Last night, Orlando City SC earned yet another important victory, defeating Charlotte FC 2-0 at Inter&Co Stadium to continue our impressive form with a third consecutive home shutout. This crucial win propelled the Lions into fourth place in the Eastern Conference – our highest position all season – and extended our hopes of home field advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 Series of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Building on the momentum from recent home wins over Nashville SC (3-0) and New England Revolution (3-0), Facundo Torres netted his 12th goal of the MLS regular season with a sublime finish early in the second-half, followed by a composed chip from Duncan McGuire in the dying minutes. The match marked Orlando City SC’s first victory over Charlotte FC in five meetings and showcased the Lions’ growing defensive resilience and attacking precision.
Orlando City SC head into Saturday’s clash with 2023 MLS Cup and 2024 Leagues Cup champions Columbus Crew full of confidence, having leapfrogged New York Red Bulls into fourth place, though level on points (43) with the New Jersey side. However, the road trip to Lower.com Field won’t be easy. Facing Wilfried Nancy’s formidable side, widely regarded as the best-coached team in MLS, Oscar Pareja’s Lions will be without the suspended César Araújo.
With both teams in strong form with playoff positions at stake, this encounter promises to be a significant test of Orlando City SC’s late-season push. Right now, Lower.com Field is THE ultimate acid test among MLS fortresses and this game will examine how City might fare against top-quality opposition in the post-season. Crew enter this game fresh off a 0-2 win at Toronto FC last night, though they lost their last home match 0-4 to Seattle Sounders on September 7. That result, however, came with an asterisk. Crew were shorthanded due to international call-ups and with no goalkeeper on the bench, Sean Zawadzki had to play in net for the entire second-half after Abraham Romero’s red card in first-half stoppage time.
2024 MLS Cup Playoffs: Clinch scenarios
Orlando City SC will clinch a berth in the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs if:
- Orlando City SC win at Columbus Crew AND Toronto FC lose at Colorado Rapids or…
- Orlando City SC win at Columbus Crew AND Philadelphia Union lose/draw vs. D.C. United AND Atlanta United lose/draw at New York City FC or…
- Orlando City SC win at Columbus Crew AND D.C. United lose/draw at Philadelphia Union AND Nashville SC lose/draw vs. FC Cincinnati AND New England Revolution lose/draw at Charlotte FC
Last time out
Yesterday evening, Orlando City SC secured a crucial 2-0 victory over Charlotte FC at Inter&Co Stadium, continuing our impressive form with a third consecutive clean sheet.
This crucial win lifted the Lions into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, capping off a perfect three-game streak without conceding a single goal.
In snapping a four-match winless streak against Charlotte FC, Orlando City SC extended their hopes of sealing a top four position and home field advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 Series of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
With Oscar Pareja opting for an unchanged starting lineup following our 3-0 victory over New England Revolution, there was a first-ever matchday squad appearance for Heine Gikling Bruseth who was an unused substitute on the night.
Early on, Orlando City SC applied pressure from set pieces.
On 4 minutes, a corner kick led to a recycled chance for Wilder Cartagena inside the box.
But the Peruvian’s powerful shot was straight at Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, who parried the effort away.
This would be the Lions’ only shot on target in the first-half as Charlotte FC sat deep, content to disrupt the flow of Orlando City SC’s attacking play.
While Orlando City SC held the lion’s share of possession, Charlotte FC aimed to capitalise on City’s mistakes.
Two uncharacteristic giveaways from Robin Jansson created danger but fortunately, Pedro Gallese wasn’t tested.
Meanwhile, Orlando City SC struggled to make the final connection in attack.
On 11 minutes, Martín Ojeda’s cross found no one and on 19 minutes, Facundo Torres headed over the bar after a fine cross from Rafael Santos.
Charlotte FC’s best opportunity of the first-half came from a Robin Jansson turnover on 30 minutes.
Returning from injury, Patrick Agyemang got a shot off but it was aimed straight at Pedro Gallese.
Tim Ream also headed wide from a set-piece delivery just before half-time, with neither team able to break the deadlock.
Orlando City SC went into the break leading possession (64% to 36%), shots (6 to 3), and corners (4 to 0), yet Dean Smith’s defensive strategy seemed to be paying off for Charlotte FC.
But after the restart, we didn’t have to wait too long to score!
On 52 minutes, Iván Angulo found Martín Ojeda on the left side of the box and the Argentine whipped a pin-point cross to the far post.
