Orlando City held Austin FC to a 2-2 draw at Q2 Stadium on Sunday, despite playing the majority of the second half with only nine men on the field.
Ercan Kara scored within the first three minutes of the game to give the visitors an early lead. Ruán Gregório Teixeira then doubled the lead in the first half for Orlando.
But the game took a dramatic turn in the second half, with Austin FC scoring before Orlando’s Cesar Araujo and Rodrigo Schlegel were sent off. To top it up, Moussa Djitté scored in extra time to send both teams home with a point. Oscar Pareja, the head coach of Orlando City FC, was disappointed after the game.
“It’s incredible. The extra time set-piece that inspired Djitté’s goal is unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable, Pareja said of the corner that they gave up.
“The boys are working hard, and the team doesn’t need anything,” he explained. “Austin has a plethora of capable players. That was an incredible play.
“It’s very frustrating—the management of those plays. This is where we’ll start. There is disappointment at this time and not just that; you mention the handball that was called, the yellow card, and the player’s ejection; we must protect the game. We have to protect the game. The outcome places Orlando in third place in the Eastern Conference.
“Then, when they score a goal, it’s a corner that was called – they were in front of him, and the Austin players get the ball out. It was our ball, and they called a corner, which is the most frustrating part.”
Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff was not satisfied either, expecting his team to leave with three points while Orlando played with nine. “Given how the first half began, I’d say yes. Given how it ended with nine guys, I think we should win,” Wolff said.
“Obviously, the end of the game is the end of the game, and I’m probably more disappointed that we didn’t win despite being up two guys. It was not a good start for us, and we must continue to address those issues. “
