• Final stats

The boys looking to take a bite out of the Big Apple. Watch the action coming up on TV27 or YouTube TV. 😈#VamosOrlando | #NYCvORL pic.twitter.com/JXlUbr4kYz

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) June 2, 2018

Traveling to the Big Apple has not been kind to Orlando City SC in 2018.

In two matches with New York City FC, the Lions’ have been shut out twice. Most recently, Orlando City (6-6-1, 19 points) lost 3-0 to NYCFC (8-3-3, 27 points) on June 2 at Yankee Stadium.

“What’s there to say that hasn’t been said already?” Lions boss Jason Kreis prompted after the loss, per the club. “Another game where I feel like we’re doing a lot of really good things, but, in the decisive moments, we were getting killed… For me…losing 3-0 and losing 1-0 are the same thing.

“We’re still just looking for those moments of decisiveness when we really need them.”

Already boasting a 1-0, first-half lead, NYCFC assured its win with two more goals in the second half. Like in the two teams’ first meeting of 2018, forward Ismael Tajouri-Shradi scored late in the second half. He scored in the 62nd minute of the 2-0 win on March 17 and recorded his brace with a 79th minute score in his most recent performance.

Midfielder Oriol “Uri” Rosell, who was making his third start of the season, committed a foul on forward Maximiliano Moralez just outside the right part of the box in the 78th minute. That gave way for a Tajouri-Shradi free kick that evaded all bodies, as it rolled into the back of the net.

Eight minutes later, Moralez scored against Orlando City late–again. In the same March 17 matchup, Moralez scored a late, game-solidifying goal in the 74th minute; this time, he scored in the 87th.

A pair of NYCFC efforts from inside the box ricocheted off the crossbar, and, despite City keeper Joe Bendik’s diving efforts, Moralez capitalized on the second rebound for a 3-0 lead.

The initial effort began with forward Jonathan Lewis splitting the double-team defense of left back Mohamed El-Munir and forward Justin Meram down the right flank. From inside the right part of the box, Lewis laid off the ball to forward Jesús Medina for a standing, arching shot that bounced off the crossbar.

Second-half sub David Villa had the second crossbar effort before Moralez finally scored.

“Yeah, honestly very disappointed,” center back Tony Rocha said after the loss, per the club. “We want to come away and put in a good performance. We tried to get something from the game, and we didn’t do it.”

After Tajouri-Shradi scored the opening goal in the 35th minute, the Lions had an early second-half opportunity to level the game. In the 48th minute, midfielder Sacha Kljestan led forward Chris Mueller into the box with a throw-in, resulting in a penalty kick.

Kljestan took the shot, making NYCFC keeper Sean Johnson dive the wrong way, but he didn’t have the needed accuracy, banging the ball off the right post.

Even with the missed opportunity, Kreis said he saw other moments for his team to score at least a goal.

“Yeah, I think [missing the penalty] did [change the game],” Kreis said. “But I still thought there were some moments after that where we still got in around them. But, you know, right now, we need somebody to step forward and score the goals for us–to be decisive in the final third.”

Orlando City held 51.6 percent of the possession but were still out-shot 16-11 (5-2 on-goal). Two of those Lions shots came from attacking midfielder Josué Colmán, who played his first full match in Major League Soccer against NYCFC.

In the 30th minute, Colmán centered the ball about 15 yards outside the box and unleashed a powerful right-footed shot that escaped the reach of Johnson while also hitting off the far post.

Colmán’s second-best threat came in the second half. In the 74th minute, the Paraguayan drew two defenders inside the right part of the box and unloaded a high-arching shot that evaded a sliding defense and nearly snuck under the crossbar.

“Personally, I’ve been able to loosen up offensively a little bit more,” Colmán said, translated from Spanish, after the game. “I had my two shots. They obviously didn’t get them in, but, together, we will move forward.”

Left back Donny Toia and midfielder Jose Villarreal each made their 2018 debuts against New York City. Toia, who started 29 of his 30 appearances on the back line last season, started and played 61 minutes.

As for Villarreal, he played nine minutes in his lone appearance of the season, so far.

Who’s Next?

Orlando City will start U.S. Open Cup play on Wednesday at Miami United FC. Kickoff for the fourth-round matchup will be at 7:30 p.m.

Last season, the Lions were stunned in a 3-1 loss to Miami FC, as current Lions forward and former Miami forward Stéfano Pinho’s tallied a hat-trick.

For more on the Lions, as they look forward to a break from MLS play, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com, or you can tweet at him.