Welcome to your match thread for a Friday night matchup between Orlando City (10-6-8, 38 points) and the Columbus Crew (12-4-8, 44 points) at Lower.com Field in Ohio’s capital city (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV). This is the first of two scheduled meetings between the two Eastern Conference rivals this season, with the Crew scheduled to make the return trip to Central Florida on Oct. 4.

Here’s what you need to know about the match.

History

The Lions are 9-8-4 in the all-time, regular-season series and just 2-5-2 in Columbus. Orlando City is 10-9-4 overall against the Crew in all competitions when counting a home loss in the playoffs and a home win in the U.S. Open Cup.

The last time these teams met was on Sept. 21, 2024 in Columbus. It was a wild back-and-forth game, with the Crew winning 4-3. Diego Rossi, Christian Ramirez, and Cucho Hernandez staked Columbus to a comfortable 3-0 lead by the 71st minute, and the game seemed over. But Ramiro Enrique’s goal three minutes after Hernandez scored sparked the Lions, who added a Luis Muriel penalty goal to make it a match again. Miscommunication and a poor back pass from Felipe led to a turnover that led to an Aziel Jackson transition goal that made it 4-2. Muriel scored late in stoppage time, but the Lions ran out of clock and couldn’t complete the comeback.

The teams opened the 2024 season series against each other on May 25. As has been the case with so many matches between Orlando and Columbus, there was controversy in the Crew’s 2-0 win in Orlando. The opening goal came in the second half on a penalty kick that was awarded after a video review following a penalty call at the other end of the pitch. Referee Jair Marrufo awarded the Lions a penalty for a foul on Steven Moreira against Muriel in the box late in the first half. Before Orlando could take the spot kick, Marrufo went to the monitor and ignored a blatant foul by Rossi in the buildup, ruling it a different attacking phase, despite the Lions never regaining clear control of the ball before the next attack, in which the referee ruled a routine shirt pull by Cesar Araujo — embellished significantly by Aidan Morris falling away from the direction of the tug — was clear-cut enough to wipe out the penalty seconds later at the other end. Rossi converted the penalty in first-half stoppage time, adding a second goal just past the hour mark.

The most significant meeting between the teams came in the 2023 Eastern Conference semifinals on Nov. 25 of last season. The teams played scoreless through the 90 minutes plus injury time, with Orlando City defender Rodrigo Schlegel getting sent off late with a second yellow card. The Crew were able to bundle home a goal in extra time and add an insurance marker for a 2-0 win en route to an eventual MLS Cup championship. Ramirez and Hernandez scored for the Crew.

The teams played a memorable game at Exploria Stadium on Sept. 16, 2023, with Orlando coming from behind to snatch a stunning 4-3 victory at the death. Julian Gressel gave Columbus an early lead that held up through the first half. Martin Ojeda equalized just after the restart, but Rossi and Hernandez staked the Crew to a two-goal lead. Facundo Torres pulled one back and Enrique bagged his first MLS brace, with a goal just a few minutes from the end of normal time and another late in stoppage.

The teams met in Columbus on May 13 of last season, playing to a 2-2 draw. Orlando City fell behind 2-0 by halftime on goals by Darlington Nagbe and Jacen Russell-Rowe, but Ercan Kara pulled one back just a few minutes after the restart and Duncan McGuire leveled the game in stoppage time.

The two sides met in Orlando on Decision Day 2022, with Orlando City erasing a 1-0 deficit on a Derrick Etienne Jr. goal to win 2-1 and clinch a playoff spot. Junior Urso leveled the game in the second half and Torres struck from the penalty spot late. The meeting in Columbus that year took place on April 16, 2022, with the Lions winning 2-0 on goals by Schlegel and Kara.

The 2021 season series concluded on Oct. 27 in Columbus with the Crew winning 3-2. Columbus had lost five straight to Orlando prior to Lucas Zelarayan’s one-goal, two-assist performance. Miguel Berry and Etienne also scored for the Crew. Daryl Dike pulled a goal back from the spot and Robin Jansson struck late but it wasn’t enough.

The teams met at Exploria Stadium on Sept. 4, 2021, with the Lions winning 3-2. Orlando was cruising and built a 2-0 lead on goals by Dike and Silvester van der Water, but a bizarre own goal by Antonio Carlos threw the Crew a lifeline, and a Berry equalizer turned the game around. Urso provided the winner in the 69th minute.

