After a fairly tame first half, goals were aplenty at Camping World Stadium during the second 45 minutes on Wednesday night.
Orlando City and the Philadelphia Union played to a 2-2 tie following a combined four-goal outburst in the second half.
Ken Tribbett equalized for the Union in the 75th minute, giving the road side a share of the points after scoring his first career MLS goal. The 24-year-old defender had a night to remember, also grabbing an assist on the Union’s first goal, which was finished off by Tranquillo Barnetta.
Orlando notched two goals in a three-minute span to pull in front of the Union, when Kevin Molino and Cyle Larin found the back of the net in the 68th and 71st minutes, respectively.
Larin’s goal, his seventh of the season, came into question after replay showed that ball may not have completely crossed the face of the Union goal line. However, the goal stood and gave the home team the lead temporarily.
Union goalkeeper Andre Blake didn’t have a whole lot to do on the night, but his key first-half save on Kaka allowed the road side to keep their confidence high heading into halftime. The Brazilian’s penalty kick in the 35th minute failed to pick out a corner, allowing Blake to get down in time to make the save.
With the point, the Union remain atop the Eastern Conference on 19 points, while Orlando remains sixth with 15 points.
Orlando will be back in action Sunday afternoon when the Lions travel to New York City FC, while the Union head west to meet the MLS-leading Colorado Rapids the night before.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Ken Tribbett had himself an evening, notching his first goal and assist since joining MLS in 2016. While the Union will likely be disappointed to only take a point out of the game, Tribbett’s performance was certainly admirable.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
The Union may not have been deflating going into halftime had it not been for goalkeeper Andre Blake. The 25-year-old’s penalty kick stop on Kaka kept the match level at 0-0 heading into the half.
MATCH TO FORGET
Orlando’s backline looked unorganized throughout the night, and David Mateos stood out multiple times in a negative way. The Spaniard was sent off with one minute remaining in regular time, capping off his poor effort.
These refs had a bad night. The 2nd Orlando goal did not appear to be a goal at all and on their 1st goal it looked like Larin and a Union player plowed into Blake causing him to spill the ball. Philly outplayed OC badly in the second half. OC lucky to get a draw IMO.