Orlando City at Inter Miami CF (Leagues Cup)
When: Wednesday, 8:00 PM
Where: DRV PNK Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Radio: 96.9 The Game (English), Acción 97.9 FM (Spanish)
Five-Goal Thriller
The Lions advanced to the knockout stage of Leagues Cup 2023 off the back of a 3-2 victory over Liga MX side Santos Laguna at Exploria Stadium. City entered the match needing a victory as its simplest way to advance to the next round and found it thanks to a second-half stoppage time goal from Wilder Cartegena. The Lions finished top of South Group 2 and are now set to face off against intrastate rivals Inter Miami CF in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, August 2 at DRV PNK Stadium.
Wilder Winner
City earned the victory over Santos Laguna in its most recent match thanks to a game-winning goal from midfielder Wilder Cartagena in the 92nd minute. The goal served as Cartagena’s first as a Lion since joining the Club nearly a year ago to the day. Midfielder César Araújo collected his fifth assist of the season across all competitions on the tally. The goal is the latest game-winner for the Lions since Tesho Akindele scored in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time on August 28 of last season against NYCFC.
Dunc-HIM McGuire
Rookie forward Duncan McGuire found the back of the net yet again in the 3-2 win over Santos Laguna. McGuire scored in the 44th minute, leveling the score at 1-1 before the halftime break. The goal served as his third in as many matches across all competitions, as well as his 10th of the season, which leads all MLS rookies. McGuire joins fellow forward Ercan Kara as the only two City players to score in three straight matches this season.
Century Mark
Defender Antonio Carlos made his 100th appearance across all competitions as a Lion in the match against Santos Laguna. He also earned an assist on the night, providing the helper on captain Mauricio Pereyra’s scorching goal to start the second half. The assist served as his fifth assist for the Club all time. The Brazilian international originally joined City on a loan from Palmeiras ahead of the 2020 season, before completing a permanent transfer to stick with the Club and signing a three-year deal with an option for a fourth year following the conclusion of that campaign.
Battling for Florida
Orlando City is set to face off against intrastate foes Inter Miami CF in the Round of 32 of Leagues Cup play. City has gone unbeaten against Miami in six of the last seven matches across all competitions. During that span, City holds a 3-1-3 record against the Herons, with one of the draws resulting in a penalty-kick shootout during the Club’s run to last year’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title. So far this season, the two sides have met only once, resulting in a 3-1 victory for the Lions at DRV PNK Stadium in MLS regular-season play.
Milestone Tracker:
- Pedro Gallese’s next clean sheet will be his 30th in all competitions for Orlando City. Gallese also sits six saves away from 300 as a Lion.
- Facundo Torres’ next goal will tie Tesho Akindele for sixth on the all-time scoring list, with Chris Mueller just two goals ahead in fifth.
- Defender Robin Jansson is five appearances away from 150 all-time appearances across all competitions.