Facundo Torres met it first-time, gloriously burying the ball past Kristijan Kahlina for his 12th goal of this MLS regular season (1-0).
Closing the gap on Cyle Larin (44) with each passing game, Torres (43) is now just one goal away from tying the Canadian as Orlando City SC’s all-time leading goalscorer across all competitions.
Few players are better in the second half of the MLS regular season than Facu!
It’s a curious trend, but for some reason, El Cuervo always shines as we head toward the business end of the year.
If Facundo Torres could maintain his current form throughout an entire MLS season, he’d probably have already secured a transfer to Europe!
By assisting Torres’ goal, Martín Ojeda joined Mauricio Pereyra (44), Chris Mueller (24), Nani (23), and Kaká (22) as the only players to record at least 20 MLS regular season assists for Orlando City SC.
Charlotte FC responded by stepping up their tempo, but Orlando City SC’s defence held firm – a habit they’ve perfected in recent MLS fixtures.
Then, Pedro Gallese made a crucial save from a dangerous free-kick awarded after a César Araújo foul.
This earned Araújo a booking that will disappointingly see him miss Saturday’s trip to Columbus Crew due to yellow card accumulation.
Charlotte FC kept pushing but couldn’t carve out a clear-cut chance – a credit to Orlando City SC’s newfound defensive resilience.
The Lions then put the result beyond all doubt on 89 minutes.
Pedro Gallese’s precise kick found Luis Muriel, who sent a perfectly weighted ball to fellow second-half substitute Duncan McGuire.
Adding another brilliant run to his collection, Big Dunc chipped Kristijan Kahlina for his ninth goal of this MLS regular season (2-0).
This goal was significant too as it saw Duncan McGuire draw level with the legendary Kaká on 25 goals, tying him for the fourth-most goals in club history across all competitions.
Ditching his trademark somersault for a Jude Bellingham-style celebration in front of The Wall, McGuire now has two goals in two MLS games.
Despite eight minutes of second-half stoppage time, Orlando City SC remained in control and even came close to adding a third.
Duncan McGuire’s powerful header on 90+8 minutes only narrowly missed the target.
On the night, Orlando City SC dominated the stats, finishing with more possession (58% to 42%), shots (12 to 4), and corners (7 to 3).
Despite both teams having two shots on target, Orlando City SC’s clinical second-half performance proved decisive.
At full-time, there were heartwarming clips of Orlando City SC players greeting former Lion Júnior Urso who was returning to Inter&Co Stadium for the first time as an opposition player.
In sealing the win, Orlando City SC strung together three straight clean sheet wins for the first time since the tail end of the 2023 MLS regular season.
With newfound defensive resilience and growing attacking confidence, Orlando City SC are looking like a tough proposition for any MLS opponent.
Lastly, Oscar’s Pareja’s win against Charlotte FC moved him past Dominic Kinnear into fifth place for the most regular season wins (171) in MLS history.
Last head-to-head
Last facing Columbus Crew in MLS back in May, Diego Rossi scored a goal in each half as Orlando City SC fell 0-2 to defending 2023 MLS Cup champions at Inter&Co Stadium.
Unfortunately, it was a tale of missed chances for City who failed to capitalise against a savvy and in form Crew side.
A win marking Crew’s third consecutive away victory in MLS, the visitors took a 0-1 lead into half-time after Rossi converted a controversial penalty kick in first-half stoppage time.
The chorus of boos cascading down from The Wall said it all, highlighting an unlikely, confusing, and frustrating turn of events.
It all started when César Araújo committed a foul according to VAR, which referee Jair Marrufo initially missed.
Shortly after, Luis Muriel was brought down in the Crew box by Steven Moreira, and Marrufo called a PK for City.
The VAR then called the referee to review Araújo’s foul and a PK was handed to Crew down at the other end of the field.
While it was the right call in the end, you can forgive Orlando City SC supporters for feeling some kind of way about it all.
A painful way to surrender the lead, Rossi ruthlessly doubled the Crew’s advantage on 61 minutes.
As Pedro Gallese faced up the Uruguayan, he deftly dinked the ball past the Peruvian after an incisive through ball from Yaw Yeboah.
Agonisingly a top quality finish, this took Rossi’s tally to four goals in his last four MLS matches.
On the night, Patrick Schulte made five saves to secure his fourth shutout of the season for Columbus Crew.
And it was Schulte who was involved in a final twist of bad luck for Orlando City SC on 73 minutes.
