Just two games into our new 2023 Major League Soccer campaign, Orlando City SC are now set to contest one of, if not arguably the biggest fixture in club history.
City visit Monterrey to face Liga MX giants Tigres UANL in the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16. This first leg tie is City’s first ever appearance in North America’s premier club competition.
Getting here by virtue of last season’s historic 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final triumph, it’s an incredible opportunity for the Lions to make a big statement.
When Orlando City SC were drawn against Tigres UANL back on November 7, 2022, City supporters could’ve been forgiven for gulping in trepidation.
Los Tigres (The Tigers) are seven-time champions of Liga MX and the seventh most successful side in Mexican soccer history.
Not only that but Tigres were 2020 CONCACAF Champions League winners. They’ve also finished as tournament runners-up three times.
With City effectively handed the toughest test of all five MLS participants, Tigres UANL have long been around the block compared to tournament debutants Orlando City SC.
But the beauty of professional sport is that history is always rewriting itself.
When Orlando City SC entered Major League Soccer in 2015, “Defy Expectations” was the chest-thumping motto emblazoned around the Citrus Bowl.
Sure, success has taken a little longer to arrive than first anticipated. However, Orlando City SC are finally here, on the big stage, with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Remember, City will host the crucial second leg at Exploria Stadium on March 15.
All Oscar Pareja‘s side need to do is put in a respectable outing in Tigres UANL’s intimidating Estadio Universitario home. Easier said than done of course.
Additionally, Orlando City SC should be sharp and up to match speed having just hosted New York Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati domestically.
MLS sides’ foray into the CONCACAF Champions League no longer takes place before the start of the regular season.
This means City should be fresher, prepared, and fully up for the challenge against Marco Antonio Ruiz’s side.
When it comes to Tigres’ danger men, 37-year-old former French international striker, André-Pierre Gignac, could well return for this game after a muscle injury.
A formidable Liga MX goalscorer, Gignac became the club’s all-time leading scorer (all competitions) in August 2019.
Surpassing previous record holder, Tomás Boy, Gignac currently has 159 goals in 281 domestic appearances for Tigres UANL.
In Gignac’s absence, Argentine striker and new 2023 acquisition Nicolás Ibáñez has been reliable of late.
Elsewhere, Orlando City SC supporters may be familiar with captain and goalkeeper Nahuel Guzmán, Mexican international defender Diego Reyes, and Brazilian midfielder Rafael Carioca.
Who will come out on top in this first leg of tigers versus lions?
We’re poised and desperately eager to find out!
Tigres UANL vs Orlando City SC
2023 stats
- This is the first time the clubs have faced each other
- Prior to this two-legged tie, Orlando have won 18 and lost 10 knockout fixtures since 2015
- Both sides have scored in 7 of Orlando’s last 10 knockout fixtures
- Tigres UANL have gone 3-1-1 in their last 5 Liga MX Clausura fixtures
- Nicolás Ibáñez has scored in 3 of Tigres UANL’s last 5 Liga MX Clausura fixtures
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Watching the game
Tigres UANL vs Orlando City SC will be shown live on the CONCACAF YouTube channel at 03:00 (GMT) on Wednesday, March 8.
Subscribe (for free) now by clicking here.
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