Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (9-9-7, 34 point) and Sporting Kansas City (6-14-6, 24 points) at Children’s Mercy Park. It is the lone meeting of the two sides scheduled for 2024 and the third consecutive time the teams have played in Kansas City.

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

History

Orlando City is unbeaten in the last three meetings (2-0-1) and is 3-2-2 in the all-time series and 1-2-1 on the road. The most recent meeting occurred three years ago on April 23, 2021 at Children’s Mercy Park, with Orlando City coming from behind to earn a 1-1 road draw. The Lions fell behind just before halftime on a Gianluca Busio goal, but Nani’s late backheel goal evened things out in the end. Orlando had two goals called back in the game and the hosts had one as well.

The Lions’ first ever away victory in the series occurred in a 2-1 Orlando City win on Sept. 23, 2020. Benji Michel and Tesho Akindele gave a heavily rotated Orlando side the lead and the Lions held on after a Johnny Russell goal to get the win.

In 2019, this fixture took place in Orlando and finished as a 1-0 Orlando City win at Exploria Stadium on Aug. 14. Akindele scored the game’s only goal off a Carlos Ascues pass, although both teams squandered offensive opportunities in the match.

The 2018 meeting finished with a 1-0 SKC victory at Children’s Mercy Park on Sept. 8. Felipe Gutierrez provided the only goal in Dom Dwyer’s return to Kansas City. It was a rough outing for Dwyer, who missed two golden opportunities to score.

Sporting was the first MLS team to come into Exploria Stadium (then known as Orlando City Stadium) and take any points in a 2-2 draw in 2017. Latif Blessing scored both SKC goals in the first non-win for the Lions in their new stadium. That non-win happened because the assistant referee ruled that Will Johnson’s corner kick service curled over the end line in the air before Jose Aja had headed it home for an apparent go-ahead goal. Cyle Larin and Kaká scored Orlando’s goals that counted.

In 2016, the Lions went into Children’s Mercy Park and gave up an incredible 34 shots en route to a 2-1 loss in Kansas City. With that many shots, it was a minor miracle to escape without a more lopsided scoreline. At the time, Sporting put up the third-most shots ever in a regular-season MLS game and the most since 1998. David Mateos nodded in off Jimmy Medranda for an own goal to get the Lions on the board with an improbable lead. Joe Bendik made 10 saves but conceded goals to Dwyer (74’) and Jacob Peterson (79’) five minutes apart, as SKC came from behind to win.

The Lions captured the first meeting, 3-1 at home on Sept. 13, 2015. That win snapped a seven-game winless skid at the time and kicked off a club record five-game winning streak. Adrian Winter started the party with a third-minute goal and added another in the 72nd to seal it. After Krisztian Nemeth had equalized in the 59th, Bryan Rochez put Orlando back on top for good with his first MLS goal in the 66th minute.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 0-0 draw against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup back on Aug. 9. Orlando was knocked out of the competition when the Lions suffered their first shootout loss in club history. Still, City is on an eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions (5-0-3), although the three draws have come in the last four matches. Orlando is 6-4-3 on the road in MLS play this season.

Sporting Kansas City is 4-5-4 at home in 2024 during the MLS regular season and aside from being knocked out of Leagues Cup in a 4-0 loss at Columbus on Aug. 9, tonight’s hosts have improved of late. Sporting is 2-0-1 in its last three regular-season home matches and is 4-1-1 in its last six home games in all competitions.

Russell and Alan Pulido haven’t quite gotten going in 2024, but they still each have four goals and four assists apiece. Sporting’s attack is paced by William Agada’s nine goals and two assists and Erik Thommy’s five goals and three assists. Children’s Mercy Park provides a good home atmosphere for Sporting Kansas City, and it’ll be a tough battle after a long layoff.

“We definitely had a good two weeks of work,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “At the beginning of the first week, we tried to rest a couple days with the players. After that number of games that we had it was healthy for us just to recover. Then we dedicated the rest of the time to prepare for our next games, especially this one against [Sporting Kansas City]. We tried to evaluate what we’ve done well, what we need to improve, and obviously the strategy for this next game; that’s what we’ve done.”