After Facundo Torres sent a cross into the Columbus Crew box, Malte Amundsen beat the returning Ramiro Enrique to the ball and inadvertently deflected it right into Schulte’s hands from point-blank range.
With the goal wide open, the ball somehow stayed out of the net, leaving Inter&Co Stadium stunned.
When your luck is out, it’s out, and the Lions were denied a chance to halve the deficit at a crucial stage in the game.
Failing to get revenge against the side that eliminated us from the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, Orlando City SC had to go back to the drawing board after seeing a three-game unbeaten streak snapped.
What’s at stake this time?
Following Wednesday’s MLS action, Orlando City SC have significantly climbed into fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Our push towards the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs and the possibility of hosting in Round One shows no signs of slowing down!
Winning seven of our last nine MLS fixtures, it’s full steam ahead as we aim to secure a top four seeding.
Reflecting on Wednesday’s MLS results, it was another great night for the Lions.
Not only did we put more distance between ourselves and Charlotte FC, but two other results also played in our favour.
Indeed, Orlando City SC gained further ground on New York City FC, who were thrashed 1-5 at home by Philadelphia, and Toronto FC, who lost 0-2 at home to Columbus Crew.
Right now, the Lions are three points ahead of sixth-placed NYCFC (40) who’ve played the same number of games (29) as Orlando City SC.
And we are now seven points clear of eighth-placed TFC (36) who currently occupy the first MLS Wild Card match qualification spot.
After our 2-0 shutout victory over Charlotte FC, our gap to Dean Smith’s seventh-placed side is now five points with both teams having played the same number of games (29).
With Orlando City SC leapfrogging New York Red Bulls into fourth place on Wednesday night, it’s worth noting that Sandro Schwarz’s side didn’t play this midweek.
Red Bulls will next face Atlanta United at home this Saturday, with both teams having played 29 games so far.
Looking up the table, Orlando City SC’s gap to third-placed Columbus Crew is a massive 10 points.
Ultimately, Inter Miami (1st), FC Cincinnati (2nd), and Crew (3rd) all over the hill and far away when it comes to sealing top three Eastern Conference finishes.
After our 3-0 defeat at Sporting Kansas City following the 2024 Leagues Cup break, we knew that we had to take full advantage of our three-game home streak at Inter&Co Stadium.
And having now achieved this with three convincing home wins over Nashville SC (3-0), New England Revolution (3-0), and Charlotte FC (2-0), Oscar Pareja and the players deserve massive credit for turning around what was proving to be a distinctly average season.
And who knows?
Given our timely run of form, we might just seal a coveted top four position and secure home field advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 Series of the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Who’d have thought that earlier this season?
Finishing in the top four seemed unthinkable all season, but now it’s back in our hands, it’s no longer an impossible goal!
Reassuringly, since June 1, across all competitions, Facundo Torres (11 goals, 6 assists), Martín Ojeda (4 goals, 6 assists), and Ramiro Enrique (6 goals, 1 assist) have all been on fire.
We’ve patiently waited around a season-and-a-half to see Ojeda and Torres truly click and deliver consistent performances when starting together, with Ojeda in the number 10 role and Torres on the right wing.
Fortunately, the South American duo have finally found their rhythm on the field, showcasing greater chemistry with each passing gameweek.
Together with Enrique, hopefully this trio’s combined goal contributions can push us to the post-season promised land.
Opposition danger men
Not just Columbus Crew’s best player, Cucho Hernández is one of Major League Soccer’s biggest talents.
During his time at Lower.com Field so far, 25-year-old Colombian international Cucho has tallied a highly impressive 39 goals and 25 assists in MLS play.
While Cucho Hernández finished third in the 2023 MLS Golden Boot race (16 goals), he did have the last laugh after winning the 2023 MLS Cup itself.
With Crew playing in front of their home crowd at Lower.com Field, Cucho scored the opening goal in a famous 2-1 win over Los Angeles FC – becoming the 2023 MLS Cup MVP in the process.
More recently, on August 25, Cucho Hernández once again haunted LAFC at the very same venue, scoring a brace to secure a 3-1 victory in the 2024 Leagues Cup Final.
Surprisingly, Cucho Hernández began this year slowly, but when you dig a little deeper, controversy interrupted the start of his 2024 campaign.
Subbed out of a 2-0 home defeat to Charlotte FC in March, Cucho appeared to be having a go at one of Crew’s assistant coaches.
Subsequently serving a two-game suspension for “violating team policy”, star striker Cucho Hernández put Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy in a position where he had to make an example of him.
