Both the Chicago Fire and Orlando City SC were looking for their first wins of 2019 on Saturday, and Orlando seemed on their way to registering three points at the newly-christened SeatGeek Stadium. But CJ Sapong played hero at the death as the two teams drew 1-1.
Playing a man down, Sapong got on to the end of a Przemyslaw Frankowski cross in the 95th minute to earn the Fire a point in their home opener. It was Sapong's second goal in as many games as he started the match on the right wing after Frankowski picked up a knock in training on Friday. Frankowski came on for Nemanja Nikolic in the second half after Nikolic failed to convert two golden chances.
Dom Dwyer provided the first goal of the match, getting on the end of Nani's ball over the top that Johan Kappelhof and David Ousted had a miscommunication on. Dwyer toe poked the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the year.
The match seemed to be killed off after Jorge Corrales was sent off after taking down Ruan, who was streaking in on goal in the 64th minute. The right wingback, who subbed on for Kyle Smith in the second, was played through by Nani.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Orlando seemed on their way to a promising start to the season, but the late equalizer will leave them disappointed. The Fire have just one point through two matches, but there's plenty of reason for optimism thanks to the play of Sapong and Frankowski.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: The match seemed over before Sapong placed his header past Brian Rowe.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: There were few standout performers, but Nani's contributions were enough to earn him the nod.
Next Up
- CHI: Saturday, March 16 vs. Seattle Sounders (1 pm ET | TSN1 in Canada, MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US)
- ORL: Saturday, March 16 vs. Montreal Impact (4 pm ET | TVAS in Canada, MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US)
