Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night match-up between Orlando City SC (1-1-2, 5 points) and the Philadelphia Union (2-2-0, 6 points) at Subaru Park (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). This is the first of two regular-season match-ups between the Lions and Union in 2023, with Philadelphia making the return trip to Exploria Stadium on June 21.

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

History

Orlando City is 4-7-5 in the 16 MLS meetings with the Union since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015, and 5-8-5 in all competitions. The Lions are 2-5-1 against the Union on the road in league play and 2-6-1 at Philadelphia in all competitions.

Strange things tend to happen when the teams meet (and tend to favor the Union), but that’s especially true in Philadelphia. The last two matches at Subaru Park should probably have seen Kacper Przybylko and Jose Martinez sent off for the hosts and the Pro Referees Organization apologized for a winning Union goal that should never have counted on another previous trip to Pennsylvania.

The Union put the Lions to the sword in the last meeting, a dominant 5-1 win by Philadelphia on Sept. 10 of last 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 Mikael Uhre, Daniel Gazdag (penalty), Alejandro Bedoya, and Jack Elliott. Andres Perea, who is now with the Union, scored for Orlando but the Lions were trailing by 4-0 at the time. Martinez appeared to headbutt Wilder Cartagena in that match but no call was made.

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. Daniel 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. Ercan Kara and Perea hoisted Orlando to a 2-0 lead. Stuart Findlay pulled one back late, but the Lions saw it out and advanced.

The teams met at Subaru Park on Sept. 19, 2021 and the Union prevailed 3-1, largely due to a brace by 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 met in 2020 in the group stage of the MLS is Back Tournament 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 teams met in what was then known as Talen Energy Stadium on July 7, 2019, with the Lions and Union 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 — one to Przybylko and the other to 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.

In 2017, the home side won each match, with Orlando City winning 2-1 at Orlando City Stadium on March 18 and the Union winning an ugly 6-1 match 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 in the 89th minute gave Philly a 2-1 win on March 8 of 2016.

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 having not won since opening night. The Lions are winless in three league matches (0-1-2) and five games in all competition (0-1-4), with a problematic 2-1 home loss to struggling Charlotte a week ago. City is 0-0-1 on the road in league play so far this season and 0-0-2 away from Exploria Stadium in all competitions.

Philadelphia enters tonight coming off a 3-2 road loss in Montreal last weekend, but the Union are 2-0-0 at home in MLS matches and 3-0-0 in all competitions, outscoring opponents 9-1. Philadelphia has won 12 straight home matches and is unbeaten in its last 24 league home games (19-0-5). You have to go back to Sept. 3, 2021 to find a Union home loss — a 1-0 decision to the New England Revolution. It’s fair to say the Union have turned Subaru Park into the kind of fortress of which Orlando fans can only dream.

Typically the Union like to deploy in a 4-4-2 diamond formation under Jim Curtin but with so many players out — more on that below — we could see something different. We will likely see Perea in the lineup against his former teammates, as the young midfielder has become the team’s backup at the No. 8 position. Uhre will be the danger man that Orlando City must always keep under wraps. On the other end, the stout Union back line is intact and is going to be difficult to break down, while Kai Wagner will present a threat on crosses.

“You always have to be ready no matter what, whether you don’t think you’re gonna play, you think you’re gonna play, you’ve always got to be ready, always being prepared and treating every game like you’re going to be the one playing,” said backup goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar earlier this week. “I think it’s also taught me patience. No situation is permanent and things can change like that. So, I’d say patience and preparedness for sure.”

Stajduhar, who will start tonight barring something unforeseen, was in net the last time the Lions went to Philadelphia, and he got shelled in that 5-1 loss. Philly hasn’t been kind to backup Orlando goalkeepers. Earl Edwards Jr. lost a 6-1 match there in his first MLS start in October of 2017, and Josh Ford lost 1-0 — on a penalty kick goal by Sebastien LeToux in his first MLS start back in 2015.

This is going to be a weird game due to absences. Both teams are missing key players due to international duty and the Union are also dealing with a crucial injury to goalkeeper Andre Blake, while the Lions could be without Kara, who is questionable with a thigh injury. In addition to Black (adductor strain) being listed as out on the availability report, Julian Carranza is suspended after picking up a pair of yellow cards last Saturday in Montreal. The Union will be without Gazdag, Damion Lowe, Martinez, Richard Odada, Quinn Sullivan, Brandan Craig, and Jack McGlynn due to international duty. The only Orlando injury is Kara’s but the team will be without internationals Pedro Gallese, Wilder Cartagena, Facundo Torres, Michael Halliday, Thomas Williams, Alex Freeman, and Favian Loyola.

Mandatory Match Content

• This week’s Intelligence Report features insight into the Union from Joe Lister of SBNation’s Philadelphia blog, Philadelphia Soccer Now.
• The most recent PawedCast includes our key match-ups and score predictions for tonight’s game, as well as an interview with Orlando Pride rookie Messiah Bright.
• Our Dave Rohe provided his three keys to victory for Orlando City against Philadelphia.

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Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-2-3-1),

Goalkeeper: Mason Stajduhar.

Defenders: Luca Petrasso, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Felipe.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, Martin Ojeda.

Forward: Ramiro Enrique.

Bench: Adam Grinwis, Rafael Santos, Abdi Salim, Antonio Carlos, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, Gaston Gonzalez, Shak Mohammed, Jack Lynn, Duncan McGuire.

Philadelphia Union (4-4-2 diamond)

Goalkeeper: Joe Bendik.

Defenders: Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Olivier Mbaizo.

Midfielders: Andres Perea, Leon Flach, Alejandro Bedoya, Joaquin Torres.

Forwards: Michael Uhre, Chris Donovan.

Bench: Holden Trent, Nathan Harriel, Matthew Real, Jesus Bueno, Jeremy Rafanello.

Referees:

Ref: Allen Chapman.

AR1: Brian Dunn.

AR2: Justin Howard.

4th: Luis Diego Arroyo.

VAR: Alejandro Mariscal.

AVAR: Mike Kampmeinert.

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How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Subaru Park — Chester, PA.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

Radio: Real Radio 104.1 FM (English), Accion 97.9 FM and 810 AM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).

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Enjoy the match. Go City!