Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions look to bounce back from a tough match in New England when the Union visit.
Welcome to your match thread for a midweek matchup between Orlando City SC (7-5-5, 26 points) and the Philadelphia Union (9-5-3, 30 points) at Exploria Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). This is the second and final regular-season meeting between the Lions and Union in 2023.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
Orlando City is 5-7-5 in the 17 MLS meetings with the Union since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015, and 6-8-5 in all competitions. The Lions are 2-2-3 against the Union at home in league play.
The teams met in Philadelphia back on March 25, with the Lions jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Ivan Angulo and Martin Ojeda. Former Lion Andres Perea pulled one back but the Lions held on for a 2-1 road win. The victory snapped Philadelphia’s incredible 24-match home unbeaten streak.
The Union put the Lions to the sword in the last meeting of 2022, a dominant 5-1 win by Philadelphia on Sept. 10 of last year. That was Orlando’s first match since winning the U.S. Open Cup title three days earlier. Joao Moutinho’s own goal started the scoring and the Union got goals from Mikael Uhre, Daniel Gazdag (penalty), Alejandro Bedoya, and Jack Elliott. Perea, who was then still a Lion, scored for Orlando but the team was trailing by 4-0 at the time. Jose Martinez appeared to headbutt Wilder Cartagena in that match but no call was made.
The Eastern Conference foes met on July 23, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Two controversial video review decisions went against Orlando that night and the Lions were wasteful with their chances in an evenly matched 1-0 Philadelphia win. Gazdag scored the game’s only goal off a set piece.
The teams also met in U.S. Open Cup play on May 10, 2022, with the Lions winning 2-1 at home. Ercan Kara and Perea hoisted Orlando to a 2-0 lead. Stuart Findlay pulled one back late, but the Lions saw it out and advanced.
On Sept. 19, 2021 the Union prevailed 3-1 at Subaru Park, largely due to a brace by Kacper Przybylko after he got away with what appeared a clear elbow to the face of Rodrigo Schlegel. Instead of being sent off and/or conceding a free kick to Orlando City, the Union scored on the ensuing play and went on to win the match. The teams met in Orlando on July 22, 2021 and the Lions got goals by Benji Michel and Perea on the team’s only two shots on target to win 2-1. Przybylko, who had feasted on Orlando since arriving in Philadelphia, pulled one back for the visitors but the Lions hung on.
The teams faced each other in the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament in 2020 in the only meeting to date that did not take place in either side’s home stadium. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after a Mauricio Pereyra goal canceled out a strike by Ilsinho. That draw allowed the Lions to win Group A in the competition and they went on to reach the final.
The Lions and Union tangled in what was then known as Talen Energy Stadium on July 7, 2019, with the teams drawing, 2-2. Dom Dwyer and Santiago Patino brought Orlando back from 1-0 down but Przybylko poached a goal in the 90th to capture a share of the points for the Union. That match was postponed by MLS on the night it was set to take place — a move that Orlando City fought against — and instead was played the next day.
The two teams had met just a few days earlier on July 3, ending in Orlando’s 3-1 home loss against the Union. Chris Mueller and Przybylko swapped goals in the first half before Robin Jansson was sent off just prior to the break. Afterwards, the 10-man Lions gave up two more goals — to Przybylko and Fafa Picault — and then went down another man with Sacha Kljestan seeing red.
The teams drew 2-2 in a wild finish on Sept. 1, 2018 in Orlando. Just when it looked like Picault had lifted the Union to victory with a strike in the 88th minute, Scott Sutter equalized in stoppage time to salvage a point for the Lions. Dwyer and Cory Burke also scored in that match. The Lions prevailed over the Union in Philadelphia on April 13, 2018 by a 2-0 score. Dwyer and Mueller provided the offense. Orlando and Philadelphia also met that season in U.S. Open Cup play, with the Union capturing a 1-0 home win back on July 18, 2018 on a goal by Alejandro Bedoya.
The teams split their two matches in 2017, with the home side prevailing both times. The Lions won 2-1 at Orlando City Stadium on March 18. The rematch was an ugly 6-1 Philadelphia win in the season finale for both teams.
