KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Hardly 24 hours after playing to a 1-1 draw against New York City FC, Orlando City players were back on the training pitch as they prepped for a quick turnaround.
The Lions, who have now played four games this month, will play their fifth down in Ft Lauderdale on Saturday night as they take on in-state rivals Inter Miami.
Over the past three years of the rivalry, Orlando holds the all-time record at 4-3-2, with a 1-3-0 record in Ft Lauderdale. The last win for the Lions came back in 2021, when Nani scored the game-winning goal late in the match.
Now, the two Florida teams match up for the 10th time all-time, with pressure on both clubs to get a much-needed win against their rivals.
“We always have the responsibility to win," Lions head coach Oscar Pareja said before training at Orlando Health Training Ground at Osceola Heritage Park on Thursday.
"Miami is a team that is also trying to find their best form at this point of the season like many others, including us. They are players that we recognize, some of them young, the other ones have more experience in the league. It’s very level the league in that aspect, but we recognize in the details what their strengths and their weaknesses are. At this point, we’re trying to find our best form.
As the Lions prepare for the weekend, they will be without one of their mainstay starters in Mikey Halliday. The Homegrown fullback was called up to the United States' under-20 squad for the upcoming U20 FIFA World Cup as an injury-replacement player. The tournament, set to start Saturday in Argentina, will last through May 26 at least, with the potential of going all the way through June 11.
"I think he's very well-deserved for Mikey," Pareja said. "Mikey has done a good job on getting that opportunity. We wish him all the best and hopefully, he can play and he can represent not just the club but the country in such a huge competition."
Halliday has become the regular starter for the Lions at right back, appearing in eight of the team's 12 games thus far. He notched his first MLS assist at the end of April, finding Ercan Kara for his first goal of the season in the 2-0 win over the LA Galaxy.
The fullback is not the only Lions player who is with the US U-20's currently, as Homegrown Thomas Williams is also with the team as an alternate.
Odds and ends
- Captain Mauricio Pereyra played his first minutes after coming back from injury in the midweek matchup against NYCFC, coming off the bench in the 59th minute.
- Defender Luca Petrasso, who will miss his seventh match in a row, is getting closer to coming back after training off to the side of the team.
