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We’re now over a month into the 2017 Major League Soccer campaign and Orlando City SC‘s amazing start to the season shows no signs of stopping.

Earning our first away victory of the season courtesy of a narrow 1-2 win at New York City FC yesterday, Jason Kreis‘ Lions proudly sit top of the Eastern Conference right now with 15 points and TWO games in hand – impressively without the injured Kaká too.

Having only played SIX games so far this term compared to everybody else in the Eastern Conference, Orlando City SC have been the most efficient team of all winning every single one of our games bar the 2-0 loss at Columbus Crew back on April 1st.

On the day whereby Orlando City SC were unmistakably wearing white to recognise Earth Day in line with the Adidas Parley initiative (yielding a pretty irritating kit clash), Cyle Larin broke NYCFC hearts yet again with a brace in the Big Apple.

The 1-2 win also ensured that Jason Kreis has now inflicted THREE defeats on his former side after being sacked by NYCFC in November 2015! NYCFC have now only managed to beat Orlando City SC ONCE in MLS with the Lions undefeated in the other SEVEN head-to-heads.

Orlando City UK also ran a Watch Party in Leeds to coincide with the 1-2 triumph!

After the game began evenly, Orlando City SC kept up their positive habit of scoring in the first-half when the Canadian international was afforded a tap in past Sean Johnson after superb interplay between Carlos Rivas and Scott Sutter down the right flank on 31 minutes.

Scoring early has been the key ingredient in the Lions’ success so far this term and things got even better when Cyle Larin yet again took advantage of some weak New York City FC defending to climb above Rodney Wallace to head in a 50th minute second goal off a pin-point Donny Toia cross.

The NINTH goal that Cyle Larin has scored against NYCFC in two-and-a-bit MLS seasons to date, Patrick Vieira’s side must be absolutely sick of the sight of the 22-year-old.

Orlando City UK members were delighted with the victory!

From here on in however, life wasn’t made easy for Orlando City SC with New York City FC providing an onslaught for the remainder of the game.

On 74 minutes, a superbly placed Maxi Moralez free-kick reached the right boot of David Villa who excellently whipped a strike past Joe Bendik for an incredibly nervy finish in The Bronx.

But thanks to some excellent last-ditch defending from the likes of Tommy Redding and Jonathan Spector, not to mention an incredible series of trademark Joe Bendik saves, most notably when denying David Villa from point blank range in stoppage time, Orlando City SC prevailed by the odd goal for the FIFTH time this season.

It truly has been an incredibly morale-boosting start to the 2017 season and next up for Orlando City SC comes a home fixture against Pablo Mastroeni’s Colorado Rapids at Orlando City Stadium this Saturday (April 29th).

New York City FC 1 Orlando City SC 2 – Highlights – April 23, 2017 (Credit: New York City FC)

New York City FC vs Orlando City SC, 23.04.2017
Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York City, New York
Major League Soccer
Gameweek 8

Joe Bendik | 9/10
Scott Sutter | 7/10
Tommy Redding | 8/10
Jonathan Spector | 9/10
Donny Toia | 7/10
Antonio Nocerino | 7/10
Will Johnson (C) | 7/10
Cristian Higuita | 7/10
Giles Barnes | 6/10
Cyle Larin | 9/10
Carlos Rivas | 8/10

SUBS

Luis Gil | 5/10
Servando Carrasco | 5/10
Matías Pérez García | 4/10