ORLANDO, Fla.- Sacha Kljestan paved the way for a New York Red Bulls victory against an Orlando City team reduced to 10 men for the third game in a row. On Brazilian Night at the Citrus Bowl, the shorthanded Lions couldn’t find their way back into the match.
Kljestan’s 21st-minute screamer into the top right corner of the City goal was New York’s key moment from an incident-packed game that saw the Lions make most of the running but fail to find a true cutting edge, although visiting goalkeeper Luis Robles needed to be sharp on more than one occasion.
Mike Grella made sure there was no late comeback for the Lions – as they have managed on several occasions this season – with a killer solo goal in the 91st minute.
Orlando had dedicated the evening to the city’s summer influx of Brazilian tourists, and added a Latin flair to the evening with live music and food with a South American flavor.
But the New York team proved the ultimate party poopers, stealing ahead against the run of play and then keeping the short-handed Lions at bay following Cyle Larin’s shock red card in the 32nd minute.
After the previous dismissals of Kaká at Real Salt Lake and Luke Boden the previous Saturday against FC Dallas, home coach Adrian Heath was furious when referee Fotis Bazokos pulled out a straight red following Larin’s challenge on Kljestan.
It meant Orlando were playing a man short for the sixth time this season and it left them with a huge uphill task against an in-form team who were happy to play on the counter-attack all night.
City had enjoyed the bulk of the first-half possession and twice come close to taking the lead, with both Kaka and Carlos Rivas off target in a spirited opening.
Colombian ace Rivas—who had scored a stunning free-kick in a midweek friendly against West Bromwich Albion—lined up another long-range effort in the 27th minute and was denied only by a sprawling full-length save from Robles diving to his left.
But that was the closest the home team came to finding an equalizer, although Rivas sent another free-kick from out wide skidding across the face of Robles’ goal in the 54th minute and needed the keeper to push another 35-yard effort over the bar.
Jesse Marsch’s men were content to soak up the pressure and play on the counter, with Dax McCarty marking his return to his home city with a confident midfield display that included the assist on Kljestan’s rocket strike.
The Red Bulls could also afford to take off Bradley Wright-Phillips, Kljestan and Lloyd Sam in the second half as they were forced deeper and deeper into their own half and Orlando maintained a full-blooded effort in the final half-hour.
Rivas worked harder than just about anyone and frequently found space on the right wing as he roamed across the front line but there was another blow for the Lions when Cristian Higuita was booked for kicking the ball away after conceding a foul.
That will rule the influential Colombian out of Orlando’s trip to New York City next Sunday, when they will also be without Larin.
City finished the game without their coach, too, when Heath was sent from the field after protesting another decision too vehemently to the assistant referee, and he left with a clear demonstration of how he felt to the fans, who reacted with a huge roar.
Grella then concluded a lone foray down the right wing in stoppage time, beating Hall with a low shot across the face of goal to put the final dampener on the night for the home team.
Orlando now face a trip to Chicago in the quarter-finals of the US Open Cup on Wednesday and then more travel with the game at New York City FC, while the Red Bulls are also in Cup action on Tuesday at home to Philadelphia and don’t have another league fixture until August 1, at the Union.
