Orlando City vs. CF Monterrey, Leagues Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Spicer Leads Lions to Victory

Tyrese Spicer figured in both goals as Orlando City dropped CF Monterrey 2-1 at home in Leagues Cup action tonight. Ex-Chicago Fire striker Hugo Cuypers spoiled the shutout deep in stoppage time, but the Lions (1-0) started a strong lineup on short rest against a rotated Monterrey (0-1) and got the win, although there were plenty of controversial plays in this tightly contested match.

Antoine Griezmann scored the opener in the first half off an excellent cross from Spicer, and then the French star handed the penalty off to Spicer in the second half, rewarding him for the earlier assist and for drawing the penalty in the first place.

“Very happy for the victory and again, another huge effort of our players,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “Amazing environment with our people and our fans and the stadium energy against an opponent that we respect. I think it was a really good victory.”

Perelman started Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Bernaro Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Griffin Dorsey. Luis Otavio stepped into the central midfield for the injured Braian Ojeda alongside Eduard Atuesta, with Ivan Angulo and Tyrese Spicer on the wings and Justin Ellis and Antoine Griezmann up top.

Monterrey wasted no time in showing its attacking danger. Uros Djurdjevic got onto a long ball over the top and backheeled it to an onrushing Roberto de la Rosa who blasted a shot from the top of the box into the top right corner. But after a lengthy video review, the play was ruled offside, letting the Lions off the hook.

The Liga MX side got another opportunity four minutes later when a hard, low cross from the left found Djurdjevic in front, but the forward sent his redirected effort toward the near post right at Crepeau. In the 10th minute, de la Rosa fired over the bar from the top of the box.

Orlando then settled into the game and won a corner. Atuesta looked to be trying for an Olimpico on the set piece, but his curling effort fizzed over the bar in the 14th minute.

After a header over the bar from distance by Monterrey, the Lions settled into more possession in the attack and pushed high to win the ball back. Angulo and Ellis saw shots from outside the box blocked in the 25th and 26th minutes, respectively.

Orlando broke the deadlock when Brekalo pushed high to win the ball back as Monterrey tried to break and Angulo sent it left for Spicer. The Trinidad & Tobago international fizzed a hard cross into the box and Griezmann got there, stuck his foot through it, and knocked it inside the left post to make it 1-0 in the 27th minute.

Monterrey tried to strike back, but Djurdjevic sent a header over the bar in the 39th minute.

Brekalo followed suit by sending a free header wide off a corner kick by Griezmann in the 42nd minute. Griezmann fired a shot that forced a diving save in the 45th minute in the last good look of the first half, although Dorsey flicked a corner kick service wide of the left post in stoppage time from a tight angle.

At the break, Monterrey held the advantage in possession (51.7%-48.3%) and passing accuracy (87.8%-84.6%), but the Lions logged more shots (8-4), shots on target (2-1), and corners (5-0).

Orlando’s defensive high line held strong throughout almost the entire game. Djurdjevic put the ball in the back of the net just two minutes over the restart, but he was well offside and the flag came up immediately. A minute later, Brekalo made a poor pass to Otavio in his defensive third and the Brazilian could only get a toe on it. Monterrey picked it up at the top of the box and Djurdjevic fired a shot on goal that required a good save from Crepeau to protect the Lions’ lead.

As Monterrey kept up the pressure, the ball cycled in front from the left side. Crepeau smothered it and Luis Reyes got a bit too close for comfort. There was some angry pushing and shoving and a scrum ensued. Crepeau was booked and Reyes was initially shown a red card, but after referee Andonai Escobedo made a visit to the monitor to see it again, he changed the red to a yellow card.

The long break in play allowed Orlando to break Monterrey’s momentum and the Lions got back on the front foot minutes later. Ellis made a line-splitting pass for Spicer’s run and although the winger’s first touch was heavy, he beat goalkeeper Luis Cardenas to it and rounded him. Cardenas caught a piece of Spicer’s trailing foot and brought him down just before he could tap the ball into the empty net. Escobedo pointed to the spot and video review upheld the call.

Griezmann stood at the spot waiting, and then gave the ball to Spicer, who blasted his spot kick into the upper left corner to make it 2-0 in the 60th minute.

“Antoine said to me, he’s like, ‘You feel confident to take it?’ He was like, ‘You give me one, I give you one.’ So, I was like, ‘Okay,'” Spicer said. “I took penalties yesterday in practice, and I put like two in the (top) bins, and I was like, ‘You know what? I could do the same thing today,’ and good penalty. Can’t lie. Top bins. Can’t lie, good penalty.”

Monterrey brought on all of its attacking stars to try to get back in the game, including Cuypers and former Columbus Crew star Diego Rossi, both of whom have had a lot of success against Orlando in the past. Lucas Ocampos missed the target in the 62nd and Luca Orellano missed to the left in the 65th minute. Three minutes later, Fidel Ambríz sent another shot wide as the Rayados applied pressure.

Orlando nearly put the game to bed for good just moments after Daryl Dike made his first appearance since returning to the club in the 70th minute. Within seconds of coming on, Dike just mistimed his one-time attempt off a Griezmann pass from right in front of goal. Fellow substitute Zakaria Taifi then just overran another ball through the area.

Dike said he should have done better with that opportunity just seconds into his second stint as a Lion.

“I mean, Griezmann played a good ball,” Dike said. “I told him every single time he plays the ball, I’m going to be right there, every single time. He doesn’t even look, but I should be scoring that. I really should. Bit upset. But I mean, listen, it is what it is. I’ll get another chance, and then hopefully I’ll make up for it next game.”

Monterrey thought it had a lifeline in the 75th minute when Jansson shielded a ball forward from Ocampos. There was some light contact and Ocampos went down, prompting Escobedo to award a penalty. After going to the monitor again, he waved off the spot kick as the play was not deemed a foul.

Ambríz thought he’d pulled Monterrey within a goal in the 83rd minute off a set piece, that was flicked on in front. However, that flick caused him and Rossi to both be offside at the back post and the goal was correctly disallowed.

Dorsey set up Taifi with a sitter in the first minute of stoppage time, but the young fullback/winger somehow got his footing wrong and fell down with the net gaping wide in front of him.

Orlando did a good job of slowing down play and clearing its lines as stoppage time wound down, however, Monterrey got one last lick in. Lion killer Cuypers ruined the shutout in the ninth minute of added time, making a well-timed run to get onto an Ocampos cross and blasting it just under the bar to make it 2-1.

Seconds later, the game was over.

Monterrey finished with the advantage in possession (56.7%-43.3%) and passing accuracy (87.6%-82%), but the Lions led in shots on target (4-3) and corners (5-2). Both teams finished with 12 shot attempts.

“We enjoy the victory of today. It was a tough one,” Perelman said.

“The momentum in the team is like really good right now. High morale,” Spicer said. “I think Griezmann adding some experience, and his passion and discipline, I think, is trickling to the team, and everyone’s looking forward to the next game and the next game.”

Orlando City will continue its Leagues Cup journey at home Saturday against Leon.