Orlando City

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

The Lions close out the regular season with a Decision Day trip to Toronto.

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7 months ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to your match thread for a Decision Day matchup between Orlando City (17-7-9, 60 points) and Toronto FC (4-19-10, 22 points) at BMO Field (6 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+ (free)). It’s the second of the two scheduled meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals this season.

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

History

Toronto leads the all-time series, 8-7-3, but the Lions have won the last three meetings and swept the season series last year. Orlando City is 2-4-3 on the road in the all-time series, however, one of those two “road” wins took place at Exploria Stadium during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. The only win at BMO Field came last year. Orlando is currently on its longest ever unbeaten run in the series, compiling a 5-0-2 record in the last seven meetings.

The most recent meeting came back on July 4, with Orlando City putting the Reds to the sword on Independence Day, beating the Canadian side, 4-0. Cesar Araujo, Duncan McGuire, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, and Ercan Kara scored for the Lions and Toronto finished with 10 men after Federico Bernardeschi was shown his second yellow card just past the hour mark.

Orlando City also romped 4-0 over the Reds in the previous meeting, last Sept. 17 at Exploria Stadium. Facundo Torres, Kara, and Tesho Akindele scored for the Lions to go along with a Lukas MacNaughton own goal. The Lions won on May 14, 2022 at BMO Field, 1-0, thanks to a 92nd-minute goal from Kyle Smith, who 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

Both teams are coming off the international break. Orlando City last played two weeks ago at home, beating the New England Revolution, 3-2, in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. The Lions were red hot entering the FIFA window, going 7-1-2 since they were eliminated from Leagues Cup competition. Orlando City is 8-4-4 on the road in MLS matches in 2023, and have clinched at least a share of the league’s best road record this season. A win or a draw, or a loss or draw by Real Salt Lake, would see the Lions finish tops in Major League Soccer away from home.

To say Toronto has sputtered since that July 4 meeting would be an incredible understatement. The Reds are coming off a 3-0 loss to New York Red Bulls two weeks ago and have gone 1-10-0 since losing in Orlando on the Fourth of July. Toronto is 4-6-6 at home in 2023, getting all four of its victories and six of its 10 draws on its home patch.

I expect the Reds to get a psychological boost for their home finale. Former Canadian Men’s National Team coach John Herdman will be on the bench for his first match at the helm of TFC. Additionally, Toronto FC will want to send off captain Michael Bradley into retirement on a winning note. It will be an emotional night at BMO Field for the hosts.

Meanwhile, the Lions have nothing much to play for, aside from adding a win and three points to their season total. Win, lose, or draw, Orlando City is locked into second place in the Eastern Conference (and all of MLS). The Lions may rotate some squad to give some guys nursing minor knocks an extra week to heal up.

Orlando’s assignment tonight will be managing Toronto FC’s emotions at the start of the match and stopping the Italians. Toronto has invested in Italian imports, who have apparently won their power struggle against former manager Bob Bradley. Attackers Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne have combined for nine of the club’s 26 goals, and they have also combined for nine assists between them this season. Deandre Kerr has scored five goals, while Jonathan Osorio has four goals and six assists to his credit.

“We are preparing the game as usual with a great responsibility to keep adding points,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “Regardless of our position not being affected, it’s a good opportunity to play another good game and to continue with the momentum [we’ve built]. At this time, we are equating the possibility to rotate a couple of players. We are good, we will take the best out of the game, and be ready for the playoffs.”

Orlando City will be without backup midfielder Favian Loyola (arm), while backup goalkeeper Adam Grinwis (thigh) is questionable. Toronto will be without Adama Diomande (lower body), Sigurd Rosted (lower body), and Brandon Servania (ACL). The Reds also list goalkeepers Sean Johnson (hand surgery) and Greg Ranjitsingh (knee surgery) as questionable.

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Mason Stajduhar.

Defenders: Luca Petrasso, Rodrigo Schlegel, Antonio Carlos, Michael Halliday.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Felipe.

Attacking Midfielders: Gaston Gonzalez, Junior Urso, Martin Ojeda.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Adam Grinwis, Kyle Smith, Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Mauricio Pereyra, Facundo Torres, Ivan Angulo, Duncan McGuire.

Toronto (3-5-2)

Goalkeeper: Sean Johnson.

Defenders: Aime Mabika, Michael Bradley Shane O’Neill.

Wingbacks & Midfielders: Cristian Gutierrez, Jonathan Osorio, Raoul Petretta, Lorenzo Insigne, Kobe Franklin.

Forwards: Osei Owusu, Federico Bernardeschi.

Bench: Luka Gavran, Themi Antonoglou, Alonso Coello, Victor Vazquez, Latif Blessing, Cassius Mailula, Deandre Kerr, Hugo Mbongue, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty.

Referees

REF: Mathieu Souare.
AR1: Chantal Boudreau.
AR2: Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho.
4TH: Pierre-Luc Lauziere.
VAR: Kevin Terry Jr.
AVAR: Rene Parra.

How to Watch

Match Time: 6 p.m.

Venue: BMO Field — Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+ (free).

Radio: Real Radio 104.1 FM (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 match. Go City!

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