Orlando
Emotions High in Orlando City Loss Against Atlanta United FC
Published
6 years agoon
ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Orlando City hosted the #1 MLS team, Atlanta United at Orlando City Stadium Sunday. Orlando City, though fresh off of their historical 6th consecutive win against Real Salt Lake last Sunday, is currently #4 in the league this season and have never won a match against Atlanta United, so the Lions were hungry for a win. On the other hand, Atlanta came in off of a loss to Sporting Kansas FC on Wednesday that broke their winning streak, so they too were ravenous for a win, setting the stage for an aggressive game.
STARTING XI
Orlando: Joe Bendik (goalie), Will Johnson, Lamine Sane, Amro Tarek, Mohamed El-Munir, Chris Mueller, Justin Meram, Cristian Higuita, Sacha Kljestan (captain), Yoshimar Yotun, Dominic (Dom) Dwyer
Atlanta: Alec Kann (goalie), Michael Parkhurst (captain),Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, Miles Robinson, Jeff Larentowicz, Darlington Nagbe, Greg Garza, Julian Gressel, Ezequiel Barco, Miguel Almiron, Josef Martinez
FIRST HALF
Both teams hit the ground running, being stingy at both goals. However, Orlando’s Cristian Higuita, known for his physicality on the field, fouled in the ninth minute, giving Atlanta a free kick, which Josef Martinez nailed easily in the 10th minute. Two minutes later, Higuita shoved another down in an effort to get the ball. However, things came to a head for him in the 20th minute–he was issued a yellow card.
In the 31st minute, Atlanta scored again with a kick in from Ezequiel Barco, assisted by Greg Garza.
In the 32nd minute Joe Bendik was issued a yellow card for what seemed like yelling at the referee after a very close play: Atlanta had managed a breakaway in midfield and a cross kick to Martinez, who brought it into the box, only for two Lions to swipe the ball away. From the looks of things, Bendik was arguing over a call that wasn’t made when the referee issued him the yellow card.
Orlando had a near-score in the 44th minute. Chris Mueller ran a pass to the goal and made a cross kick for head-in, but Atlanta goalie Alec Kann was able to catch the ball.
Despite several such close calls, Orlando wasn’t able to find the back of the net, making the score at 2-0 at halftime.
SECOND HALF
Oriol Rosell was subbed in for Cristian Higuita at the half. In the 51st minute, Orlando’s Justin Meram had a close call, first kicking a blocked shot, then getting the ball again and making a shot that missed, passing the right goal post.
In the 57th minute, Justin Meram scored his first Orlando City goal with help from Kljestan and Johnson, bringing the score to 2-1 and breathing some life into the Lions.
The game’s momentum hit a wall in the 62nd minute after Orlando’s Mohamed El-Munir collided with an Atlanta player and suffered what appeared to be a cramp. After roughly three minutes and some hydration, he was back in the game.
In the 66th minute, Orlando subbed in Josue Colman for Chris Mueller, and in the 68th minute, Atlanta subbed in Hector Villalba for Ezequiel Barco. In the 74th minute, Orlando subbed in Stefano Pinho for Justin Meram. At that point, the downpour that threatened to fall at the start of the game finally came.
In the 79th minute, Atlanta finally subbed out Martinez, their strongest attacker, for
Orlando had another epic close call in the 81st minute: Kljestan made a long pass to Dwyer in the box, who made the cross, but Pinho wasn’t quite in position to head-in the ball, so it missed.
In the 83rd minute, a small skirmish began. Yellow cards were issued to Orlando’s Yoshi Yotun and to Atlanta’s Hector Villalba.
In the 87th minute, Atlanta subbed in Kevin Kratz for Darlington Nagbe. The very next minute, Oriol Rosell was issued a yellow card for shoving.
In the four minutes of stoppage time, things were so fraught, the fans even began throwing objects onto the field, making matters worse. Orlando wasn’t able to score again, making the final score 2-1.
Head Coach Jason Kreis had this to say about the incident: “We consider the fans part of our family…there were a lot emotions tonight…but we can have that, we can’t be that.” Concerning the game overall, he mentioned that the team needed to slow down a bit, that after Atlanta’s first goal, the team became very hectic and Atlanta was able to take advantage.
The Orlando City Lions will next hit the road to battle Toronto FC at BMO Field May 18 at 8pm before returning home to host the Chicago Fire May 26 at 7:30pm.
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Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com
Florida
Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
Published
1 month agoon
March 10, 2024By
Mike BrodskyORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.
The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.
This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.
Golf
Lydia Ko and Jeff McNeil win the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions
Published
3 months agoon
January 21, 2024By
Mike BrodskyORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Lake Nona resident, Lydia Ko, has won the 2024 Hilton Grand Vacations LPGA Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, while Mets All-Star Second Baseman, Jeff McNeil, has won the celebrities and amateurs competition. The four day tournament wrapped up Sunday. Ko takes home $225,000 of the $1.5 million prize pool, while baseball player McNeil wins $100,000 of the $500,000 designated for the athletes and entertainers.
Ko finished at -14, two strokes ahead of Alexa Pano. Defending champion, Brooke Henderson, finished third at ten under par. McNeil ended with 138 points using the Modified Stableford scoring system, in his first time competing in this tournament. Annika Sorenstam finished in second place amongst the celebrity golfers, with 136. Former Major League Baseball pitchers Derek Lowe and Mark Mulder tied for third place at 135.
The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions also announced today that they have extended their agreement with the LPGA to continue this tournament at Lake Nona for another five years, with a 65% increase in the prize pool money.
Stay tuned to Florida National News for more, and be sure to follow our Florida National News page on Facebook for more photos and videos from the tournament.
Golf
Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions Returns to Lake Nona
Published
3 months agoon
January 17, 2024By
Mike BrodskyORLANDO, Fla. (Florida National News) – The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions is back at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando Thursday, 1/18 through Sunday, 1/21. This tournament kicks off the LPGA Tour’s 74th season, featuring top women golfers, who have qualified by winning a tournament in 2022 or 2023, playing alongside celebrities from the world of sports, entertainment, and music.
Comedy fans can watch Larry The Cable Guy entertain the crowd with his one-liners and banter. “Fresh Prince” fans can tune in to Alfonso Ribeiro in hopes of seeing him dance “The Carlton.” Bachelor fans can follow Ben Higgins or Wells Adams to see if they’re passing out any roses.
Sports fans can see some true legends in a different light. Basketball fans can look for Vince Carter, Ray Allen, or Chandler Parsons. Baseball fans can watch for John Smoltz, Albert Pujols, or Roger Clemens. Football fans will find Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith, Marcus Allen, Brian Urlacher, and Charles Woodson.
You’ll find many other actors, musicians, and champions of various sports. If you’d like to watch some fun golf while also celebrity spotting, be sure to visit the tournament’s website to get your tickets, and to see who else will be playing this year.