Orlando City (11-10-7, 40 points) vs Charlotte FC (10-10-8, 38 points)
When: Wednesday, 8:15 p.m
Where: Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (Free), Fox Sports 1
Radio: 96.9 The Game, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Everything you need to know for the Lions' Wednesday night match hosting Charlotte FC in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestones
- Following his 42nd career goal for Orlando City against New England, Facundo Torres is just two goals away from tying Cyle Larin for the most in club history in all competitions. With 15 goals in all competitions this year, Torres is also three goals away from matching Larin’s single-season club record of 18 from the Canadian’s 2015 rookie campaign.
- At 24 assists, Torres is two away from tying Nani for second on the all-time charts.
- Duncan McGuire’s next goal for Orlando, his 25th, will tie him with Kaká for fourth in club history. McGuire matched Dom Dwyer’s career tally with his second-half strike against New England.
- Martín Ojeda’s next assist will be his 10th in the MLS regular season and will make him the second player in club history to record double-digit assists in consecutive seasons for Orlando City. Mauricio Pereyra did it three years in a row from 2021-23.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s next regular season win will move him past Dominic Kinnear for fifth in MLS history at 171. Pareja needs 24 more wins to catch Bob Bradley for fourth all-time.
Stats & Storylines
- Orlando City is 7-2-1 with a +14 goal differential over its past ten MLS regular-season games dating back to June 22, including a 4-0-1 mark and a +13 GD at home. The turnaround has been remarkable – the Lions were 4-8-6 with a -10 GD through their first 18 regular season games.
- The Lions have moved from 14th in the Eastern Conference up to fifth over their past ten matches. Orlando passed New York City FC and Charlotte FC on Saturday night and sit just three points behind the New York Red Bulls for fourth with a game in hand. The top 4 teams in the conference will have home field advantage in the best of three MLS Cup Playoffs First Round.
- Martín Ojeda has started the last nine regular season matches, leading the Lions to 2.11 points per game in that stretch while providing three goals and six assists. Ojeda set the club record with a goal contribution in seven straight games in all competitions from June 28-July 26.
- Orlando has a new single-season assist king! Nicolás Lodeiro’s picture-perfect pass for Duncan McGuire’s goal on Saturday night was the Uruguayan’s 13th this season in all competitions, a new high for any City player in one campaign. Seven of Lodeiro’s 13 assists this year have come as a substitute.
- Facundo Torres continued his historic run on Saturday night, potting a penalty kick to move him to 15 G/8 A in all competitions this year. Torres has 9 G/4 A in Orlando City’s past 11 regular season games and a stunning six goals in his last five home regular season matches. El Cuervo featured twice for his native Uruguay during World Cup qualifiers this month after being left out of the Copa America squad in June.
- Pedro Gallese recorded his club-record 44th career clean sheet in his historic 150th appearance for Orlando City on Saturday, making a spectacular save on a Carles Gil free kick to keep the Revolution off the scoreboard.
- Overall, Orlando City is on a 289-minute shutout streak at home dating back to August 4 against Atlético San Luis. The Lions have shut out Cruz Azul, Nashville, and New England in that stretch.
Series History
All-time vs. Charlotte FC - 2-2-2, 0 GD (1-1-0, 0 GD home)
MLS only vs. Charlotte FC - 2-1-2, +1 GD (1-1-0, 0 GD home)
2022 - W 2-1 (H), W 1-2 (A)
2023 - L 1-2 (H), L 1-0 (A/USOC), D 1-1 (A)
2024 - D 2-2 (A)
Meet the opponent: Charlotte FC
- Wednesday’s game is a true six-pointer, with Orlando sitting just two points ahead of Charlotte in the Eastern Conference standings. The Crown have been ahead of the Lions all season, but City’s hard summer charge and a recent dip in form from Charlotte have seen them swap spots in the table.
- Charlotte is winless in seven across all competitions, scoring just five goals in that stretch. The Crown’s last win came on July 13 at FC Cincinnati.
- The North Carolina side had a busy summer transfer window, headlined by the acquisitions of DP attacking midfielder Pep Biel on loan from Olympiakos and USMNT center-back Tim Ream from Fulham.
- The 28-year-old Biel, a native of Spain, managed 12 goals and eight assists in 59 games in Greece over the past two seasons. His best run came at FC Copenhagen in Denmark from 2019-22, when he notched 32 G/28 A in 128 matches in all competitions.
- Ream, 36, has made 62 appearances for the United States since debuting in November 2010. The St. Louis native featured in 97 games in the English Premier League and nearly 300 in the Championship. He previously played in MLS for the New York Red Bulls from 2010-11.
- Charlotte’s calling card this season has been defense. The Crown has conceded just 31 goals in 28 MLS regular season games, the second-fewest of any team in MLS (Columbus, 28). On the flip side, Charlotte’s 32 goals scored ranks fourth from the bottom in the league, easily the lowest of any current playoff team.
- Beyond Biel, who has yet to record a goal or assist in 181 minutes in MLS, Charlotte’s attack is led by DPs Karol Swiderski (2 G in four games since returning from a loan in Italy) and Liel Abada (4 G/2 A), along with second-year striker Patrick Agyemang (7 G/3 A).
- Goalkeeper Kristian Kahlina ranks fifth in MLS with 100 saves and second in the league with nine clean sheets (Hugo Lloris, LAFC, 10).
