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

Welcome to your match preview and live thread for a Friday night playoff matchup between Orlando City (1-0) and Charlotte FC (0-1) at Bank of America Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the second time the teams have met in the postseason, having played Sunday in this best-of-three, first-round series.

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

History

The Lions are 3-1-2 in the regular-season series and 4-2-2 in all competitions against Charlotte. Orlando City is 1-0-2 on the road in the regular season and 1-1-2 at Charlotte in all competitions. These games are usually close, as every game between the two teams (aside from the draws) had been decided by a single goal until the two most recent clashes, including Orlando City’s 2-0 home win Sunday. Facundo Torres and Martin Ojeda scored the goals on either side of halftime to lead the Lions to the Game 1 win. It was the first time Orlando scored more than one goal in an MLS playoff game.

The teams also met a month and a half ago on Sept. 18 in Orlando. The Lions got second-half goals from Torres and Duncan McGuire to win 2-0, claiming the first multiple-goal win in the series. The teams also met on June 19 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and played to a 2-2 draw. The hosts struck first with an early Kerwin Vargas goal and the Lions pulled one back through McGuire in the second half. But despite Charlotte going down a man on Scott Arfield’s red card, Brandt Bronico restored the hosts’ lead shortly after McGuire’s strike. Torres struck back moments later but the Lions could not find a winner on the road.

The previous match was also a draw at Bank of America Stadium, finishing 1-1 on Aug. 30, 2023. Enzo Copetti’s late penalty appeared to wrap things up for the hosts on a rainy night in Charlotte, but Martin Ojeda’s seeing-eye set piece equalized just before stoppage time as the teams split the points.

Charlotte claimed a 1-0 “home” victory in U.S. Open Cup play on May 9 of last year. That game took place at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, NC, rather than at the club’s regular stadium. The first matchup of the 2023 season didn’t go any better for Orlando City, finishing as a 2-1 Charlotte win at Exploria Stadium on March 18. Copetti and Vargas put Charlotte up 2-0 by halftime. Ojeda pulled one back, but the Lions were wasteful in front of goal and couldn’t pull level.

The teams met at Bank of America Stadium on Aug. 21, 2022. After a scoreless first half, Ercan Kara put the Lions ahead on the road, only to see McKinze Gaines equalize just four minutes later. Tesho Akindele’s late goal lifted Orlando to a 2-1 victory.

Orlando City won the first-ever meeting between the sides on April 30, 2022 at Exploria Stadium. Ruan scored the opening goal and set up Torres on the counter for the second as the Lions took a 2-0 lead into the locker room. Christian Fuchs scored from the spot after Rodrigo Schlegel was called for a foul in the box in the second half, but that was as close as Charlotte got in what was ultimately a 2-1 Orlando victory.

Overview

These teams were separated by only one point in the standings after the 34-game regular season. The Lions (15-12-7, 52 points) needed their three points this season against Charlotte (14-11-9, 51 points) to finish in the home playoff places for the first round.

The Lions finished 8-6-3 away from home in the regular season, finishing with a slightly better road record than home record. Orlando won its last two games on the road in the regular season, picking up victories in Dallas and Cincinnati.

Charlotte’s Game 1 loss in this series was the team’s first since dropping that Sept. 18 match in Orlando, going 4-0-1, with the only draw coming on the road against Inter Miami, 1-1. Tonight’s hosts finished the regular season with a home record of 9-3-5, with only three teams in the Eastern Conference capturing more victories on their home patches.

Although Orlando scored twice in each meeting with Charlotte this season, tonight’s visitors have the best defensive record in the Eastern Conference and the second-best defense in MLS, allowing just 37 goals in 34 games during the regular season.

As usual against Charlotte, Orlando City will need to be patient but also try to build a volume of shots against a stout defense led by goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, who posted 119 saves on the season and tied for the league lead in minutes played (3,060). Charlotte also has a strong back line that includes U.S. international Tim Ream. The key to beating Charlotte is to get some goals on the board, as the visitors’ offense has found the net just 46 times this season — tied for 10th in the Eastern Conference — although it had scored 14 during its unbeaten run prior to Game 1 and had been held under two goals just once since getting shut out in Orlando in September before Sunday happened.

“Grateful for that first game and the effort of the players. We know this series is open still and we have to go to Charlotte and win our game in order to advance to the next one,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the game. “But we’re focused on this first step. Going in with the same personality and same energy, the boys are very optimistic, but we’re preparing the best we can.”

The Lions will be without Mason Stajduhar (lower leg). Charlotte will be without Pep Biel (suspension).

Match Content

• Our most recent epsidode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for today’s match, as well as a preview of the game.
• Our Ben Miller presented his three keys to victory for Orlando City in this match.

Projected Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.

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

Forwards: Ramiro Enrique.

Charlotte FC (4-3-3)

Goalkeeper: Kristijan Kahlina.

Defenders: Tim Ream, Andrew Privett, Adilson Malanda, Nathan Byrne.

Midfielders: Brandt Bronico, Ashley Westwood, Junior Urso.

Forwards: Liel Abada, Patrick Agyemang, Karol Swiderski.

Referees

REF: Guido Gonzales Jr.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Justin Howard.
4TH: Pierre-Luc Lauziere.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: Eric Weisbrod.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Bank of America Stadium  — Charlotte, NC.

TV/Live 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!