Orlando City SC thrived on a vintage night from Sacha Kljestan as they defeated USL Championship expansion team Memphis 901 FC 3-1 in the Fourth Round of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday.
Near the end of the first half at Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Memphis, Shane O'Neill earned a penalty for Orlando City and Sacha Kljestan scored the spot kick to give the Lions the lead.
After the halftime break, Memphis tied up the game, as Adam Najem's corner kick was headed in by Elliot Collier. But Kljestan scored his second goal of the night, this one from the run of play, five minutes later to retake the lead for the visitors. Robin Jansson later added an insurance tally for Orlando off a corner kick, as Memphis failed to initially clear the ball on the play.
Goals
- 38' – ORL – Sacha Kljestan (PK) | WATCH
- 50' – MEM – Elliot Collier | WATCH
- 55' – ORL – Sacha Kljestan | WATCH
- 71' – ORL – Robin Jansson | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: James O'Connor used a rotated lineup, and got a good night out of his players. Orlando have made good runs in the Open Cup in the past, and giving some reserves some competitive minutes could prove useful for the second half of the season, too.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Kljestan's second goal showcased his abilities to set up and score, all in one play.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: No surprise, Kljestan gets the nod, after putting in an assured performance to help Orlando advance in the Open Cup.
Next Up
- MEM: Saturday, June 15 at Ottawa Fury FC (7 pm ET | ESPN+) | USL Championship
- ORL: U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 - June 18-23, opponent TBD
