BACK TO BUSINESS, LIONS! 🦁 After a frustrating fourth place finish in the 2025 Leagues Cup, Orlando City SC are back in MLS action this Saturday. Visiting D.C. United, we desperately need three points and a return to form. The Galaxy defeat still stings, and the squad looked drained in Carson. But the international break gave most of our players a chance to rest, recover, and reset ahead of this must-win clash.
The East is still wide open, and with a game in hand on the current top four, this fixture is crucial if we want to secure a home playoff spot. D.C. United may be rock bottom, but they’ve picked up under new head coach René Weiler. Unbeaten in three (1-2-0), they pulled off a shock 1-2 win at New York City FC last time out, so they won’t be pushovers. Lose this one, and it’s panic stations. Win it, and we’re back on track, with belief and momentum heading down the stretch.
Last time out
On August 31, Orlando City SC fell 2-1 to LA Galaxy in the 2025 Leagues Cup Third Place Match at Dignity Health Sports Park. Finishing a frustrating fourth, we ultimately missed out on a coveted 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup spot. City were forced to field a makeshift backline after suspensions to Robin Jansson and David Brekalo, and it showed from the first whistle. With their very first shot, Galaxy opened the scoring through Marco Reus on 9 minutes. He capitalised on a combination of César Araújo’s late press and defensive missteps from Rodrigo Schlegel, Kyle Smith, and Adrián Marín who’s looked shaky early into his City career. Orlando battled back, equalising through Martín Ojeda on 60 minutes, but it was painfully short-lived. Joseph Paintsil restored Galaxy’s lead just seven minutes later, and we never breached Novak Mićović’s goal again. This was despite a flurry of late chances, including a diving header from Ojeda that narrowly missed. Pedro Gallese made some heroic saves – including this outrageous reaction stop. But Orlando ultimately paid for their errors while failing to punish an ordinary Galaxy side for theirs. The final whistle confirmed four matches without a win – three of them losses – with just three goals scored across those games.
Last head-to-head
On March 22, Orlando City SC thumped D.C. United 4-1 at Inter&Co Stadium – our second straight four-goal home victory. Luis Muriel opened the scoring with a well-placed header from an Alex Freeman assist, and Martín Ojeda doubled our lead with a deflected strike before half-time. The second-half started strong, with Freeman scoring his second goal of the season from an Ojeda free-kick. And minutes later, the Lions produced one of their best-ever team goals, with Muriel, Ojeda, and Marco Pašalić combining excellently for a stunning fourth. On his first MLS career start, Javier Otero impressed too but lost his deserved clean sheet to Lukas MacNaughton’s late goal, while City twice hit Kim Joon Hong’s post and could have easily scored more.
What’s at stake this time?
Following Leagues Cup, Orlando City SC sit fifth in the East with 47 points from 28 games. Crucially, we now have a game in hand on the top four – Philadelphia Union, FC Cincinnati, Charlotte FC, and Nashville SC – who have all played 29. Speaking of Nashville, Atlanta United did us a huge favour on August 30, claiming their first away win of 2025 (0-1 at GEODIS Park) to leave Nashville within striking distance. But with Inter Miami (sixth – 46), Columbus Crew (seventh – 46), and New York City FC (eighth – 44) all lurking, we still have plenty of work to do. Miami still hold THREE games in hand over us – and FOUR over the current top four. But hopefully their 3-0 Leagues Cup Final loss to Seattle Sounders will derail them. Sergio Busquets and Luis Suárez’s behaviour was utterly disgraceful, wasn’t it? Leagues Cup took a lot out of us, and it’s unclear how much belief remains, but a top four finish is still achievable if we rediscover our best form. Just one trophy shot remains (MLS Cup), so we need to give it our all. Most players have had the international break to rest and reset, though we are weaker up front without Ramiro Enrique, who completed a surprise transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al-Kholood on Monday. Luis Muriel is also suspended for this game, so Duncan McGuire will step up. As for D.C. United, they’ve endured a miserable 2025 and sit rock bottom of the East on 24 points. A win is essential at Audi Field, but D.C. have shown glimpses of form lately. Going 1-2-0 in their last three MLS games, they pulled off a shock 1-2 victory at NYCFC on August 30. Win this, and we’re back on track. Lose it, and expect supporter panic to set in!
Opposition danger men
🇧🇪 Christian Benteke (8 goals, 2 assists – 2025 MLS)
🇧🇷 Gabriel Pirani (6 goals, 4 assists – 2025 MLS)
🇧🇷 João Peglow (3 goals, 3 assists – 2025 MLS)
New opposition faces
🇨🇭 René Weiler (head coach)
🇺🇸 Caden Clark (CF Montréal)
Injuries
🇸🇳 Dominique Badji (thigh) – out
🇺🇸 Kristian Fletcher (knee) – out
🇨🇷 Randall Leal (leg) – out
🇺🇾 César Araújo (lower back) – questionable
🇵🇪 Wilder Cartagena (right leg) – SEI
🇪🇸 Adrián Marín (thigh) – questionable
🇺🇸 Zakaria Taifi (thigh) – out
🇯🇵 Yutaro Tsukada (knee) – SEI
*SEI – Season-Ending Injury List (Unavailable)
Suspensions
🇬🇹 Aarón Herrera – one game (yellow card accumulation)
🇨🇴 Luis Muriel – one game (red card at Nashville SC)
International returnees
🇫🇮 Matti Peltola (Finland)
🇦🇺 Kye Rowles (Australia)
🇸🇮 David Brekalo (Slovenia)
🇻🇪 Gustavo Caraballo (Venezuela U-17)
🇺🇸 Alex Freeman (USMNT)
🇵🇪 Pedro Gallese (Peru)
🇺🇸 Colin Guske (USMNT U-19 Camp)
🇭🇷 Marco Pašalić (Croatia)
🇺🇸 Tahir Reid-Brown (USMNT U-20 Camp)
🇹🇹 Tyrese Spicer (Trinidad and Tobago)
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D.C. United vs Orlando City SC
Last 3 head-to-heads
- April 13, 2024: D.C. United 2 Orlando City SC 3 (MLS)
- July 6, 2024: Orlando City SC 5 D.C. United 0 (MLS)
- March 22, 2025: Orlando City SC 4 D.C. United 1 (MLS)
2020/25 head-to-head stats
- It was 4-1 to Orlando the last time the sides met (March 2025)
- Played D.C. 20 times in MLS – D.C. 9, Draws 2, Orlando 9
- Martín Ojeda has scored in the last 2 MLS head-to-heads (2 goals)
- Jackson Hopkins and Gabriel Pirani each have 2 goals in D.C.’s last 3 MLS games
- Both sides have scored in Orlando’s last 10 MLS fixtures
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Watching the game
D.C. United vs Orlando City SC will be shown live on Apple TV at 00:30 (GMT) on Sunday, September 14.
Remember, UK supporters can watch all of Orlando City SC’s 2025 MLS regular season fixtures by subscribing to Apple TV’s “MLS Season Pass”.
Subscribe now by clicking here.
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