Atlanta United found a late spark Saturday night, battling back for a 1-1 draw against Orlando City SC at Inter&Co Stadium behind another clutch moment from Homegrown midfielder Jay Fortune.
With the match beginning to feel like another frustrating road result for Atlanta, Fortune stepped up in the closing minutes and delivered a huge equalizer to help Atlanta leave Orlando with a point. The goal marked his second in as many matches and continued what has been an impressive stretch for the young midfielder.
The opening minutes featured plenty of back-and-forth action before Orlando struck first in the 18th minute. Griffin Dorsey finished off a dangerous sequence after Ivan Angulo raced down the left side and cut a ball across the box to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
Atlanta settled into the match after conceding and controlled much of the possession throughout the remainder of the first half. Saba Lobjanidze nearly found the equalizer in the 39th minute after cutting inside from the wing and curling a dangerous shot toward the far post, but Maxime Crepeau came up with a diving save.
Atlanta continued to search for answers before halftime and nearly found one in stoppage time. Following a corner kick, Fortune fired a hard effort into the box that Matías Galarza just missed redirecting on target.
Orlando threatened again early in the second half when Martín Ojeda found space inside the box in the 52nd minute, but goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos came up with a huge save after quickly cutting down the angle to keep Atlanta within striking distance.
Atlanta slowly turned up the pressure from there.
Alexey Miranchuk created a pair of dangerous opportunities midway through the second half, first forcing a save on a free kick from outside the box before narrowly missing wide minutes later after Fortune slipped him a smart pass behind Orlando’s back line.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 86th minute.
Matt Edwards made a strong run down the right side before beating his defender and finding Fortune alone inside the box. The Homegrown midfielder calmly took the shot in stride and curled a beautiful finish inside the far post to silence the Orlando crowd and level the match at 1-1.
Atlanta nearly stole all three points seconds before the final whistle when Galarza found himself with an open look from outside the box, but Crepeau delivered one final save to preserve the draw.
While Atlanta United would have loved to leave Orlando with a win, the late response and continued fight shown in the final minutes could provide momentum heading into Tuesday night when the two teams meet again in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals.
Atlanta United returns to action Tuesday, May 19 for another showdown against Orlando City SC in Orlando with a spot in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals on the line.
