Just where had that performance been all season? Jubilant after defeating Chicago Fire 4-2 at Inter&Co Stadium last Saturday, City’s suffering fanbase was treated to a feel-good evening after finally achieving our second home win of the 2024 MLS regular season. Having only scored 19 league goals all year, we went and grabbed another four in just one night – our most in a single game this season.
A result and a performance we desperately needed, there was big pressure on Oscar Pareja and his Orlando City SC side to beat Fire. Racing into a 3-0 lead in just 29 first-half minutes, this victory was absolutely essential. It not only secured the three points we urgently needed but also prevented Chicago Fire from gaining any points, allowing us to leapfrog them and rise four places to tenth in the Eastern Conference.
Now visiting New York City FC in The Bronx, it’s the Lions’ first trip to Yankee Stadium since July 2021 after the last two away head-to-heads were hosted at Red Bull Arena in Harrison and Citi Field in Queens. Speaking of NYCFC, Nick Cushing’s side head into this game deflated after suffering a third consecutive MLS defeat at Nashville SC (1-0) last Saturday.
Last time out
Last Saturday, Orlando City SC defeated Chicago Fire 4-2 at Inter&Co Stadium to seal only our second home victory of the 2024 MLS regular season.
Heading into the game, Lions supporters knew that it was a must-win six-pointer-type of fixture with Fire sitting directly above City in thirteenth place in the Eastern Conference.
Struggling in front of goal all season long, you’d have never guessed it judging by how clinically Facundo Torres opened the scoring against Fire.
Buoyed from his late equaliser at Charlotte FC (2-2) just three days earlier, El Cuervo gave City the best possible start in only the 4th minute.
Bending a beauty of a left-footed strike past Chris Brady, the Fire stopper had absolutely no chance of saving it (1-0).
Collecting the ball from Dagur Dan Thórhallsson who advanced from right back into central midfield, Torres’ goal made it five in his last four MLS appearances against Chicago Fire.
Fire are Facu’s favourite opposition having scored more goals against them than any other MLS team!
After this perfect start, the early exchanges saw Orlando City SC continue to push Fire deeper into their own half.
We attacked with sharpness and a steely determination to put our poor form behind us – something we’ve been waiting for for a long time.
You could tell that City were fully locked in!
Things got even better on 19 minutes when Iván Angulo sprinted between Allan Arigoni and Arnaud Souquet into the Fire penalty area.
Angulo was simply too fast for the Fire duo, who brought him down while backtracking.
Referee Natalie Simon had no hesitation and pointed to the spot.
Having recently missed a penalty against Los Angeles FC in our last home game at Inter&Co Stadium, Facundo Torres temporarily relinquished his penalty duties and left the PK to Luis Muriel.
Desperately looking to kick-start his really disappointing season, Muriel nonchalantly sent Chris Brady the wrong way with his penalty before shimmying in dance right down the camera lens (2-0).
A huge moment of relief for the under-fire Colombian international striker, this was Muriel’s first-ever goal at Inter&Co Stadium at the eleventh attempt when combining MLS and 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup play.
Looking back, it was crucial that Brian Gutiérrez’s 24th minute strike hit Mason Stajduhar’s woodwork and didn’t go in because this reprieve could’ve made it a different game.
But just 29 minutes into the game, 2-0 became 3-0 when Dagur Dan Thórhallsson went on a superb raiding run down the right wing.
Getting his head up, the Icelander bamboozled Jonathan Dean before teeing up Duncan McGuire inside the City box.
While Chris Brady equal to McGuire’s quick snap-shot, he was powerless to prevent Iván Angulo from slamming home the rebound (3-0).
With Angulo tucking the ball beneath his jersey to celebrate the impending arrival of his newborn baby, his goal made it absolute dreamland inside Inter&Co Stadium where positivity has been thin on the ground all year.
Going 3-0 up inside just half-an-hour, the Lions had finally awoken from their long slumber!
