Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
Orlando City looks to finish the homestand strong with a trip to Salt Lake City looming.
Welcome to your match thread for an Independence Day night matchup between Orlando City (8-5-7, 31 points) and Toronto FC (3-8-10, 19 points) at Exploria Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). It’s the first of the two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals this season. The Lions will make the return trip to Toronto on Decision Day (Oct. 21).
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.
History
Toronto leads the all-time series, 8-6-3, but the Lions swept the season series last year. Orlando City is 4-4-0 at home in league play but 5-4-0 against the Reds in league play at Exploria Stadium due to Toronto “hosting” the Lions in a match during the Canadian team’s pandemic exile in 2021. Orlando is currently on its longest ever unbeaten run in the series, compiling a 4-0-2 record in the last six meetings.
Orlando City romped 4-0 over the Reds in the most recent meeting, last Sept. 17 at Exploria Stadium. Facundo Torres, Ercan Kara, and Tesho Akindele scored for the Lions to go along with a Lukas MacNaughton own goal. The Lions also won the most recent meeting at BMO Field, 1-0, thanks to a 92nd-minute goal from Kyle Smith on May 14, 2022. Smith flicked a header from a corner kick cross inside the far post to lift the Lions to victory.
The Lions went 2-0-1 in three meetings with Toronto FC in 2021. The teams played to a 1-1 draw at BMO Field on July 17, 2021. Jozy Altidore came off the bench to score the opener but Nani equalized from the penalty spot minutes later. Benji Michel drew the penalty, which was originally ruled a foul on the Orlando winger but was overturned after video review by referee Marcos de Oliveira.
The other Toronto “home match” in the 2021 season series came on June 19 at Exploria Stadium as the Reds dealt with pandemic restrictions in Canada that forced the team to play home games in the United States. Orlando City built a 2-0 early lead on goals by Akindele and Nani, only to see Toronto tie the match by halftime on goals by Ayo Akinola and Jonathan Osorio. Junior Urso scored late to lift the Lions to a 3-2 victory. The teams first met that year on May 22, with Orlando City claiming a 1-0 win on Akindele’s goal.
The teams did not play in 2020 due to the pandemic affecting the schedule. Prior to the MLS stoppage for the pandemic, the teams met most recently in Toronto on Aug. 10, 2019 with the Lions grabbing a point at BMO Field in a 1-1 draw. Michel opened the scoring in the 69th minute but the Reds equalized off a scramble following a set piece in the 77th. The other matchup between the sides that season came on May 4, 2019, when the Reds walked out of Orlando with a 2-0 win on goals by Osorio and Jay Chapman.
The teams split their season series in 2018. Orlando City captured a 2-1 win at home in James O’Connor’s first home game as head coach of the Lions on July 14, 2018. Chris Schuler and Dom Dwyer staked City to a 2-0 lead and Nick Hagglund ruined the shutout in the 94th minute off a Sebastian Giovinco free kick delivery. The 2018 meeting in Toronto saw the Reds get a 2-1 win at BMO Field on Ryan Telfer’s 87th-minute goal.
Toronto shredded Orlando in a 3-1 win on July 5, 2017. Altidore and Giovinco combined to score Toronto’s three goals. Carlos Rivas gave Orlando a consolation goal. In the first meeting of 2017, Orlando out-possessed, out-shot, and out-passed the hosts, and played like the better team on the night. However, the Lions could not overcome a two-goal deficit and Giovinco’s first-half brace led Toronto to a 2-1 win.
The Lions got their first victory in the series on June 25, 2016, winning 3-2 at Camping World Stadium. Kaká scored from the spot in the 10th minute of stoppage time to win it. Cyle Larin and Adrian Winter each gave OCSC leads in the game, only to see Jordan Hamilton and Justin Morrow equalize until the captain’s late winner. The Reds took the second 2016 matchup in Orlando with a 2-1 victory, scoring in the 86th minute through Altidore. Tosaint Ricketts gave Toronto an early lead but the Lions fought back on a Larin goal. The teams also drew 0-0 on Sept. 28 of that year, with Toronto able to fend off the Lions with 10 men over the final 20 minutes of the match.
