The story was two red cards in the first half of the game forced both teams to play a man down.
The story was Orlando City couldn't pull it together after the ejection of midfielder Darwin Cerén, a call many watching the replay questioned.
That's what the story was until the Lions pulled off the near-impossible, scoring two goals in extra time to tie Real Salt Lake 2-2 in their season opener Sunday at the Citrus Bowl.
What if those goals never happened?
The game was physical from the start, with Orlando City controlling the flow and time of possession early.