With the soccer world digesting Wednesday’s seismic and historic news that Lionel Messi is joining Inter Miami, Florida rivals Orlando City SC are back at Exploria Stadium to face a cross-conference opponent in Colorado Rapids.
After emphatically defeating New York Red Bulls 0-3 at Red Bull Arena, City have now gone five MLS games unbeaten. They now face Robin Fraser’s struggling Rapids side who failed to reach the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs, and this year, currently languish thirteenth in the Western Conference.
Whenever Western Conference sides fly southeast to Central Florida, it’s always a big opportunity to make home advantage count.
And it’s high time we started doing this after disappointingly going 2-3-3 at Exploria Stadium so far this season.
After such a long journey, there is extra incentive for Orlando City SC to start games fast to put travel weary visitors on the back foot early on.
Going 2-7-8 so far this season, Colorado Rapids are desperately looking to recapture the form that saw them reach the conference semi-final stage of the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs.
An also-ran in the Western Conference ever since, the Commerce City-based side have only won two of their nine away fixtures so far this season.
The last MLS head-to-head was contested a mile high at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park back on July 13, 2022.
On the night, Facundo Torres opened the scoring in the 22nd minute.
Latching onto a loose ball in the Rapids’ 18-yard box, the Uruguayan’s fierce one-time shot cannoned in off William Yarbrough’s crossbar.
His fourth Orlando City SC goal, unfortunately the Lions couldn’t build on their first-half lead.
After an Orlando save-of-the-season contender from Pedro Gallese on Gyasi Zardes in the 49th minute, a Rapids comeback was bubbling away.
Zardes wasn’t to be denied however and the pressure told on 65 minutes when the USMNT forward converted a Michael Barrios cross.
In the end, Orlando City SC were happy to steal a point with Pedro Gallese amazingly equal to a Diego Rubio point blank header merely minutes after Zardes’ equaliser.
Orlando City SC vs Colorado Rapids
Last 3 head-to-heads
- April 6, 2019: Orlando City SC 4 Colorado Rapids 3 (MLS)
- March 7, 2020: Colorado Rapids 2 Orlando City SC 1 (MLS)
- July 13, 2022: Colorado Rapids 1 Orlando City SC 1 (MLS)
2017/22 head-to-head stats
- It was 1-1 the last time the sides met (July 2022)
- Played Rapids 7 times in MLS – Rapids 1, Draws 2, Orlando 4
- Three of the last 4 MLS head-to-heads have been separated by a one-goal margin
- Last weekend’s 0-3 win at Red Bulls was Orlando’s biggest margin MLS victory since September 2022 (4-0 vs Toronto FC)
- Rapids have lost 5 of their last 6 MLS fixtures
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Watching the game
Orlando City SC vs Colorado Rapids will be shown live on Apple TV at 00:30 (GMT) on Sunday, June 11.
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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