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Orlando City vs. Cavalry FC, Concacaf Champions Cup: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Sweep Canadian Shield Winners

Lions blast Cavalry FC 6-1 on aggregate across the two legs to advance in Concacaf Champions Cup.

Published

7 months ago

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Nicolas Lodeiro, Ramiro Enrique, and Kyle Smith provided the offense as Orlando City defeated Cavalry FC 3-1 at home in the second leg of the first-round Concacaf Champions Cup series. Orlando City advances to the round of 16. Myer Bevan scored for Cavalry FC to hand the Canadian side their first-ever goal in the competition, spoiling a repeat of last week’s 3-0 result. Orlando advances 6-1 on aggregate across the two legs.

It was the first home win in the continental tournament for Orlando and the team advanced for the first time as well. The Lions will take on Tigres UANL in a rematch of last year’s first-round series.

“I thought the way (Cavalry) battled the game and they complicated things for us was remarkable,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “It was difficult to get the rhythm, knowing that we wanted to keep the same intensity and the same level and the same aggressiveness, and being fine in the last third as we all committed to. As the game went on, we found better timings to do it. Then, finally, in the second half we found the goal that kind of released a little bit of the anxiousness we had.”

Pareja rotated his squad heavily for this match, starting Homegrown goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Rodrigo Schlegel, Smith, and Michael Halliday. Wilder Cartagena and Felipe started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Shak Mohammed, Martin Ojeda, and Enrique with new Designated Player Luis Muriel up top.

With the Lions entering at +3 on aggregate and playing a lot of young players, it’s no surprise that the first half was a bit sleepy. The first look at goal in the match came nine minutes in when Enrique directed a weak header on at Cavalry goalkeeper Marco Carducci off Ojeda’s corner kick.

Muriel was active in his first action with Orlando, directing a header on frame in the 14th minute and nearly scoring a fantastic goal a minute later. The Colombian dribbled through the Cavalry defense from midfield in transition. Upon entering the box, two defenders closed him down. Muriel still managed to direct a shot on goal but Carducci was able to make a sprawling save.

Orlando should have scored in the 17th minute. Ojeda made a slick move in the box to get past a sliding defender. He crossed for Halliday but the young fullback muffed his first touch and sent the ball wide of the left post. There was a video review for a possible Cavalry handball but no penalty was given.

Enrique was active but had a wasteful first half. He tried to inside-out a shot at the near post in the 22nd minute but missed the target.

The visitors almost snatched the lead in the 27th minute. A corner kick cross found its way to Charlie Trafford through traffic. Trafford’s header skipped just wide of the right post and the game remained scoreless.

Muriel fired just wide of the left post in the 29th after Orlando turned the visitors over in their own end. Three minutes later, Enrique tried an ambitious one-timer from a tight angle on the right but hit it right at Carducci. There were better options for the Argentine on the play. Enrique then got to a Halliday cross in the 36th minute but headed it right at Carducci. That was the last good look of the half.

At the half, Orlando led on the stat sheet but neither side had a goal. The Lions held the advantage in possession (51.4%-48.6%), shots (8-3), shots on target (4-0), passing accuracy (88.7%-86.3%), and corners (3-1).

“Against Montreal it took us a while in the first half to get some rhythm. I know the boys don’t want me to make any excuse, and I won’t do it, but today with kind of the same start, I would like to review, because we don’t want it to happen. But after that I thought we got the rhythm. And the break of the half, we just calmed the team down a little. I told them we have to settle first. Let’s not try to do super advanced things if we’re not doing the simple ones. Let’s do the simple ones first and just let the game come.”

Pareja subbed on Lodeiro and Cesar Araujo for Mohammed and Cartagena to start the second half. The Lions nearly scored just seconds after the restart when they turned Cavalry over in front of goal, but Ojeda’s shot was blocked behind for a corner.

Orlando finally broke the deadlock near the end of the 48th minute. Muriel ended up with the ball on the right and cut toward the middle. Spotting Lodeiro to his left, he dropped a pass off for the veteran midfielder, who fired off the left post and in to make it 1-0. It was Lodeiro’s first goal and Muriel’s first assist with the Lions.

