Orlando

USMNT Gets Late 1-0 Goal in Ferocious Friendly Against Ecuador

Published

7 years ago

March 22, 2019

USMNT's Gyasi Zardes runs the ball for the breakthrough goal of the game against Ecuador at Orlando City Stadium Thursday, March 21, 2019. Photo: John Chapman.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Though the U.S.-Ecuador match was a friendly, it was hard to tell that from the fierce footwork at Orlando City Stadium Thursday. Much of the 17,000 attendees were Ecuador supporters.

Both teams’ defenses kept the game scoreless into halftime, although the U.S. did find the back of the net. Unfortunately it was a no-goal, much to the ire of U.S. fans. It was evident from early in the game that Ecuador was the faster team, managing to steal and deflect the ball from the U.S. at nearly every turn.

Ecuador’s Leonardo Canpana was subbed in at halftime.

In the 52nd minute, U.S. attempted another goal, saving the ball from going out of bounds, but Ecuador goalie Alexander Dominguez caught the ball.

In the 56th minute, U.S.’s Paul Arriola caught the first yellow card of the game after a fierce duel for the ball. In the next minute, U.S. made another drive for the goal, but kicked it too high. The ball bounced of the upper right goal post.

In the 59th minute, U.S. subbed in Michael Bradley for Wil Trapp. In the 61st, U.S. subbed in Sebastian Lletget for fan favorite Christian Pulisic.

Weston McKennie went down in the 65th minute and had to be escorted off the field. In the 68th minute, U.S. subbed in DeAndre Yedlin for Jordan Morris. Christian Roldan was subbed in for McKennie as well.

After another tough tussle, the U.S. subbed in Jonathan Lewis for Paul Arriola in the 78th minute.

The U.S. got another scoring chance–and the breakthrough of the game–in the 81st minute. U.S.’s Gyasi Zardes kicked the ball up in the box for a goal, and Ecuador’s goalie Dominguez’s attempt to block the kick caused the ball to bounce off of him and into the back of the net. The U.S. fans thundered with cheer. U.S. was finally on the board with a score of 1-0.

Things went a bit awry in the 85th minute when an Ecuador fan jumped the barrier and ran onto the field. Three security officers quickly caught him and escorted him off the field, but the clock was still ticking.

After that, Ecuador made sure to bandy the ball between themselves to run down the clock.

The game got five minutes of added time.

Ecuador’s Jhohan Jullo was issued a yellow card in the added time after sliding the ball away from U.S.

Neither team was able to make another goal, sealing the final score at 1-0 USMNT.

“I’m really proud of the effort,” USMNT Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said after the game. “I’m proud of the openness to try things and to try to execute the movements.”

The USMNT next faces Chile in a friendly at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at 7:55pm EST.

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Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com

Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

1 year ago

March 9, 2025

Mike Brodsky

Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first 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. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for 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.

NFL

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Published

1 year ago

October 30, 2024

Mike Brodsky

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Former UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.

Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.

Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:

Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview

Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com and www.FloridaSportsChannel.com for more.

Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

2 years ago

March 10, 2024

Mike Brodsky

Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, 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.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

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.