ORLANDO – August 20, 2015 – Orlando City SC (7-11-7, 28 points) will face Toronto FC (9-10-4, 31 points) for the third time this season on Saturday, Aug. 22, at BMO Field as the Lions aim for a positive result on the road. Kick-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET. The match will broadcast live on MY65 and Sun Sports.
In addition, the game will be transmitted in English on Real Radio 104.1 FM and in Spanish on La Grande 1030 AM.
"It's strange that we're now in a situation where we're not worse off than we were three weeks ago, in terms of points," said head coach Adrian Heath. "We're still within a shout of it (the playoffs), and we have to believe that every time we play. Obviously we've forgotten about last weekend, but we have to go again. That's the nature of the game. You don't feel sorry for yourselves. You have to get yourself together and show that it means something."
As the race for a playoff berth begins to intensify, the Lions will travel to Canada in search of their first victory against the Reds in 2015. So far this season, City has proved to be successful in its third encounter against Eastern Conference teams, defeating leaders D.C. United 1-0 in their third matchup after losing the first two games, and dominating Columbus Crew SC 5-2 after a loss and a draw early in the season.
Despite losing midfield stalwart Darwin Cerén and defender Tyler Turner, due to suspension, right-back Rafael Ramos could make a return to the lineup after being sidelined for a month with an injury.
Additionally, experienced center-half David Mateos is expected to feature in his second start with the Club, after making his debut against Seattle Sounders FC last weekend.
Sitting in fifth place, Toronto ventures into Saturday's fixture after losing back-to-back games for the first time since dropping four in a row from March 14 to April 18, suffering consecutive defeats to Sporting Kansas City and the New York Red Bulls.
In six of their last eight games, the Reds have allowed three or more goals, conceding 22 goals in that span.
However, the team has been led up front by attacking midfielder Sebastian Giovinco, who scored a hat-trick in the previous meeting between both sides. The Italian ranks second in MLS for goals with 16 and fourth for assists with 11 in 23 games played.
