Orlando City at New England Revolution: Three Keys to Victory

Orlando City has won three of its last four matches, but now heads to the unfriendly confines of Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution in an Eastern Conference bout. I say unfriendly because there’s no grass to be seen in any direction. The Lions will have to deal with turf and all the nasty things it brings to the beautiful game.

What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points on the road against the New England Revolution?

It’s Okay to be Defensive

For much of the first half of the season, Orlando City’s defense was a shadow of the team that dominated in 2023. Shape changes, injuries, and call-ups certainly didn’t help, but it was more than that. There were more mental lapses and unexplainable breakdowns in the defense than we had seen in a long time.

The last two matches have been better. Oscar Pareja has fielded his traditional 4-2-3-1 formation, Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena have taken their places in the defensive midfield, and Robin Jansson has looked like the captain we expect. If Orlando City can keep the defense rolling against Giacomo Vrioni and the rest of the Revolution attack, then coming home with three points is possible.

Attacking Mids Keep Attacking

Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, and Ivan Angulo have hit their stride as of late. The trio has combined to score seven of Orlando City’s last 13 goals over the last four matches. Those players will need to keep up that form to defeat New England this Saturday.

A potential wrench in the works is that Duncan McGuire is now with the U-23 USMNT, meaning either Luis Muriel or Ramiro Enrique will likely get the start for the Lions if Pareja stays with the 4-2-3-1. While Muriel might seem like the obvious choice, he likes to occupy the same space as Torres and Ojeda. As such, Enrique might be the better player to stretch the defense and open up some space for the attacking midfielders. That will be the job of whoever Pareja puts up top. Let’s just hope they know it.

Overcome History

Orlando City has never won a match at Gillette Stadium. That is a tough stat to swallow, but then playing on turf is also tough. The Lions will need to overcome that lackluster history in New England if they are to secure a win against the Revolution.

Typically, winning on the road is not easy in MLS, but Orlando City often does better away from home. The Lions had an exemplary away record last season, but were still unable to get a win at Gillette Stadium, suffering a 3-1 defeat almost exactly a year ago. At some point Orlando City is bound to win there, let’s just hope it’s this weekend.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!