ORLANDO, Fla. (July 27, 2017) - Orlando City SC (8-8-5, 29 points) begins a three-game road trip when it faces 2017 expansion side Atlanta United FC (10-7-3, 33 points) at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Saturday, July 29, in the second leg of a home-and-home series. Pregame coverage begins at 4:30 p.m. ET on FOX, with the nationally televised kickoff set for 5 p.m. ET.
The game will also be transmitted in English on Real Radio 104.1 FM and in Spanish on La Nueva 990 AM.
“Any time you play an opponent twice you oftentimes see in the second game there’s a bit more to it,” Lions head coach Jason Kreis said. “I think that we as a team feel a little bit hard-done because we feel the performance warranted more than we got. We go into this with the mentality that we need to gain something back from this game.”
The Lions aim to repeat their most recent road result, when they recorded a clean sheet and defeated Real Salt Lake 1-0 at Rio Tinto Stadium on June 30. Will Johnson scored the game-winner in the 17th minute to knock off his former team.
Orlando City looks to return to playoff position on Saturday. The Lions trail sixth-place Columbus by two points with a game in hand following Crew SC’s loss Wednesday. City has 13 matches remaining, including eight against teams currently in playoff position.
Newest Lion Dom Dwyer will be available for selection Saturday. City acquired the U.S. MNT forward from Sporting KC on Tuesday in a record-setting trade. Dwyer and Lions captain Kaká will be in Chicago next week for the MLS All-Star Game.
This is the second consecutive match between these two teams. On Friday, United visited Orlando City Stadium and left with three points following Héctor Villalba’s blast in the 86th minute despite City’s solid overall defensive efforts. In front of the ninth sold-out crowd of the season, the Lions outshot Atlanta 13-8, including two headers from Jonathan Spector that goalkeeper Brad Guzan somehow kept out of the goal.
The win was Atlanta’s fourth straight and its fifth in six matches. United previously picked up wins over San Jose, Columbus and Colorado.
Following Saturday, Orlando City will continue its three-game road trip when it visits Montreal on Saturday, Aug. 5, and the New York Red Bulls on Aug. 12. The Lions return to Orlando City Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 19, to host Columbus Crew SC. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
