In the final minutes of Wednesday night’s match against Inter Miami, desperation began to creep into the chants of the Orlando City fans lining the stands of Exploria Stadium.
The previous meeting between the two teams had ended in a cathartic, emphatic comeback for the Lions on enemy soil in Fort Lauderdale. But this result was more grueling than gratifying, a tense scrap between two teams in distinctly different positions.
The 1-1 draw didn’t move either team in the conference table. Orlando City (8-4-5, 29) remained second overall, just a point ahead of Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Inter Miami (3-8-4, 13) remained on the bottom rung of the Eastern Conference despite stringing together its longest unbeaten streak of the year.