April 20, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Orlando City SC News Release
ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando City SC advanced to the Round of 32 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night, defeating intrastate foe Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 at Exploria Stadium. The match saw the rekindling of the I-4 Derby, the first head-to-head of the former USL opponents since 2014 when the two sides competed in two legs of derby play and the Third Round of the Open Cup.
With the victory, the Lions now sit at a perfect 7-0-0 in all competitions against the Rowdies.
Alexandre Pato and Júnior Urso each scored for the Lions on the night, now sharing the team lead for goals in all competitions at three apiece. The contest also saw Homegrown defender Thomas Williams make his first start for the First Team after making his MLS debut in Columbus this past weekend.
The Lions’ next opponent in the Open Cup will be determined tomorrow, April 21, at 12 p.m. ET in the Round of 32 draw.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“It is a very important game for our fans, for our Club and we are very proud to beat Tampa today. We dedicate this to our people and I was very glad to see them in the stands pushing our team in difficult moments. We really enjoyed this victory with a lot of respect for Tampa who came out with a great attitude in the game and is a very good team, a team who brought a lot of energy and created a lot of trouble, especially in the first half. We were quiet in the first half, I don’t think we dominated the game. I have to give credit to Tampa that most of the time they had the initiative and for us it was difficult to recover the ball. I didn’t see too much from either side, but in the second half we needed to get into the game and the boys did. I think they did, the second half I liked a lot and once again the most important thing is that I know what this means for our fans and we dedicate this to them.”
Scoring Recap:
52′ Alexandre Pato (PK) – ORL 1, TB 0
The Lions got on the board shortly…
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