It was incredibly satisfying to finally take real pride in what we were seeing on the field again.
On 42 minutes, Brian Gutiérrez nodded a dangerous ball across City’s box into Hugo Cuypers but Mason Stajduhar stood tall to save the Belgian’s header from point-blank range.
With replays confirming that Stajduhar saved Cuypers’ shot with his face, it was impressive body-on-the-line stuff from Mason!
Entering the break with a 3-0 lead, Orlando City SC had finally demonstrated the ruthlessness and efficiency we’ve been desperate for.
Scoring all three of our first-half shots, it was a performance we’ve been waiting to see from our dormant attack for months.
At half-time, Chicago Fire brought on former Lion Chris Mueller who received some boos on his return to Central Florida.
But Orlando City SC supporters had more important things to worry about on 52 minutes when Maren Haile-Selassie sent a dangerous cross into City’s penalty area.
With Rodrigo Schlegel desperately sliding in to intercept the cross, the ball hit the Argentine’s arm and Natalie Simon called handball.
Bias aside, this looked a really harsh call with Schlegel’s arm staying in a natural position to simply break his fall.
A super frustrating moment so early into the second-half, what is it about Rodrigo Schlegel and kamikaze moments?
While referee Natalie Simon’s call was very harsh, Schlegel simply can’t seem to separate himself from costly errors!
After helping to win the penalty himself, Maren Haile-Selassie stepped up and sent Mason Stajduhar the wrong way to hand Fire early second-half encouragement (3-1).
At this moment, we could’ve wobbled but Facundo Torres said not today when blasting an absolute golazo into Chris Brady’s top left hand corner on the hour mark (4-1).
A strike that deliciously knuckled past Brady, this not only made it 4-1 but also marked Torres’ sixth goal in his last four MLS appearances against Fire.
Frank Klopas’ side must really be sick of the sight of him!
Outstanding on the night, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson set up the play yet again, advancing down the right wing before carefully laying in Torres for the second time in the game, earning his second assist of the night.
Dovetailing brilliantly all evening, Oscar Pareja would’ve been delighted with Thórhallsson and Torres’ telepathy down Chicago Fire’s left.
By scoring his two goals against Fire, Facundo Torres tied Nani (28) for the second-most goals in Orlando City SC history.
It was a fitting night for Facu to bag a brace too.
After all, it was Torres’ 100th appearance for City across all competitions, making him the 13th Lion to achieve this milestone.
Just when Orlando City SC supporters were starting to relax though, we frustratingly handed Chicago Fire hope again on 70 minutes.
Making an absolute hash of a clearance inside City’s penalty area, Robin Jansson’s swing and a miss left Rafael Santos too little time to clear the ball from danger.
With the Brazilian inadvertently deflecting Fabian Herbers’ cross right into the path of Hugo Cuypers, the Belgian slid in to score his fourth goal in four MLS games (4-2).
It was a sloppy goal to concede, just when Chicago Fire were starting to feel demoralised in the sweltering heat and humidity of Central Florida.
Worryingly, this was yet another untimely lapse in concentration.
Looking back, Rodrigo Schlegel was frustratingly off the pitch receiving treatment when Cuypers scored.
This temporarily meant City were playing down a man at 10 vs. 11 – something that didn’t help our cause defensively.
To their credit, Chicago Fire didn’t wilt in the Florida heat and continued to cause problems.
On 85 minutes, second-half substitute Gastón Giménez chipped a dangerous ball over the entire City defence.
But fortunately, Mason Stajduhar was on his toes to claw Georgios Koutsias’ resulting header away from danger.
Showcasing superb reflexes yet again, it was a crucial stop from Mason.
His brilliant performance makes you wonder whether he should remain in goal even when Pedro Gallese returns from 2024 Copa América duty with Peru.
Sharp all evening, Stajduhar made 11 saves against Fire, setting a new club record for the most saves in a single match.
