Two in Two
Defender Ruan got on the scoresheet for the second time in as many matches on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia, netting what served as his second goal across all competitions for the Lions, in the 57th minute of play. The Brazilian defender scored his first goal just four days prior, netting a then-equalizer against Montreal at the midweek.
A Career High for Mauro
With the assist on Ruan’s second half finish on Sunday, Lions midfielder Mauricio Pereyra tallied his ninth helper of the campaign, leading the side and now tied for third in MLS with three other players. The assist bested the Uruguayan midfielder’s 2020 total of eight assists, a number that also served as a team-high.
Back in the Mix
After serving a one-game suspension over the weekend, Lions’ captain Luis Nani and midfielder Andrés Perea will each be available for selection on Saturday in New England after both were shown red cards against Montreal last Wednesday. Nani currently leads the side in goal contributions with nine goals and seven assists to his credit in 2021, while Perea has appeared 20 times for the Lions this season, with two goals and an assist in that span. Defender Antonio Carlos will be unavailable for Saturday’s match however, after being shown a straight red card in the 88th minute on Sunday in Philadelphia.
Next Man Up
Midfielder Raul Aguilera logged his largest chunk of minutes on Sunday since signing a Homegrown contract with the Club on April 5, totaling 70 minutes of play after replacing an injured Joey DeZart early in the match. Aguilera has now appeared in three matches as a Lion, with Sunday serving as his first minutes on the road.
Milestone Tracker
- Mauricio Pereyra is one assist away from 10 for the season, which would tie the Club record for assists in a single season.
- Pereyra’s next assist also makes him the fourth player in Club history to record a double-digit assist season (Kaká 10, 2016; Yoshimar Yotún 10, 2018; Nani 10, 2019)
- Pereyra is also one assist away from 22 for his career, which would tie Kaká and Chris Mueller for second all-time in Club history.
- Nani is one goal away from 10 for the 2021 season, which would make him the second player in Club history after Cyle Larin to record multiple double-digit goal seasons for the Club in the MLS era.
- Mauricio Pereyra and Andrés Perea could each make their 50th appearance in all competitions on Saturday in New England.
- Chris Mueller’s next appearance will serve as his 120th as a Lion.
- Tesho Akindele is two goals away from 20 in his Orlando City career.
- Pedro Gallese’s next clean sheet will be his 10th for Orlando City.
- Orlando City’s next clean sheet will set a new Club record with eight in a single season. 2021 marks the fourth time Orlando City has recorded seven clean sheets in a season, along with 2015, 2017, and 2019.
