A Club Milestone
Orlando City forward Chris Mueller registered his 10th goal contribution of the season on Saturday, earning the assist on Mauricio Pereyra’s 69th-minute game-winner. With the assist, Mueller took sole possession of second in Club history with the 15th assist of his young MLS career, passing former Lion Yoshi Yotún. Mueller’s 10 goal contributions is a team-high this year, with rookie forward Daryl Dike holding the next highest mark at six.
A Pivotal Performance
Mauricio Pereyra played a key role in both goals for the Lions last week against Inter Miami CF, his dangerous free kick forcing the own goal from defender Andrés Reyes in the 34th minute before bagging one of his own for the game-winner in the 69th. The goal served as Pereyra’s second of the regular-season and his first GWG since joining the Club midway through the 2019 season.
Let’s Keep it Going
With a win on Saturday, the Lions extended their unbeaten run to five matches in MLS regular-season play, having earned a result in eight of nine contests since returning to the field on July 8 at the MLS is Back Tournament. Five matches unbeaten is the longest stretch for the Lions since setting a Club-record with six-consecutive wins at the beginning of the 2018 season. In this current stretch, City has boasted a +5 goal differential, while six different players have found the back of the net.
Next Man Up
Head Coach Oscar Pareja made four changes to his starting lineup on Saturday night from the Lions’ last match, with Kyle Smith and Rodrigo Schlegel starting at the back while Júnior Urso and Luis Nani reentered the fold for City. Pareja has yet to utilize the same starting XI in back-to-back matches since the conclusion of the MLS is Back Tournament, opting to make at least two changes in each of City’s Phase 1 matches.
Into the Mix
Defender Alex De John and midfielder Joey DeZart each made their first appearances of the 2020 regular season on Saturday night against Miami, the former entering the match in the 84th minute and the latter in the 92nd. The minutes served as the first for De John across all competitions this season, while DeZart saw the first MLS regular season minutes of his professional career after making his City debut in the Round of 16 at the MLS is Back Tournament on July 25 against the Montreal Impact.
Milestone Tracker
- Nani (12) is one assist shy of tying former Lion Carlos Rivas for fourth in Club history.
- Daryl Dike is one goal shy of passing teammate Chris Mueller (3) for second in Club history in goals scored by a Lions’ MLS SuperDraft selection in their debut season.
- Kyle Smith is one appearance away from 30 for City.
- Nani is two appearances away from 40 for City.
- Benji Michel is two appearances away from 30 for City.
