Orlando City vs. New York City FC, Round 2: How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Open Thread, Lineups and More

Welcome to your open thread for Orlando City SC at New York City FC at 2:30 p.m. The Lions will look to stop the bleeding of their recent run of results. Orlando is 0-3-1 in the last four competitive matches, including 0-2-1 in MLS play. Adrian Heath has the day off after being ejected last Saturday night against New York Red Bulls and Mark Watson will manage the Lions today.

City (6-8-6, 24 points) will be without Cristian Higuita, who is out on yellow card suspension. That presents options for Adrian Heath, who could go with Lewis Neal in that slot or newcomer Servando Carrasco, or he could change the shape of the team. At least Cyle Larin won his red card appeal so he’ll be available for selection, and we’re hearing forward Martin Paterson is also ready to get back on the pitch.

For NYCFC (5-9-6, 21 points), Mix Diskerud didn’t play for the USMNT yesterday so he could be in the 18 or even start this match for our fellow expansioneers. But the mythical Frank Lampard will not be in the 18. It’s anyone’s guess whether Andrea Pirlo will make his debut after arriving in the U.S. just days ago. Ned Grabavoy and Jason Hernandez are suspended for New York City.

Orlando entered the weekend sixth in the Eastern Conference, just three points ahead of ninth-place New York City FC. It's the first trip to Yankee Stadium for the Lions. The teams met just once this season thus far, drawing 1-1 on opening day March 8, when Kaká equalized on a free kick in stoppage time for 10-man City. Today's referee, Alan Kelly, is the same guy who called that game.

Here's your mandatory content for today's game:

• Andrew Marcinko’s match preview and prediction
• This week’s PawedCastt includes predictions from me and Kevin Mercer.
• Scott Crumbly looks at whether the narrow pitch at Yankee Stadium will affect the Lions.
• Austin Siegel’s look at the man who will replace Adrian Heath today.

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Tally Hall

Defenders: Sean St. Ledger, Seb Hines, Aurelien Collin

Midfielders: Corey Ashe, Darwin Ceren, Servando Carrasco, Eric Avila

Forwards: Carlos Rivas, Cyle Larin, Kaká

Bench: Earl Edwards Jr., Tommy Redding, Luke Boden, Pedro Ribeiro, Estrela, Bryan Rochez, Martin Paterson

New York City FC (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Josh Saunders

Defenders: Angelino, Shay Facey, Chris Wingert, Andoni Iraola

Defensive Midfielders: Mehdi Ballouchy, Andrew Jacobson

Attacking Midfielders:Javier Calle, Kwadwo Poku, Thomas McNamara

Forwards: David Villa,

Bench: Eirik Johansen, RJ Allen, Jefferson Mena, Pablo Alvarez, Andrea Pirlo, Mix Diskerud, Patrick Mullins

Referees

REF: Alan Kelly

AR1: Corey Parker

AR2: Eric Weisbrod

4TH: Robert Sibiga

How to Watch:

Match time: 2:30 p.m. (ET)

Venue: Yankee Stadium – Bronx, NY

TV: FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes (nationally)

Radio: 104.1 FM Real Radio (English), La Grande 1030 (Spanish)

Streaming: FOX Sports Go

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City's official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

Match Thread Rules:

This is your live thread for posting comments on the match. So use our comments section below to talk about the game in real time with other supporters. If you're new, welcome to our happy home! While you're here, please observe a few basic rules:

• Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They can get us in trouble, and no one wants that.
• Try not to be “that guy” who spews nothing but venom and hate for the team. It’s ok to be critical, and, let’s face it, sometimes even the best teams can be frustrating to watch, but being overly negative relentlessly can sap the enjoyment for others.
• Keep it somewhat clean and fair when criticizing players / officials. You never know who might be reading.
• Do unto others in the match thread, the way you would have others do unto you. We are a fun community and want to keep it this way. We have a moderator, but we’d rather let him enjoy the game instead of having to play babysitter.
• Finally, we don’t have a rule against profanity but don’t abuse the non-rule. Also, any language that is sexist, racist, or homophobic in nature will be swiftly deleted and you may lose posting privileges. We’re all in this together.