COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — The 90th minute of Orlando City’s first road match of the season was a moment of déjà vu.
The Lions had bounced back from a one-goal deficit to level the score in the final 10 minutes of play, seemingly set to clinch a draw and a point on the road. Then in the final minute of regulation, a header off a set piece from a corner kick gave the Rapids the 2-1 lead, sending Orlando City scrambling through six minutes of stoppage time.
The eventual 2-1 loss followed a familiar blueprint for the Lions — a promising start cut short by a last-minute lapse in defensive focus.
“We have to take it collectively and learn as a group,” striker Chris Mueller said. “It’s no one person’s fault. I think that everybody needs to take a look in the mirror and we’ve gotta be accountable and learn from those mistakes. That’s all we can do moving forward and I don’t think that that’s something that we did necessarily well last year.”
In his first road match with the Lions, coach Oscar Pareja brought out his team in a decidedly defensive lineup, fielding five defenders. This formation aimed to create a firm foundation for both the defense and offense by playing João Moutinho and Kyle Smith as wingbacks.
Pareja’s goal was to limit the aerial opportunities for Colorado striker Kei Kamara while also attacking up the flanks, allowing the two defenders to push higher and feature into the attack while minimizing transition counterattacks.
“They just gave us stability there,” Pareja said. “We wanted to start our sequences around them and they did a great job. I thought it was one of the highlights of our game.”
The defense-heavy lineup was necessary as the Rapids attacked early and often. Colorado took nine shots in the first half alone, forcing goalkeeper Pedro Gallese to make two diving saves to keep the scoresheet level at the half.
Although Orlando City fielded more defenders than normal, the Lions continued to utilize Pareja’s high press whenever they possessed the ball. After a scoreless season opener, Orlando City fired a higher volume of shots on the Rapids, taking seven in the first half.
The defenders in particular added to the attacking action, with both Moutinho and outside back Kyle Smith firing shots on frame in the first half to challenge the Rapids goalkeeper.
But the Lions couldn’t hold up their defensive pressure forever. In the 64th minute, Younes Namli took a touch at full speed and buried a long-range shot into the bottom right corner.
As Orlando City entered the final 10 minutes of its first road match of the season, Mueller brought a spark of life.
After ceding a goal in the second half, the Lions trailed 1-0 and had hunkered into a defensive block when Mueller entered in the 79th minute. He was the last of three tactical subs by Pareja, who bolstered his team with the speed of Mueller, Ruan and Mauricio Pereyra in the final third of play.
Two minutes after he entered the match, Mueller slipped between three defenders in the box to take a pass from Andres Perea, slotting it past the keeper with his first touch.
“Chris is energy, he brings energy,” Pareja said. “I’m happy with his final touch. We put him in front of the goal, and he just brings that energy there in that part of the game.”
However, Mueller’s goal ultimately wasn’t enough to keep the Lions afloat. The match marked the team’s first loss of the season. The Lions will now return home to face the Chicago Fire at Exploria Stadium Saturday. Nani will make his season debut after serving a two-game suspension leveled by MLS at the end of last season.