In 2015, Toronto took home all nine points in the three meetings, beating Orlando by a combined score of 11-1.
Overview
Orlando City played just four nights ago, winning at home, 3-1 over the Chicago Fire. It was one of the Lions’ better performances of the year and was marred only by conceding a penalty in the second half. Facundo Torres scored a brace and enters on fire, with five goals and an assist in his last four league games. Orlando is unbeaten in its last three games (1-0-2) and has a decent six-match home unbeaten streak going (3-0-3). That has allowed City to produce a 4-3-4 home record in 2023.
Toronto enters tonight 0-3-3 in its last six matches and 0-6-4 on the road in 2023. The Reds fired manager Bob Bradley on June 26 and did not get an immediate new coach bump in their first post-Bradley match, a 1-0 loss at home to Real Salt Lake on Saturday. All of those numbers seem pretty scary when you know Orlando City’s recent history against struggling teams. To make matters worse, the Lions have never won on the Fourth of July, going 0-2-1 (0-1-0 at home).
Orlando’s assignment tonight will be stopping the Italians. Toronto has invested in Italian imports, who have apparently won their power struggle against Bradley. Attackers Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne have combined for six goals and seven assists between them this season. Each has three goals, which is tied with Deandre Kerr for the club lead. Bernardeschi is also tied with Jonathan Osorio for the team lead in assists, with four, while Insigne is just behind with three. Toronto has also added C.J. Sapong this season and he’s got a history of scoring goals against Orlando.
“It’s always good to train and prepare when you are coming off a win because it raises our confidence,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “Obviously, the expectations for this game [against Toronto FC] are much higher, but we try to develop a culture of being serious and professional in preparation despite any contest. We look good and the team looks good, and we are looking forward to the next one.”
Orlando City will be without Michael Halliday (thigh), Gaston Gonzalez (thigh), Adam Grinwis (concussion protocol), and Abdi Salim (knee).
Toronto has a long availability report. According to their game notes, the Reds will be without Michael Bradley (lower body), Adama Diomande (lower body), Cristian Gutierrez (lower body), Matt Hedges (lower body), Sigurd Rosted (lower body), and Victor Vazquez (lower body). Yep, all lower body injuries. Can you hear my eyes rolling as I type this? Toronto will also be missing Sean Johnson, Osorio, and Tomas Romero to international duty. Insigne is listed as questionable with (say it with me) a lower body injury.
Match Content
- Our Intelligence Report provides more information about the Reds from Tomas Karageorgos from Toronto blog Waking the Red.
- The latest episode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and final score predictions.
Official Lineups
Orlando City (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.
Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, Kyle Smith.
Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.
Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, Facundo Torres.
Forward: Duncan McGuire.
Bench: Mason Stajduhar, Luca Petrasso, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Felipe, Favian Loyola, Martin Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique, Ercan Kara.
Toronto (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Greg Ranjitsingh.
Defenders: Raoul Petretta, Aime Mabika, Shane O’Neill, Kobe Franklin.
Midfielders: Alonso Coello, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Brandon Servania, Federico Bernardeschi.
Forwards: Ayo Akinola, Kosi Thompson.
Bench: Luka Gavran, Lazar Stefanovic, Adam Pearlman, Themi Antonoglou, Jesus Batiz, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Hugo Mbongue, Jordan Perruzza, C.J. Sapong.
Referees
REF: Guido Gonzales Jr.
AR1: Jeremy Kieso.
AR2: Adam Garner.
4TH: Elvis Osmanovic.
VAR: Jon Freemon.
AVAR: Jozef Batko.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30p.m. ET.
Venue: Exploria Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.
Radio: FM 96.9 The Game (English), Acción 97.9 FM (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!