Orlando City SC traveled out West on Sunday in search of their fifth straight win, and were able to do just that, beating the Colorado Rapids 2-1.
After a hard-tackling first 25 minutes, Dominque Badji was able to open the scoring in the 25th minute. The forward was able to get behind Orlando's backline off a beautiful long ball from Enzo Martinez and finished past Joe Bendik after a perfect first touch.
The Lions answered to start the second half, after controlling play over the previous 25 minutes, through a Cristian Higuita knuckler that fooled Rapids fill-in goalkeeper Zac MacMath.
The match turned physical over the next 20 minutes, with the Rapids being shown four yellow cards, before the Lions found a winner through Yoshi Yotun. The Peruvian international won the ball in the midfield, found Justin Meram and then was clipped from behind in the box by substitute Dillon Serna. The midfielder coolly finished past MacMath to score his second goal of the season.
Goals
- 26' - COL - Dominique Badji | WATCH
- 52' - ORL - Cristian Higuita | WATCH
- 77' - ORL - Yoshi Yotun | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: The Lions continued their strong form, despite having to travel for the first time away from the East Coast. They sit in third place in a strong Eastern Conference and with barely a quarter of the season gone, have almost matched their three road wins from 2017. Conversely, a home loss is never welcome, and the Rapids face a tough trip to Kansas City when they try and bounce back next week.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: During an intense second half, Colorado failed to find their form at home. The pivotal moment came when MacMath played Martinez into some pressure in the midfield. Martinez was unable to fully control the pass and Yotun pounced. Meram, who had been lively throughout the half, was able to play a deft backheel to find Yotun streaking past Serna. The clip wasn't intentional, but if there had been no contact Yotun could have found a big chance for the Lions.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Meram was the liveliest attacker and Mohamed El-Munir was the top defender for the Lions, but Yotun was a general in the midfield. The 28-year-old completed over 96 percent of his 54 passes and won nine of his 13 duels.
Next Up
- COL: Saturday, May 5 at Sporting KC (8:30 pm ET; ESPN+ in US | MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
- ORL: Sunday, May 6 vs. Real Salt Lake (5 pm ET; ESPN+ in US | MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
