On the brink of its worst start in club history, Orlando City salvaged a 1-1 draw at home on Saturday night against the New York Red Bulls after an own goal by New York defender Noah Elle in the 89th minute.
The Lions (1-3-2, five points) held ownership for the night’s high and finished the game 14-7 on shooting over the Red Bulls (3-1-2, 11 points). But Orlando City trailed for most of the game before Ivan Angulo’s cross from the left wing and inside the box deflected through Elle into the back right corner to give the game the point.
New York held a 1-0 lead thanks to a first-half penalty kick by Lewis Morgan, who scored his fourth goal in two games and sixth overall of the season on a penalty kick. The Orlando encounter was the 100th of Morgan’s career. MLS match and was another encouraging display of his form after the Scottish striker suffered persistent hip injuries in the 2023 campaign.
The Red Bulls won the penalty in the 20th minute after right-back Dylan Nealis made a forged run down the right flank and inside the box. Nealis then passed the ball a few yards to Morgan, who fouled Orlando defender Kyle Smith.
Despite fighting for a draw, the Lions have had a rocky start to the year with just five problems in their first six games. In 2023, Orlando City finished second in the Eastern Conference standings in the regular season with an overall record of 18-7. -9.
Orlando is still on the hunt for the first goal from Colombian striker Luis Muriel, who signed with the team in February after scoring 68 goals and adding 23 assists over the past five seasons with Italian club Atalanta.
The draw was disappointing for New York, but it didn’t lose ground in the Eastern Conference standings, with Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati also drawing on Saturday.
Perhaps the most impressive thing about the Red Bulls’ recent run is that they did so largely without star midfielder Emil Forsberg, who signed with the team as a designated player in December after totaling 71 goals and 68 assists throughout the season. . 10 seasons spent with German club RB Leipzig.
Forsberg has missed New York’s last two games after contributing a goal and two assists in his first four appearances.
–Field-level media