MLS Madness takes hold as Orlando City stages miracle late comeback to beat Columbus Crew

MLS: It’s not just Messi!

It’s been overshadowed for a while due to Messi Mania, but MLS Madness™ is back in a big way.

On a night where Lionel Messi didn’t play and most of the rest of the Eastern Conference only seemed able to muster a series of drab scoreless draws, Orlando City and the Columbus Crew seemed to bottle up all of the madness in a bonkers 4-3 win for the Lions.

MLS Madness™ rarely makes itself apparent at first, and that was the case in Orlando on Saturday. The Crew nosed in front after Julian Gressel stabbed home following inspired lobs from both Alexandru Mățan and Cucho Hernández.

Columbus took that 1-0 lead into halftime, only to see Orlando equalize on a sharp 48th minute finish from Martin Ojeda.

However, things devolved for the Lions, who watched the Crew march to a 3-1 lead over the next 20 minutes. First, some shockingly hesitant defending from just about everyone in purple allowed Diego Rossi to fire his side back ahead.

Then, Orlando’s attempts to catch Columbus offside at midfield backfired, with Mățan running 50 yards after taking a diagonal out to the wing before unselfishly feeding Hernández on the doorstep.

However, this is not any particular sort of wild nonsense. Honestly, it’s some pretty normal stuff, especially for the Crew. What pushed us into MLS Madness™ is what followed from here that allowed Orlando to go from 3-1 down with 16 minutes to play to the victors on the night.

The comeback really started with Facundo Torres finishing off some very slick work from Ramiro Enrique and Ojeda.

While the crowd at Exploria Stadium was amped up, the Lions weren’t exactly piling up huge chances. In fact, from the moment Orlando fell behind by two, the home side produced just six shots.

However, when you get gifts like the one Crew defender Yevhen Cheberko produced in completely misdirecting a clearing header towards Enrique, maybe it’s just your night.

Columbus would end up winning the expected goals battle by a wide margin, putting up 3.9 to Orlando’s 1.4. But in a huge victory for the Lions and the “the only stat that matters is the score” crowd, Orlando got one last set piece beyond the initially given six minutes of stoppage time.

Let’s roll that MLS Madness™ footage.

Enrique, seemingly the only calm person in the building, fired home a second to give Orlando a wildly dramatic win, as well as a five-point edge over the Crew in the standings. Both teams are seemingly sure of going to the playoffs, but a Columbus win on the night could have been decisive in terms of home-field advantage later in the postseason.

Instead, the Madness™ took hold, leaving Orlando with a night to remember.

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