Orlando City vs Charlotte FC (MLS Cup Playoffs)
When: Sunday, 7:30 p.m
Where: Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, Fox Sports 1
Radio: Real Radio 104.1, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Everything you need to know for the Lions' playoff opener on Sunday night against Charlotte FC in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestones
- Some new attacking records for Orlando City in the 2024 regular season:
- Most goals (59)
- Most players with double-digit assists (Martín Ojeda, 12; Nicolás Lodeiro, 11; Iván Angulo, 10)
- Most individual goal scorers (14)
- Facundo Torres can set a new single-season club record with his next goal, which would be his 19th of the year in all competitions. Cyle Larin scored 18 in his historic rookie campaign in 2015, a number Torres matched with his goal Wednesday against Philadelphia. Torres has already overtaken Larin on the all-time scoring list with 45 career goals for Orlando City.
- At 25 assists, Torres is one helper from tying Nani for second in club history.
- Martín Ojeda is up to 23 assists in all competitions for the club, including 13 this season, tied with Nicolás Lodeiro for the club’s single-season record. Ojeda’s next assist will see him tie Chris Mueller for fourth in club history.
- Robin Jansson needs to play in four playoff games this fall to become the first Lion ever to reach 200 career appearances in all competitions.
Stats & Storylines
- Despite falling 2-1 to Atlanta United in a controversial Decision Day match, Orlando City banked enough points over the past four months to secure fourth place in the Eastern Conference and home-field advantage in their best-of-3 first round series against Charlotte FC in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. Charlotte’s 3-0 win over D.C. United was enough to move them past New York City FC into the fifth spot.
- Game 2 of the series will take place at Bank of America Stadium on Friday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, will be back at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday, November 9, kicking off at 6 p.m.
- Orlando City is one of just two teams in MLS to reach the postseason in each of the past five years, along with the New York Red Bulls, who have the league record with 15 straight trips to the playoffs. Oscar Pareja has reached the playoffs in 10 of his 12 seasons as an MLS head coach, including all five in Orlando.
- Though he typically finds himself in the assist column of the box score, Martín Ojeda scored his first MLS goal since July 6 this weekend against Atlanta, giving him 3 G/9 A in 14 starts since joining the first XI for good on June 28. Ojeda notched a goal contribution in 11 of those 14 matches.
- Orlando City is 2-4-1 all-time in the MLS Cup Playoffs, famously advancing from the lone draw in a penalty shootout against NYCFC in 2020 with Rodrigo Schlegel forced to don a goalkeeper kit and make the winning save. The Lions swept Nashville SC in the first round last year before going down to ten men and falling in extra time to eventual champions Columbus in the conference semifinals.
Series History
All-time vs. Charlotte FC - 3-2-2, +2 GD (2-1-0, +2 GD home)
MLS only vs. Charlotte FC - 2-1-2, +1 GD (2-1-0, +2 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), W 2-0 (H)
Meet the opponent: Charlotte FC
- After struggling with Charlotte in an otherwise dominant 2023 season, Orlando City secured four points against the Crown this year, coming from behind twice to draw at Bank of America Stadium in June and comfortably winning at Inter&Co Stadium last month. Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire both scored in each game for the Lions.
- Torres has enjoyed playing against Charlotte, totalling 3 G/2 A against the Crown in six career appearances. El Cuervo’s very first Inter&Co Stadium goal came against Charlotte in 2022.
- Martín Ojeda scored twice against Charlotte in 2023 and assisted Torres’ opener in the home win this season.
- Orlando’s win over Charlotte last month dropped the Crown to seventh in the East and in danger of falling into the Wild Card Round. At that time, the North Carolina side had gone six straight without a win and had scored just 32 goals in 29 matches, barely more than one per game. Since then, though, Charlotte has gone 4-0-1, scoring 14 goals across those five games while conceding only four.
- Among the major contributors to Charlotte’s strong closing stretch were on-loan DP No. 10 Pep Biel (2 G/3 A), original DP attacker Karol Świderski (4 G/2 A), and second-year striker Patrick Agyemang (3 G/2 A). DP winger Liel Abada added three goals, while goalkeeper Kristian Kahlina posted three clean sheets.
