The Lions didn't get three points, but the result felt like a win nevertheless.
A scrappy and resolute defensive performance from an Orlando City (7-5-3, 24 points) side down to nine men recorded a 0-0 draw against the Chicago Fire (7-3-4, 25 points) on Sunday night.
The Lions earned a point despite spending 68 minutes down a man and 28 minutes down two men due to red cards.
“It felt like longer than that,” midfielder Will Johnson said. “When you feel like everything’s against you, it kind of rallies you in a way, unites you. . . . And then the support of the fans was also pretty special. They understood the situation and how big that point was gonna be, and they pushed us towards it.”
After a lengthy recovery from multiple hamstring injuries, right back Rafael Ramos made his 2017 debut for Orlando City as part of the Lions’ starting lineup against Chicago. The debut lasted just 26 minutes.
While tracking a high, long ball, Ramos collided with Fire defender Brandon Vincent, who dropped to the ground. Referee Ted Unkel ran over to Ramos and hauled a red card out of his pocket.
A replay showed minimal contact and no visible intent by Ramos to harm Vincent, sending the announced crowd of 24,469 into an outrage.
Ramos walked off the pitch, shaking his head as teammates surrounded Unkel in protest.
Jason Kreis switched to a 4-4-1 formation, putting Will Johnson at right back, where he played a few games at the start of the season due to the team’s injury woes.
After the scoreless half, Kreis subbed on right-back Scott Sutter for forwarding Giles Barnes so that Johnson could move back to the midfield.
However, the Lions’ player deficit only got worse.
Kaká, returning from a calf injury, subbed on in the 59th minute for striker Carlos Rivas. The move was meant to strengthen the midfield, but it was about to take another hit.
In the 66th minute, defensive midfielder Antonio Nocerino challenged Chicago’s Matt Polster from behind. Red, again. The stadium erupted in moans and expletives as Unkel drew the card from his pocket, forcing the Lions to close out the match with just nine men on the pitch.
“The first [red card] looked, I mean, Rafa doesn’t really know the player is there,” goalkeeper Joe Bendik said. “Maybe he knows a player is there, but I don’t think there’s any intention to injure him. I’m not sure how else you’re supposed to pass the ball without your studs being off the ground. That one’s unfortunate, and then the second one is probably right.”
Kreis quickly decided on a course of action, again removing an attacking player from the front by subbing on holding midfielder Servando Carrasco for striker Cyle Larin in an attempt to hunker down and take a point.
“When you go down to nine, you’re certainly just playing for the draw,” Kreis said, adding he was still going for the win when the team had 10 men. “Even as the game wore on, at halftime I’m talking to the coaching staff about how we’re gonna win the game, not about how we’re gonna draw the game. So, all of our decisions were bending that way until we got the second ejection, then it’s just like, ‘How are we gonna hold on?’”
Orlando City struggled to create anything offensively, but standout defensive performances, especially from Johnson, Spector, and goalkeeper Joe Bendik, kept the game scoreless through 90-plus minutes.
Chicago, helped by German legend Bastian Schweinsteiger in the midfield, outshot Orlando City 21-5 and possessed the ball more than 66 percent of the game.
Despite a nearly non-stop attack on Orlando City’s goal in the final 30 minutes, the Fire could not steal the win.
“I don’t want to talk about the decisions,” Kreis said after the game. “The point of view should only be positive. The work those guys put in tonight, the togetherness, the commitment level . . . was second to none. It was incredible, absolutely incredible, nothing short of fantastic.
“Hats off to our boys.”
