ORLANDO, Fla. -- Perhaps the best way to think of Orlando City's win on Wednesday is "all's well that ends well."
Adrian Heath admitted his Orlando City men survived a major test of their nerve and resilience to come through their US Open Cup test at the Charleston Battery.
The Lions lived on the edge all night, twice coming from a goal behind in regulation to take the game into extra time, then taking a 4-2 lead, only to succumb to a late fightback from their former USL rivals.
In the end, it needed a marathon penalty shootout for City to scrape through 8-7 – after falling behind 2-0 – and take their place in the fifth round for the second time in their history,
“It was a difficult night for us – I knew it was going to be,” Heath admitted. “You could tell as soon as we arrived at the stadium, Charleston were up for the game and, if you’re not fully up for it – and we were a little below par – it becomes a proper game.
“In the end, I’m delighted we got through but I feel for the Battery a little bit. I’ve got to be honest – I thought they put so much effort in it to come back from 4-2 down."
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Forward Carlos Rivas scored his first competitive goals for Orlando City, notching a hat trick of penalty kicks during the match with Kaká, who usually takes penalties for the club, taking the night off. Rivas' spot kick during the shootout was saved, however.
Danny Mwanga ultimately scored the clinching penalty, and overall, Heath was pleased his side will continue in the competition.
“I’ve been in the game long enough to know that in Cup competitions, the most important thing is just to get through. For our youngsters, it’s more experience for them, and I thought one or two of them showed well. At the end of the day, we live to fight another day, and that’s what counts.”
