The home side looked doomed to defeat after Mix Diskerud's opener and the dismissal of Aurelien Collin - but their Brazilian superstar earned them a share of the spoils
Kaka netted a last-gasp equaliser as 10-man Orlando City claimed a dramatic 1-1 draw with New York City in Sunday's battle of the MLS newcomers in Florida.
The hosts had the better of a dire first half but struggled to create any clear-cut openings - despite the best efforts of former Ballon d'Or winner Kaka.
NYCFC grew into the game and took the lead with 14 minutes remaining courtesy of a fine strike from Mix Diskerud, who had been set up by David Villa.
However, they were denied victory in the dying seconds when Kaka's deflected free-kick dribbled past the unfortunate Josh Saunders, who had looked unbeatable up until that point.
Orlando started the better of the two, dominating possession in the early exchanges - but without ever really threatening to open the scoring.
Indeed, the best the hosts could muster during a first half devoid of anything resembling a highlight was a shot from Carlos Rivas that was deflected wide and a decent effort from Kaka that was parried away to safety by Saunders.
Saunders continued to repel what little Orlando could throw at him in the second half, which was remarkable for the fact that the goalkeeper looked set to be forced off 15 minutes into the game with a nasty gash to his head, after being sent crashing into the post by Seb Hines as the two competed for a Lewis Neal cross to the back post.
The shot stopper pulled off a finger-tip save from Kevin Molino just after the break and was then left requiring treatment once again when the wound on his head reopened midway through the second half.
Saundes' heroics clearly inspired those around him because Shelton flashed a shot wide of the Orlando goal before NYCFC sensationally broke the deadlock in the 76th minute.
Spain icon David Villa had a hand in the goal, poking the ball in the direction of Diskerud, but it was all about the finish, with the 24-year-old curling home a sublime right-footed shot from just inside the area.
Having dominated the majority of the game, Orlando's frustration at having fallen behind was understandable. However, Aurelien Collin's reaction was not, with the French defender quite rightly seeing red for a dreadfully high lunge on Villa.
Orlando looked dead and buried but they earned themselves a free-kick in the second minute of injury time and Kaka's deflected strike left poor Saunders with no chance.