“It was a play where we were able to recover the ball, and then first thing that we did was try and look to get in on goal,” Muriel said through a club interpreter. “The goalkeeper picked up his head and was able to shut that door. But then Nico was calling for me. I heard him calling for me to pass him the ball, and he’s a great player, and seeing him inside was was great. And he was able to get that goal. So, it was a beautiful play, and I’m happy for the way things went, because up until that point, it was a complicated game.”

“It’s always nice when guys can come in and contribute right off the get-go,” said Stajduhar, the longest tenured Lion. “So, it was nice to see Nico get that goal today and Luis getting assists. So, the fact that they’re already contributing and playing well is going to be a good sign for the group going forward.”

Stajduhar was forced into a save on Bevan in the 53rd minute from a tough angle. He should have handled it better but spilled it out for a corner. Fortunately for the Lions, the visitors could do nothing with the set piece.

Moments later, Daan Klomp was booked for taking down Muriel who was breaking in transition the other way for Orlando.

Eryk Kobza tried his luck from outside the area in the 57th minute but didn’t get his effort on target. A minute later, Carducci did well on a 1-v-1 save to deny Enrique, who was judged offside anyway after the shot.

Ojeda had a takeaway at the hour mark and started the break. Enrique picked out Lodeiro entering the box but his first touch was poor and the veteran chipped over the net from a tough angle on the right.

Bevan pulled a goal back for Cavalry in the 65th minute. Halliday couldn’t keep the cross from fizzing through the box from Stajduhar’s right. Schlegel had the opposing forward covered but didn’t make the play when the ball came through. It was an easy tap-in for Bevan to tie the game at 1-1.

Orlando regained the lead in the 71st minute. Enrique took a pass from Lodeiro and fired a blast from the top left corner of the box. His laser shot found the upper right corner of the goal behind Carducci to make it 2-1.

“Mason hit it long to me, I nodded it on Nico, and then Nico was able to get it back to me,” Enrique said about the play. “And I just figured, ‘Have a hit,’ and thankfully it went in.

The game was a bit back-and-forth after that for a while. Ali Musse sent a volley shot just wide of Stajduhar’s goal in the 72nd minute from just outside the area.

Second-half sub Facundo Torres scored in the 74th minute but the flag came up as he was in ahead of Enrique, who could have taken the shot himself. Enrique then fired way off target a minute later.

Stajduhar did well to grab a shot by William Akio in the 76th minute. The keeper also had his post well covered in the 87th minute when Bradley Kamdem headed wide off a late Cavalry corner kick.

Smith tacked on a third for Orlando in the 88th minute after switching to left back. Smith sent Torres down the left and continued his run into the box. Torres took the ball down the left and cut back toward the top of the area, dropping the ball off for Smith, who sent his first-time shot into the right side of the net, putting the match to bed at 3-1.

That third goal took the air out of the match and it was over moments later.

Cavalry came back to edge Orlando in possession (51.1%-48.9%), but Orlando finished with the advantage in shots (14-12), shots on target (7-3), passing accuracy (84.9%-83.7%), and corners (6-4).

“It seems like being more patient in the sequences, we created more options,” Pareja said. “And also, when we look organized we have a better opportunity to counterattack with better spaces.”

“You could definitely let it affect you, but here we didn’t,” Halliday said of entering the game with a three-goal advantage. “We just said, ‘It’s another game we have to win. Just win the game.’ Same mentality.”

“I’m happy with the group,” Pareja said. “I think we all kind of refreshed today with a group playing that have not played and the ones who have been were resting. So, I’m happy now, just thinking about the derby (against Inter Miami on Saturday). We’ll think about the next step in Concacaf next week.”

The Lions are back in action Saturday when they travel to Fort Lauderdale to take on Inter Miami at 4:30 p.m. Orlando City will return to Concacaf Champions Cup action at home on March 5 against Mexican giants Tigres. The kickoff time will be announced in the coming days.

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Orlando City at FC Cincinnati: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from Orlando City’s 3-1 road victory over FC Cincinnati.

Published

20 hours ago

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October 6, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City traveled to Ohio to take on third-place FC Cincinnati looking to maintain its fourth-place spot. Cincinnati had lost two straight coming into the match, and the Lions made it three in a row thanks to a 3-1 win on the road.

Here are my five takeaways from an impressive win against a top-three club.

