One of the hottest teams in Major League Soccer, Orlando City, will journey to Citi Field in Queens on Wednesday to face New York City FC.
A 0-0 draw at the Hudson River Derby versus the New York Red Bulls this past weekend kept the Pigeons four points behind the Eastern Conference playoff line, while the Lions extended their unbeaten run in league play to six matches by winning a 4-3 thriller over the Columbus Crew.
Match preview
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A rivalry match, which is usually filled with intensity, had little to none of that on the field at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, as the playoff hopes of the Boys in Blue appear to be fading.
Weeks ago, manager Nick Cushing vowed to fight with every ounce of his being to get this team into the playoffs, but based on what we saw on Saturday, that message did not seem to impact his players as the urgency level on both sides looked non-existent.
They have five games left to try to change their situation and can ill afford any more ties, something the Pigeons cannot seem to avoid, as they now have a league-high 13 of them this season, including six at home.
One-third of their victories in the 2023 MLS campaign (2/6) have come at Citi Field, though they have picked up just one point in their last three league matches played there, scoring only twice and conceding six times over that stretch.
Throughout the campaign, New York City have struggled in the attacking third with so much talk about needing a number nine, but despite all of their signings during the previous transfer window, finding the back of the net continues to be a problem for them, with just three goals in their last six competitive fixtures.
NYCFC have only netted multiple times in four domestic home fixtures this year, including twice at Citi Field, while they have suffered just one defeat in Queens versus an Eastern Conference opponent in the regular season or playoffs (3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Union in May 2023).
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Among other things, Orlando is known for Walt Disney World, considered "The Most Magical Place on Earth", and that magic seems to have trickled down to their football club, who are on quite a roll.
The most magical thing about the Lions of late has been the way they have transformed from a side that for the longest time were just grinding out results to one who are now dictating the majority of their matches, while showing a lot more quality, scoring in eight of their last nine MLS affairs.
Oscar Pareja has orchestrated this transformation, with his team scoring 45 goals to this point of the domestic campaign, the third-most for this franchise in the MLS regular season, and with 50 points thus far, they are just a point away from equalling their highest total set in 2021 and have six matches left to try and set that record.
Fifteen of their 21 goals scored on the road in this competition have come in the final 45 minutes of a match, with the Lions leading the league in away victories this year (seven).
One word that frequently comes to mind when talking about Orlando City this year is resilience, which the Lions have shown plenty of, claiming 15 regular season points in 2023 after conceding the opening goal.
Wednesday will be their first-ever visit to Citi Field, with the Lions going winless in their last five regular-season matches played in New York City, having been outscored 13-2 over that stretch.
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Team News
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Maxi Moralez remains unavailable for New York City due to a ruptured ACL, Keaton Parks was taken out of their match last Saturday with an apparent ankle injury and Matias Pellegrini will be suspended for this encounter after receiving another caution versus the Red Bulls.
Matt Freese has a clean sheet in two of his last three MLS contests since replacing Luis Barraza between the sticks, while Monsef Bakrar saw his two-match scoring run end.
Moralez has had plenty of success for NYCFC versus the Lions in his career, scoring six times, while Talles Magno has put together some strong performances against Orlando City as well with three goal involvements in their last two games against them, including the winner at home a season ago (2-1).
Gaston Gonzalez will be questionable for Orlando City with a sore left thigh, Favian Loyola missed their weekend fixture because of an issue in his left arm, Antonio Carlos was unavailable due to a right lower leg injury, while Wilder Cartagena is eligible to return from suspension.
Facundo Torres notched his team-leading 12th of the campaign in their wild finish against the Crew and the 21st of his career for the Lions, moving into a tie with Chris Mueller for the fifth-most in club history, Martin Ojeda notched his second in his last three games and Ramiro Enrique had a brace, including the winner in the 97th minute, the latest goal in club history since a Daryl Dike strike in that same minute in October 2021.
Pedro Gallese has conceded eight goals in three away matches against the Boys in Blue, including two in their narrow defeat at NYCFC last season.
New York City FC possible starting lineup:
Freese; Gray, Martins, Risa, Cufre; Perea, Sands; Ledezma, Rodriguez, Jasson; Bakrar
Orlando City possible starting lineup:
Gallese; Thorhalsson, Schlegel, Jansson, Petrasso; Araujo, Urso; Ojeda, Pereyra, Angulo; Enrique
We say: New York City FC 0-2 Orlando City
Over the past couple of months, the Lions have become a well-balanced unit, adding more attacking flair to go along with their disciplined backline, and given their poise away from home and their current form, we believe they will get the job done against the Pigeons.
New York City have not played poorly throughout the campaign, but they still look indecisive in the attacking third, which might cost them again on Wednesday.
How to watch
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