City won the only meeting of the 2020 pandemic season when the 10-man Lions got a late Benji Michel goal to defeat the Crew 2-1 on Nov. 4. Chris Mueller gave Orlando the lead in that game but Harrison Afful was able to equalize just moments after referee Ramy Touchan sent off Nani on a ludicrous call that was overturned by the MLS independent panel a few days later. Thanks to Michel’s goal, the officiating error didn’t end up costing the Lions, who clinched their first-ever MLS playoff spot with the win.

The Lions swept the season series in 2019, defeating the Crew 1-0 on July 13, 2019, and two weeks previously getting their first road win in the series, 2-0.

Orlando won 2-1 on Oct. 21, 2018 to start a five-game winning streak against the Crew on a pair of penalty kick goals. Yoshimar Yotún and Sacha Kljestan provided the spot kicks to offset Federico Higuain’s opening goal.

The last Crew win in the series prior to the Orlando winning streak was assisted by a horror call by Silviu Petrescu in the 88th minute on July 21, 2018, giving Columbus an equalizer from the penalty spot. Wil Trapp then scored the kind of goal in stoppage time that he’ll probably never score again to lift the Crew to a 3-2 victory in a game the Lions had stolen away from them on a call that Petrescu’s own organization said was an error.

Columbus got the better of Orlando in 2017, going 2-0-1. The Lions were 0-1-1 against Columbus in 2016 and 1-1-1 in the series in 2015, with a home U.S. Open Cup win that season against the Crew as well.

Overview

Orlando City enters tonight’s match after sneaking out of Gillette Stadium with a 2-1 win over the New England Revolution on Saturday night. Ojeda’s brace offset a goal by Tomas Chancalay as the Lions won a road game against the Revs for just the second time. That win snapped a four-game winless skid (0-2-2) that included a pair of late meltdowns that led to a draw against Montreal and a loss to New York City FC — both at home. Orlando is 5-2-5 on the road this season, which is better than the team’s record at home.

Meanwhile, the Crew are excellent everywhere, but especially at home, where they are a sparkling 8-1-4 on the season. Columbus is coming off a 2-1 home win over D.C. United on Saturday and is 6-0-2 in its last eight home games. Wilfried Nancy’s club will present one of the toughest obstacles the Lions have faced this season, with quality at every level of the formation.

The Crew figure to have a lot of the ball, so Orlando City must be organized and concentrated to deal with the likes of Rossi, Russell-Rowe, and USMNT fullback Max Arfsten. They also have a Lion killer named Daniel Gazdag on the team now. Columbus typically features a three-man back line with solid defensive positioning and an opportunistic attack that can win the ball in dangerous areas and exploit transition opportunities. Rossi is also a player who has hurt Orlando many times ni the past, so it’ll be a difficult match.

“Columbus Crew is a team that we know pretty well, and they know us as well,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “I think about the two systems and the two ways to play. It’s about who can perform the best during the game. We’re very clear.”

The Lions will be without Joran Gerbet (thigh), Duncan McGuire (shoulder), Wilder Cartagena (Achilles), and Yutaro Tsukada (knee). Columbus will be without Mohamed Farsi (pelvis), Rudy Camacho (thigh), and Nicholas Hagen (thigh), while Malte Amundsen (knee) is questionable.

Match Content

• Our Ben Miller broke down the Crew’s tactics ahead of tonight’s game.
• The most recent episode of The Mane Land PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
• Our David Rohe provides his three keys to an Orlando City victory at Columbus.

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Projected Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Alex Freeman.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, Eduard Atuesta, Marco Pasalic.

Forwards: Martin Ojeda, Luis Muriel.

Columbus Crew (3-4-2-1)

Goalkeeper: Patrick Schulte.

Defenders: Yehven Cheberko, Sean Zawadzki, Steven Moreira.

Wingbacks / Central Midfielders: Max Arfsten, Darlington Nagbe, Dylan Chambost, Ibrahim Aliyu

Attacking Midfielders: Diego Rossi, Daniel Gazdag.

Forward: Jacen Russell-Rowe.