Following nine minutes of second-half stoppage time, the full-time whistle was a relief for Orlando City SC and our supporters, which sounds strange having scored four goals.
But having been so poor at home all season long, and having toyed with throwing away our two-goal lead in the second-half, it felt so good to officially get back to winning ways in the 407.
Last head-to-head
The last time that Orlando City SC faced New York City FC in MLS, the Lions were comfortably defeated 2-0 at Citi Field back in September 2023.
Despite this loss, a favourable 1-1 draw between D.C. United and Atlanta United the same evening saw City clinch their spot in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs with five games to spare.
Still disappointed to lose our game, NYCFC’s 2-0 victory marked Orlando City SC’s first defeat in seven MLS games amid our late season flourish.
Fresh off his buzzer beater winner against Columbus Crew (4-3) a game prior, Ramiro Enrique went from hero to zero on 35 minutes when tripping Santiago Rodríguez to concede a penalty.
This decision was only awarded by referee Ismail Elfath after NYCFC dissent and subsequent VAR review.
Stepping up to take the penalty himself, Rodríguez saw his penalty saved by Pedro Gallese, only for Mounsef Bakrar to unfortunately head home the rebound (1-0).
On 68 minutes, City substitute Luca Petrasso all too easily let Santiago Rodríguez lay in Andres Jasson down the right.
With Jasson standing up a ball up to Talles Magno, the Brazilian dispatched the game’s second headed goal (2-0) – leaving Dagur Dan Thórhallsson and Rodrigo Schlegel looking rather sheepish in response.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Oscar Pareja said: “I don’t think we had a spark today.
“The players would kill me if I said it was because of the field. We just couldn’t find our passes.”
What’s at stake this time?
After another busy Saturday night of Major League Soccer action, Orlando City SC sit tenth in the Eastern Conference with 21 points from 19 games played.
Due to how the results played out, we climbed from fourteenth to tenth in just one evening.
Right now, we only trail ninth-placed Atlanta United by goal difference and seventh-placed Nashville SC by five points.
Hopefully, our recent scoring spree acts as a catalyst to launch an attack on the automatic qualification spots for the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
With 15 regular season games remaining, Orlando City SC now need to win as many of these fixtures as possible to propel ourselves into a much more respectable position.
As you know, an eighth or ninth-placed finish seals a place in the MLS Wild Card match but what we all want is a post-season spot proper.
We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, given that Chicago Fire now sit rock bottom of the Eastern Conference.
However, it’s good to see Facundo Torres rejuvenated and back in the goalscoring groove!
Having scored three goals in two MLS games since missing his penalty against Los Angeles FC and being snubbed for the 2024 Copa América, hopefully this is the boost Facu needs to become our talisman down the stretch.
Having been a passenger for Orlando City SC all season long, it’s great to finally see Torres scoring bangers again.
The way Facundo Torres took both of his goals against Chicago Fire suggests he’s determined to right the ship.
For whatever reason, he seems to save his best form for the second half of MLS campaigns.
If you ask me, it was also smart of Facu to let Luis Muriel take and score his penalty against Chicago Fire because Muriel really needed this goal for his own confidence and morale.
While he’s been a frustrating player to watch, you can still tell that Muriel is a quality player.
He needs to kick on now if we are to mount a late assault on reaching the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Opposition danger men
When it comes to New York City FC danger men, Santiago Rodríguez is the jewel in the crown of The Pigeons’ 2024 roster.
Having inherited the number #10 jersey from Maxi Moralez, versatile forward Rodríguez currently has seven goals and six assists so far this MLS season.
Either deployed in the number 10 position, on either wing or sometimes as a false nine, Santiago Rodríguez is renowned for his creativity, vision, and dribbling skills.
Speaking of Moralez, he now wears the number #27 jersey and is back at NYCFC for a second spell at the ripe old age of 37.
Besides Rodríguez, Austrian winger Hannes Wolf is currently enjoying his first ever taste of Major League Soccer.
