Orlando City vs Nashville SC: Three Keys to Victory

Orlando City is back home in Exploria Stadium Saturday night to take on Nashville SC following a fantastic road win against the Philadelphia Union. The Lions are once again on a normal week’s rest and if the crowd at Exploria can be bigger than that for the USMNT match against El Salvador on Monday night, the place should be rocking. Nashville is back in the Eastern Conference, and those points matter all the more.

Here are the things that the Lions need to do to secure three points against Nashville this weekend in Exploria Stadium.

Oh-Hey-Da Man Can Score

Martin Ojeda has two goals in the last two matches for the Lions. Can Orlando City’s newest Designated Player keep it going? If he can, he’ll be the first to score in three consecutive games since Daryl Dike did it back in 2021. Ojeda was brought in to bolster the offense, and that means goal contributions like the last two matches. He was a big part of the win last week and will need to provide more this week.

The match against the Union was also the first match Orlando City scored more than one goal. The Lions need to keep that going as the offense starts to settle in. If it’s not Ojeda, then give me a goal from Duncan McGuire, or another from Ivan Angulo. Heck, give me all three! One-goal wins are still wins, but they don’t always help the goal differential.

Bar Hany Mukhtar

2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP winner Hany Mukhtar has a habit of scoring goals against Orlando City. The Nashville midfielder has five goals and four assists against the Lions. That kind of production feels personal, and Cesar Araujo needs to put him in his pocket. 

Of course, it’s not up to just one defender. The fullbacks, center backs, and anyone else that can help within the rules should do so. Funny enough, Mukhtar doesn’t have a goal this season so far, though he does have two assists. He has eight shots, with three on goal, and it would be just like him to open his 2023 account against Orlando City. Stopping him from doing so is crucial to earning all three points.

Process the Emotion

A Nashville area private school was the latest to deal with the all-too-often tragedy of a school shooting. I’m not going to go into my thoughts on the larger issue here, but suffice to say I’m sick of the inaction by lawmakers to address this problem. I’ll let Nashville’s Dax McCarty do so instead.

It isn’t a stretch to say that Nashville’s players will almost certainly be affected by this devastating attack in their city. I expect them to play over their heads for this match as a result, and Orlando City needs to be ready for it. The Orlando City community is no stranger to such acts of violence, as I’m certain you all remember the Pulse nightclub shootings, and the match that followed. 

At the end of the day, this is just a soccer match, but the players from both clubs will need to focus on the job at hand. I’m certain they will be able to do so, and I ask that everyone in attendance shows some class and respect for the Nashville players dealing with this horrible event. I know we can do so as a part of the larger soccer community.

That is what I will be looking for as the Lions defend Exploria Stadium against Mukhtar and The Music — again with the nickname that I didn’t know. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.