The Lions will be without Jack Lynn (lower leg) and Mason Stajduhar (lower leg). The last league availability report is listed as Aug. 19, but it seems to be updated for Matchday 29, showing Sporting Kansas City as being without Robert Castellanos (hamstring), Felipe Hernandez (non-injury), Namanja Radoja (groin), and Memo Rodriguez (quad).

Match Content

• The latest episode of The Mane Land PawedCast features our key matchups and predictions for the game.
• Our David Rohe provides his three keys to an Orlando City victory.

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Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Duncan Mcguire.

Sporting Kansas City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: John Pulskamp.

Defenders: Tim Leibold, Robert Voloder, Dany Rosero, Kayden Pierre.

Defensive Midfielders: Remi Walter, Jacob Davis.

Attacking Midfielders: Daniel Salloi, Erik Thommy, Johnny Russell.

Forward: Alan Pulido.

Referees

REF: Timothy Ford.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Jeffrey Swartzel.
4TH: Elijio Arreguin.
VAR: Chris Penso.
AVAR: Cory Richardson.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 8:30 p.m.

Venue: Children’s Mercy Park — Kansas City, KN.

TV/Live Stream: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

Radio: 96.9 FM The Game (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).

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Enjoy the match. Go City!

Not only is today Friday, but we have Orlando soccer to look forward to with both the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B in action tonight. Hopefully it will be a good start to what should be a fun weekend of soccer to enjoy. I’ll be spending most of it working and reading, but I’m still looking forward to it. Let’s get this Friday started with today’s links from around the soccer world!

Duncan McGuire Signs New Orlando City Contract

Orlando City and Duncan McGuire have reached an agreement for the forward to stick around in Orlando, as McGuire officially signed a new contract that lasts through 2027, with an option for 2028 as well. Selected by Orlando with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, McGuire has scored 23 goals in 63 appearances across all competitions as a Lion. The 23-year-old would have departed the club for Blackburn Rovers earlier this year if not for an administrative error by the English club, so it’s nice that Orlando was able to secure his talents amid transfer buzz. It’s an important bit of business done by the club and McGuire should provide a boost to the club’s playoff push.

Orlando City Prepares for Sporting Kansas City

The Lions return to action tomorrow night for a road match against Sporting Kansas City. Orlando City may have been eliminated from the Leagues Cup in the knockout round, but the club is still on an eight-game unbeaten streak heading into this game. Taking on a Kansas City side that’s struggled mightily this season is a decent opportunity for the Lions to get back in the swing of things. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke on how the team has spent the break in the schedule recovering and getting ready for the rest of the season.

Orlando City B Takes On Atlanta United 2 Tonight

With the playoff race heating up, Orlando City B is on the road tonight for a game against Atlanta United 2 at 7:30 p.m. The Young Lions have not lost this month and are coming off of a win at home against New York City FC II on Sunday. Meanwhile, Atlanta has won three of its past four games to fight its way back into the playoff race. Orlando hasn’t lost to Atlanta yet this season, but it should still be a tough match on the road and you can check it out on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

New NWSL Collective Bargaining Agreement Reached

The NWSL and the NWSL Players Association announced a new collective bargaining agreement that will bring major changes to the league. NWSL players now possibly have more freedom in where they want to play than any other professional athletes in the U.S. The annual draft of college players is no more, and future expansion drafts won’t be taking place either. Trades and transfers will require consent from the players involved, and unrestricted free agency was granted as well. All of this introduces plenty of questions and concerns regarding parity, recruitment, and how expansion will work moving forward.

The minimum salary will increase to $82,500 by 2030, the salary cap has increased, and the bonuses players receive for awards at the end of the year have gone up as well. Players will also have more health benefits, including expanded maternity leave and additional charter flights for team travel. All in all, I think this will all make the league an even more appealing destination for players all over the world.

