ORLANDO, Fla. (May 24, 2016) – In their second match in four days, Orlando City SC (3-3-5, 14 points) hosts the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Union (5-3-3, 18 points) on Wednesday, May 25, at Camping World Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. E.T.
The match will be locally televised on WRDQ TV27, as well as transmitted on Real Radio 104.1 FM in English and on La Grande 1030 AM in Spanish.
“We’ve got a great incentive to go and win the game. We could go second in the league, which would be really pleasing,” Lions head coach Adrian Heath said. “[Philadelphia] is a confident team. You can see it’s a very happy camp. They keep working hard. They don’t give in and they keep going. It’s going to be tough because they’re coming in full of confidence.”
Orlando City is coming off a thrilling 2-1 win over the Montreal Impact. After giving up an early goal, the Lions fought back with a perfectly executed free kick goal from Kaká to Cyle Larin. The Canadian national team forward also put the finishing touch on a masterful passing display in the 87th minute to capture all three points in front of over 34,000 fans.
The goal put Larin, the reigning MLS Rookie of the Year, in the team lead with six goals in 10 appearances. Kaká’s two assists brought his 2016 total to two goals and four assists in six matches.
Philadelphia enters the match on a five-game unbeaten streak. In their last match, Sebastian Le Toux fed Richie Marquez for the game-winning goal in stoppage time to defeat D.C. United 1-0. Forward C.J. Sapong leads the Union with five goals, while Chris Pontius has four goals and two assists.
This is the fourth MLS encounter between the clubs. The Lions and Union split the first meeting 0-0 before Philadelphia won the 2015 season-ending finale. Union midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta’s 90th-minute free kick on April 8 secured this season’s first matchup for Philadelphia.
Orlando City faces another short turnaround after Wednesday’s match, as the Lions make their second visit to New York City on May 29. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. E.T. The Lions return home to host San Jose on Saturday, June 18, for a 7:30 p.m. E.T. kickoff, after a league-wide break during Copa America Centenario.