Referees

Ref: Timothy Ford.
AR1: Lyes Arfa.
AR2: Jeffrey Swartzel.
4th: Joshua Encarnacion.
VAR: David Barrie.
AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Lower.com Field — Columbus, OH.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

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Enjoy the match. Go City!

Orlando City has one more match to play before taking a break for Leagues Cup, with the Lions set to take on the Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field this evening. That makes this as good a time as any to take a look at what the Crew like to do from a tactical standpoint, and break down what those strategies could mean for Orlando City.

Formation and Possession Emphasis

It all starts with how the team is deployed. Manager Wilfried Nancy will occasionally vary things, but most of the time he’s lined the Crew up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. The three center backs are comfortable on the ball and adept at playing out from the back, and that’s key for this team because it wants to have a lot of the ball. According to Fotmob, Columbus is tied for the highest average possession percentage in Major League Soccer with 60.1%, while Fbref has the Crew second in the league with 59.7% behind only San Diego FC’s 59.9%. Regardless of where the Crew sit exactly, they usually have a lot of the ball, and defenders Yehven Cheberko, Sean Zawadzki, and Steven Moreira are second, third, and fourth on the team, respectively, when it comes to touches this season.

Man in the Middle

The man leading the team in touches is midfielder Dylan Chambost. He has 1,950 of them in total, but just 309 have come in the defensive third of the field. The bulk of them, unsurprisingly, have come in the middle third, where he has 1,034 and leads the team, but he’s also had 618 in the attacking third, which is good for second on the team behind only Diego Rossi’s 699. It should be noted that Chambost has played in 24 of the Crew’s 25 games (21 starts), and is fourth on the team in minutes played, so some of those numbers might not be hugely surprising in theory.

However, despite having played 149 more minutes than Rossi, who leads the Crew in minutes played with 2,032, Chambost leads the team with eight assists compared to Mohamed Farsi, who is second with five assists, and Rossi in third with four helpers. If you can’t see what I’m getting at, Chambost is hugely important to the Crew’s success. His 213 progressive passes easily leads Columbus, as Moreira has the second-most with 142. He only has one goal on the year, but he does a ton of work in getting on the ball and moving it into dangerous areas.

Play Style

As hinted at by their tendency to have a lot of possession, the Crew want to attack, and they do so in an aesthetically pleasing, free-flowing manner. The emphasis is on getting the ball forward as much as possible, as evidenced by the Crew’s league-leading 1,323 progressive passes (San Diego is second with 1,139). As is usually the case with three-man back lines, the wingbacks are asked to do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to getting into the attack and providing width. Whether its Max Arfsten, Mo Farsi, Lassi Lappalainen, or Ibrahim Aliyu, Columbus wants to use as much of the field as possible and the wingbacks are a big part of that.

Anyone and everyone is capable and willing to get forward though, and it isn’t uncommon to see one of the center backs making a marauding run forward. Columbus also plays a high line, presses hard to win the ball back quickly, and generally lives life a little bit on the edge when it comes to defending. Its a high-risk, high-reward approach, and when it works, it’s beautiful soccer, plain and simple.

What it Means for Orlando City

Fortunately for OCSC, the Lions tend to be more successful when they don’t have an overwhelming amount of possession. If I had a nickel for every time Orlando had a lot of the ball but struggled to break down a team that sat back and defended, I’d have a lot of nickels. Conversely, the good guys are usually brimming with danger in transition moments and are capable of putting together some great flowing moves when the opposition is scrambling to recover from losing the ball.

The Crew’s high line means that Oscar Pareja could take a page out of the book he was reading against Inter Miami earlier in the year. Almost every time the Lions won the ball, they’d look to hit it long to Luis Muriel, who was often only matched up with one or two defenders at most. Orlando clogged up things on the defensive end and then played over the bulk of Miami’s team to apply repeated pressure on the isolated defenders. The Lions might be wise to repeat that tactic by defending with numbers to counter the Crew’s desire to create overloads, while also leaving one or two players higher up the field to stress the Columbus high line.

