This Friday sees a break from MLS play with Orlando City SC hosting Houston Dynamo in the three-team group stage of the 2023 Leagues Cup.
With the regular season on hiatus, City take now compete in the Leagues Cup for the first time since 2021. In that second edition of the tournament, the Lions were ironically eliminated 0-1 by Santos Laguna – the other side making up our “South 2” group this year.
The 2023 Leagues Cup is the first time that all MLS and Liga MX teams (47 in total) are pausing their regular seasons to compete in the tournament.
With the United States and Mexico being huge soccer rivals, MLS and Liga MX lock horns yet again in another battle for soccer supremacy.
Compared to the CONCACAF Champions League that begins annually in spring, MLS sides are currently in the thick of their mid-season schedules.
By comparison, the Apertura phase of the 2023/24 Liga MX season only just started in July.
Time will tell, but this should hand MLS sides a big advantage in the 2023 Leagues Cup.
After all, MLS teams are already up to full speed.
Earlier this season, Club León defeated Los Angeles FC 3-1 on aggregate to win the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League.
Perhaps it’s now MLS’s turn for North American glory?
Starting from July 21, 77 tournament matches will be played in the 2023 Leagues Cup.
Both the third place play-off and the 2023 Leagues Cup Final will take place on August 19.
A World Cup style tournament, the group stage is made up of four regions – East, West, South, and Central.
This is followed by knockout rounds thereafter.
The East, South, and Central regions are each comprised of four individual groups.
Elsewhere, the West region is made up of just three groups.
In the group stage, regulation wins count as three points and there’s no ties.
Each team receives one point if the game is tied after 90 minutes.
Winners of subsequent penalty shootouts earn an additional point.
By the final reckoning, the top three teams will automatically qualify for the newly rebranded 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup with a chance to represent the confederation at the 2024 FIFA Club World Cup.
As for our 2023 Leagues Cup group stage opponents Houston Dynamo, City last faced the Texan side in June 2022.
A game Orlando City UK attended live and in-person at Exploria Stadium, an Ercan Kara brace helped City prevail 2-1.
Currently in his inaugural season as head coach, Ben Olsen has seen Dynamo go 8-5-10 so far this MLS regular season.
With Dynamo ninth in the Western Conference right now, Orlando City SC are the favourites heading into this “South 2” group game.
Orlando City SC vs Houston Dynamo
Last 3 head-to-heads
- September 22, 2018: Orlando City SC 0 Houston Dynamo 0 (MLS)
- September 21, 2019: Houston Dynamo 2 Orlando City SC 1 (MLS)
- June 18, 2022: Orlando City SC 2 Houston Dynamo 1 (MLS)
2017/22 head-to-head stats
- It was 2-0 to Orlando the last time the sides met (June 2022)
- Played Dynamo 6 times in MLS – Orlando 2, Draws 2, Dynamo 2
- Four of 6 MLS head-to-heads have seen one or no side score
- Orlando are unbeaten in their last 7 home fixtures in MLS
- Dynamo have failed to score in 4 of their last 5 MLS fixtures
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Watching the game
Orlando City SC vs Houston Dynamo will be shown live on Apple TV at 01:00 (GMT) on Saturday, July 22.
Remember, UK supporters can watch all of Orlando City SC‘s 2023 MLS regular season and 2023 Leagues Cup fixtures by subscribing to Apple TV’s “MLS Season Pass”.
Subscribe now by clicking here.
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