Attacks fizzle in scoreless draw between top-scoring teams

In a fixture that produced six goals in Orlando in late February, Saturday night’s meeting between the top two highest scoring teams in MLS promised goals that frustratingly never came.

Instead the script flipped to the Union’s favor much the way it did for Orlando but this time neither team found the back of the net. Like Orlando did at home, the Union had advantages on possession, shots, shots on target and expected goals. They outshot Orlando 20-6 and had 4 shots on target to Orlando’s 3, maintained 57.6 possession percentage and had a 1.6 xG to Orlando’s 0.6.

Missing Kai Wagner for the second straight game took away what has been their biggest weapon of the season, the left-footed crosses into the box to Tai Baribo. Baribo registered a pair of shots but had his lowest xG of the season at 0.1 and is now scoreless in his last three. Bruno Damiani replaced Mikael Uhre in the starting lineup and led the team with four shots, including a chance set up by a Daniel Gazdag cross that Damiani was unable to redirect past Pedro Gallese. Gallese, who conceded four goals in the first meeting, was not challenged enough with the chances the Union had on the night and it was the visitors who looked more likely to find a breakthrough.

Andre Blake’s three saves and a big defensive recovery tackle in the box by Danley Jean Jacques were instrumental in preserving the Union’s third clean sheet of the season and second for Blake, who is now one away from hitting 100 clean sheets for his Union career in all competitions.

As has been the case in games at Subaru Park this season, the referee played an outsized role, most notably on Saturday in a no-call on a penalty shout late in the match when Uhre was taken down in the box by Rodrigo Schlegel, who was beaten on the play. Referee Ismir Pekmic booked nine players on the night with four yellows to the Union and five to Orlando.

The gritty and frustrating nature of the match ultimately played into the visitors’ favor and was indicative of how teams want to try to beat the Union on their home turf. Remaking Subaru Park as a fortress is still a work in progress even under new management but it’s one that ultimately will need to be solved to return the Union to past glory. The Union will get Atlanta United and DC United – a past cure for all ails – at home in back to back weekends after visiting Citi Field to play NYCFC next weekend. Playing on a baseball diamond away from home brings its own challenges but the Union have also shown their road resiliency two wins out of three matches played away from home.

The game is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start and will be broadcast live on MLS Season Pass.