[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith his side trailing 2-1, the returning Pedro Ribeiro halted Columbus Crew SC’s trek to the club’s first road win of the year with an 89th minute strike to even the tally, 2-2.
Substitute Riberio returned to action for Orlando City SC after not seeing action since April 3, scoring on an opportunistic low drive from 25 yards out that saw the ball buried in the bottom right corner.
Ribeiro had another chance in stoppage time to steal a victory at home, but the shot was sent to the left. Orlando City SC and Columbus Crew SC each earned a point in the draw, with Columbus improving to 4-4-4 on the year with 16 points. The Black and Gold sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, just one point ahead of Chicago.
“They fought and they battled for each other, and to come out of here with that resolve, we couldn’t have asked for anything better,” said Crew SC Head Coach and Sporting Director Gregg Berhalter.
Tony Tchani struck early in the contest for the visiting side, burying a header into the bottom corner from 8 yards out on a cross from Hector Jimenez in the 6th minute for an early 1-0 advantage. But ten minutes later, the tides of war would change.
Kaká would take a far-post shot that struck Michael Parkhurst in the right arm. Referees ruled that Parkhurst had moved his arms deliberately to block the shot, resulting in an immediate red card and ejection, followed by the penalty kick.
The Brazilian midfielder would even the tally on the penalty kick, 1-1.
Despite holding a man advantage over Columbus, Orlando City failed to halt the attacking Crew SC. Kei Kamara would strike in the 61st minute, after Waylon Francis cleared a pass to Kamara to score his 10th goal of the season, a league-leading mark.
Columbus Crew SC will next face the Philadelphia Union Wednesday on the road before returning to MAPFRE Stadium Saturday to host Montreal.
