After a critically acclaimed off-season of refreshment, anticipation fills the air as Oscar Pareja‘s Orlando City SC kick off the 2023 Major League Soccer campaign.
Starting at home for a ninth consecutive MLS season, City face New York Red Bulls after our 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs heartache at CF Montréal in October.
This year, Orlando City SC will aim to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs for a fourth successive season.
It won’t be easy however with City also having the excitement of performing in the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time.
This is not to mention hopefully defending our 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title.
With an unprecedented amount of games on the 2023 schedule, Oscar Pareja has several new faces at his disposal to march towards our objectives.
Still crucially able to call upon the tried-and-tested tentacles of Pedro Gallese in goal, as well as holding onto golden boy Facundo Torres (for now), the off-season did see several longtime Lions depart.
With Tesho Akindele, Benji Michel, João Moutinho, Ruan and Júnior Urso all exiting Exploria Stadium, the Orlando City SC Front Office moved decisively to source adequate roster replacements.
Re-signing Mauricio Pereyra for 2023, but not as a Designated Player, that status now belongs to Argentine new boy Martín Ojeda who is City’s most high profile winter arrival.
In Ojeda, the 24-year-old Argentine winger will provide Orlando City SC‘s attack not only quality but renewed impetus and depth alongside fellow countryman Gastón González who still awaits his City debut after spending 2022 injured following his May arrival.
It was quite a coup for Orlando City SC to finally land Martín Ojeda‘s signature after tracking him since December 2021.
Elsewhere, the tough-tackling Felipe Martins is now a Lion with City becoming the experienced Brazilian’s sixth MLS club.
The 32-year-old veteran is a warrior-like kind of player you hate facing, so it’s great to have him on our team instead.
In his first three years in charge, Oscar Pareja has undoubtedly turned around the Lions’ losing culture in MLS.
But after finally, and gloriously, claiming our first trophy as an MLS club last year, in 2023, the Orlando City SC Front Office and supporters will be demanding our 2023 playoffs run isn’t a case of one-and-done, as it was in 2021 and 2022.
Not only that but respectable outings in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League too, despite Tigres UANL looking a tough two-legged opponent.
2023 won’t be easy to navigate, especially with our roster turnover and our Eastern Conference rivals strengthening. However, this is Oscar Pareja‘s objective in year four.
As for 2023 home opener opponents New York Red Bulls, MLS Cup frustratingly continues to elude this storied Major League Soccer franchise.
A 1996-founding member of MLS, Gerhard Struber’s side agonisingly crashed out of the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs at the first hurdle, surrendering a 1-0 second-half lead to lose 1-2 to FC Cincinnati at Red Bull Arena.
Last welcoming Red Bulls to Central Florida back on July 27, it was a glorious occasion as City ran out emphatic 5-1 victors to reach the Exploria Stadium-hosted 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final.
We’ll take any kind of victory in this 2023 home opener, but if we can conjure up the same kind of spirit as that night, we should be in good stead.
Orlando City SC vs New York Red Bulls
Last 3 head-to-heads
- April 24, 2022: Orlando City SC 0 New York Red Bulls 3 (MLS)
- July 27, 2022: Orlando City SC 5 New York Red Bulls 1 (2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup)
- August 13, 2022: New York Red Bulls 0 Orlando City SC 1 (MLS)
2015/22 head-to-head stats
- It was 0-1 to Orlando the last time the sides met (August 2022)
- Played Red Bulls 17 times in MLS – Orlando 6, Draws 2, Red Bulls 9
- Cristian Cásseres Jr. has scored against Orlando in 3 of the last 4 MLS head-to-heads
- Orlando are undefeated in all 8 of their MLS opening fixtures so far (2-6-0)
- New York Red Bulls have gone 4-2-2 in their last 8 MLS opening fixtures
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Watching the game
Orlando City SC vs New York Red Bulls will be shown live on Apple TV at 00:30 (GMT) on Sunday, May 26.
Remember, UK supporters can watch all of Orlando City SC‘s 2023 MLS regular season fixtures by subscribing to Apple TV’s “MLS Season Pass”.
Subscribe now by clicking here.
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