RECAP: It’s goose eggs again for Orlando City
The Lions played well enough to win in Montreal, but instead settled for their third straight scoreless draw.
CF Montreal midfielder Henadii Synchuk takes the ball from Orlando SC forward Luis Muriel during Saturday’s 0-0 tie at Stade Saputo in Montreal. PHOTO: Mark Thor/Orlando City SC
The Lions extended their undefeated streak Saturday, but not in a good way.
For the third straight week, Orlando City (3-2-4, 13 points) settled for a scoreless draw, this time against last-place and winless CF Montreal (0-6-3, 3 points).
In another troubling encore, a player in Purple was sent off for a second straight week after receiving a second yellow card.
On the bright side, Orlando’s defense has registered three straight clean sheets, and the attack that scored 15 goals in its first five matches is still…creating chances.
Orlando coach Oscar Pareja is trying to focus on the glass half-full.
“I saw the team fighting a lot, and obviously we’re concerned about not scoring goals, but the other side is a good balance defensively, and we want to keep that,” Pareja said after the match in Montreal. “But in order to add three points, we have to score goals. We have to get back to that. But I like the attitude of the team….I know it seems like one point is not enough at this stage, but I know where we’re going, and we will keep pushing.”
The Lions did create chances and may have scored eventually, but Rafael Santos’ 76th-minute ejection left Orlando a man down and quashed any momentum the Purple had been building. Ironically, Santos came into the match at halftime for Kyle Smith, who was yellow-carded in the third minute.
Santos received his first yellow in the 60th minute. Rodrigo Schlegel received yellow cards in the 31st and 56th minutes last week against the New York Red Bulls.
Ejections in back-to-back matches left Pareja frustrated.
“That’s not what you plan during the week, playing with ten,” Pareja said. “And at some point, especially when you’re going away, they get an advantage that is not necessary.”
The Lions return to the friendly confines of Inter & Co. Stadium, where they will try both to score and to finish with 11 men Saturday against under-performing Atlanta United (2-4-3, 9 points).