Orlando City SC came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw at FC Cincinnati on Saturday night, extending the host's winless streak to eight straight games and continuing their search for a first win at TQL Stadium.
Cincinnati scored first through Brenner, going into the halftime break up 1-0 after a back-and-forth first half. The lead was gone quickly after halftime, with Nani scoring in the 56th minute shortly after coming into the match.
Orlando began the match on the front foot, with Tesho Akindele testing Cincinnati's goal in the 12th minute and forcing Kenneth Vermeer into a save. Cincinnati survived Orlando's early dominance and slowly built up to a dominant ending of the first half.
The hosts struggled to record a shot on target, but Brenner's 42nd-minute goal changed that. Luciano Acosta worked his way around an Orlando defender and made his way into the box, quickly passing to Alvaro Barreal near the touchline. He then sent the ball to Brenner near the top of the box and the Brazilian forward scored from there.
Cincinnati rode that momentum into the second half, but Nani's introduction disrupted their rhythm. While Cincinnati held possession in their half, the ball got away from them and Nani pounced, taking a shot from outside the box and slotting past Vermeer into the bottom right corner.
The Eastern Conference sides quickly searched for a go-ahead goal, recording some of their best chances of the second half soon after Nani's equalizer. Orlando winger Chris Mueller had a shot saved by Vermeer, while Joe Gyau saw a shot from outside the box saved in the 61st minute. Neither side found much success after Gyau's opportunity and ended the match finished even.
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: It was a mixed bag from both Cincinnati and Orlando. The hosts only had two shots on target and looked sloppy on Nani's goal, while Orlando slowed down after a bright start and only had two shots on target in the second half. In all, splitting the points was a fair result.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Nani continued his strong form by scoring a minute after coming on, disrupting Cincinnati's aim of picking up their first win at their new home. The Portuguese attacker now has nine goals and six assists in 15 games (13 starts) this year.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Brenner led Cincinnati's attack-minded performance against Orlando, taking four shots on the night and netting the game's opening goal.
Next Up
- CIN: Wednesday, August 18 vs. CF Montreal | 7:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+)
- ORL: Thursday, August 12 vs. Santos Laguna | 7 pm ET (TUDN, ESPN+) | Leagues Cup quarterfinal
