Thanks to a 3-1 victory over Minnesota United on Thursday night at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando City SC made a date with the Portland Timbers in the grand finale of the “MLS is Back” tournament.
Nani played the heroes in this semi-final game, scoring his own first two goals and getting an assist.
He first opened the scoring in the 36th minute of play. After recovering a long pass from Robin Jansson, he managed to shed his cover and beat goalkeeper Tyler Miller.
Six minutes later, the Orlando City SC midfielder picked up a throw from Jhegson Mendez, skillfully maneuvered into the opponents’ zone before outwitting Miller to his left with a superb shot.
Mason Toye closed the gap in the 83rd minute after catching a nice pass from Kevin Molino just in front of goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
Benji Michel put an end to the hopes of the Minnesota team by scoring in the added minutes. Nani and Junior Urso got assists on the insurance goal.
Miller faced four shots on target in front of the Minnesota United goal against three for Gallese at the other end of the field.
The MLS Return Tournament Final will be presented next Tuesday night. The Timbers were the first to qualify, defeating the Philadelphia Union by a score of 2-1 Wednesday.
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