Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew, U.S. Open Cup: Final Score 2-1 as Orlando City’s Cup Run Ends

Orlando City’s leaky road defense continued to be a problem in a 2-1 loss to the Columbus Crew at Scott’sMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus, OH, in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. After conceding an early goal to longtime nemesis Josef Martinez, whose run the Lions ignored on a set piece, Martin Ojeda brought the game level before the break. Another poor moment at the back led to Brais Mendez’s game winner early in the second half, and Orlando lost all creativity down the stretch when Antoine Griezmann left with a knock and Justin Ellis began to tire.

Needing a goal for a half an hour, the Lions played with no urgency, hardly created anything, and looked like a team stuck in mud as the host Crew had no trouble playing through, around, and over them.

“Very disappointed. I think we didn’t perform as we should and the game was tough for us,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the game. “There were moments maybe in the first half that we had better sensations, feelings, and then again, I think we couldn’t do what we have been doing. We didn’t perform as we should. Nothing to say. It’s over.”

Perelman’s lineup featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Zakaria Taifi. Joran Gerbet and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield between wingers Ivan Angulo and Ellis with Ojeda and Griezmann up top.

Griffin Dorsey, who was held out Saturday for precautionary reasons, did not dress.

Columbus got forward immediately at the opening whistle and Brekalo was able to block a Santiago Rodriguez shot as the Crew looked to pounce early.

The Lions had a golden opportunity to score early on a corner kick when Griezmann found Rhein in the box all alone on a set piece played short. The Homegrown fullback had lots of net to shoot at but sent his shot right at Crew goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen and the Lions committed a foul trying to corral the rebound in the fourth minute.

It was a costly miss because Martinez put the Crew ahead four minutes later. Columbus won a corner moments later and the Lions were asleep at the switch on a set piece played short. Griezmann kept the play onside as the defense stepped up and no one marked Martinez, who had only to pass the ball into the net from point-blank range with zero defenders to deal with, making it 1-0 Crew early.

“The first 10 to 15 minutes of that first half really cost us,” Ojeda said. “We were not finding the open players when we had them, and we needed to be a little bit more patient to find those open players.

The set piece didn’t wake the defense up, as the Crew nearly made it 2-0 just a few minutes later. A ball into the box found Brooks Lennon, who saw his shot blocked in front by Rhein. The rebound fell to Rodriguez, who fired just over the target.

The Lions worked the ball right to left again on a set piece in the 14th minute but Taifi scuffed his shot and it was easily saved. Two minutes later, Ellis did well to take Atuesta’s pass, fake to his left and fire a near-post attempt with his right foot, but Hagen got down to make the save.

Crepeau saved Anass Zaroury’s shot in the 24th minute but nearly spilled it, despite it not having a lot on it. The Canadian regathered, however.

That play started a back-and-forth period that saw Angulo fire over the bar in the 25th minute and Rodriguez tried to chip Crepeau a minute later but he couldn’t get any lift on his shot, making for catching practice.

Griezmann then won a free kick left of center just outside the box in the 28th minute. Atuesta took the set piece and went for goal but he couldn’t beat Hagen to the near post. Hagen, however, made an awkward save with his chest and Orlando won a corner. On the ensuing set play, the Lions worked the ball to Rhein on the left and the Homegrown fullback sent a looping header toward the back post. The ball hit off the inside of the right upright and Steven Moreira cleared it off the line at the half-hour mark.

Orlando City finally got rewarded in the 40th minute for creating a number of good chances. Ellis started the play in his own half by making a nice move to split Santiago and Andre Gomes, taking the ball up the right channel. Approaching the box, Ellis squared the ball left for Ojeda, who took a touch and blasted a shot just inside the right post to make it 1-1.

“It feels good to score, but at the end of the night, it didn’t help us get the victory tonight,” Ojeda said.

Following the Orlando goal, the rest of the half belonged to Columbus, which kept the Lions hemmed in their own end with long spells of possession. The hosts won a few set pieces but couldn’t do much with them. The closest the Crew came to retaking the lead before halftime came in the 44th minute, when Mendez got in behind the back line, only to have Crepeau make a big save with his right hand. The play, however, was offside.

Orlando survived a late corner and the teams went to the break knotted at 1-1.

At the break, the Crew held the advantage in possession (52%-48%), shots (9-7), corners (5-2), and passing accuracy (93%-92%). The Lions put more shots on target (4-3).

Perelman made his first change at halftime, sending Wilder Cartagena on for Gerbet.

The Lions got forward immediately after the restart and Angulo got down the left channel. He took a tough-angle shot that Sean Zawadzki blocked out for a corner. The set piece fell in the box but the Crew reacted first and cleared it.

Ojeda went for goal on a set piece from the right in the 50th minute that Griezmann won on a rough foul from Taha Habroune, who was booked. Hagen was a little off his post, but Ojeda just missed wide.

Columbus regained the lead off a turnover moments later. Crepeau tried a pass up the middle for Ojeda but it was just over the Argentine’s head. The Crew broke the other way and Rodriguez sent a cross past Jansson, who wasn’t near a defender, to Mendez, with Rhein completely out of the play and trying to catch up. The wide-open Mendez had only to touch the cross home to make it 2-1 in the 52nd minute.

Griezmann had to come off for Daryl Dike as a result of the earlier foul from Habroune.

“I don’t have the medical report yet, so we will wait until the doctors and the medical department give us the certain information regarding him,” Perelman said. “Everybody knows how impactful and important he is for us off and on the field and not having him is not a good plan, but it is what it is, and we have to be ready to compete and win, even in a situation like that.”

Mendez put the ball in again in the 60th minute but Martinez, who fed him the ball, was offside on the play and the flag came up immediately. Perelman used the stoppage to send Tyrese Spicer on for Taifi.

The Crew defense had a good spell after that, blocking an Ellis attempted dribble and an Atuesta pass intended for Dike in quick succession.

Columbus nearly made it 3-1 in the 65th minute as the Lions were beaten on a back-side cross behind Rhein, an area of concern that continues despite that being the main source of danger to Orlando’s defense for weeks. The ball quickly cycled centrally to Martinez, who fired just wide.

Angulo won a free kick and a corner over the next few minutes, but the Lions could do nothing with their service on either.

Marco Pasalic subbed on for Ellis in the 78th minute.

Ellis’ departure ended Orlando’s night of creating anything in possession. Down the stretch, the Lions struggled to win possessions that were few and far between as the Crew won seemingly every ball and passed around Orlando players as if they weren’t there. Crepeau made an incredible save to deny Andres Herrera on a 2-v-1 break in stoppage time to keep the final score from getting worse, and Gonzalo Tapia missed just wide on another transition chance moments later.

Angulo won a late free kick from distance on the far right side of the field, but the back-post delivery went off Dike and out of play to effectively end the match on another wasted set piece.

At the full-time whistle, Columbus had the advantage in shots (16-10), shots on target (6-4), and corners (7-4). Despite their struggles to get and keep possession down the stretch, the Lions somehow edged in front in possession (52%-48%) and passing accuracy (91%-90%).

“It hurts because it’s not the result we came here for. It’s not the result that we hoped for, and there were some difficult moments that cost us,” Ojeda said. “We had some chances in the first half that were more clear that we could have finished, and second half there were some chances that were less clear and we had some issues further up the field. So, I’ll say it again, just pain and sadness for tonight.”

The loss snaps Orlando City’s five-match unbeaten run, although all of those matches were in MLS regular-season competition.

With the team’s U.S. Open Cup run now over, Orlando City has a quick turnaround with a trip to New England to face the Revolution coming up in league play on Saturday.