Joining NYCFC from Borussia Mönchengladbach in January 2024, former Swansea City loanee Wolf currently has three goals and four assists so far this MLS season.
In 2024, NYCFC no longer rely on star-studded names in the twilight of their careers, such as Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, and David Villa.
Having rethought their recruitment policy, Nick Cushing is putting his faith in lesser-known, younger stars instead.
Indeed, winger Julián Fernández (2 MLS goals) and winger / striker Alonso Martínez (6 MLS goals) have also contributed in Major League Soccer so far this season.
Back on May 31, Martínez achieved the fastest hat-trick in NYCFC club history when The Pigeons demolished San Jose Earthquakes 5-1.
Scoring in the 85th, 92nd, and 95th minutes, it took the Costa Rican just 10 minutes to grab all three of his goals.
New opposition faces
Since the clubs’ last meeting in MLS, NYCFC have added eight new signings to their squad for 2024.
There is very much a youth movement going on at New York City FC right now with The Pigeons having the youngest squad in all of Major League Soccer at an average age of 23.4.
Signing talented teenager Jovan Mijatović as well as Strahinja Tanasijević, Hannes Wolf, Agustín Ojeda, Tomás Romero, and young rookie Malachi Jones, NYCFC recruited two former Orlando City SC players too.
On January 15, NYCFC traded $650,000 of General Allocation Money to Philadelphia Union for Andrés Perea.
The Tampa-born midfielder scored his first goal for NYCFC in a 2-3 victory at Toronto FC back on May 11.
And on March 1, The Pigeons signed Rio Hope-Gund, who spent 2023 with New York City FC II in MLS NEXT Pro.
Injuries, international call-ups, and suspensions
Heading into this game, Michael Halliday (right knee) is definitely out for the Lions.
Meanwhile, Felipe Martins (left foot) and young Homegrown Player Tahir Reid-Brown (left thigh) have been listed as questionable.
Orlando City SC will also be missing these three players due to mid-season international call-ups.
| PLAYER | NATIONAL TEAM | REASON |
| David Brekalo | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | UEFA Euro 2024 |
| Pedro Gallese | 🇵🇪 Peru | 2024 Copa América |
| Wilder Cartagena | 🇵🇪 Peru | 2024 Copa América |
Only managing seven minutes of action across two Group C games, David Brekalo and his Slovenia squad have qualified for the knockout stages of UEFA Euro 2024 as one of the best third-place finishers.
As a result, Brekalo will be absent from Orlando City SC duty for a little while longer.
While Duncan McGuire is available for this game, he will soon be missing because of his upcoming involvement with the USMNT U-23 team at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Elsewhere, Ramiro Enrique is still questionable too after missing the Los Angeles FC, Charlotte FC, and Chicago Fire games due to a “personal matter”.
As for New York City FC, Nick Cushing has the luxury of a fully fit roster with no players absent due to international duty either.
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New York City FC vs Orlando City SC
Last 3 head-to-heads
- October 2, 2022: New York City FC 2 Orlando City SC 1 (MLS)
- May 17, 2023, Orlando City SC 1 New York City FC 1 (MLS)
- September 20, 2023: New York City FC 2 Orlando City SC 0 (MLS)
2015/23 head-to-head stats
- It was 2-0 to NYFCFC the last time the sides met (September 2023)
- Played NYCFC 23 times in MLS – NYCFC 8, Draws 7, Orlando 8
- Orlando have taken the lead in 8 of the last 10 MLS head-to-heads
- NYCFC have lost their last 3 consecutive MLS fixtures
- Orlando have conceded the first goal in 3 of their last 5 away fixtures in MLS
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Watching the game
New York City FC vs Orlando City SC will be shown live on Apple TV at 00:30 (GMT) on Saturday, June 29.
Remember, UK supporters can watch all of Orlando City SC’s 2024 MLS regular season fixtures by subscribing to Apple TV’s “MLS Season Pass”.
Subscribe now by clicking here.
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