ORLANDO — FC Cincinnati left Florida with a point Saturday night, but it also departed believing there was an opportunity for more.
Pavel Bucha gave the Orange and Blue an early lead before Orlando City answered shortly after halftime as the clubs played to a 1-1 draw at Inter&Co Stadium.
Cincinnati struck first in the 23rd minute after Evander's shot was blocked inside the penalty area. The rebound fell perfectly to Bucha, who calmly fired home his fifth MLS goal of the season and the 20th of his FC Cincinnati career, moving him into sole possession of eighth place on the club's all-time scoring list.
The visitors looked poised to carry that advantage into halftime, but Orlando emerged from the break with renewed energy. Just three minutes into the second half, Tyrese Spicer raced onto a through ball from Justin Ellis, fought through contact and rounded goalkeeper Roman Celentano before finishing into an open net to level the match.
FC Cincinnati thought it had an opportunity to reclaim the lead minutes later.
After Kévin Denkey's shot struck the post, Evander went to ground in the penalty area and a penalty kick was initially awarded. Following a lengthy VAR review, however, the call was overturned and Evander was shown a yellow card for simulation, keeping the score level.
Despite the disappointment, Cincinnati turned in one of its stronger defensive performances of the season. Facing difficult playing conditions with temperatures hovering around 90 degrees, the Orange and Blue limited Orlando's chances for long stretches while Roman Celentano came up with several key saves to preserve the draw.
The result also continued an encouraging stretch for Pat Noonan's club. While the attack never quite found the second goal it was searching for, FC Cincinnati showed resilience on the road against an Orlando side that had been much improved since the league resumed play following the summer break.
What's Next: FC Cincinnati returns home Wednesday night to host New York City FC at TQL Stadium as the Orange and Blue continue their push up the Eastern Conference standings.