Finally, a vast amount of attention is going to need to be paid to Chambost. Rossi is obviously an incredibly important piece for the Crew — the man has 11 goals and four assists, after all. But Chambost — much like Eduard Atuesta for Orlando — is vital when it comes to linking the defense and the attack together. He gets on the ball a ton, is constantly looking to move it forward, and has the assist numbers to back up his capabilities as a passer. That’s not to say that the Crew don’t have other guys that can hurt you (Jacen Russell-Rowe, Arfsten, and Farsi all spring to mind), but Chambost is a vital and unique cog in the Columbus machine.

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The Crew are a team that want to monopolize possession, play attractive soccer with an emphasis on attacking, and use a formation in which the wingbacks carry a lot of importance. They aren’t the only ones that can hurt you though, because while Rossi rightfully grabs a lot of the headlines, Chambost is the man who ties the team together. Now we just have to see whether the Lions can effectively counter the team sitting fourth in the Supporters’ Shield standings and how they’ll go about trying to do so. Vamos Orlando!

Happy Friday! Both Orlando City and Orlando City B are in action tonight, so we’re truly spoiled for choice when it comes to ways to spend the evening. Marta and Angelina may also take the field for Brazil today as group play wraps up in the Copa America Femenina. Let’s go ahead and jump into today’s links!

Orlando City Takes On the Columbus Crew Tonight

The Lions are away from home and on the hunt for three points ahead of their match against the Columbus Crew at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Martin Ojeda has had a goal contribution in nine consecutive games and his next one will break the club record of 22 set by Nani in 2019. The Argentine attacker is also tied with Kaká for the fifth-most goals in club history with 25. The Lions have lost their past three matches against the Crew, but hopefully they can get the job done on the road tonight.

Barbra Banda’s NWSL MVP Chances

Analyst and former Pride midfielder Lianne Sanderson dove into the contenders of this year’s NWSL MVP race and Orlando forward Barbra Banda is in the thick of it. She has eight goals so far this season and scored the club’s first hat trick on May 23.

“Banda hasn’t skipped a beat from last season,” Sanderson said. “Yes, mathematically she’s scoring less goals, but still effective. She’s a threat and always has an answer, even when teams feel they have worked her out. They haven’t. She’s a constant threat.”

Banda faces stiff competition from last year’s MVP Temwa Chawinga and Golden Boot leader Esther Gonzalez. Chawinga also has eight goals this season, while Gonzalez has scored 10 and has shown no signs of slowing down if her Women’s European Championship form is anything to go by.

Keeping Up With MLS Transfer News

The MLS summer transfer window is open and there’s plenty to catch up on while we wait to see if Orlando will end up doing anything notable. Defensive midfielder Mateusz Klich is no longer with Atlanta United after being waived, opening an international roster spot for the club. Austin FC bolstered its defense by adding Mateja Djordjevic as an MLS U22 Initiative Player from Serbian club FK TSC Backa Topola. St. Louis City FC transferred midfielder Njabulo Blom to Thep Xanh Nam Dinh FC in Vietnam. FC Dallas acquired former academy player Christian Cappis from Viking FK in Norway’s top flight, sending $200,000 in General Allocation Money to the Houston Dynamo for the right of first refusal.

Chris Mueller Will Miss Remainder of MLS Season

Former Lion Chris Mueller was placed on the season-ending injury list after announcing that he’s been dealing with pericarditis this year. Pericarditis is a cardiac tissue disorder that can cause shortness of breath, chest pain, and heart palpitations and Mueller has not been able to fully train this season. It’s the latest in a string of injuries that Mueller has had to battle with since returning to MLS by joining the Chicago Fire in 2022. We wish him a smooth and healthy recovery as he works his way back to full fitness.

Free Kicks

• The San Diego Wave signed 20-year-old forward Dudinha to a contract through 2027, making her the club’s first Brazilian player. Dudinha joins after scoring 14 goals for Sao Paulo FC across 65 appearances.
• New York City FC will be without its captain for a while, as center back Thiago Martins underwent knee surgery and could miss four to six weeks.
• Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas officially joined Pumas and we’ll see if he’s in net for the Mexican club when it plays against Orlando City on Wednesday in the Leagues Cup.
• Wrexham signed former LAFC midfielder Lewis O’Brien from Nottingham Forest, inking him to a three-year deal.
• FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham reiterated the association’s commitment to Sarina Wiegman, who has led England back to the finals of the Euros this summer.

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