ORLANDO, Fla. (May 10, 2019) - Orlando City SC (3-4-3, 12 points) begins a two-game road trip on Sunday when they face reigning MLS Cup Champions Atlanta United FC (4-3-2, 14 points). Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The match will be nationally televised on FOX and broadcasted on FM 96.9 The Game in English and La Nueva 990 AM in Spanish.
“Obviously going to the Champions (Atlanta United) in their home in front of 60 or 70 thousand people, it’s going to be a massive game,” Head Coach James O’Connor said. “These are the types of games that our players should want to play in.”
City enters Sunday’s match coming off a 2-0 defeat from Toronto FC this past Saturday. Both goals came in the second half for The Reds with Jonathan Osorio and Jay Chapman finding the back of the net in the 65th and 77th minutes respectively.
Nani remains atop the Lions with five goals and four assists thus far this season. Goalkeeper Brian Rowe now sits at third in MLS with 37 saves in 2019 after registering seven in last week’s contest.
Atlanta also enters Sunday’s match fresh off a contest with Toronto, after defeating the Reds 2-0 in a midweek contest on Wednesday. Héctor Villalba opened the scoring in the 17th minute with Julian Gressel doubling the lead in the 67th to secure the victory.
Ezequiel Barco and Josef Martinez lead The Five Stripes with four goals apiece this season. Barco will be unavailable for Sunday’s match as he has begun preparations for the FIFA U-20 World Cup with the Argentinian National Team.
Sunday’s contest will be the first of two between the clubs this season, with Atlanta scheduled to visit Orlando City Stadium on August 23rd. Both matches between Atlanta and Orlando in 2019 will be televised on national broadcasts.
Following the match, the Lions face a quick turnaround when they visit Seattle for a matchup against the Sounders on Wednesday, May 15.