Like many South American players in MLS, Cucho Hernández is fiery by nature and plays high on emotion.
He actually received a red card after petulantly kicking D.C. United’s Christopher McVey in the knee back on April 6.
After all these interruptions, Cucho is now firmly back in the Columbus Crew fold, scoring goals, and focused on helping his team defend their MLS Cup.
So far this MLS season, he has 14 goals and 11 assists to his name.
Even after selling USMNT midfielder Aidan Morris to Middlesbrough for a reported $4 million in June, Columbus Crew remain stacked with plenty of other top talents.
Most notably, left-sided forward Diego Rossi who has tallied 13 MLS goals and 14 MLS assists for Crew since joining from Fenerbahçe last August.
No stranger to Major League Soccer having won the 2019 Supporters’ Shield with Los Angeles FC, Rossi is Crew’s second highest scorer this MLS season with 10 goals.
Described as a “three-headed monster” by Apple TV’s Kevin Egan, Christian Ramirez completes the Crew’s deadly attack, starting as the right-sided forward in Wilfried Nancy’s preferred 3-4-3 formation.
Together with Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernández, this formidable trio have contributed a combined 31 goals and 27 assists this MLS season.
Elsewhere, Mohamed Farsi, Darlington Nagbe, and Yaw Yeboah are three of the other crucial cogs in Wilfried Nancy’s Crew machine.
While everybody knows about Nagbe’s quality following 13 years in MLS, Farsi supplements Crew attacks with his rapid pace and ability to spring quick counters from right wing back.
Pledging his international allegiance to Algeria, not Canada, Mohamed Farsi is a big threat.
As for Ghanaian wide man Yaw Yeboah, he is also a very dangerous player in his own right.
A really tough opponent both home and away, Columbus Crew have genuine quality all over the pitch.
New opposition faces
Since Orlando City SC last faced Columbus Crew, Wilfried Nancy’s side have been very busy recruiting new players in the MLS Secondary Transfer Window.
On June 11, Crew signed French midfielder Dylan Chambost from Saint-Étienne with the 27-year-old scoring in a noteworthy 4-1 friendly victory over Aston Villa back on July 27.
On June 18, Columbus Crew acquired once-capped USMNT midfielder Aziel Jackson from St. Louis CITY SC in exchange for $650,000 in General Allocation Money.
Then, on July 31, Columbus Crew acquired USMNT left back / right back DeJuan Jones from New England Revolution in exchange for Will Sands, plus $600,000 in General Allocation Money.
Lastly, Crew signed Argentine right back Andrés Herrera on loan from River Plate on August 6 before signing Los Angeles FC goalkeeper Abraham Romero on August 14.
Already boasting a talented roster, the addition of these five new signings has, in my opinion, made Columbus Crew’s squad the most complete in all of Major League Soccer.
Injuries and suspensions
Heading into this game, Mason Stajduhar (right lower leg) and David Brekalo (right thigh) are definitely out for Orlando City SC.
César Araújo will also miss the trip to Columbus Crew due to yellow card accumulation, following a booking in our 2-0 win over Charlotte FC.
Nicolás Lodeiro, Felipe Martins, Jeorgio Kocevski or new boy Heine Gikling Bruseth will deputise for the suspended Uruguayan.
As for Columbus Crew, Evan Bush (arm) is definitely out while Mohamed Farsi (foot) is questionable.
It will be interesting to see which starting eleven Wilfried Nancy selects, especially with Columbus Crew hosting Club América in the 2024 Campeones Cup next Wednesday.
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Columbus Crew vs Orlando City SC
Last 3 head-to-heads
- September 16, 2023: Orlando City SC 4 Columbus Crew 3 (MLS)
- November 25, 2023: Orlando City SC 0 Columbus Crew 2 (A.E.T.) (2023 MLS Cup Playoffs)
- May 25, 2024: Orlando City SC 0 Columbus Crew 2 (MLS)
2015/24 head-to-head stats
- It was 0-2 to Crew the last time the sides met (May 2024)
- Played Crew 21 times in MLS – Crew 8, Draws 4, Orlando 9
- Orlando are unbeaten in their last 2 MLS visits to Crew (1-1-0)
- Crew have only lost 2 MLS fixtures at home this season (7-4-2)
- Facundo Torres has scored in Orlando’s last 3 MLS fixtures (4 goals)
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Watching the game
Columbus Crew vs Orlando City SC will be shown live on Apple TV at 00:30 (GMT) on Sunday, September 22.
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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