Orlando City Soccer 3 Tampa Bay Rowdies 0
In front of a crowd of just over 4,000 fans, Orlando City SC secured a 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the first leg of the I4 Derby at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex earlier this evening. The victory is the fourth consecutive victory for Orlando over the Rowdies and the Tampa team has never yet beaten the Lions.
Most Head Coaches would be satisfied with such a victory over their closest rivals but Orlando Head Coach Adrian Heath was in an angry mood after the game. Only he will know how much he actually meant with his words but his team will certainly need to be at their best next time out as Heath was clearly unimpressed with his teams performance.
“The first half could’ve easily been 4-4 because none of our players wanted to do the dirty work,” said Heath. “None of our players wanted to get back and make the tackle that was needed, and I won’t stand for that. Anything that’s important enough for our supporters is important enough for me and it should be for our players. I’m happy for the fans that we got the win in the end, but I still thought that there was a lack of desire on our part.”
Orlando took early control of the game as they created a couple of half chances that included a Luke Boden effort that crashed off the woodwork to safety. Tampa then improved their game and were unfortunate not to take the lead in the 24th minute as striker Lucky Mkosana’s shot bounced off both posts before being collected by a thankful Miguel Gallardo. The opening goal came just four minutes later as Adama Mbengue (pictured above) collected a pass inside the area from Brian Span and neatly created some space for himself before firing the ball into the back of the net past Rowdies’ Goalkeeper Ryan Thompson. 1-0 Orlando.
The game then ebbed and flowed with both teams going close on occasion. As half time neared, Tampa switched off as they allowed Span a shot on goal that Thompson could only parry into the path of the advancing Dennis Chin (pictured above), who made no mistake from close range in the 44th minute. 2-0 Orlando at Half Time.
The second half began and it seemed a Tampa goal was going to be inevitable as Orlando sat back and allowed their opponents possession of the ball. It seemed Orlando had been watching Real Madrid destroy Bayern Munich the day before as they relied on the breakaway to cause any threat. The Rowdies went close in the 50th minute as half time substitute Brian Shriver, NASL’s leading goalscorer last season, saw a superbly timed tackle by Lions defender Justin Clark thwart him just as he seemed certain to score.
Evan’s Frimpong was next to go close just a few minutes later but he somehow skewed his shot wide after another lapse in the Orlando defence.
Slowly, Orlando came back into the game in the second half and they created some chances that should have been taken with more clinical finishing. A third goal did arrive though when Orlando broke away in the 90th minute and Brian Span (pictured above) rounded Cody Mizell, another Tampa half time substitute, before firing home.
It was certainly easy to understand why Heath was annoyed because on another day, and most certainly when the club joins the MLS in 2015, they would be heavily punished for such defensive errors and not taking the chances that came their way. There’s much to admire in a coach that isn’t satisfied with a 3-0 win and you can bet that more than a few Orlando players have gone home tonight with something to think about.
City will now head into the away leg on July 6 with a comfortable cushion as Orlando aims to secure a second consecutive I-4 Derby Championship.
The Lions next USL PRO match will take place at home on Sunday, May 4, against OKC Energy FC. Kick-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
More photos from the game at www.FloridaLeisurePhotography.com