Free Kicks

• Charlotte FC signed 32-year-old midfielder Jamie Paterson, who most recently played for Swansea City in the EFL Championship. It’s been a busy summer for Charlotte, which also signed Tim Ream and Pep Biel earlier this month.
• The San Diego Wave signed French left back Perle Morroni. The 26-year-old has spent the past three seasons with Lyon and has 11 appearances with France’s senior team.
• American midfielder Tanner Tessmann is reportedly close to signing a five-year deal with Lyon. The 22-year-old served as the U.S. captain at the recent Olympics in Paris.
• Arsenal is reportedly close to signing midfielder Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad, as well as transferring striker Eddie Nketiah to Nottingham Forest. Merino played in all seven of Spain’s matches in its winning Euro 2024 campaign.
• Jurgen Klinsmann spoke about how many Mexican players are too comfortable playing in Liga MX and that the international team would benefit from them seeking playing time abroad.

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That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

No, it is not you, it really has been a month since Orlando City last played an MLS match. Yes, there were three Leagues Cup matches since then, and yes I did watch and cheer for Orlando City in all of them, but in the back, middle, and front of my mind I was thinking about the rest of the MLS season the entire time.

The Lions are finally back to serious MLS business though, and with nine games remaining, it is time for them to get hot and stay hot, and that means that the offense needs to return to the level where it was during July’s MLS matches.

Orlando City played five matches in July and scored a fan-pleasing 14 goals, winning four matches and drawing one. Critics might say the team played a relatively weak set of opponents during July, but I have no time for those critics and they can go take a hike somewhere far, far away. I recommend Mount Purgatory — my friend Dante has said it is beautiful this time of year.

As the famous phrase goes, you can only play the teams on your schedule, and Orlando City’s final nine games include six teams that have earned fewer points per game than the Lions and three that have earned higher points per game. If MLS was a singular table, like most soccer leagues in the world, Orlando City would be ranked 15th and would have remaining games against the teams ranked (in calendar order): 27th, 23rd, 26th, 13th, fifth, 18th, 21st, third, and 20th. This is about as soft as a run-in as the Lions could hope for, and if they can play up to the ability level we started to see at the end of June and throughout July, they have a good chance to, in the spirit of the recently completed Olympic Games, vault up a few spots in the Eastern Conference standings.

The team is finally healthy and without the interruption of any international tournaments, and Óscar Pareja now will need to make one of the hardest decisions he has had to make as Orlando City’s head coach: who to start at striker when the Lions play at Sporting Kansas City Saturday night. I believe he also has two other tough decisions to make: choosing a left back starter between Luca Petrasso, Kyle Smith, and Rafael Santos, and choosing a center back starter between David Brekalo and Rodrigo Schlegel. But with respect to all of those players, I think the decision between Enrique and McGuire will play a bigger role in whether Orlando City has a successful final stretch of the season.

Pareja, of course, does not have to choose one starter for all nine games, but he has said many times before that he likes to stick with a lineup that is producing results, which would seem to favor Enrique at the moment, since he scored in six of his last seven matches and Orlando City did not lose any of those games. Since the Lions last played though, McGuire has signed a new contract with the team, and as he was with the U.S. Olympic Team, Duncan left in early July and only returned the day before the second Leagues Cup match, so he is only just now re-acclimated to playing with his teammates.

Prior to departing for the Olympic Team, Duncan had started 17 of the 19 MLS matches, and he currently sits second on Orlando City in MLS goals, with seven. Ramiro has been scorching hot recently, but in the last match against Cruz Azul he failed to score and Orlando City did not advance in Leagues Cup, so now there needs to be a decision and not just a lather, rinse, repeat of the same attacking group that had started most of the recent matches.

