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

Welcome to your match thread for a midweek matchup between Orlando City SC (13-11-7, 46 points) and the Philadelphia Union (9-12-10, 37 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the second of the two scheduled regular-season meetings between the Eastern Conference clubs in 2024.

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

History

Orlando City is 6-7-6 in the 19 MLS meetings with the Union since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015, and 7-8-6 in all competitions. The Lions are 2-2-4 against the Union at home in league play and 3-2-4 in their home stadium against Philadelphia in all competitions.

The teams last met on May 11, with the Lions snatching a 3-2 road win at Subaru Park. Luis Muriel scored his first two MLS goals, Duncan McGuire added a strike, and Nico Lodeiro assisted on all three tallies for the Lions to offset an early goal by Mikael Uhre and a penalty by Daniel Gazdag.

The last meeting in Orlando took place on June 21, 2023, with the Lions blowing a two-goal lead in a controversial 2-2 draw. McGuire and Martin Ojeda scored early in each half, only to see Jack McGlynn score on a cross into the box that missed everyone and got past Mason Stajduhar at the far post, followed by a rocket shot by Jose Martinez from distance. Ivan Angulo’s would-be game winner was chalked off after a questionable foul call in the buildup against Ercan Kara.

The teams met in Philadelphia most recently on March 25, 2023 with the Lions jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Angulo and Ojeda. Former Lion Andres Perea pulled one back but the Lions held on for a 2-1 road win. The victory snapped Philadelphia’s incredible 24-match home unbeaten streak.

The Union put the Lions to the sword in the last meeting of 2022, a dominant 5-1 win by Philadelphia on Sept. 10 of that year. That was Orlando’s first match since winning the U.S. Open Cup title three days earlier. Joao Moutinho’s own goal started the scoring and the Union got goals from Uhre, Gazdag (penalty), Alejandro Bedoya, and Jack Elliott. Perea, who was then still a Lion, scored for Orlando but the team was trailing by 4-0 at the time.

The Eastern Conference foes met on July 23, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Two controversial video review decisions went against Orlando that night and the Lions were wasteful with their chances in an evenly matched 1-0 Philadelphia win. Gazdag scored the game’s only goal off a set piece.

The teams also met in U.S. Open Cup play on May 10, 2022, with the Lions winning 2-1 at home. Kara and Perea hoisted Orlando to a 2-0 lead. Stuart Findlay pulled one back late, but the Lions saw it out and advanced.

On Sept. 19, 2021 the Union prevailed 3-1 at Subaru Park, largely due to a brace by Kacper Przybylko after he got away with what appeared a clear elbow to the face of Rodrigo Schlegel. Instead of being sent off and/or conceding a free kick to Orlando City, the Union scored on the ensuing play and went on to win the match. The teams met in Orlando on July 22, 2021 and the Lions got goals by Benji Michel and Perea on the team’s only two shots on target to win 2-1. Przybylko, who had feasted on Orlando since arriving in Philadelphia, pulled one back for the visitors but the Lions hung on.

The teams faced each other in the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament in 2020 in the only meeting to date that did not take place in either side’s home stadium. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after a Mauricio Pereyra goal canceled out a strike by Ilsinho. That draw allowed the Lions to win Group A in the competition and they went on to reach the final.

The Lions and Union tangled in what was then known as Talen Energy Stadium on July 7, 2019, with the teams drawing, 2-2. Dom Dwyer and Santiago Patino brought Orlando back from 1-0 down but Przybylko poached a goal in the 90th to capture a share of the points for the Union. That match was postponed by MLS on the night it was set to take place — a move that Orlando City fought against — and instead was played the next day.

The two teams had met just a few days earlier on July 3, ending in Orlando’s 3-1 home loss against the Union. Chris Mueller and Przybylko swapped goals in the first half before Robin Jansson was sent off just prior to the break. Afterwards, the 10-man Lions gave up two more goals — to Przybylko and Fafa Picault — and then went down another man with Sacha Kljestan seeing red.

