Orlando City Sc would've comfortably folded in front of their home crowd after seeing not one, but two of their key players being issued Red Cards each in last Sunday's home game versus Chicago Fire. Stopping a potent Chicago team on a four game winning streaks wasn't easy anyway, going down due to some controversial ejections that's outright impossible,
Orlando City was up to the challenge. Boosted by the raucous support from their home fans, Jason Kreis lads eventually overcame the two red-cards given to Antonio Nocerino and Rafael Ramos to settled for a 0-0 stalemate with Chicago Fire last Sunday.
Ramos was issued the first red card
The officiating referee Ted Unkel took the center-stage, issuing a questionable straight red card to Rafael Ramos in the twenty-sixth minute for what replays figured out to be an innocuous tackle on midfielder Brandon Vincent in the twenty-fifth minute. A call that apparently figured to swing the game in favor of the “streaking” Chicago Fire and its attack, but all it wounded up doing was sowing seeds for a superlative defensive performance from the Lions.
The Fire took advantage of the first red card
Orlando City apparently responded well to the challenge playing with a man-down, barricading Chicago Fire well throughout the remainder of first-half and even created few chances of their own.
Chicago Fire gained massive control after the red-card, forcing two heroic saves out of the Lions goalkeeper Joe Bendik before the first half break, but failed to push one of their nine-shots into the back of the net.
Joe Bendik made heroic saves
Chicago Fire continued to piled up the pressure in the second-half as the hosts was contented to hold control of their box and defend.
Joe Bendik kept making fantastic saves to keep the match goalless, but it looked-like Orlando City would be done in by receiving another red-card, this time it was Antonio Nocerino that was issued a red card for a studs up challenge on Fire forward Matt Polster. The hosts kept their “extreme” defensive posture down to 9 players and it actually worked.
They fervently held onto the 0-0 goalless score line despite a “barrage” of the visiting Chicago Fire shots. The best of all Fire's chances came in the third minute of the stoppage time when forward Matt Pollster powered a shot off the under side of the far post.
Both teams upcoming fixtures
Obviously, the Lions will accept this result, considering playing the match with two men down. It was the hosts third game in seven days and they spent most of the encounter playing two men down on the field. The Lions will try to take advantage of the FIFA international break before returning to action for a US Open Cup clash with Miami FC. Orlando City will then returns to Major League Soccer play on Saturday 17 June when they play hosts to Montreal Impact, while Chicago Fire will return home to take on Atlanta United on Saturday night before opening their US Open Cup campaign versus Amateur side Saint Louis Football Club on Wednesday 14 June.
