Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Concede Late Again to Drop Points

Orlando City was moments away from putting together back-to-back wins over teams below it in the standings. But Jay Fortune’s goal with four minutes to play in normal time canceled out Griffin Dorsey’s first-half goal in an unsatisfying 1-1 draw at Inter&Co Stadium.

The Lions (4-8-2, 14 points) had a chance to build on Wednesday’s win over Philadelphia, but they looked tired and sloppy throughout the second half as players racked up minutes and ultimately Atlanta (3-8-2, 11 points), which controlled the bulk of the game after Dorsey’s opener, found a breakthrough and could have taken all three points on a more clinical night.

“We were close, close to a win, which is what we always want when we play, always, but especially at home,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “I think the the guys did a huge effort. We we were able to play the game we wanted for most of the time of the game. There were periods that they played, and we felt a little bit the fatigue, I think, which is normal of having played 48 hours ago, but this is a quick turnaround.”

Perelman started Maxime Crepeau in net behind a back line of Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield inside of wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis leading the attack.

The first look at goal for either side wasn’t much of one, as Saba Lobjanidze cut inside on the right and fired off target in the second minute. Over the next 10 minutes, each team won a couple of corners but couldn’t do anything with them.

Martin Ojeda got in behind on a great ball in the 13th minute. He was one-on-one against Atlanta goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos but missed the right post by a couple of yards. The flag came up on the play, but it may have been just onside. Because the shot went wide, there was no need to review it.

Three minutes later, Ojeda took a shot from the top of the area but Juan Berrocal blocked it. A goal seemed to be coming for Orlando City and it happened in the 18th minute.

Marin gave the ball to Martin Ojeda near the top of the area. The Argentine nutmegged a defender with his pass, sending Angulo down the left channel. The Colombian used his speed to turn the corner on his defender and slipped a low pass across the six for Dorsey to tap in, as the right back scored in his second straight game.

“It’s a play that we really trained and worked a lot,” Angulo said. “When, when Martin (Ojeda) or when Justin (Ellis) get the ball, just run into space, try and find that space, and then turn and try and find a teammate on the other extreme of the field, and just very happy for it working, because we’ve trained it a lot. Very happy for it to result in a goal.”

Following Dorsey’s goal, Atlanta controlled play for most of the rest of the first half, not creating a lot of clear-cut chances but keeping Orlando pinned in its half. However, before that happened, Martin Ojeda tried his luck from outside the box in the 24th minute, but he sent his shot right at Hoyos for an easy save on the Lions’ last shot on target of the half.

Atlanta kept a lot of the ball the rest of the opening period, creating a lot of corner kicks and set pieces but few shots. Aleksey Miranchuk took a pass and slipped in behind the defense in the 34th minute. Crepeau made a huge save with his right foot but the play was offside anyway.

Five minutes later, Crepeau went to ground to deny Lobjanidze on one of Atlanta’s best looks at goal of the opening period.

Orlando City survived a few more corners and saw out the half without conceding, but Atlanta carried momentum into the break.

The visitors held the halftime advantage in possession (55.3%-44.7%), shots (5-3), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (85.7%-82.3%). The Lions put more shots on target (2-1).

“I need to review the game, but now with the feelings I have, I have the sensation that we played a good 30-35 minutes,” Perelman said. “More or less, we were able to control, to find the spaces we were looking for to hurt and to score. Then at the end of the first half, they pushed a little bit, which is normal, it’s expected as well.”

Iago subbed on for Jansson at the break, possibly due to a knock that the captain picked up late in the half defending a corner kick. It took Atlanta only about 20 seconds to get a shot from the right side of the box, with Lobjanidze misfiring and sending his effort well off target.

Pasalic was involved in the next two Orlando attacks, but both were squandered. On the first, Pasalic dribbled the ball down the middle of the pitch, darting back and forth, but as he approached the box, he made one move too many and lost control. Moments later, Martin Ojeda took a pass and darted down the left flank, sending in a good cross that Pasalic muffed on his header attempt. However, Ojeda was clearly offside in the buildup so it wouldn’t have counted anyway.

Lobjanidze got to the end line in the 50th minute but sent his cross attempt right at Crepeau. Six minutes later, Miranchuk got a decent look but his shot deflected out off the defense for a corner. Orlando partially cleared the corner but only as far as Tristan Muyumba just outside the box. The midfielder fired a shot that caught Pasalic on the arm, setting up a dangerous free kick straight out from goal.

Miranchuk went for goal with the free kick but didn’t get a lot of power on it. The placement was good, but Crepeau got over to his right to make the save in the 58th minute.

The Lions then had a short spell of control and the ball cycled to Braian Ojeda just outside the box. The midfielder blasted a shot a few yards wide of the right post, wasting a good opportunity.

Dorsey created a good scoring chance in the 66th minute getting the ball out wide ot the right and sending a good outside-of-the-foot cross to the left side. Martin Ojeda got to the ball first but the defense arrived in time to deflect his shot wide. Orlando City played the ensuing corner short but failed to execute properly, with the flag coming up for offside on the return pass.

The Lions’ best chance to double the lead came in the 72nd minute. Martin Ojeda unselfishly turned down a shooting opportunity on the left to send it into the middle to second-half sub Duncan McGuire. The big forward also was unselfish, laying off for Dorsey, but the fullback wasted the chance by firing wide of the left post.

Atlanta tried coming straight at Orlando down the middle. Cayman Togashi saw his shot blocked at the top of the area in the 83rd minute. A minute later, Muyumba’s shot from a similar spot was blocked and Crepeau claimed it. However, the keeper was ruled to have held it too long, and referee Tori Penso awarded Atlanta a corner.

Orlando survived the corner but Atlanta kept the pressure on and broke through in the 86th minute. Fortune found himself in space in the box on the right side. The closest Lion to Fortune was substitute Wilder Cartagena, who was late closing him down, leaving plenty of room for the Atlanta attacker to shoot. He hit it where Crepeau couldn’t reach it and yet another shutout bid by Orlando was gone.

From the equalizer on, only one team looked likely to find a winner and it was Atlanta, which continued to control possession. Miranchuk fired over the bar in the 89th minute. Matías Galarza fired a late blast that Crepeau did well to save. Miranchuk forced another save in the seventh minute of stoppage time, and that was the last look for either team.

Atlanta dominated the stat sheet, finishing with the advantage in possession (55.2%-44.8%), shots (22-7), shots on target (5-3), corners (10-4), and passing accuracy (87.6%-83.9%).

“I think our team is growing. We are in a transitional process. Every time I come here, I speak about it. We were able to improve in many things, and if this is one more, we will fix it as well,” Perelman said, referring to the team giving up late goals.

“It was a very complicated match, a match that was disputed between the two sides,” Angulo said. “Obviously, we have a bad taste in our mouth for finishing with the tie, because we put in a lot of work in all the phases of the game to come out with a victory tonight, but then it wasn’t that, and you know it was a good game and a very disputed game between the two.”

“It’s a tight game, it’s a draw. So, in two days from tomorrow, two days, we play against the same opponent,” Pasalic added. “We have to learn from our mistakes, do the things good, what we did good, and give the fans and the club a good game on Tuesday.”

These two teams will play in the same place on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. Orlando City’s next MLS match is a week from tonight at FC Cincinnati.