Fresh off marking his return to the Soca Warriors squad with a goal in the second of back-to-back Concacaf World Cup qualifiers against St Vincent and The Grenadines, T&T’s Kevin Molino finally got his first US Major League Soccer goal for Orlando City on Sunday night.
Having only played a few matches last season before sustaining a season ending injury in his team debut campaign, Molino netted from the penalty-spot in the 76th minute after he was clipped in the box to make it 4-0 against reigning MLS Cup champions Portland Timbers.
Molino’s PK meant a whole lot more than a meaningless tally at the end of a rout that was long decided as it capped a feel-good story for an Orlando original from the team’s USL days signed to an MLS contract ahead of the team’ expansion season last year.
The T&T international then suffered an ACL tear after seven games, but he came back healthy this year and has started in all four of Orlando’s matches this season.
Recognising the golden opportunity for Molino to open his account, former Brazil World Cup winner Kaká—Orlando’s normal penalty taker—handed him the ball for the spot kick.
Speaking after the match, Molino said: Kaka gave me the ball and just said, ‘take your time, my friend’.” He added: “I don’t want to jump ahead of myself, but it is definitely a boost to the confidence (to get my first goal), and when the chances come now, I think I’ll be ready to take them.”
Orlando, now winners in their last two, came out flying on the Citrus Bowl turf and first struck when Seb Hines headed home a pinpoint Kaka set piece from about 35 yards out in the 13th minute.
The dominance continued when Kaká, making his season debut after an injury sidelined him for the first three matches. Brek Shea teamed up for a nifty give-and-go goal on the left wing in the 32nd minute, before the latter capped off the sequence with a left-footed blast to the back post to once again beat Timbers’ goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey as they went down 4-0.
Elsewhere in the MLS, T&T’s Joevin Jones, who netted in both wins over St Vincent and The Grenadines, was an unused substitute as team-mate Clint Dempsey served up the Seattle Sounders’ first points of 2016, scoring off a late corner kick for a 1-0 victory over Montreal Impact at CenturyLink Field on Saturday.
Defener Mekeil Williams did not future as well for the Colorado Rapids which eked out a 1-0 win over Toronto FC at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. T&T’s Cordell Cato continued his rehab from injury as his San Jose Earthquakes battled to a 1-1 draw with Nick De Leon’s DC United.
Closer to home in the Guatemalan Liga Nacional, Universidad San Carlos whipped Dwane James’ Antigua GFC 3-1, while in the Costa Rica Primera Division, Aubrey David’s Deportivo Saprissa remained two points off top spot with a 1-0 win over Uruguay, its fourth win on the trot.
Newly-capped Soca Warriors winger, 18-year-old Levi Garcia was also on the losing end as his AZ Alkmaar fell 2-4 at PSV Eindhoven in the (Dutch Eredivisie.
The 18-year old Garcia who scored a double on debut for T&T in a come-from-behind 3-2 World Cup qualifying win over St Vincent and The Grenadines, started his his third consecutive match for AZ before he was replaced by Sweden’s Muamer Tankovic in the 75th minute.
In the I-League in India, out of favour national striker Cornell Glen’s Mohun Bagan went under to third placed East Bengal FC (23 points) 2-1, but are still top of the table with 25 points from 13 matches, the same as Bengaluru, which has a match in hand.