Illsinho came off the bench to score a go-ahead goal, but Mauricio Pereyra canceled it out with a quick equalizer, and the Philadelphia Union and Orlando City SC finished in a 1-1 draw in Group A play of the MLS is Back Tournament on Monday.
With the result, Orlando clinched the top spot in Group A by virtue of their superior goal differential after both sides finished with seven points.
There were few chances for either side in the first half, with Orlando's best look coming in the 28th minute off a laser shot from Tesho Akindele that was denied by a snap reaction save from Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake.
Philadelphia had a chance at the opener in the 45th minute off a shot from Brenden Aaronson from inside the area, but the 19-year-old midfielder put the attempt just wide of goal to leave the match still scoreless into the halftime break.
Ilsinho found the breakthrough for Philadelphia in the 68th with a well-taken finish from a difficult angle inside the box. But the lead would evaporate in short order, as Pereya got on the end of a cross from Nani just two minutes later and nodded home the leveler, giving the Lions the goal they needed to clinch the group.
Goals
Man of the Match presented by Heineken
He wasn't tested a huge amount, but Blake came through when Philadelphia needed him, most notably on a spectacular 66th-minute save on Antonio Carlos off a headed corner kick.
Three Things
YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED
: If there's a more lethal super-sub in MLS than Ilsinho, we don't know who it is. The Brazilian did what he does best on Monday, making an immediate impact after entering the match.
Up Next
- PHI: Saturday, July 25 (opponent to be determined) | 10:30 pm ET | ESPN2, ESPN Deportes in US; TSN in Canada
- ORL: Saturday, July 25 (opponent to be determined) | 8 pm ET | ESPN2, ESPN Deportes in US; TSN in Canada