SANDY, Utah. – Orlando City SC lost their best player Saturday night at Rio Tinto Stadium, but they managed to salvage a point after playing Real Salt Lake to a 1-1 draw.
Kaka opened the scoring with an early goal for Orlando. And RSL answered back with a first-half goal from Sebastian Jaime, his fourth straight in all competitions.
But Orlando flirted with disaster right before halftime when Kaka was shown straight red for a hard tackle on Javier Morales. But through a valiant goalkeeping performance from Tally Hall, who made six saves on the night, the shorthanded Lions were able to maintain the stalemate through second half for the share of points.
With the draw, Orlando are now unbeaten in four of their last five and maintain their spot above the red line in the Eastern Conference with 23 points from 17 games. RSL are winless in their last three and remain in eighth place in the West with 22 points from 18 matches.
The fireworks began just before the half when Morales was taken down from behind by Kaka. Referee Sorin Stoica initially seemed to reach for a yellow card, but after a few seconds he tracked down the Brazilian star and went for red, sending Kaka to the shower early.
Prior to being cut down a man, Orlando would be tested early.
RSL nearly scored first when forward Olmes Garcia had two point-blank shots on frame, but the first was blocked and the second was barely saved by Hall.
Orlando charged back the other way on the counter, and seconds later Pedro Ribeiro picked out Kaka inside the box with a little bit of space. The Brazilian star didn’t waste his chance and pounded the goal home in the fifth minute.
RSL equalized through the increasingly reliable Jaime. The Argentine scored when defender Tony Beltran sent a pinpoint cross into the box. Jaime rose up and smashed it into the back of the net, leveling the match at 1-1 in the 28th minute.
Orlando came out of the break disciplined and prepared.
RSL head coach Jeff Cassar pulled out all the stops in the 81st minute, substituting Sebastian Saucedo for Beltran in search of all three points. Saucedo nearly repaid his coach immediately in the 84th minute when he ripped a shot from 30 yards out that Hall saved with some help from the right post.
Hall turned in another diving save on a long-distance shot, this time from Luis Gil, in the 87th minute to preserve the draw.
RSL will travel to Colorado next to face the Rapids next Saturday, while Orlando will head home for a match against FC Dallas on the same night.
