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

Welcome to your live match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (12-11-7, 43 points) and FC Dallas (10-13-7, 37 points) at Toyota Stadium (8:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). It’s the only scheduled meeting between the clubs this season, and just the eighth overall.

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

History

Orlando City is 1-4-2 in the all-time series and 0-2-1 on the road against FC Dallas. The teams did not meet in 2023, so the last time these teams have played was at Exploria Stadium in 2022, with FC Dallas erasing a 1-0 halftime deficit and winning 3-1 in Orlando. Ercan Kara put the Lions ahead just before halftime, but Paul Arriola’s second-half brace and Franco Jara’s goal turned the game around.

The teams last met at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX on Sept. 27, 2020, when they played to a scoreless draw. Sebas Mendez got sent off in the 69th minute of that match for Orlando, so it was a better result for the Lions than for the hosts.

The Lions got their first (and, so far, only) win in the series in a 2-0 victory at Exploria Stadium, back on Aug. 3, 2019. Former Dallas striker Tesho Akindele and Carlos Ascues provided the offense for Orlando, and those were the first two goals the Lions had ever scored against FC Dallas.

Dallas won 2-0 in Texas on Oct. 6, 2018 on goals by Santiago Mosquera and Victor Ulloa. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Orlando in 2017. That game was memorable only for the Hoops playing an ineligible player — Michael Barrios, who was scratched from the starting XI after the lineups were turned in and then came off the bench.

Dallas won in 2016 on July 4 at Toyota Stadium by a 4-0 final score and it could have been worse if not for Joe Bendik’s performance in goal for Orlando. Dallas led 2-0 within 20 minutes of the start and cruised to an easy win behind goals by Walker Zimmerman, Barrios, Matt Hedges, and Fabian Castillo. That game turned out to be Adrian Heath’s last as Orlando City’s head coach, as the gaffer was sent packing a couple of days later.

The first meeting ended in a 2-0 Dallas win back in 2015 at the Citrus Bowl. Mauro Diaz (pen.) and David Texeira provided the offense in that one and the Lions failed to even get one shot on target.

Overview

Orlando City is coming off a 4-3 road loss at Columbus, which snapped the Lions’ three-game winning streak. After not conceding in their prior three matches, the Lions were sloppy against a team that punishes mistakes. Despite falling behind 3-0, Orlando made a game of it before giving up one goal too many to overcome. The Lions are 6-6-3 on the road this season but have dropped their last two away from home and conceded seven times in those two games.

FC Dallas enters with some confidence, having dispatched LAFC 3-1 at home one week ago. Tonight’s hosts are also good at home, posting a 9-4-2 home record in 2024, compared to a 1-9-5 mark on the road. Aside from that, FC Dallas is five points adrift of a postseason spot with just a few games remaining, so the Lions will get the hosts’ best shot tonight as they look to close the gap on Minnesota United.

This will be only the third time since his arrival in Orlando that Oscar Pareja will face the club for which he played from 1998-2005, and where he managed from 2014-2018. Papi is still beloved in Dallas after winning consistently during his tenure there, including a Supporters Shield and a U.S. Open Cup — both in 2016.

The key for Orlando will be stopping Petar Musa, who paces FC Dallas with 15 goals, adding two assists. The Croatian is tied for sixth among MLS goal-scoring leaders. It’s difficult to believe Dallas is where it is in the table when you consider that Musa is joined by such accomplished MLS attacking players as Sebastian Lletget, Arriola, Jesus Ferreira, and Alan Velasco, although the team has suffered through some injury issues in 2024. Speaking of attacking players, Orlando City players will see a familiar face on the other side, as former Lion Ruan was dealt to Dallas in the most recent transfer window.

“I think we have had a very good semester, a good second semester,” Pareja said ahead of the match. “The boys ended the game against Columbus with a very good reaction and good form. We ended up almost tying the game and we lost against a good rival. All these things we need to digest and prepare for the next one like we have done when we have played three on the road. So, we’re good. It’s a nice challenge to go to Dallas and it’s important for them as well. At this point, we need to qualify first our objectives and after that we’ll see.”

Orlando will be without Mason Stajduhar (lower leg) and David Brekalo (thigh), while Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (lower leg) is listed as questionable. FC Dallas will be without Asier Illarramendi (suspension), Geovane Jesus (knee), Paxton Pomykal (knee), and Liam Fraser (upper leg).

Match Content

• Our Intelligence Report features a scouting report on the Hoops from Drew Epperley of SBNation’s FC Dallas blog, Big D Soccer.
• The most recent episode of The Mane Land PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions.
• Our David Rohe discusses Orlando City’s starting striker options in Big D.

Projected 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, Martin Ojeda, Facundo Torres.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

FC Dallas (3-4-3)

Goalkeeper: Maarten Paes.

Defenders: Marco Farfan, Sebastien Ibeagha, Nkosi Tafari.

Wingbacks/Midfielders:  Ruan, Patrickson Delgado, Sebastian Lletget, Paul Arriola.

Forwards: Jesus Ferreira, Petar Musa, Alan Velasco.

Referees

REF: Jair Marrufo.
AR1: Chris Wattam.
AR2: Felisha Mariscal.
4TH: Matthew Corrigan.
VAR: Ismail Elfath.
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert.

How to Watch

Match Time: 8:30 p.m.

Venue: Toyota Stadium — Frisco, TX.

TV/Stream: 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!