Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Final Score 1-0 as Spicer’s Goal Sinks League Leaders

The Lions look to be a different team since the World Cup break ended. After beating Western Conference co-leaders San Jose on the road Wednesday, they battled to a hard-fought 1-0 win over MLS Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at Orlando City’s home stadium tonight.

Second-half substitute Tyrese Spicer scored the game’s only goal in the second half to lift the Lions (6-9-2, 20 points) to their second big win of the week. It was only the second loss of the year for Nashville SC (12-2-3, 39 points) as Orlando avenged its 5-0 loss in Tennessee back on March 21.

“Very happy for everyone here in the club. I think this was a really good victory against a very difficult opponent,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “Highlight the effort of our players and highlight the support of our people. Today they brought an amazing energy to the stadium. They filled the stadium. It was a really, really good night. We really enjoyed it.”

Perelman’s side changed out only two starters from Wednesday night’s win at San Jose. Luis Otavio stepped into the midfield for the suspended Eduard Atuesta (yellow card accumulation), while newly signed Homegrown Player Bernardo Rhein made his first MLS start in place of Adrian Marin.

Perleman’s lineup included Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Ivan Angulo, Otavio, Braian Ojeda, and Tiago made up the midfield four, with Antoine Griezmann and Justin Ellis leading the attack.

After both teams played Wednesday and traveled, it wasn’t surprising that the teams came out after the hour-long weather delay looking to stay organized and prevent chances, leading to a defensive opening half. The Lions started the game with some good pressure early but couldn’t fashion a clear-cut chance.

Nashville’s first opportunity came in the ninth minute, when Hany Mukhtar got forward down the right, but Jansson did well to track back and block his shot out for a corner. Orlando was able to clear the danger to end the threat.

Griezmann was active, spending much of his time out wide on the right, looking to find space to work in against the compact Nashville defense. The Frenchman served in a good cross in the 15th minute, looking for Ellis. The ball was headed weakly goalward by either Ellis or Andy Najar, allowing Brian Schwake to collect it. Ellis got a good look in the 22nd minute after taking a pass from Angulo, but the young forward didn’t make good contact on it. Schwake still had to make a good effort to keep it out, as the placement of the shot was good.

Rhein did well to force a turnover in the 28th minute and Griezmann found space on the left but he fired his shot over the bar.

Nashville came close in the 42nd minute after a long period of back-and-forth possession. He got in behind but Crepeau made himself big and blocked the shot at the end of a sequence in which Angulo looked to get clipped but no call was made, allowing the visitors to break in transition.

Ellis got the last decent look of the half a minute into first-half stoppage time, finding space outside the box. He put his shot on target but right at Schwake.

At the break, Nashville led in possession (51.1%-48.9%) and corners (3-1). Orlando City had the advantage in shots (8-3), shots on target (4-1), and passing accuracy (91.4%-88.8%).

As with the first half, the Lions came out and put Nashville under pressure to start the second half. Griezmann found room for a shot from the top of the box on the left side in the 48th minute but Maxwell Woledzi headed it away. Orlando quickly regained possession and Ellis tried a long-range effort but sent it sizzling over the crossbar.

A minute later, Ellis cut inside from the left and fired, but his shot hit Angulo on the way in.

Griezmann sent second-half sub Spicer down the left in the 57th minute. The speedy winger tried to pick out Dorsey in front but the defense arrived at the same time as Orlando’s right back and broke up the play.

Nashville’s first good look of the second half came in the 63rd minute when the visitors broke in transition and a ball deflected into the path of former Lion Shak Mohammed. He took his shot quickly and hit it well, but Crepeau made the save. Nashville broke again four minutes later and Rhein got caught too high, giving the guests numbers in transition. Ahmed Qasem fired from the right side but the defense deflected it just wide into the outside netting, and the Lions cleared the subsequent corner.

The Lions broke the scoreless deadlock moments later. Ellis did well to bring the ball forward and drew the defense before releasing it through traffic to Spicer on the left. The Trinidad & Tobago international angled in from the left and blasted a shot past Schwake and in to make it 1-0 in the 72nd minute.

“Leading up to the goal, I know Justin likes to dribble a lot, and I was just like, you know, let me give it to him and run in the space,” Spicer said. “But I know he was going to cut in, and I was just waiting for it. I was yelling his name as loud as I could, like just give it to me. And as soon as I got that ball, I know I had to go first (touch). It was just like muscle memory, there.”

From there, the Lions did well to see out the game, withstanding some Nashville pressure and several set pieces without allowing anything too dangerous to develop. There were a few nervy moments when clearance attempts didn’t quite go as planned, but it’s a testament to the Orlando City defensive effort that it held to just six shot attempts on the night. The high-scoring duo of Sam Surridge and Mukhtar combined did not manage a shot on target in the match.

In the end, Nashville controlled more of the possession (55.3%-44.7%) and won more corners (7-2), but Orlando City finished with more shots (12-6) and shots on target (6-3). Both teams passed at an 89.7% rate.

“Happy with the win. More than anything, I take away the effort from the whole team — the work we put in from the first minute until the end,” Griezmann said. “We played against the team at the top of the table, a great team. It was difficult for us to create chances because we came up against a very good defense, but we managed to score that goal.”

“I think this is a very big win,” Spicer said. “Just coming into the back to the league, facing San Jose, who was like second in the West, and then facing Nashville. I know we had like a big task against us, but leading up to the game, winning this game is a big momentum to carry us through the season.”

“I think at the end of the day, it is the the players. I mean, we coaches we can do many tactics, but at the end of the day, the protagonists are the players, and I think our players today, they performed really well,” Perelman said. “They did a huge effort both with and without the ball, and I think that’s the reason (for the win). If I need to find one (reason), then again we faced a really, really good opponent that we respect very much, and it was a really tough game. I’m happy we could win it.”

The Lions head back on the road for a match a week from tonight at New York Red Bulls before starting up Leagues Cup play through the middle of August.