Revolution Rout Orlando City in Late-season Matchup

Orlando City SC begins its season-concluding road trip with a loss to the bottom-dwelling New England Revolution.

By
Benjamin Sanders
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Orlando City SC midfielder Ricardo Kaka looks for a target for his corner kick during a 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps at Orlando City Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017. (Photo by Victor Tan / New Day Review)
(Photo by Victor Tan / New Day Review)

Match Recap

Orlando City Soccer Club’s playoff chances took another significant hit after losing 4-0 to the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Saturday evening. The Lions, once again, fielded a depleted side, as injuries and players on international duty, such as Cyle Larin and Yoshimar Yotún, were unavailable.

The Lions struggled mightily in the first half, being out-worked and out-classed by a New England team which has also struggled for the majority of the 2017 season. The Revolution’s low-scoring offense came alive when Scott Caldwell dispossessed Giles Barnes and provided a sumptuous cross for the often-controversial Kei Kamara in the 26th minute for a 1-0 lead. In the 43rd minute, Lee Nguyen believed he had netted a second goal for the Revs, but after some latent officiating, it was ruled offside.

Orlando City appeared to wake up in the second half, but it was short-lived. Team captain Ricardo Kaká and Dom Dwyer were nuisances for the New England defensive line, however, goals were hard to come by. This effort was ultimately in vain, as Sierra Leone native Kamara notched his second goal of the match while evading a host of Orlando City defenders with 15 minutes remaining in regulation.

Things went from bad to worse after the 80th minute when City center-back José Aja picked up his second yellow card of the game and was subsequently sent off. This hole in the defense allowed Nguyen and Kamara to link up again, sealing a hat-trick and the victory. Hungarian substitute Krisztián Németh had an instant impact to cross for Teal Bunbury, who scored his sixth goal of the season in stoppage time to seal the 4-0 shutout.

Gillette Stadium has been a fortress for the Revolution, as they have accrued all the team’s victories at home in 2017. Despite this, the Lions were flat, uninspiring and were second to most loose balls during the match. New England is 19th in the MLS in chances created but had no issue against the Lions’ brittle back-line.

Man of the Match: Kei Kamara

This game was the epitome of Kamara’s career. Unfortunately for the Lions, he was very hot, scoring three goals by using his physical presence and goal-savvy positioning to make the most of his four shots (four on goal). His hat-trick takes his season tally to 11. Kamara now has seven goals in six games against Orlando City.

What’s next?

Orlando City’s next game is on the road against a rejuvenated D.C. United on Saturday. This match will be the battle for the bottom of the Eastern Conference with both teams more than two games behind the last playoff spot.

Highlights

NDR Notes

  • City hasn’t won a game since a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake on June 30.
  • The Lions have accrued just two points out of a possible 21 since the start of July.
  • Dillon Powers made his first start for Orlando City.
  • Kamara has scored seven goals in six games against Orlando City. His hat-trick against the Lions is his first in Major League Soccer.

Scoring

Time Team Goal-scorer Assist
26’ New England Revolution Kei Kamara Scott Caldwell
74’ New England Revolution Kei Kamara Lee Nguyen
88’ New England Revolution Kei Kamara Lee Nguyen
92’ New England Revolution Teal Bunbury Krisztían Németh

 Statistics and Starting Lineup

Goals Assists Shots Shots on goal Possession %
Orlando City 0 0 8 3 47.8%
New England 4 4 12 7 52.2%

 Orlando City Starting XI (4-4-2): Joe Bendik (GK); Scott Sutter, José Aja, Léo Pereira, Donny Toia; Antonio Nocerino, Giles Barnes, Dillon Powers, Ricardo Kaká (C); Carlos Rivas, Dom Dwyer

New England Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Cody Cropper (GK); Andrew Ferrell, Benjamin Angoua, Claude Dielna, Chris Tierney; Scott Caldwell, Gershon Koffie; Teal Bunbury, Lee Nguyen, Juan Agudelo; Kei Kamara

For more on Orlando City, as they close out the regular season, follow New Day Review on Twitter at @NewDayReview.

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