The Accountant Makes it Count

FC Cincinnati was doing well in taking the game to Orlando City, though the Lions were getting the occasional foray into Cincy’s half. It was on one such push that Ramiro Enrique received the ball and passed it wide to Kyle Smith coming up the right. Smith, a Cincinnati native, decided to show his hometown that he was worthy of the start. He took one touch and then put in a curling cross back to Enrique, who did well on a difficult strike to give Orlando the early lead. Smith also added a secondary assist on Ivan Angulo’s goal in the second half.

PRO Gonna PRO

Referee Filip Dujic was less than great most of the night. There are some who will say he “let them play” without calling every little thing. I am of the mind that he let too much go. There were several card-worthy fouls that were not even called as fouls. It’s fortunate that he didn’t impact the match in a negative way for Orlando City. PRO Referees have done so in the past, so I was expecting it early on from Dujic. Thankfully, he didn’t.

Acosta Will Cost Ya

It turns out that the reigning MLS MVP is pretty good at soccer. Orlando was hoping to to get to halftime with the lead, but Acosta had a different idea. Like he has done so many times before, he struck an excellent shot from outside the box to beat Pedro Gallese. To be fair, Gallese had a couple of defenders in front of him, and had cheated a bit to his left, making it to difficult to go back to his right to make the save, but the Lions could have closed down the space better on that play.

Go On, Angulo

As of late, Ivan Angulo hasn’t been great. He hasn’t necessarily been bad, but not as good as we expect. Even in this match, he looked better, but not great. That changed in the 66th minute when he put the Lions back on top with a shot that squibbled — yes, I made up that word, but it’s the right word — past Roman Celentano and into the back of the net. Angulo wasn’t satisfied with just a goal, as he added an assist a mere six minutes later. FC Cincinnati defender Luca Orellano played a poorly weighted pass back to the keeper, allowing the speedy Angulo to take the ball and tap it over to Enrique for goal number three. It was a much better second half for Angulo.

Clinical Scoring

Orlando City has been scoring in bunches over the last seven matches. The Lions have scored 19 goals in that timeframe. The team was particularly clinical against Cincinnati. Orlando City took six shots, putting five on target and three in the back of the net. That is 83% of shots on target, and 50% scoring. If the Lions can be even half as efficient going forward, the playoffs could be pretty fun.

That is what I saw in the 3-1 victory. What were your biggest takeaways from the game? Let us know in the comments below and as always, vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Win Final Regular-Season Road Match

Orlando City overcomes an interesting night of officiating with two second-half goals to beat FC Cincinnati on the road.

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1 day ago

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October 5, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

It wasn’t a pretty game and the officiating could have been costly to Orlando City, but the Lions (15-11-7, 52 points) managed to earn a 3-1 road win over FC Cincinnati (17-11-5, 56 points) at TQL Stadium. Ramiro Enrique scored a goal in each half, had one chalked off for a controversial foul on a corner kick, and assisted on another by Ivan Angulo. Orlando finished with a 2024 MLS road record of 8-6-3 and improved to 3-1-2 in road matches at Cincinnati.

If New York City does not beat Nashville on Sunday, Orlando City would clinch the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference standings and home field for the first-round, best-of-three series.

“I thought we won a very important game against a very good rival who complicated things in the first half for us,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “Second half, I think we settled and we found the answers that we wanted to have earlier in the first half, and we couldn’t do it. But the second half, we controlled the game. We came back in the ways that we wanted in that control and we had options. And happy for our fans, happy for our club, and we’ll keep pushing. It’s a very, very good match for us.”

Pareja’s lineup included only one change from the starting XI Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union. Pedro Gallese started in goal behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Kyle Smith. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Angulo, Luis Muriel, and Facundo Torres with Enrique up top. Martin Ojeda made way in the starting lineup for Muriel.

Referee Filip Dujic was a talking point in the first half, and it’s never good for a referee to be a talking point. However, before that happened, Cincinnati started the game on the front foot and earned a couple of early corners but could do nothing with them.

The Lions opened the scoring against the run of play in the 10th minute. Enrique sent the ball wide to Smith on the right. The Cincinnati native sent in a beautiful curling cross as a return pass and Enrique blazed past the defense and directed it in with his foot to make it 1-0. It was Orlando’s 56th goal of the season, setting a new club record in the MLS era, and Enrique’s seventh of the regular season. Orlando set the old record of 55 goals in 2016 and equaled that mark last season.

