Orlando City Goals: Jansson 43’, Pato 65'
New York City FC Goals: Castellanos 7’, 67’, Medina 39’
New York City FC recorded their first win of preseason 2021 on Thursday afternoon, following up last weekend's narrow defeat to Chicago Fire with a 3-2 win over Orlando City.
The Boys in Blue once again started the game brightly and earned a penalty in the seventh minute. The play began with a good combination on the left-hand side between Andres Jasson and Taty Castellanos. A blocked cross eventually fell to the feet of Jasson, and he was fouled to win the penalty.
Castellanos stepped up to take the subsequent spot-kick, and while the keeper managed to get a glove to it, he couldn’t prevent it from hitting the net. The Argentine built on that with a pair of good shots that forced saves from Orlando's goalkeeper.
Both sides played their part in a competitive game, with Jasson proving to be a consistent threat. The 19-year-old was decisive once again in the 39th minute when he won NYCFC a second penalty following a great pass from Jesus Medina.
This time it was Medina's turn to try and convert from the penalty spot, and he did so confidently, rifling the ball into the top-right hand corner. Our hosts then managed to half the deficit in the 43rd minute after Robin Jansson fired in a long-range effort that took a deflection before beating Luis Barraza in goal.
The second half saw a handful of changes for Ronny Deila’s side, and the game settled into a more relaxed rhythm. The hosts found an equalizer in the 65th minute through Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato.
NYCFC hit back almost immediately, however, with Castellanos nabbing his second of the game following good service from Gudi Thórarinsson down the right-hand side.
Further substitutions followed in the 70th minute as Deila looked to get a full evaluation of the roster. The game ultimately finished 3-2 to NYCFC and saw the team record their first win of preseason. The team will now depart for St. Petersburg, Florida, later today, with their next preseason game taking place on March 24.
NYCFC XI: Barraza (Mizell), Gray (Di Rosa), Chanot (Latinovich), Latinovich (Ibeagha), Thórarinsson (Dobruna), Sands (Parks), Rocha, Medina (Rossi), Tajouri-Shradi (Acevedo), Jasson (Flax), Castellanos (Cajamarca)
