ORLANDO, Fla.- Cyle Larin and Kaka turned on the second-half goal power for Orlando City who earned a comfortable home victory over Colorado Rapids. Orlando sits in the Eastern Conference top three at the half-way point of their season, while Colorado remains last in the west.
The two-goal burst after the hour mark followed a frustrating first half for the home team where the visitors put up a heavy defensive roadblock and twice almost snatched a goal against the run of play. Good saves by Tally Hall kept the Lions in a position to strike.
It was a fully deserved victory for Adrian Heath’s men, who got a towering, all-round performance out of Designated Player Kaka and a classical goal-poacher’s finish from top SuperDraft pick Larin—his sixth of the season—to underline a sharp second half in contrast to the first.
City coach Adrian Heath gave his men a chance to atone for their 2-0 defeat at Montreal last weekend by making just the one enforced change, with Seb Hines replacing the injured Aurelien Collin in the back four.
Colorado’s Pablo Mastroeni made five changes in a bid for their second win in 12 games, including giving the towering defender Joseph Greenspan—the team’s second-round SuperDraft pick this year—his MLS debut alongside Shane O’Neill, plus Kevin Doyle and Lucas Pittinari starting in midfield for Gabriel Torres and Sam Cronin.
Heath had to make another injury change as the groin problem that has troubled Brek Shea in recent weeks showed up again in only the 16th minute and, while he managed to struggle on for a while, Carlos Rivas was summoned from the bench before half-time.
The Lions were looking to extend a four-game home unbeaten streak dating back to May 8 and, as has been the case for much of the season at the raucous Citrus Bowl, they dominated possession but almost completely failed to make Clint Irwin work in the first 45 minutes.
The lone danger moment came on the stroke of half-time as Luke Boden freed Rivas down the left and the winger immediately found Kaka in space inside the penalty area. Irwin came out swiftly to block the goal-bound shot and the Rapids defense able to scramble the loose ball for a corner.
Orlando were also guilty of some glaring giveaways in their own half—not for the first time in their inaugural MLS campaign—and Luis Solignac had two gilt-edged chances to make them pay. Both times he failed to beat Hall from inside the penalty area, the second opening in a clear one-on-one opportunity.
The visitors were happy to defend in depth and their reworked back four largely stood up to the test well. For much of the match, City were held to long-range efforts that disturbed the crowd more than Irwin.
The second half started with another Rivas left-wing break, followed by one on the right by Rafael Ramos that produced a Larin header that Irwin saved well low to his right.
Ramos popped up again with a perfect pass to pick out Kaka in the penalty area and the Brazilian’s instant shot cannoned off the right post before rolling across the face of goal to safety.
The hard-working Kaka then saw another low shot well saved by Irwin before the dam finally broke in the 62nd minute, and again Rivas was at the heart of it.
The Colombian winger was set free on the left once more and skinned his defender out wide before sending in the perfect low cross for Larin to thump home from close range.
The clincher came three minutes later, with Cristian Higuita leading a breakaway charge and the Rapids defense failing to close down Kaka on the right. The City captain looked up from a wide angle inside the eighteen-yard-box and picked out the perfect low drive to beat Irwin to his far post for his team-leading eighth goal this year.
Mastroeni used all his substitutes in a bid to salvage something in the last 20 minutes, but Dillon Powers failed to beat Hall with a low shot with the visitors’ best chance. Ramos almost made it three for Orlando with a rasping 25-yard drive that Irwin managed to beat out.
Orlando now have the weekend off before hosting Columbus in the next round of the US Open Cup next Tuesday and a league trip to Real Salt Lake on July 4, while the Rapids return to Sporting Park on Saturday to face Western Conference rivals Sporting Kansas City.
Larin, Kaka score in Orlando City's 2-0 win over Rapid
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Cyle Larin and Kaka scored second-half goals and Orlando City beat the Colorado Rapids 2-0 on Wednesday night in the teams' first MLS meeting.
Larin scored his sixth goal of the season in the 62nd minute, streaking through the middle to punch the ball in from point-blank range off a cross fromCarlos Rivas. Kaka added his eighth of the season 3 minutes later, scoring just inside the lower left-hand post off a tough angle from the right side.
Orlando City (6-6-5) stayed a point ahead of Toronto for third place in the Eastern Conference.
The Rapids (2-5-9), on the defensive most of the night, had a pair one-one-one chances stopped by Lions goaltender Tally Hall, who turned in his third shutout. The Rapids, last in MLS scoring, are winless in five games.
The start of the game was delayed 25 minutes because of a thunderstorm.
Orlando City bounces back, earns 2-0 win over Colorado
Orlando City bounces back, earns 2-0 win over Colorado
Orlando City winger Carlos Rivas has faced more criticism from fans through the first half of the season than any other player on the Lions’ roster.
The 21-year-old transferred to Orlando City from Deportivo Cali in Colombia with a designated player tag and heavy expectations. Through the first 16 games of the season, he had failed to deliver on them.
When Rivas entered against the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday night in the 38th minute, however, he looked bent on changing the perceptions about him. In the second half, Rivas showed why Orlando City’s front office thought so highly of him.
Rivas turned on the jets in the 62nd minute and made Rapids defender Joseph Greenspan look like he was standing still before delivering a perfect cross to Cyle Larin for an easy finish that sparked Orlando City’s 2-0 win over the Rapids Wednesday night at the Citrus Bowl.
Kaká’s brilliant far-post finish capped off another strong performance from the Lions.
"I’m happy because we won another game," Kaká said on the television broadcast following the game. "That’s great for us and for the supporters because they need it. … Every time that we win, it’s for them."
The win was Orlando City’s third in a run of four games during an 11-day stretch, and it sent the Lions (6-6-5, 23 pts.) into the mid-way point of their inaugural MLS season on a healthy run of just one loss in their last seven games.
Orlando City was pressing for most of the night, and it seemed only a matter of time until the Lions found the back of the net against a Colorado team that has managed just two wins all season but has been one of the stingiest clubs in MLS.
The Rapids (2-5-9, 15 pts.) had allowed just 13 goals all season entering Wednesday night, and it was the fourth time all season it allowed multiple goals in a game.
Goalkeeper Tally Hall kept the Lions in the game with two huge saves in the first 10 minutes, stoning Luis Solignac on two clear open looks at goal, including a one-on-one blast Hall thwarted to the delight of the announced crowd of 23,372.
But Orlando City seemed destined to find a goal after Kaká missed two clear chances, one on each side of halftime. On most nights, Kaká would have finished both: The first, a clear run at goal with defenders converging and a goalkeeper trying to close space; the second, an open shot from inside of 10 yards.
Somehow neither found the back of the net. The first shot caromed off the face of Colorado goalkeeper Clint Irwin and the second bounced off the inside of the post and across the face of the net without going in.
Kaká finally made good on his chances in the 65th minute.
With the crowd still buzzing from Larin’s sixth goal of the season, Cristian Higuita led a quick counter attack. Rivas on the left side seemed to pull the defenders because of his speed, and Higuita sprayed the ball out to Kaká, who took a few touches in the box and managed to thread his shot to the far post past a helpless Irwin.
It was Kaká’s eighth goal of the season and it might have been his best in an Orlando City jersey.
The goal and the win served as a high point for Orlando City going into the second half of the season.
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