“I forget who passed me the ball…but I knew I had the positioning on my defender, so I took a big first touch, and then I saw Ramiro in a perfect spot between the two center backs,” said Smith, who had a lot of friends and family in attendance. “And I just whipped in a ball, and he had a good finish.”

The hosts kept coming and were creating chances, with Kevin Kelsy firing wide of the left post on a spinning effort in the 17th minute. Three minutes later, Acosta sent a curling free kick wide of the right post after Cartagena was booked for a challenge just outside the area. Cartagena will miss the season finale due to yellow card accumulation. It was a foul, but the card seemed a bit harsh, especially given some of the fouls Dujic let go later.

Smith should have done better with a shot on a layoff from Torres in the 24th minute, sending his effort well off target. The flag for offside came up for Torres in the buildup after the shot, but the replay clearly showed the Uruguayan was onside on the play, meaning the goal would have counted had Smith scored.

Moments later, Kelsy fouled Jansson in a manner that should have drawn a yellow card but didn’t. Kelsy ended up committing five first-half fouls, getting booked for the third of those, but three of his fouls could have (and should have) been punished with a booking.

Angulo was pulled back in his own half without a call, allowing Cincinnati to take possession and attack. Schlegel then did the same just outside his box and Dujic gave the free kick. Acosta sent the layoff from Yamil Asad well over the bar and into the crowd.

Pavel Bucha was left alone on a good attacking movement by Cincinnati in the 33rd minute but scuffed his shot and it dribbled wide of the right post. After Kelsy was booked for a foul on Araujo, Bucha sent a volley attempt well over the bar in the 39th minute.

Orlando nearly scored a minute later, taking a free kick quickly at midfield. It was sent over the defense to Enrique, who fired a shot on a bouncing ball. Celentano made a huge save to keep it out, giving up a corner.

The Lions scored on the ensuing corner kick as Enrique blasted in Torres’ service to the back post. Dujic called a foul on Muriel after contact with Celentano. However, Celentano had charged off his line into a barely moving Muriel, who was tracking the cross. It was a harsh call and kept the score at 1-0 in the 41st minute.

Cincinnati took advantage of the break moments later. Acosta received a pass just outside the area in the 45th minute. Torres sagged off of him and Araujo had another man to mark, so Acosta blasted a shot through traffic that beat Gallese, tying the score just before the break.

After Kelsy committed yet another foul, the halftime whistle sent the teams to the locker room, with plenty of animosity being shown between the two benches as the teams went off.

“I thought it was reactions for both benches and the people there — the personnel and the coaches. And I thought both sides were arguing things to the referees,” Pareja said about the kerfuffle. “From our side, it was just asking them to control the yellow cards. We wanted to keep the players in the pitch. And this is football, and we want to accept that this is a contact game, and sometimes things happen, but we cannot just be yellow carding all the time, but that was with all the respect that we have for referees too. Just a comment. From (Cincinnati’s) side, I don’t know what were they arguing. And I have a ton of respect for Pat (Noonan), and what he has done for this club is incredible. The career that he has done so far, and what he has done for Cincinnati, I respect him a lot and his coaches, too.”

With Orlando’s approach to the first half, it’s no surprise that Cincinnati finished with the edge in possession (57.8%-42.2%), shots (8-2), corners (2-1), and passing accuracy (83.2%-80.8%). Orlando City put more shots on target (2-1).

Pat Noonan subbed Kelsy off at halftime, sending on Yuya Kubo and getting away with the incessant fouling from his starting striker throughout the first half. Noonan brought on high-scoring wingback Luca Orellano on 10 minutes after the restart, getting more attacking players onto the pitch.

The Lions were a bit more organized in the second half, despite giving up more shots and shots on target. They mostly kept Cincinnati outside the area and in wider spaces for those shots.

Orlando had the first half-chance of the second half, with Smith whipping in a good ball for Enrique in the 59th minute. Miles Robinson got a touch to it and nearly sent it into his own net but it trickled wide of the left post. Orlando took the corner short, Muriel underhit a backheel pass, and the hosts broke in transition. Smith hustled back to break up the counterattack.

The hosts then won a couple of corner kicks but Jansson headed the first one clear of danger and Orellano put the second one into the outside netting trying for an Olimpico.

Orlando City doubled its lead in the 66th minute. Smith and Enrique were again involved, with the former sending in another good cross to the striker, who had his back to goal. Rather than trying to turn, Enrique laid the ball off to Angulo, who went for goal. Celentano made a mess of the shot and it squirted through him and in to make it 2-0 on Angulo’s fifth goal of the season.