We do not see the practices and what goes on day to day in the training facility, but we can compare the season-long results for Enrique and McGuire while playing as a striker and see what the numbers indicate:

On raw numbers alone, McGuire has more goals and goal contributions, but on a per-90-minute basis, the numbers favor Enrique. Duncan played most of his minutes in MLS play, whereas Ramiro is pretty evenly split among MLS and the two cup competitions. But on the whole, both players had similar stats in MLS as they did in the cup competitions.

Enrique played the majority of his cup minutes in Leagues Cup and McGuire in Concacaf Champions Cup, and both played easier competition early in their respective cup games and then went out against strong sides from Mexico in the end. Ramiro’s performance definitely has been better more recently, but Duncan has been good this season and as I wrote a few weeks ago, he was elite last season, so the long-term track record of success lies in his favor.

Decisions, decisions. Maybe we should look at how McGuire and Enrique have played in concert with the other five attacking players who are locked into their starting roles to see how they do when playing with Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena, Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, and Facundo Torres:

In looking at these lineups a few things stood out to me:

• The two attacking lineups listed above actually rank first and second for most minutes played together among all attacking lineups, but the combined minutes total (585) only makes up approximately 20% of all minutes played across all competitions. It is surprising how few minutes most of the attacking groups have together on the field this season.
• The top collective group, with McGuire, leads the team in goals, while the bottom collective group, with Enrique, is tied for third.
• I know that the first thought that came to your mind when reading the prior item was “Well, Andrew, who is second?” Angulo – Araujo – Lodeiro – McGuire – Muriel – Ojeda – Torres, which was used for 177 minutes when Orlando City was using Cartagena as a center back, along with two traditional center backs, and had Angulo and Torres were deployed as wingbacks. That group has scored five goals, given up two, and has a goals scored per 90 minutes of 2.54.

While not all of the goals scored in that table were specifically scored by McGuire or Enrique, the target for Orlando City is goals, and the grouping with Duncan is scoring 1.96 goals per 90 minutes, a 44% increase over the grouping with Ramiro at 1.36 goals per 90 minutes. Soccer lineups are not like baseball, where it is perfectly clear on who is playing what position and when, but I am confident in the accuracy of my tracking. Assuming (yes, I know what assuming does), that the midfield will be Araujo and Cartagena as the holding midfielders and Angulo, Ojeda, and Torres in front of them, the data would point to Duncan being the choice to start as the striker when the season resumes on Saturday.

My wife, when I asked her what she thought, asked if there was a way for both Duncan and Ramiro to play together. “Por qué no los dos?”, as is often asked by our The Mane Land PawedCast hosts Michael Citro and David Rohe.

Orlando City has used attacking lineups with both McGuire and Enrique on the field at the same time for 143 minutes thus far this season, but all of those minutes happened in February or March, and they all were with Ramiro playing out on the wing with Duncan up top. Orlando City could go back to this lineup, but it likely would be at the expense of Angulo or it would be with two strikers, a formation that the Lions have rarely used outside of when there were injury issues in the past.

Using two strikers could remove the question about who plays left back, because they could go with three in the back, but I think that is a radical option and it is more likely that they use Duncan and Ramiro to combine for 90 minutes and the player who is performing better will get the lion’s share (see what I did there?) of the minutes.

I am on the edge of my seat interested to see who Pareja chooses for the next match. Does he ride the still-hot hand of Enrique and his six goals in seven matches and better per-90-minute stats, or does he go with the player who had started most of the matches this season before he stepped away to play for the U.S. Olympic Team? As a coach, you want these types of high-pressure decisions, as that means you have two competitive players who each have a case to start and the incentive to exceed expectations in order to play big minutes.

I would start Enrique on Saturday if it was me, but nobody is asking me. Literally, nobody. I asked my wife who she would start, she answered, and then moved on to another topic. I said don’t you want to know who I would start?

No.

Welp, that went well.

I predict Pareja will start Enrique on Saturday, but he will get about 60-70 minutes at most and then McGuire will come on, and then based on who performs better, it will go back and forth like this for the rest of the season.

Who would you start if it was up to you? Cast your vote in the poll below. I want to know, even if, like some, you are not that interested in who I think will start.