The Real Bronx Bombers
Orlando City is 2-2-1 all-time at Yankee Stadium. The Lions’ 2 wins are tied with the Portland Timbers and New York Red Bulls for the most by any visiting team at Yankee Stadium. The Lions had won 2 of their previous 3 matches in the Bronx before their 2-0 loss on St. Patrick’s Day.
Orlando City’s 5 wins against NYC are its most against any MLS opponent. New York City has never beaten Orlando City twice in the same season. The Pigeons have never collected more than 4 points in a season against the Lions.
Road Warriors
Saturday’s match begins a stretch of 4 consecutive road games for Orlando City. After NYC, the Lions head to South Florida to take on Miami United FC in the 4th round of the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, June 6. The Lions head to Vancouver for a match on June 9 before crossing Canada to take on Montreal on Wednesday, June 13.
In all, the Lions will travel 10,081 miles from stadium to stadium. It is City’s longest road trip since September 2017, when City traveled 11,419 miles between Orlando, New England, D.C., Atlanta and Portland.
Number Crunching
According to WhoScored.com, Orlando City ranks…
T-7th in goals scored (22). NYC is T-2nd (26).
7th in shots per game (14.5). NYC is NYC: 13th (13.5)
T-13th in goals allowed (20) | NYC: T-10th (19)
T-15th in shots allowed per game (12.5) | NYC: T-9th (14.3)
5th in possession (52.6%) | NYC: 1st (57.3%)
6th in passing accuracy (81.7%) | NYC: 5th (82%)
World Cup Watch
M Yoshi Yotún played 69 minutes and had an assist in Peru’s 2-0 win over Scotland on Tuesday. Yotún’s 33 wins are more than any other player on the Peru national team. Los Incas have 2 matches remaining before the World Cup, Saudi Arabia (June 3, 2pm ET) and Sweden (June 9, 1:15pm ET). D Amro Tarek did not appear in Egypt’s 1-1 draw with Kuwait on Friday. The Pharaohs play Colombia (June 1, 3:15pm ET) and Belgium (June 6, 2:45pm ET) before the World Cup.
Milestone Tracker
GK Joe Bendik can become the first Lion to start 80 MLS matches for City. Bendik can become the 3rd Lion to reach 80 MLS appearances for City (Cyle Larin, Cristian Higuita). Bendik is 6 saves away from 500 for his MLS career. Bendik is the Club-record holder with 266 saves as a Lion.
GK Joe Bendik and D Mohamed El-Munir are the only players to play every minute for City this season. Those 2 and F Justin Meram and F Chris Mueller are the only players to appear in every match this season.
Orlando City looks to avoid its first 4-game MLS losing streak in Club history.
Best vs. the Rest
The sides have faced 6 common opponents thus far this season: New York Red Bulls, Portland, San Jose, Colorado, Real Salt Lake and Atlanta. Orlando has fared better in these matches, posting a 5-1-0 record compared to 3-2-1 from NYC.
The Pigeons’ 2 losses in this stretch have come on the road to the Red Bulls and Timbers, with a goal differential of minus-7. The Lions, on the other hand, defeated NYRB 4-3 on March 31 and the Timbers 3-2 on April 8, with both games being played at Orlando City Stadium.
Next Man Up
M Tony Rocha made his first start since Sept. 17, 2016. Rocha played center back alongside D Chris Schuler, who made his 2nd start of the season and played the second half of Saturday’s match vs. Chicago with a broken arm.
Higuita Goals
M Cristian Higuita has scored City’s last 2 goals. Both were assisted by M Josué Colmán and F Chris Mueller. Higuita’s goal against Chicago was his 3rd in his last 5 games and extended his career-high. Higuita has scored both of City’s goals from outside the 18-yard box this season.
