Orlando City vs. D.C. United: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Again Fail to Score with a Manpower Advantage

Things looked good for Orlando City when Alex Freeman tied the match early in the second half against bottom-dwelling D.C. United at Audi Field. Lukas MacNaughton caught the fullback with a high boot as the ball crossed the goal line, and the defender was sent off, giving Orlando City (13-7-9, 48 points) a manpower advantage for the final 33 minutes of normal time plus stoppage time.

But from there, the Lions could not find a way to score a second goal against a D.C. team (5-15-10, 25 points) that has had one of the most porous defenses in the league. Orlando City has now gone five matches in all competitions without a win and dropped valuable points in a tight Eastern Conference battle for playoff positioning.

Jackson Hopkins scored the opening goal for D.C.

“We have reasons to feel frustrated tonight for not achieving the objective of winning the game and getting the three points, especially after we tied the game and had one more player,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the game. “But at the same time, I want to recognize that from the first minute, I thought Orlando dictated the tempo and the pace of the game and the majority of the options — many other plays that we could have scored. We have to polish in the last third again and be the team that we are when we create the options and the scoring. That’s what makes you win games.”

Pareja’s starting lineup featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Freeman. Joran Gerbet joined Eduard Atuesta in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Duncan McGuire up top.

The Lions wasted no time getting their first shot on target, as a well-worked play off the opening kickoff saw McGuire head a long ball on for Freeman on the right. The fullback fired from a tight angle but Luis Barraza was well positioned to make the save just a dozen seconds after the game started.

Despite a lot of early possession and several chances, the Lions could not find the final ball, and even when they did get something on target, they could not beat the goalkeeper..

Ojeda smashed a shot on frame from the left in the fifth minute but Barraza fought it off for a corner kick. The Argentine then picked out Schlegel in the box on the corner but the defender’s free header was again fought off by Barraza.

McGuire got a free header on a cross from Pasalic in the seventh minute but he couldn’t get much power on it and Barraza made yet another early save.

Gallese finally saw a shot in the ninth minute and made the save on a shot from Gabriel Pirani at the top of the box.

Orlando kept coming. Freeman volleyed a cross toward goal from inside the box in the 16th minute, but he ended up hitting Pasalic in the back with his effort. Moments later, a free kick from the left side pinged dangerously around D.C.’s box but the hosts were able to clear and mount a bit of a counterattack, but Gallese smothered a loose pass at the other end.

Pasalic got an open look in the 22nd minuet, cutting inside from the right onto his left foot, but again Barraza was there, making a diving save. Seven minutes later, Freeman had an open look but sailed his shot high over the bar.

D.C. finally got a spell of possession after that, and as Orlando looked to go the other way, Pasalic appeared to get kicked in the foot, turning it over, but Chris Penso let play go on and Christian Benteke fired just wide of the right post in the 32nd minute.

As is usually the case with teams that don’t finish their chances, Orlando City conceded first. Conner Antley roasted Angulo down the flank and hit the brakes at the end line, watching the Colombian fly by out of control. With space, Antley picked out Hopkins in the box who had three Lions near him, but none of the three actually marking him, allowing an easy finish to make it 1-0 in the 33rd minute.

After the goal, D.C. played with much more confidence, while the Lions looked a bit rattled and disjointed. But neither side created much of anything until a free header from Ojeda in the 43rd minute was blocked out in front for a corner kick.

In first-half stoppage time, Schlegel got on the end of an Ojeda cross on a corner kick, but his shot was blocked in front. Angulo then had the final look at goal but he took a big windup and sent his shot well over the bar, wasting the opportunity.

Orlando City led in most statistical categories at the half, finishing with the edge in possession (51.3%-48.7%), shots (13-3), shots on target (5-2), corners (4-1), and passing accuracy (91.8%-75.3%). Despite that, Barraza’s goalkeeping and Orlando’s lack of lethality had D.C. on top at the break.

The Lions won an early corner to start the second half. D.C. was able to clear, but the Lions recycled it into the box. Schlegel was still in the box from the set piece and had two runners in front, but his knock-down header was at Barraza instead of square across the top of the six, ending the threat.

Five minutes later, the Lions tied the game and were set up nicely to go on and claim all three points.

Atuesta picked out Pasalic running up the right channel. The Croatian smashed a ball from the right in the 53rd minute. Barraza did well to fight off the blast, but Freeman was there to head in the rebound.

Just a split second after sending the shot toward the net, MacNaughton’s studs caught Freeman in the side of the head and the fullback stayed down. Referee Chris Penso showed MacNaughton a yellow card initially, but went to the monitor for a second look. He rescinded the yellow and sent MacNaughton off with a straight red in the 57th minute.

“At the end of the day, I’m running and I’m trying to score,” Freeman said. “At that moment, I saw the ball and I just ran as fast as I could to it. I got a head onto it. Obviously when you get hit in the head, you don’t feel the best.”

It took almost 10 minutes for Orlando to get a shot attempt off after MacNaughton left the pitch. Once they finally adjusted, at first, the Lions rushed things. Ojeda and Pasalic each fired shots into the shinguards of the defenders in front of them in the 66th minute. Pasalic recovered and hit a shot off his own plant foot that popped up for an easy catch for Barraza.

The game should have been more open for Orlando with one fewer defender on the pitch, but the Lions, whether consciously or not, slowed down their pace of play and were deliberate in their buildups. There were holes for entry balls that never came, as Orlando seemed to look for the perfect play.

A transition chance opened up for Orlando in the 71st minute, but McGuire was offside before laying off a pass to Ojeda, who was nonchalant with his shot and saw Barraza save it anyway. The flag saved Orlando from another wasted opportunity.

The next shot didn’t come until the 75th minute, when Atuesta sent an impatient shot from extreme range right at Barraza. The chances started to come again just after that, but Orlando wasted them. Second-half sub Tyrese Spicer volleyed a shot from the left side that sliced wide of the right post in the 78th minute. One minute later, Pasalic sent a hard shot whistling just over the crossbar.

McGuire put the ball in the net in the 80th minute, but the ball had bounced up and hit his arm just prior to the shot, so the goal didn’t count. While defensive players can get away with incidental handballs when their arms are tucked in, the same is not true for attacking players, so it didn’t matter that the big striker’s arm was tight to his body and in a natural position.

In the final 10 minutes of normal time, all Orlando could muster was a badly hit left-footed shot by Spicer that was nowhere close to goal. There were eight minutes of injury time added, which grew to 10 due to a head injury on Matti Peltola, but the Lions did little with them. The best opportunity was a cross from Freeman on the right in the fifth extra minute that was just wide of the left post and a yard too far in front of two runners at the back post.

In the 10th added minute, the Lions got one final shot from Pasalic from well outside the box. Barraza had no trouble getting to it and did well to not allow a rebound. That was it, and Orlando had dropped two valuable points against a team that entered the game last in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando City dominated the stat sheet, finishing with the advantage in possession (57.1%-42.9%), shots (26-6), shots on target (11-3), corner kicks (5-1), and passing accuracy (90%-76.9%). However, once again, the Lions were done in by a lack of clinical finishing.

“For us, it’s just to be more calm,” Freeman said about the approach to playing against 10 men. “I feel like sometimes when you’re up a man, and it’s a tie game or we’re losing, it’s our trigger to go and just shoot or pass, or whatever we need. But I feel like in those situations, make them tired, be able to run them out, and then be able to attack. I feel like in those situations, sometimes we rush a little more than we have to. I think, as a team, obviously we wanted more.”

The Lions return home to host Nashville SC next Saturday.