MLS Orlando City SC

Lions Visit New York City for First Road Game of 2018

Published on March 15, 2018 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Orlando City SC News Release


ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando City SC (0-1-1, 1 point) will visit 2015 expansion rival New York City FC (2-0-0, 6 points) in its first road match of the year on Saturday, March 17. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium.

The match will be nationally televised on Univision and streamed live on Twitter (@UnivisionSports and @MLS). The match will also be broadcast in English on FM 96.9 The Game and in Spanish on La Nueva 990 AM.

"Obviously a very quality team," Lions head coach Jason Kreis said. "This is an opportunity for us to show that we're quality and we can go and get a result there, we can go and get three points. I think that makes a very big statement about who we are."

This is the first meeting of the season between the 2015 expansion rivals. City won its last match at Yankee Stadium 2-1 on April 23, 2017, and has won two of the three season series against NYCFC (2-0-1 in 2016, 2-1-0 in 2017). The Lions are 2-1-1 all-time at Yankee Stadium and are unbeaten in their last three in the Bronx. City's 5-2-2 all-time record against NYCFC is its best against any MLS opponent.

City picked up one point from its first two matches but will be with marquee offseason acquisition and Designated Player Sacha Kljestan for the first time this season. Kljestan has one goal and 10 assists in 10 career games against NYCFC while forward Justin Meram has three goals and four assists in seven appearances against the Pigeons.

Peruvian international Yoshimar Yotún has one goal, while captain Jonathan Spector and Meram have one assist each this season.

Yotún was teammates with current NYCFC forward Jo Inge Berget and defender Anton Tinnerholm at Malmö FF (Sweden) from 2015 to 2017. The match will mark the first time Lions defender RJ Allen faces his former team. Allen made 57 appearances and registered one goal and 11 assists in three seasons with NYCFC before joining the Lions on Dec. 18, 2017.

The Pigeons enter Week 3 with two wins for the first time in their history. NYCFC defeated Sporting KC on Opening Day and then beat the LA Galaxy 2-1 last week.

Tinnerholm, Jesus Media, David Villa and Maximiliano Moralez each have one goal for NYCFC. Goalkeeper Sean Johnson has made five saves and allowed one goal in two games.

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