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New York Red Bulls Vs Orlando City: 3 things we learned – Sacha Kljestan haunts NYRB

By Chris Smith

HARRISON, NJ - MARCH 23: Sacha Kljestan #16 of Orlando City celebrates his goal with teammates during 2nd half of the MLS match between Orlando City SC and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on March 23, 2019 in Harrison, NJ, USA. Orlando City SC won the match with a score of 1 to 0. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images)
HARRISON, NJ - MARCH 23: Sacha Kljestan #16 of Orlando City celebrates his goal with teammates during 2nd half of the MLS match between Orlando City SC and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on March 23, 2019 in Harrison, NJ, USA. Orlando City SC won the match with a score of 1 to 0. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images) /
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HARRISON, NJ – MARCH 23: Sacha Kljestan #16 of Orlando City celebrates his goal with teammates during 2nd half of the MLS match between Orlando City SC and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on March 23, 2019 in Harrison, NJ, USA. Orlando City SC won the match with a score of 1 to 0. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images)
HARRISON, NJ – MARCH 23: Sacha Kljestan #16 of Orlando City celebrates his goal with teammates during 2nd half of the MLS match between Orlando City SC and New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on March 23, 2019 in Harrison, NJ, USA. Orlando City SC won the match with a score of 1 to 0. (Photo by Ira L. Black/Corbis via Getty Images) /

1. Killer Kljestan

As the game wore on at 0-0, you just couldn’t help but feel Orlando might knick a winner. The aforementioned threat of Ruan and Moutinho on the break was causing problems for an astonishingly open NYRB defence all night.

It was the latter that indeed provided the cross for Orlando’s winner in the 73rd minute and who was on the end of it? Sacha Kljestan. It just had to be, didn’t it?

To be fair to Kljestan, it was nothing less than he deserved. The 33-year-old was the game’s creative hub all night, making more accurate passes (33) than any Orlando player, while he also completed two dribbles.

Nobody on the pitch had more touches than Kljestan’s 71 and the USMNT international rolled back the years, persistently getting involved in play, while he also contributed heavily to Orlando’s stifling of NYRB with six aerial duels won along with three tackles.

Next. USMNT Vs Ecuador: 4 winners and losers. dark

As narratives go, they don’t get much better than this.

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