Orlando City at Sporting Kansas City: Three Keys to Victory

Orlando City returns to the regular season with an away match against Western Conference foe Sporting Kansas City. The Lions might not have made it too far in Leagues Cup, but the playoffs and positioning in the playoffs are still up for grabs. Orlando City sits in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 34 points. If the Lions can extend their unbeaten run, currently at eight games across all competitions, climbing the table is definitely a possibility.

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

More Goals

In three of the last four matches across all competitions, Orlando City has only scored one goal or fewer. The Lions were on a scoring tear prior to the Leagues Cup with 14 goals in five matches. Putting the scoring boots back on is crucial.

Duncan McGuire has nothing to prove, but he does have a new contract, and showing exactly why Orlando City wanted to keep him will go a long way towards an Orlando City victory. Of course, Ramiro Enrique will want to keep the starting position he earned while McGuire was at the Olympics. One way to do that is by scoring more goals. Ideally, both strikers will get on the board Saturday. Fortunately, Kansas City has allowed 52 goals so far this season.

Stop KC’s Attack

Kansas City might give up a ton of goals, but the team has scored 41 goals, which is two more than Orlando City. William Agada leads SKC with nine goals, followed by Erik Thommy with five, and Alan Pulido and Johnny Russell with four each. Kansas City has a potent attack, meaning defending will be key to securing a win.

Orlando City has only allowed 38 goals this season thanks to its defense. Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena have found their form in central midfield, and the back line has plenty of options. Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson are not in question. Either Rafael Santos or Kyle Smith will get the start based on who is doing better in practice. The Lions will have their hands full this weekend.

Away Magic

As usual, Orlando City is pretty good on the road, posting a 6-4-3 record so far. I’m not sure what it is that Oscar Pareja does to get his teams to perform on the road, but he needs to keep the magic going. Kansas City’s home record is 4-4-5, which is not bad, but not great either, despite Children’s Mercy Park having one of the great atmospheres in MLS. There is an opportunity to pick up valuable points. Of course, getting an early goal wouldn’t hurt either.

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