Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Photo Gallery

Orlando City played two matches Saturday against the Chicago Fire and the first one was the problematic one. The Lions saw goalkeeper Pedro Gallese give up an uncharacteristic howler to end all howlers just five minutes in, then fell apart for a span of less than two minutes just past the half-hour mark to dig a 3-0 hole. It was a brutal way to start the match.

From there, the Lions dominated play. While it’s true Chicago had a comfortable lead and didn’t need to take any chances, Orlando City pressed the issue, and it’s doubtful the visitors felt comfortable facing nearly 30 shots the rest of the way. Alex Freeman found the net to put Orlando on the scoreboard, and another would have put more pressure on the Fire.

That second goal never happened, but the Lions came tantalizingly close several times — most notably when Luis Muriel blasted a shot off the crossbar in the 65th minute. Marco Pasalic’s threaded ball through traffic skipped just wide in the 52nd minute, and Ramiro Enrique came close in the 62nd and 75th minutes, only to see Chris Brady make a pair of excellent saves to prevent an Orlando City comeback. Sometimes, regardless of the sour taste it leaves in your mouth, you’ve got to tip your cap to a great performance by the opposition, and Brady was the star of the match.

Without that second goal, Orlando was never in position to pressure Chicago down the stretch and possibly take something from the game. The month of May gave fans plenty to cheer about, even if it ended with a thud. We now look forward to a June slate of matches that sees the Lions at home just once and gives everyone a chance to take a breath.

Despite the outcome Saturday, we hope you enjoy these images from another hot night at Inter&Co Stadium.

Images: Dan MacDonald
Words: Michael Citro