastating last minute winner
A dramatic last minute goal by Vancouver’s Octavio Rivero handed Orlando City their first defeat in Major League Soccer at the Orlando Citrus Bowl last night.
The game itself was never a classic and it often threatened to boil over as some meaty challenges were made by both sides. The tone was set a couple of minutes into the game as Whitecaps midfielder Gershon Koffie scythed down Orlando’s Kaká.
Orlando made the early running but never really threatened the goal as the Vancouver defence closed down anytime something promising looked like happening. It was twenty fives minutes before a serious threat was made on either goal as Orlando’s Eric Avila volleyed wide of the frame from a Kaká corner.
The best chance of the first half came for Vancouver in the 33rd minute when Rivero was played in behind Orlando’s defence with a piercing through-ball. The striker charged toward goal with just City goalkeeper Dononvan Ricketts to beat. The large framed keeper pulled off a fine save to tip Rivero’s shot wide for a corner.
One minute later, Rivero came close to scoring again as a diagonal cross across the box reached him and his rasping drive rattled the crossbar to go out for a goal kick.
31,072 fans packed into the Citrus Bowl and they were looking for a much improved second half. It was Kaká who livened them up in the 54th minute as he skipped past a Vancouver defender before firing a shot over the crossbar. Three minutes later Kaká’s curling free-kick found Ribeiro in the box, who did well to muscle in a header that skipped just over the crossbar.
On 68 minutes Ribeiro found some space and his snap shot curled past the top corner by inches. That proved to be the last action for Ribeiro as Orlando City’s number one draft pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, Cyle Larin, was brought on to replace him, marking the rookie’s debut appearance in MLS.
The game drifted on and looked like being a scoreless draw as it entered injury time. In the 90th minute Orlando nearly scored as Kaká crossed to the edge of the 18 yard box and Larin did well to adjust his body to complete a volley that came agonizingly close to finding the back of the net.
The body blow was then delivered six minutes into injury time as Darwin Ceren conceded a needless free kick. Pedro Morales cross was met by Rivero who steered his effort wide of Ricketts into the back of the net.
“I feel that if there was anyone who was going to win the game, it was going to be us,” said head coach Adrian Heath. “If I’m being perfectly honest, I think we’ve had too many ‘nearlys’ all night. It was nearly a good play. It was nearly a good cross. It was nearly a good set up. And unfortunately nearly is not going to cut it, and that’s what I’ve just explained to the guys. Nearly is not going to be enough over the course of the season.”
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC – GK Donovan Ricketts, D Rafael Ramos, Seb Hines, Aurélien Collin, Brek Shea, Amobi Okugo, Darwin Cerén, Eric Avila, Kevin Molino, Kaká, Pedro Ribeiro (Cyle Larin 69′)
Vancouver Whitecaps – GK David Ousted, D Sam Adekugbe (Jordan Harvey 75′), Steven Beitashour, Kendall Watson, Diego Rodriguez, M Kekuta Manneh (Eric Hurtado 67′), Nicolas Mezquida (Kianz Froese 67′), Pedro Morales, Matias Laba, Gershon Koffie, Raul Octavio Rivero
Orlando’s next match will take place against the Montreal Impact at Olympic Stadium on March 28 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
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