[dropcap]D[/dropcap]espite a formidable opening 20 minutes, Kaká was denied, then gave Orlando City SC a lead they would never relinquish to Columbus Tuesday night.
The Brazilian playmaker sent a direct free kick from 17 yards out in that was negated for an offside call, then slotted a finish home following a Crew SC turnover that paved the way for a 2-0 victory over Crew SC in the 2015 U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.
It didn’t take long for Orlando to find its second, as a rebounded clearance allowed for a powerful teed-up rising strike by Carlos Rivas that soared above Brad Stuver. His fourth goal of the tournament put the Colombian forward in a tie for the lead in this year’s competition.
Gregg Berhalter named something of a B-plus squad for the match, deploying his bunch in a 3-2-4-1 with Steve Clark getting a rest and both Mohammed Saeid and Justin Meram on the bench.
“It was a little bit of a different group last time and I think this time some of the familiarity wasn’t there with the guys,” Berhalter said following the match. “But overall I think we did a good job.”
“I thought we had a good start on the game. I think everything was in order. I think we were playing the way that we set out to and I thought it was a decent start. Obviously going down 2-0 in the first half hurts. In the second half we started lively and I think we were a little unlucky not to score a goal. I give Orlando City credit for doing a good job.”
One positive for Crew SC was the comeback of midfielder Wil Trapp, who had been missing in action with concussion symptoms since his last appearance for the Black and Gold on April 8.
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