Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Nashville SC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions face a massive challenge on the road while looking to solidify home field in the postseason.

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8 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to your match thread for a Wednesday night matchup between Orlando City (15-7-9, 54 points) and Nashville SC (12-9-9, 45 points) at Geodis Park (8:30 p.m., FS1, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). It’s the second and final regular-season meeting of 2023 between the two sides.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the match.

History

The Lions are 1-2-4 against Nashville in MLS matches and 1-3-5 in all competitions. Orlando is 0-0-3 on the road in the series in league play. The teams last met back on April 1 at Exploria Stadium and it was the visitors who made a fool of the Lions, as Nashville won, 2-0. Fafa Picault and Hany Mukhtar did the damage for Nashville.

The teams did not meet in regular-season play last year, meeting only in the U.S. Open Cup in Orlando on June 29, 2022. Mukhtar scored in the second half, and that looked like it would be enough until Rodrigo Schlegel equalized deep in stoppage time. After a scoreless 30 minutes of extra time, the Lions won the ensuing penalty shootout, 6-4.

They met in the 2021 postseason in Tennessee, with Orlando scoring first through Daryl Dike’s early goal, but Nashville won 3-1 on Nov. 23, 2021 to knock the Lions out of the playoffs. Mukhtar tied it up before halftime on a fluky deflected goal off of Antonio Carlos and then put his team up in the 74th minute on a counter attack. Jhonder Cadiz put things away deep in stoppage time.

The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 3, 2021 and ended in a 1-1 draw after referee Allen Chapman’s Halloween Heist chalked off Andres Perea’s apparent stoppage-time winner. The referee’s excuse for overturning the goal was an imagined foul on Dike, who, if anything, was the fouled party. The decision cost the Lions a valuable home playoff match, which instead sent Orlando to Nashville. Mukhtar scored for Nashville to equalize in the second half after Dike’s first-half goal.

The teams met in Nashville on Sept. 29, 2021 with a late rally by the Lions earning the team a 2-2 road draw at Nissan Stadium. The hosts had taken a 2-0 lead on goals by Mukhtar — scoring off the rebound of his own saved penalty — and Randall Leal, but a penalty by Dike and a stoppage-time own goal by Brian Anunga turned the game around. On Aug. 18 of that season, the teams finished in another 1-1 draw. C.J. Sapong put the hosts ahead in the first half and Carlos leveled the score in the second half. The Lions, who played poorly in the opening 45, were the better team throughout the second half and Tesho Akindele’s shot off the crossbar was inches from providing a winner for Orlando.

The teams met on Decision Day of 2020 at Exploria Stadium, with Orlando melting down late, allowing two goals from the 88th minute on, and falling 3-2 at home on Nov. 8, 2020 — the team’s only home loss on the season. Dike and Nani goals sandwiched a strike by Daniel Lovitz, giving the Lions a lead until late. Headers by Mukhtar (in the 88th minute) and Cadiz (in the 93rd minute) turned the game on its head.

In the Lions’ first trip to Nissan Stadium, the teams played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 2, 2020. Benji Michel put the Lions ahead with a stunner of a goal, but Leal knotted things up and that’s the way the match ended.

That 1-1 draw came a week after a 3-1 Orlando City win on Aug. 26 at Exploria Stadium. Dave Romney had opened the scoring for Nashville with a header off a free kick but Orlando scored the last three. Dike took a star turn for Orlando City, scoring a brace, and Chris Mueller also scored for the Lions.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 3-0 home win on Saturday against a reeling CF Montreal side. Dagur Dan Thorhallson and Facundo Torres scored to go along with a Jonathan Sirois own goal off a Torres shot that deflected off of the post, him, and then in. That win snapped a two-game winless skid (0-1-1). Orlando City has been solid on the road throughout 2023, with a record of 7-4-4 away from Exploria Stadium, but the Lions did lose their most recent road game at New York City FC on Sept. 20.

Nashville SC has had an inconsistent season but has found its form just in time to host Orlando City. The Tennessee-based club is coming off a 0-0 home draw against Seattle on Saturday, and Nashville is unbeaten in five straight matches, although four of those were draws (1-0-4). Nashville is a solid 8-2-4 at home this season, 1-0-3 in all competitions in its last four home matches, and hasn’t lost a game at Geodis Park in MLS play since July 12 against the Philadelphia Union.

Tonight’s hosts have given Orlando City fits, mostly by playing lockdown defense (they’ve conceded the fewest goals in the league this season, with just 28) and having Mukhtar torturing the Lions on the break. The German-Sudanese Designated Player has plagued Orlando City since arriving in MLS. Mukhtar has four goals and five assists against the Lions in seven career matches (six starts). You should never bet your house on anything, but if you did, betting on Mukhtar to have a goal contribution against the Lions seems a near certainty.

The Lions must look for ways to break down Nashville’s elite defense, while concentrating for the entire 90+ minutes to not give up the ball in dangerous areas. Orlando City will need to be vigilant to guard against quick restarts on free kicks and be alert to balls over the top into space. This will be a huge test for Schlegel, while the fullbacks will also need to be wary to prevent balls into the box to Mukhtar, Picault, Teal Bunbury, and Jacob Shaffelburg. Orlando will also have to challenge set pieces with strength, as U.S. international defender Walker Zimmerman is great in the air.

“It’s true that we’ve come out from a tremendous victory. [We have] the responsibility to keep going and continuing this week that has important matches against Nashville [SC] and New England [Revolution], rivals that are in the same area in the standings as us, and just ambitioning to go and qualify with a home advantage for the playoffs,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “We’re good in the same mode, training and preparing. Just being very efficient in how we use the couple trainings that we have, recovering the players, and that’s where we are right now.”

Orlando City will be without reserves Adam Grinwis (thigh) and Favian Loyola (arm), while starting center back Carlos (lower leg) remains questionable. Nashville lists Nick DePuy (lower body) as out and Lukas MacNaughton (lower body) as questionable.

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith.

Defensive Midfielders: Wilder Cartagena, Cesar Araujo.

Attacking Midfielders: Martin Ojeda, Mauricio Pereyra, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Duncan McGuire.

Bench: Mason Stajduhar, Luca Petrasso, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Antonio Carlos, Felipe, Junior Urso, Gaston Gonzalez, Ivan Angulo, Ramiro Enrique.

Nashville SC (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Joe Willis.

Defenders: Daniel Lovitz, Jack Maher, Walker Zimmerman.

Midfielders: Fafa Picault, Brian Anunga, Anibal Godoy, Alex Muyl, Randall Leal.

Forwards: Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge.

Bench: Elliot Panicco, Taylor Washington, Josh Bauer, Luke Haakenson, Dax McCarty, Sean Davis, Teal Bunbury, Ethan Zubak, Jacob Shaffelburg.

Referees

REF: Rosendo Mendoza.
AR1: Logan Brown.
AR2: Kevin Lock.
4TH: Nima Saghafi.
VAR: Sorin Stoica.
AVAR: Joshua Patlak.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8:30 p.m.

Venue: Geodis Park — Nashville, TN.

TV/Streaming: FS1, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

Radio: FM 96.9 The Game (English), Acción 97.9 FM, 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 game. Go City!

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