MLS Orlando City SC

Preview: Orlando City Hosts Columbus Crew on Saturday

Published on July 12, 2019 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Orlando City SC News Release


ORLANDO, Fla. - Orlando City SC (6-9-4, 22 points) hosts Columbus Crew SC (5-13-2, 17 points) on Saturday, July 13 at Exploria Stadium. Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

The match will be televised locally on My65 and available to stream on YouTube TV. It will also be broadcast on FM 96.6 The Game in English and La Nueva 990am in Spanish.

"Obviously another quick turnaround coming off of a historic moment for our football Club on Wednesday, but we're expecting another tough match against a quality opponent in Columbus," Head Coach James O'Connor said. "I think the big thing for us is to be mindful of the threats they pose while creating problems for them when we have the ball to hopefully get another result in front of our supporters."

On Saturday, City will look for their second victory over Columbus this season, having defeated the Crew 2-0 on June 29 with goals from Chris Mueller and Tesho Akindele in the win. A victory on Saturday would mark the Lions' third-consecutive over the Crew, having defeated them 2-1 in their 2018 home finale last season.

The Lions enter Saturday's match following a thrilling win on Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals over NYCFC. The two battled to a 1-1 result following regulation and extra time, forcing a penalty shootout where goalkeeper Adam Grinwis made two saves, including the game-winner in the sixth round to send the Lions through to the Semifinals. Mueller scored the lone goal for the Lions on the night in the 61st minute, with Nani registering the assist on that finish.

Nani leads the Lions with eight goals this season, followed by Akindele with six and Dom Dwyer and Mueller each with five. The City captain also leads the Club with seven assists in 2019.

Columbus comes into the game after a 2-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders this past Saturday. The Crew opened to scoring in the 13th minute when Pedro Santos converted from the penalty spot, but the Sounders responded with two goals from Nicolas Lodeiro in the second half. Lodeiro converted from the penalty spot in the 56th minute and then went on to score the game winner in the sixth minute of stoppage time to give the Sounders all three points at the death.

Gyasi Zardes leads the Crew with six goals this season, followed by Santos with five.

Following Saturday's match, the Lions will head out on the road to face the Portland Timbers on Thursday, July 18 at the newly-renovated Providence Park. They then face another quick turnaround, having to return home to host the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, July 21.

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