The Lions were 1-1-1 against Philadelphia in 2016. The team’s first road victory in the series came on Oct. 16, 2016, as the Lions roared, 2-0. The teams played to a 2-2 draw on May 25 in Orlando. Tranquillo Barnetta’s free kick gave Philly a 2-1 win.
Orlando drew 0-0 at home and lost on the road, 1-0 (on a penalty kick), against Philadelphia in 2015.
Overview
Orlando City enters tonight’s match looking to start another positive streak after the New England Revolution snapped the Lions’ six-game unbeaten run in Saturday’s 3-1 loss in Foxborough, MA. Orlando is 3-3-3 at home this season and looking to climb above .500 at Exploria Stadium for the first time since opening night. The Lions are 2-0-2 in their last four home games, including a 2-0 win over the Colorado Rapids in their most recent game in the Purple Palace.
Although Orlando will get Kyle Smith and Antonio Carlos back from suspension, there are still key players out on international duty — Facundo Torres played Tuesday night for Uruguay and Pedro Gallese and Cartagena have a long trip back after playing for Peru in Japan on Tuesday.
Philadelphia enters tonight coming off a weekend off following a 2-1 road loss at San Jose 11 days ago. The Union are 3-4-1 on the road in 2023, however, Philly had won three straight on the road and was unbeaten in four prior to visiting the Earthquakes. Only three Eastern Conference teams have scored more goals than Philadelphia’s 28, yet only three Eastern teams have conceded fewer than the 17 goals the Union have allowed.
Typically the Union like to deploy in a 4-4-2 diamond formation under Jim Curtin. Gazdag is the key man as he can both score and turn provider for others. Julian Carranza is a red-hot striker and the back line will be tested when it comes to keeping tabs on him. Uhre is another danger man that Orlando City must always keep under wraps. On the other end, the stout Union back line is intact and is going to be difficult to break down, while Kai Wagner will present a threat on crosses.
“We don’t have too much time. We’ve been doing our recovery and giving the data in how to prepare for the game against Philadelphia,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “The boys are going to be fine, and we’re going to be in front of our fans and taking the game at home and trying to get a result. We will be prepared for it.”
Orlando City will be without internationals Torres, Cartagena, Gallese and Wilfredo Rivera, as well as Adam Grinwis (concussion protocol) and Abdi Salim (knee), while Gaston Gonzalez (thigh) remains questionable. Perea (illness) will be out for Philadelphia and starting goalkeeper Andre Blake will likely miss the match due to international duty as he’ll report to the Jamaican Men’s National Team for the Gold Cup.
Match Content
- Our Intelligence Report features insight into the Union from Joe Lister of the independent Philadelphia blog, Philadelphia Soccer Now.
- The most recent PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s game, and a Union preview with Philadelphia Soccer Now Managing Editor Matt Ralph.
Official Lineups:
Orlando City (4-2-3-1),
Goalkeeper: Mason Stajduhar.
Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, Kyle Smith.
Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Felipe.
Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, Martin Ojeda.
Forward: Duncan McGuire.
Bench: Javier Otero, Luca Petrasso, Rodrigo Schlegel, Juninho, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Gaston Gonzalez, Favian Loyola, Ramiro Enrique, Ercan Kara.
Philadelphia Union (4-4-2 diamond)
Goalkeeper: Joe Bendik.
Defenders: Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Olivier Mbaizo.
Midfielders: Jose Martinez, Jack McGlynn, Leon Flach, Joaquin Torres.
Forwards: Michael Uhre, Julian Carranza.
Bench: Holden Trent, Nathan Harriel, Matthew Real, Brandan Craig, Jesus Bueno, Quinn Sullivan, Alejandro Bedoya, Jeremy Rafanello, Chris Donovan.
Referees:
REF: Alex Chilowicz.
AR1: Andrew Bigelow.
AR2: Kevin Klinger.
4TH: Marcos DeOliveira.
VAR: Jair Marrufo.
AVAR: Fabio Tovar.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Exploria Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.
Radio: FM 96.9 The Game (English), Accion 97.9 FM and 810 AM (Spanish).
Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).
Enjoy the match. Go City!