Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was a brick wall on Friday night, putting together perhaps his best performance of the 2022 season so far. While it wasn’t enough to earn Orlando a result against FC Cincinnati, he did earn Heineken Man of the Match honors for his exemplary effort.
Gallese made multiple highlight-reel saves on the night. His first came on a Nick Hagglund volley in the 14th minute, reacting with lightning speed to keep the game scoreless.
After a strong stop on an Álvaro Barreal strike in the 38th minute that went out for a corner, Gallese again stonewalled Hagglund when the Cincinnati defender found himself with a free header on the set piece.
El Pulpo was called into action again early in the second half, denying United States Men’s National Team hopeful Brandon Vazquez’s swift header at the near post.
Gallese made eight total saves on the night, by far his highest mark of the 2022 season. He connected on 17 of 20 passes, terrific accuracy for any goalkeeper (as the position often involves difficult long passes), and even found time to successfully dribble two Cincinnati players.
