Orlando City (6-8-7, 24 points) vs D.C. United (4-10-8, 20 points)
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m
Where: INTER&Co Stadium, Orlando, FL
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: 96.9 the Game FM, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Everything you need to know for the Lions' Saturday night match vs D.C. United in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi
Milestones
- Duncan McGuire stands sixth in Orlando City history with 23 goals. His next goal would see him equal Dom Dwyer for fifth all-time, and a brace would tie him with Kaká in fourth.
- Facundo Torres currently ranks fifth in club history with 20 assists. Torres is two helpers away from matching Kaká for fourth on the all-time list.
- Both Rodrigo Schlegel and Kyle Smith are two starts away from 100 in all competitions for Orlando City.
Stats & Storylines
- Orlando City’s attack stayed hot on Wednesday night, scoring two goals to lift the Lions to a huge road win over Toronto FC. City has scored at least twice in each of their past four matches, the first time Orlando has done that since August 21-September 7, 2022. The Lions have scored 10 goals in those four games, their most in a four match run since scoring 11 in four from June 19-July 3, 2021.
- Martín Ojeda has provided a spark since entering the starting lineup over the past two matches, contributing to a goal in each game. Ojeda has nine goals and 15 assists in 3410 career minutes for Orlando City. Per Football Reference, the Argentine ranks in the 95th percentile among all attacking midfielders and wingers in MLS and comparable leagues in assists per 90 minutes over the past year.
- Torres (20), Iván Angulo (17), and Ojeda (15) currently rank fifth, sixth, and seventh respectively on Orlando City’s all-time assist chart.
- Orlando City’s win in Toronto was their third in a row at BMO Field. The Lions have won seven of nine against the Reds under Oscar Pareja and have not lost in Toronto since May 18, 2018.
- The Lions once again earned points after going behind, a trend so far this season. Nine of Orlando’s 24 points have been won from losing positions, including two comeback wins.
- On Saturday night, Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup champion Kaká will become the inaugural member of Orlando City’s Legends Terrace, honoring those who have made a lasting impact on Orlando City and Orlando Pride. Kaká came to the City Beautiful ten years ago this week as the club’s first captain and Designated Player, putting Orlando City on the map as a major player in MLS. The Brazilian scored 25 goals and added 22 assists in his three seasons with the Lions. Kaká will be honored in a ceremony following Orlando City’s match with D.C. United.
- The Lions will try to win their second straight home game on Saturday, a feat they have not accomplished since last season, when they won at least two in a row at home on three separate occasions.
Series History
All-time vs. D.C. United - 7-9-3, -4 GD (4-4-1, 0 GD home)
MLS only vs. D.C. United - 7-9-2, -4 GD (4-4-1, 0 GD home)
2015 - L 0-1 (H), L 2-1 (A), W 1-0 (H)
2016 - L 4-1 (A), W 4-2 (H)
2017 - W 2-0 (H), W 1-2 (A)
2018 - D 1-1 (H), D 1-1 (2-4) (A/USOC), L 3-2 (A)
2019 - L 1-2 (H), L 1-0 (A)
2021 - W 0-1 (A), W 2-1 (H)
2022 - L 3-5 (H), L 2-1 (A)
2023 - D 1-1 (A), L 1-3 (H)
2024 - W 2-3 (A)
Meet the opponent: D.C. United
- Orlando City snapped a two-year, four-match winless run against D.C. United with an exhilarating 3-2 comeback win at Audi Field on April 13. Nicolás Lodeiro recorded the game-tying and game-winning assists off the bench, while Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, David Brekalo, and Duncan McGuire all found the back of the net. McGuire’s winner came in the 91st minute of the match. The Lions trailed twice in the match.
- After falling 3-2 at home to FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night, D.C. finds itself last in the Eastern Conference table. However, the Black and Red are not nearly out of the race- eight teams, including Orlando City, are separated by just four points at the bottom of the East.
- After a promising 4-3-5 start to the season, D.C. has endured a ten-game winless drought going back to mid-May, losing seven of those ten matches. The Black and Red have conceded 23 goals over those ten games and have shipped the fourth-most goals (42) of any team in MLS this year.
- Underlying metrics still love D.C. United, suggesting they’ve endured some tough luck – while not leading the league in xGD as they did back when Orlando last saw them in April, the Black and Red still have a +4.2 xGD compared to a -12 actual goal difference, the largest gap of any team.
- D.C. welcomes back striker Christian Benteke from a two-match suspension on Saturday night. Benteke ranks second in MLS with 14 goals, two behind Chicho Arango for the Golden Boot lead.
- Benteke has won 203 aerial duels this season, more than twice as many as any other player in the league, his D.C. teammate Lucas Bartlett (82). The Black and Red as a team have won more than 100 more aerial duels than any other squad and lead the league with a 57.4% win rate. Orlando City ranks last in success rate at 41.3%.
- D.C. won’t have starting winger Cristian Dájome, who will serve a yellow card accumulation suspension. Dájome was also suspended on Wednesday for a red card he picked up last weekend. Without Benteke and Dájome and with multiple players injured, D.C. was only able to put six players on the bench on Wednesday night.
