After a 1-3 victory against New York City FC in the #MLSisBack Tournament, Orlando City SC face their final Group A game against Philadelphia Union with qualification already sealed.
Not the final Group A game we were expecting after Nashville SC were withdrawn, both the Lions and Union have already qualified after each securing two wins from two.
With Chris Mueller‘s brace sending Orlando City SC into an early 2-0 lead against New York City FC, it was the perfect start.
A game that ebbed and flowed, Jesús Medina’s fine strike gave The Pigeons hope heading into half-time.
However, Oscar Pareja and Orlando City SC managed the game well from that point with Pedro Gallese making some smart stops.
With Tesho Akindele subbed in for Dom Dwyer on 61 minutes, the Canadian international’s 81st minute header made the game safe.
After the 1-3 victory, Philadelphia Union defeated Inter Miami 1-2 in the late Tuesday kick-off. These results sealed both Orlando City SC and Union’s place in the knockout stage.
And remember, Group A is now a four-team group after the July 9 announcements of Nashville SC withdrawing from the #MLSisBack Tournament and Chicago Fire switching to Group B in place of the absent FC Dallas.
The top two teams in Group A advance to the knockout stage. Results of the third-placed teams of Groups A to F will be compared against each other. The top four teams of this ranking will also advance to the Round-of-16.
Philadelphia Union vs Orlando City SC – 2015/19 head-to-head stats
When Orlando City SC last faced Philadelphia Union in 2019, the game took place a day later than originally scheduled.
Pushed from July 6 to July 7 due to lightning in Chester, Pennsylvania, the Lions dealt with the 24-hour delay well, almost snatching three precious points in a 2-2 draw.
With Dom Dwyer and Santiago Patiño goals cancelling out Marco Fabián’s fourth minute opener, City just couldn’t hold onto Patiño’s 81st minute cushion.
Kacper Przybyłko was the villain of the piece that day. The Polish hotshot finished a defence splitting Matt Real pass in the 90th minute to break Orlando City SC hearts.
Philadelphia Union 2 Orlando City SC 2 – Highlights – July 7, 2019 (Credit: Major League Soccer)
Eleven games into this MLS head-to-head, it’s Philadelphia Union who hold a narrow one-win advantage over Orlando City SC.
An evenly contested game series, this fixture will crown the #MLSisBack Tournament Group A winner.
With both sides enjoying the luxury of having qualified already, they will have the freedom to rotate personnel or play with the handbrake off.
Philadelphia Union form
One of Major League Soccer’s success stories since joining Philadelphia Union in September 2018, Kacper Przybyłko has scored 16 league goals since then.
His sixteenth strike was a second-half winner against Inter Miami on matchday two of this tournament. The cool strike finished off a devastating counter attack to seal knockout round qualification.
The bad news is that Kacper Przybyłko enjoyed playing Orlando City SC last season.
The Pole has THREE goals in his last TWO appearances against the Lions. He bagged a brace in last season’s July 3 meeting prior to his aforementioned 90th minute leveller on July 7.
Orlando City SC 1 Philadelphia Union 3 – Highlights – July 3, 2019 (Credit: Major League Soccer)
Orlando City SC form
Starting both of Orlando City SC‘s #MLSisBack Tournament games so far, Dom Dwyer has good recent history against Philadelphia Union.
Scoring in THREE of the last FOUR head-to-heads in MLS, the 29-year-old could really do with a goal for his confidence.
Always a pest on the pitch, like he’s already shown so far, Dwyer really needs to add goals to his game to convince Oscar Pareja he still deserves the spot beside Nani.
Oscar Pareja‘s mandate is to reinstall Orlando City SC supporters’ faith in the team while changing the culture of a losing franchise.
On very early evidence, Pareja’s Orlando City SC look more hungry, regimented and together than previously, certainly since early 2018.
After all, the #MLSisBack Group A wins against Inter Miami and New York City FC represent Orlando City SC‘s first back-to-back victories since May 2018.
The last streak of consecutive victories was a 1-2 win at Colorado Rapids on April 29, 2018 before defeating Real Salt Lake 3-1 on May 6, 2018.
The latter victory secured a club record streak of six straight victories in MLS.
New York City FC 1 Orlando City SC 3 – Highlights – July 14, 2020 (Credit: New York City FC)
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Don’t forget, Philadelphia Union vs Orlando City SC will be shown LIVE on FreeSports in the early hours of Tuesday morning just after 01:00 (GMT).
You can view our TV Fixture Tracker by clicking here.
NEW #OrlandoCityUK blog | After the #MLSisBack Group A schedule changes, @FreeSports_TV are showing LIVE coverage of:@OrlandoCitySC 🆚 @NYCFC @OrlandoCitySC 🆚 @PhilaUnion
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— Orlando City UK (@Orlando_CityUK) July 11, 2020