Tonight’s U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals battle of Orlando City versus Nashville SC at Exploria Stadium saw Orlando cartwheel away with a win and now they’re headed to the semifinals.
Thanks to a goal from the always consistent Rodrigro “Heart of the Team” Schlegel, Orlando City tied the game with Nashville with just two minutes left on the clock, forcing them all to duke it out for 35-minutes of overtime, followed by a heart-stopping/seat-clenching shootout between the teams, with Orlando just barely squeaking by.
Referee Mark Allatin issued a whole Pokemon deck’s worth of yellow cards during the game, some of which led to Orlando’s win, including when he kicked out Nashville’s midfielder and which forced the team down to ten men, and the subsequent foul that made Schlegel’s goal possible.
Orlando led with more shots taken and held the ball for most of the game.
Up next the Lions will host the New York Red Bulls on July 27th with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff at Exploria Stadium.