The Lions created some havoc with their press in the second half and it nearly paid off nicely in the 69th minute. Enrique got to a loose ball on the right side of the box and blasted a shot, however, he missed the net to the right.

Orlando survived a couple of turnovers by Angulo in the defensive end over the next couple of minutes, with Gallese making a save on Orellano’s attempt in the 71st minute. A minute after that, Orlando pulled ahead by two.

Angulo was first to a poor back pass from Orellano toward Celentano, touching the ball to his right for Enrique to tap home in the 72nd minute. It was Enrique’s second of the night and eighth of the season, with the foul called on Muriel preventing a hat trick, and the pass gave Angulo his 10th assist of the regular season.

As Cincinnati poured numbers into the attack, Gallese was called into action more often down the stretch. He did well to track a deflected Kubo shot in the 74th minute. Just seconds later, Gallese made two of his best stops of the night to deny Asad and Orellano.

Orlando’s tired legs were starting to show late in the team’s third match in eight days. Pareja’s only substitution to this point was sending on Nico Lodeiro for Muriel in the 73rd minute. Acosta worked his way past five or six defenders in the 76th minute as several Lions had a clear chance to dispossess the Cincinnati talisman, but none could take it away. Once he found some space, Acosta shot wid of the right post.

Torres nearly put the game completely to bed in the 80th minute when he ran onto a pass that Lodeiro headed in behind on the right. Torres fired, but Celentano made a good save and didn’t allow a rebound.

Orellano tried his luck from extreme distance in the 86th minute, but Gallese was there to catch it. Three minutes later, Kubo got free of late substitute Michael Halliday but he headed off target.

Orlando City did well to waste the six minutes of stoppage time indicated but Dujic made one more curious call late. Lodeiro went to ground and stacked his legs on the ground in what appeared to be a clean and excellent tackle. Dujic awarded a free kick instead and Jansson was booked for dissent. Orellano sent the free kick high and wide, and that was the final play of the match.

FC Cincinnati finished with the advantage in possession (55.7%-44.3%), shots (20-6), shots on target (6-5), and passing accuracy (84.4%-80.8%). Each team earned five corners on the night.

“I thought we played well,” Smith said. “We had to absorb a lot of their pressure in the first half. They were kind of putting it on us with the pressure. But I thought in the second half we came out and we did well keeping the ball, and then we took advantage of our opportunities and scored three goals and held them to one. So, it was a big one for us.”

The Lions will have next weekend off and will conclude the regular season at home on Saturday, Oct. 19 against Atlanta United.

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

The Lions hit the road looking to inch closer to home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Published

2 days ago

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October 5, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (14-11-7, 49 points) and FC Cincinnati (17-10-5, 56 points) at TQL Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’s the second of the two scheduled meetings between the teams this season.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

Orlando City leads the all-time series, 4-3-3, with a 2-1-2 mark on the road. The teams last met on May 4 in Orlando with FC Cincinnati claiming a 1-0 road win on a first-minute goal by Luciano Acosta. The Lions went down a man early in the game when Rodrigo Schlegel was called for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity on Yuya Kubo. Orlando City had a second-half goal waved off for an offside in the buildup. Cincinnati lost Bret Halsey to a second yellow card late but the Lions couldn’t take advantage.

The last meeting in southwest Ohio took place Sept. 2, 2023, with the Lions claiming a 1-0 win on enemy soil, becoming the first road team to beat FC Cincinnati all season. Facundo Torres scored the game’s only goal. Orlando had to hold on down a man late when Wilder Cartagena was sent off. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Orlando on March 4, 2023 in the most recent meeting in Central Florida.

The Lions fell 1-0 at TQL Stadium on June 24, 2022. A second-half goal from Brenner represented all the offense, but it could have been worse for Orlando City as Pedro Gallese made eight saves in the match. The first meeting of 2022 took place in Orlando on March 12, with FC Cincinnati notching its first win in the all-time series, 2-1 at Exploria Stadium. The Lions were more in control but were wasteful, despite dominating the stat sheet. The visitors got a brace from Brandon Vazquez to offset Junior Urso’s goal in the 42nd minute.

