Orlando City (5-8-6, 21 points) at New York City FC (9-8-2, 29 points)
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m
Where: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Radio: 96.9 the Game FM, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Here are five storylines to watch on Friday when Orlando City SC visit NYCFC:
Setting the Tone
Orlando City Homegrown goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar broke a Club record in the Lions’ last match against Chicago Fire FC, a 4-2 win for the Lions at INTER&Co Stadium, making 11 saves on 13 shots faced from the Fire, the most saves by an Orlando City goalkeeper in a single game. The record, previously held by former Lion Joe Bendik, had stood for over eight years at 10 saves made by Bendik on May 15, 2016, against Sporting Kansas City. Stajduhar holds a 9-5-7 all-time record as Orlando City’s starting goalkeeper and currently holds a 3-1-1 record for the Lions in 2024.
Summer of Facu
El Cuervo has taken flight for the summer in Orlando, following two great performances this past week. Uruguayan forward Facundo Torres made four goal contributions in Orlando City’s last two matches, tallying a goal and an assist in the Lions’ 2-2 draw at Charlotte FC last Wednesday and posting a brace to secure Orlando City’s 4-2 win over Chicago Fire FC last weekend. Since arriving in Central Florida, 22 of Torres’ 35 career goals for the Lions have come between the months of June and September, with 10 of his 20 all-time assists falling in that same timeframe.
Representing Orlando
For their performances against Chicago Fire FC in the Lions’ 4-2 wine at INTER&Co Stadium this past weekend, goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar and forward Facundo Torres were both named to Major League Soccer’s Team of the Matchday for Matchday 22, with Torres scoring a brace and Stajduhar setting a Club record for saves in a single game with 11 stops in net. The honor served as Torres’ 16th appearance on the MLS Team of the Matchday, earning the nod in his 100th match all-time for Orlando City, while Stajduhar earned his first recognition all-time.
Copa Dreams
Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and midfielder Wilder Cartagena are now two games in their CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024 campaign with Peru. The Peruvian duo both started their two Group Stage matches against Chile and Canada, with La Bicolor taking a scoreless draw against Chile in their tournament opener and falling to Canada 1-0 late on their second matchday. Peru still has a chance to advance to the knockout rounds of Copa América if they can pull off a win over Group A leaders Argentina this Saturday, and a draw in the Chile vs. Canada match.
A Lion in Europe
Orlando City defender David Brekalo and Slovenia ended the UEFA EURO 2024 Group Stage undefeated with three draws, advancing to the knockout rounds of the competition for the first time in their history. The Reprezentanca took third place in Group C after scoreless draws against Denmark and England, and a 1-1 draw against Serbia, advancing to the knockout rounds as one of the best third place teams and await the remainder of the group stage games to wrap up to find out their opponent.
Milestone Tracker:
- Duncan McGuire is two goals away from tying Dom Dwyer (24) for fifth on Orlando City’s all-time scoring list and three goals away from tying Kaká (25) for fourth
- César Araújo is one appearance away from 100 across all competitions for Orlando City
