ORLANDO, Fla. (July 12, 2016) – Following Friday’s draw with the Houston Dynamo, Orlando City SC (4-4-9, 21 points) heads to New York for the season’s third meeting against the New York Red Bulls (7-9-3, 24 points) on Wednesday, July 13. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Red Bull Arena.
The match will be locally televised on TV27 and will be transmitted locally on Real Radio 104.1 FM in English and La Grande 1030 AM in Spanish.
“It’s going to be about minimizing the self-inflicted damage. We know what they do. They are going to come after us, they are going to press and we can’t get ourselves in situations that will make it easier for them,” Lions Interim Head Coach Bobby Murphy said. “A wise man once said, ‘no matter who you play against, you’ll get a chance to get a goal. Just make sure you are in the game when you get that chance.’ ”
Orlando City is coming off a scoreless draw against the Houston Dynamo on Friday. The Lions controlled the vast majority of possession and completed over 200 more passes than the Dynamo, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
Kevin Molino and Cyle Larin lead the team with six and eight goals, respectively, while Molino and captain Kaká lead the team with five assists each. Goalkeeper Joe Bendik is fourth in MLS with 60 saves.
The Red Bulls also played to a 0-0 draw against the Portland Timbers on Sunday. Much like City, New York dominated possession but couldn’t beat Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson on any of their 13 shots.
Bradley Wright-Phillips is tied for fourth in MLS and leads New York with nine goals while Sacha Kljestan leads MLS with 10 assists. Goalkeeper Luis Robles is sixth in MLS with 57 saves.
This is the third and final meeting of the season between these teams. The Lions fell 3-2 at New York on April 24 and drew the Red Bulls 1-1 in Orlando on May 6, when Larin found Molino for the second-half equalizer. Larin has one goal and an assist against the Red Bulls this season and has eight goals and one assist in five career games in the Big Apple.
Wednesday’s match begins a stretch of three consecutive road games for the Lions. Following Wednesday, City will head across the continent to Vancouver for a 10 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday, July 16, before heading back east to take on Columbus Crew SC on Saturday, July 23. City returns to Camping World Stadium to host the New England Revolution on Sunday, July 31. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