The teams drew 2-2 in a wild finish on Sept. 1, 2018 in Orlando. Just when it looked like Picault had lifted the Union to victory with a strike in the 88th minute, Scott Sutter equalized in stoppage time to salvage a point for the Lions. Dwyer and Cory Burke also scored in that match. The Lions prevailed over the Union in Philadelphia on April 13, 2018 by a 2-0 score. Dwyer and Mueller provided the offense. Orlando and Philadelphia also met that season in U.S. Open Cup play, with the Union capturing a 1-0 home win back on July 18, 2018 on a goal by Bedoya.

The teams split their two matches in 2017, with the home side prevailing both times. The Lions won 2-1 at Orlando City Stadium on March 18. The rematch was an ugly 6-1 Philadelphia win in the season finale for both teams.

The Lions were 1-1-1 against Philadelphia in 2016. The team’s first road victory in the series came on Oct. 16, 2016, as the Lions roared, 2-0. The teams played to a 2-2 draw on May 25 in Orlando. Tranquillo Barnetta’s free kick gave Philly a 2-1 win.

Orlando drew 0-0 at home and lost on the road, 1-0 (on a penalty kick), against Philadelphia in 2015.

Overview

Orlando City enters tonight’s match fresh off a 3-1 road win at FC Dallas Saturday. The Lions have gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 MLS matches and 8-2-3 in their last 13 across all competitions. After a poor start, the club has climbed above .500 at Inter&Co Stadium, compiling a 6-5-4 record in home games. That includes a 5-0-1 record in the last six home games in league play and a 6-0-3 mark in all matches at Inter&Co Stadium since a June 15 loss to LAFC. The Lions have compiled three straight home shutouts, but that will be a difficult streak to extend against the high-scoring Union.

Philadelphia is unbeaten in its last three games, outscoring opponents 10-2 in that span, although the Union last played in a 1-1 home draw against Atlanta United over the weekend. The Union have been decent on the road in 2024, compiling a 5-5-5 record away from Subaru Park this season. Their last road outing was a 5-1 dismantling of New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.

Typically, the Union like to deploy in a 4-4-2 diamond formation under Jim Curtin. Philadelphia’s strikers are formidable. Gazdag is the key man as he can both score and turn provider for others. He leads the Union with 17 goals to go along with an uncharacteristically low two assists in 2024. Uhre is another danger man that Orlando City must always keep under wraps. Second among Union scorers with 10 goals on the season, Uhre has five assists as well. Strike Partner Tai Baribo has nine goals and two assists. Fullback Kai Wagner is always a threat with crosses and set pieces and leads the Union with 12 assists — one more than Quinn Sullivan’s 11.

“We pretty much know about Philadelphia [Union], and they know us as well during this year,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “Our rivalry has been very intense, and we respect them a lot, and my first thought is that they do the same. We’re trying to accomplish the next objective, and in order to do that, we have to beat Philadelphia. They will try and come here and qualify for a playoff spot. It’s going to be intense, no doubt. For us, we’ll be ready and try to take advantage of this opportunity.” 

Orlando City will be without Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (lower leg), David Brekalo (thigh), and Mason Stajduhar (lower leg).

Match Content

• The most recent PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s game.

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.

Forwards: Ramiro Enrique.

Philadelphia Union (4-4-2 diamond)

Goalkeeper: Andre Blake.

Defenders: Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Nathan Harriel.

Midfielders: Leon Flach Jack McGlynn, Daniel Gazdag, Quinn Sullivan.

Forwards: Tai Baribo, Michael Uhre.

Referees:

REF: Armando Villarreal.
AR1: Jeremy Hanson.
AR2: Peter Balciunas.
4TH: Alyssa Nichols.
VAR: David Barrie.
AVAR: Jozef Batko.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: FM 96.9 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).

Enjoy the match. Go City!