One game in 100 words: Another game has gone by for Orlando City SC, and once again, Kaka and Adrian Heath’s midfield has displayed nice stretches of passing and strong posession-based soccer. Nevertheless, the lack of clinical finishing from the forward position appeared to doom Orlando, while on the other side, Toronto and USMNT standout Jozy Altidore proved his worth with a brace and also heavily contributed to the opposition’s demise. For Toronto, this victory gets them a much-needed three points to put them on equal footing with NYCFC and the Philadephia Union. Tied on points with no one in the Eastern Conference, Orlando perches at sixth place.
Goals
Orlando: None
Toronto: Altidore 50', 83'
Three moments that mattered
7’ —Heads-up Bendik halts second chance — Superb goalkeeping foiled Orlando City SC’s superb opportunity arising from Darwin Ceren’s tackle and consequent through ball to Kevin Molino. The Trinidadian midfielder latched onto the pass and sped forward despite back pressure from Toronto defenders. Netminder Joe Bendik had to run off his line for the first stop and desperately dove to punch away the follow-up strike from Ceren.
50’ — Altidore-Giovinco combination pays off — When these two are working together effectively for the Reds, Toronto looks capable of competing with the best teams in MLS. In this scenario, Altidore moved the ball forward to Giovinco, who executed the give-and-go back to the former Sunderland striker. Gliding past the defense with a full head of steam, Altidore’s long rolled shot nicked the far post and creeped into the net.
83’ — Jozy cements win — Altidore was all alone with Seb Hines after a deep lobbed ball was whacked near the footing of the 25-year-old, whose first touch put him past the Orlando defender and 1-on-1 with goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. Altidore’s patience nearly cost him the goal, allowing Orlando to recover, but with Ricketts stranded far outside his line, a simple tap-in from the outskirts of the penalty area worked well for the goal.
Lineups
Orlando: Donovan Ricketts; Tyler Turner, Aurelien Collin, Seb Hines, Brek Shea; Darwin Ceren, Amobi Okugo (Carlos Rivas 65'), Kevin Molino (Danny Mwanga 76'), Kaka, Eric Avila; Cyle Larin (Bryan Rochez 67')
Toronto: Joe Bendik; Justin Morrow, Damien Perquis, Nick Hagglund, Ashtone Morgan; Jackson (Warren Creavalle 65'), Michael Bradley, Benoit Cheyrou, Robbie Findley (Jonathan Osorio 66'); Sebastian Giovinco (Collen Warner 86'), Jozy Altidore
