Orlando City vs. Real Salt Lake: How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Match Thread and More

Welcome to your open thread for today’s match-up between Orlando City and Real Salt Lake (I’ve been waiting forever to type that line!). It’s the lone meeting of the season, and only the second time the two clubs have met as MLS foes. You may recall the Lions drew 1-1 last year on the road down to 10 men after Kaká was sent off at the end of the first half. Today’s game will be played in front of a raucous sellout crowd (or close to it) and the Citrus Bowl will be lit.

Real Salt Lake has already played two competitive matches this season, but won neither, as they bowed out of the CONCACAF Champions League knockout round to Tigres UNAL by a 3-1 aggregate. RSL lost the road opener 2-0 and drew 1-1 at home, where they were more competitive and could have had a better result if not for missing a penalty and hitting the crossbar.

Orlando City is coming off a 4-1-0 preseason, beating Esporte Clube Bahia 6-1 last weekend in the Citrus Bowl on the strength of a tour-de-force performance by center back Seb Hines. The English-American scored four goals with his head off set pieces, all of which were crossed in by a resurgent Kaká. The team has drilled set pieces hard in preseason, trying to augment an offense that sometimes generates a lot of chances but fails to finish them, as Cyle Larin did three times last Saturday.

Midfielder Carlos Rivas (ankle), thought to be out for today, returned to training ahead of schedule and should be available for selection. Adrian Heath said yesterday that Rivas would be a game-day decision. The news is not so good for center back David Mateos (hamstring), who is expected to miss from two to four weeks. That pushes 19-year-old Tommy Redding into the starting lineup next to Hines. Heath confirmed Redding would start.

Tommy Redding will play (today),” Heath said after Saturday’s training session. “We just think he’s very, very good on the ball. He’s an important piece for us coming out of the back. The way they line up, we thought it would be ideal for Tommy to be on the ball and I’ve got no qualms about putting him in. I don’t go along with the age group. If they’re good enough, they’re old enough. They can play. Tommy can play. He’s a very good player and it’s going to be a good opportunity for him.”

Italian midfielder Antonio Nocerino arrived in Orlando on Friday but was ruled out by Heath since he had yet to even take his medical by the end of Friday’s training session. Provided his fitness is as good as expected, Nocerino could play Friday against Chicago.

Here’s your mandatory content to prep for today’s game:

• Austin Siegel’s match preview and final score prediction.
• Brent Petkus has your RSL scouting report.
• This week’s PawedCast previews the match with more staff predictions and an exclusive interview with Orlando City defender Kevin Alston.
• The Intelligence Report also provides info on tonight’s foe from RSL Soapbox’s Matt Montgomery.
• Wade Williams has Orlando City’s three goals for today’s game.

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-3-2-1)

Goalkeeper: Joe Bendik

Defenders: Luke Boden, Seb Hines, Tommy Redding, Rafael Ramos

Defensive Midfielders: Pedro Ribeiro, Servando Carrasco, Darwin Ceren

Attacking Midfielders: Brek Shea, Kevin Molino

Forward: Cyle Larin

Bench: Earl Edwards Jr., Kevin Alston, Aurelien Collin, Harrison Heath, Richie Laryea, Adrian Winter, Hadji Barry.

Real Salt Lake (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Nick Rimando

Defenders: Tony Beltran, Aaron Maund, Jamison Olave, Demar Phillips

Midfielders: Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Sunny Obayan

Forwards: Joao Plata, Yura Movsisyan, Juan Manuel Martinez

Bench: Jeff Attinella, Justen Glad, Chris Wingert, Luke Mulholland, Jordan Allen, Olmes Garcia, Devon Sandoval.

Referees

REF: Chris Penso

AR1: CJ Morgante

AR2: Kevin Klinger

4TH: Robert Sibiga

How to Watch:

Match time: 2p.m. (ET), pregame show starts at 1:30 p.m.

Venue: Citrus Bowl – Orlando, FL

TV: TV27 (locally)

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

Streaming: MLS Live

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.
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