The final meeting of 2021 was on Oct. 16 in Cincinnati, when Orlando City got its first road victory in the series, 1-0 on Urso’s goal in the 13th minute. Tesho Akindele should have scored a second off the crossbar late in the game, but the play was never reviewed, despite video evidence that the ball was completely across the line.

On Aug. 7, 2021, the match in Cincinnati ended up in a 1-1 draw. Nani’s strike rescued a point after Brenner had opened the scoring for the hosts just before halftime, taking advantage of an obviously injured Uri Rosell, who subbed off moments later. The first of the three meetings in 2021 came on May 21 in Orlando, with the Lions posting a 3-0 win. Akindele scored in the first minute and Nani and Urso each added a goal.

In Orlando’s first trip to the banks of the Ohio River, the match ended in a 1-1 draw at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 29, 2019. Benji Michel’s goal in stoppage time rescued a point for the Lions after Allan Cruz had given the hosts a lead. The draw officially eliminated Orlando City from playoff contention that year, but realistically the Lions had been out of it for a while.

The first ever meeting between the two sides took place on May 19, 2019, when the Lions pummeled the expansion side, 5-1. Both Nani and Akindele bagged braces in the match and Dom Dwyer added a goal as well.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 2-1 home win over the Philadelphia Union, building a two-goal lead in the second half and then hanging on after the Union got back in the game. Luis Muriel set up both goals and has been in a great run of form since MLS play restarted after the Leagues Cup break. Orlando City has won five out of seven matches since the restart, however, both losses were away from home. City is 7-6-3 on the road in 2024, so a win or draw would secure a winning away record for the regular season.

FC Cincinnati lost Wednesday night on the road against New York City FC at…ahem…Red Bull Arena and is 0-2-1 in its last three matches. However, the two losses were each by one goal to current playoff sides NYCFC and LAFC. Last year’s Supporters’ Shield winners are better on the road this season (10-4-2) than at home (7-6-3), but they’re always formidable.

Acosta paces tonight’s hosts with an incredible 32 goal contributions on 13 goals and 19 assists. The club has scored 55 times in 2024, so he’s been involved in 58% of Cincinnati’s goals, meaning the key to shutting down FCC is to stop Acosta, but that’s much easier said than done. Meanwhile, Kubo has 10 goals and two assists and Luca Orellano has 10 goals and seven assists, so Cincy has a trio of double-digit goal scorers, making it difficult to stop everyone. Nevertheless, that’s what the Lions must try to do on the road.

“It’s a game where two rivals at this stage of the season know about each other, but I think momentum is different,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “Our preparation is just on the present and it’s trying to be healthy in the next two days. Prepare the most we can in this short time and the proximity of the games. Try to keep the team with this momentum. We don’t want to get distracted by other things. We have an objective to accomplish now, which is to qualify the highest we can in the standings, and we will fight for that.”

The Lions will be without Duncan McGuire (yellow card suspension), Mason Stajduhar (lower leg), and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (lower leg), while David Brekalo (thigh) has been upgraded to questionable. Cincinnati will be without Chidozie Awaziem (leg), Isaiah Foster (knee), Nick Hagglund (leg), Alec Kann (hip), Matt Miazga (knee), and Sergio Santos (concussion protocol).

Match Content

Official Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

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

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Muriel, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Javier Otero, Luca Petrasso, Michael Halliday, Heine Bruseth, Felipe, Nico Lodeiro, Yutaro Tsukada, Martin Ojeda, Jack Lynn.

FC Cincinnati (3-4-1-2)

Goalkeeper: Roman Celentano.

Defenders: Teenage Hadebe, Miles Robinson, Alvas Powell.

Midfielders/wingbacks: Yamil Asad, Obinna Nwobodo, Pavel Bucha, DeAndre Yedlin.

Attacking Midfielder: Luciano Acosta.

Forwards: Nico Gioacchini, Kevin Kelsy.

Bench: Kipp Keller, Luca Orellano, Ian Murphy, Bret Halsy, Evan Louro, Malik Pinto, Gerardo Valenzuela, Corey Baird, Yuya Kubo.

Referees

REF: Filip Dujic.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Brian Dunn.
4TH: Calin Radosav.
VAR: Chris Penso.
AVAR: Joshua Patlak.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: TQL Stadium — Cincinnati, OH.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: Real Radio 104.1 FM (English), Mega 97.1 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!

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