Philadelphia Union finished their Florida training camp by falling to new USL PRO side Orlando City S.C., 1-0, at the Citrus Bowl in downtown Orlando on Saturday night.
The game went sour for Union very fast as defender Carlos Valdes was sent off at 18' for a bad tackle on City striker Maxwell Griffin just outside the penalty box.
City midfielder Lewis Neal, a trainee who was with English League Two side Shrewsbury Town in January, took the free kick and sunk it into the left corner of the goal for the only score of the match.
Down a man, Union was severely disadvantaged against the third-tier club for the remainder of the match. Danny Mwanga pushed two shots wide of the City goal in the first half for the team's best shots.
Midfielder Kyle Nakazawa took the initiative for Union in the second half, but was unable to make anything out of the opportunities presented to him.
City, for whom this watch was their first ever, tried their best to work for their favor, but was limited to the single goal. Neal and Generation Adidas standout Jamie Watson worked the midfield very well, frequently getting the ball to open up opportunities for their team.
Union finishes their Florida camp with a 2-1-1 record. They got wins over local colleges UCF and USF, and got a draw with the US U-17 men's national team. Their next training stop is a camp in Greece, headlined by a match with Superleague Greece side Ergotelis F.C.
Orlando City, meanwhile, will continue their trial by fire by joining the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic to face more MLS competition. They will face FC Dallas on Feb. 24.
Depending on match results, they will play either Toronto FC or Houston Dynamo on Feb. 26. They will then play Swedish side BK Hacken during ESPN the Weekend on March 3.
Denise Richards Jennifer Sky Samantha Mathis Samantha Morton Grace Park
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