Columbus Crew had to settle for a point on Sunday night, but they had Diego Rossi to thank for making sure it was not a frustrating home defeat. Rossi found the equalizer in the 80th minute as the Crew battled back for a 1-1 draw with Orlando City SC in this Major League Soccer fixture at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus, Ohio.
Orlando struck first and did it early. Marco Pasalic put the visitors ahead in the 14th minute, finishing the Lions’ best attacking move of the first half to give Columbus an immediate problem. It was a clinical moment from an Orlando side that did not see much of the ball but made its first real opening count.
From there, the pattern of the match became clear. Columbus controlled possession, pushed the tempo, and kept pinning Orlando deeper and deeper in its own half. The Crew finished with 65 percent of the ball, won the corner count 8-1, and outshot Orlando 20-5, while also forcing seven efforts on target. Orlando, by contrast, managed just one shot on target all night — and it was the one Pasalic converted in the 14th minute.
The visitors leaned into a stubborn defensive display after the opener. Orlando picked up first-half yellow cards for Iago Teodoro in the 41st minute and David Brekalo in the 43rd minute as the pressure mounted, and the second half often felt like an exercise in Crew persistence against a compact, combative block.
Columbus kept probing, with their attacking numbers telling the story of a side that believed the equalizer would come. The home side registered 17 shot assists and repeatedly worked the ball into dangerous areas, even if the final finish did not arrive until late. Steven Moreira was booked in the 55th minute as the contest grew more physical, and Orlando substitute Adrián Marín also went into the book in the 82nd minute shortly after the Crew had drawn level. Pasalic, Orlando’s first-half scorer, was shown a yellow card in the 86th minute as the visitors tried to see out the closing stages.
The breakthrough for Columbus finally came in the 80th minute. Rossi, the Crew’s most decisive figure in front of goal, delivered the finish to level the match at 1-1 and cap a long spell of territorial dominance. Given the balance of chances, it was no less than the home side deserved, though Orlando could still take satisfaction from the resilience it showed to leave with a share of the points.
In the end, this was a match split cleanly by halves: Orlando efficient and ahead at the break, Columbus assertive and rewarded after it. The halftime score favored the visitors 1-0, but the Crew won the second half 1-0 to make sure the points were shared.
For Columbus, the draw may feel like a missed chance considering the weight of possession and shot volume, but the late recovery avoided a far more damaging result. For Orlando City SC, there was encouragement in the discipline and defensive shape, even if the second-half pressure eventually told.
Goal scorers: Marco Pasalic 14′ (Orlando City SC), Diego Rossi 80′ (Columbus Crew).
