MATCH RECAP: Dom Dwyer Scores as Orlando City Lions Draw Chicago Fire 1-1 in Road Opener

By Space Coast Daily // March 11, 2019

draw was first points Lions have have earned on road since April 2018

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ABOVE VIDEO: Orlando City SC (0-0-2, 2 points) drew 1-1 against the Chicago Fire (0-1-1, 1 point) on Saturday at SeatGeek Stadium in its first road match of the season.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Orlando City SC (0-0-2, 2 points) drew 1-1 against the Chicago Fire (0-1-1, 1 point) on Saturday at SeatGeek Stadium in its first road match of the season.

The draw served as the first points the Lions have earned on the road since April 29, 2018 in a 2-1 win at the Colorado Rapids. It was also the first points the Club has earned against Chicago since June 4, 2017 when the two sides played to a scoreless draw.

Head Coach James O’Connor:

“It’s just very annoying for all of us. When you put yourself in a position like that to go and win the game, you’ve worked as hard as you have to go and win the game, you should finish it off and win the game. And I’m really disappointed for the players because they’ve worked exceptionally hard and yet we’ve been caught by a couple of bad decisions on our half and we end up losing two points. So it’s very, very frustrating.”

Scoring Recap:

47’ Dom Dwyer (Nani) – ORL 1, CHI 0

The Lions get on the board just minutes after the halftime break, with Dom Dwyer getting on the end of a floated ball from Nani, who earned his first start in purple on Saturday.

Dwyer battled around Chicago defender Johan Kappelhof, who was trying to shield for goalkeeper David Ousted, to get a foot on the ball for his first goal of the season.

90+5’ CJ Sapong (Przemyslaw Frankowski) – ORL 1, CHI 1

The home side leveled things in the dying moments of the match, when second-half substitute Przemyslaw Frankowski lofted a ball into the box for CJ Sapong. Sapong was able to get a head on the ball, sneaking the equalizer in at the near post.

Match Notes:

City Head Coach James O’Connor was forced an into an early change in the 21st minute, with Tesho Akindele leaving the match due to injury. He was replaced by forward Dom Dwyer.

The Fire were reduced to 10-men in the 64th minute after Jorge Corrales tackled Ruan on a break, denying the Brazilian international of a goal-scoring opportunity. Ruan, who came into the match in the 58th minute, was played in with a perfectly-weighted pass through the backline by Nani.

City forward and Chicago native Chris Mueller made his second ever appearance in his hometown, entering the match as an 89th minute substitute for Nani.

Nani wore the captain’s armband for the first time since joining the Club, becoming the 12th player all-time to serve as captain during MLS play.

With the draw, Orlando City picked up its first points on the road since April 29, 2018, when the Club recorded a 2-1 victory at Colorado Rapids.

The Lions earned their first points against Chicago since June 4, 2017, a 0-0 draw in Orlando.

Next Match:

The Lions will return home to face the Montreal Impact on Saturday, March 16. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET at Orlando City Stadium.

Scoring Summary:

ORL – Dom Dwyer (Nani) 47’

CHI – CJ Sapong (Prezemyslaw Frankowski) 90+5’

Misconduct Summary:

ORL – Kyle Smith (Yellow Card) 34’

CHI – Djordje Mihailovic (Yellow Card) 45’

CHI – Jorge Corrales (Red Card) 64’

CHI – Bastian Schweinsteiger (Yellow Card) 90’

Lineups/Substitutions:

Orlando City SC – GK Brian Rowe; D Shane O’Neill, Alex de John, Kamal Miller; M Kyle Smith (Ruan 58’), Will Johnson, Sacha Kljestan, Sebastián Méndez, Danilo Acosta; F Tesho Akindele (Dom Dwyer 21’), Nani ⓒ (Chris Mueller 89’)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Greg Ranjitsingh; D Carlos Ascues; M Oriol Rosell; Josue Colman

Chicago Fire – GK David Ousted; D Diego Campos (Fabian Herbers 80’), Marcelo, Johan Kappelhof, Jorge Corrales; M CJ Sapong, Dax McCarty, Djordje Mihalovic (Nicolas Hasler 69’), Bastian Schweinsteiger, Aleksandar Katai; F Nemanja Nikolic (Prezemyslaw Frankowski 68’)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Richard Sanchez, D Grant Lillard, M Brandt Bronico, Cristian Martinez

Details of the Game:

Time: 1 p.m. ET

Weather: Windy, Cold

Date: March 9, 2019

Stats:

Possession:

CHI – 59.5%

ORL – 40.5%

Shots:

CHI – 7

ORL – 2

Saves:

CHI – 1

ORL – 2

Fouls:

CHI – 16

ORL – 11

Corners:

CHI – 1

ORL – 2

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