Orlando City (15-7-9, 54 points) vs. Nashville SC (11-15-4, 37 points)
When: Saturday, 8:30 PM
Where: Geodis Park, Nashville, TN
Radio: 96.9 The Game, (English), Acción 97.9 FM (Spanish)
Lucky 13
Uruguayan forward Facundo Torres tallied his 13th goal of the 2023 campaign in the Lions’ last win over CF Montréal, leading Orlando city in scoring to this point. Torres sits just two goals back from the MLS Golden Boot lead and also now sits tied with former Lion Dom Dwyer for the most regular-season goals scored for City in a single campaign. Torres’ performance against Montréal earned him league honors on the MLS Team of the Matchday, his eighth time so far in 2023.
Playing Through the Pain
417 – the number of fouls that Orlando City has suffered through 31 matches in the 2023 MLS regular season, the most of any team in the league to date, averaging over 13 fouls suffered per game. Of those 417 fouls suffered 93 have been committed against midfielder César Araújo alone. Araújo stands atop the league amongst all players in that category with second place Santiago Rodríguez of NYCFC the next closest at 76.
Number Nine
Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese recorded his ninth clean sheet of the 2023 regular season and his 10th overall this year across all competitions. This is now the second time that “El Pulpo” has kept nine clean sheets in a season since joining the Lions in 2020, recording nine shutouts in the regular season last year. The mark stands as the most in a single season by Orlando City goalkeepers in the MLS era, with his next regular-season shutout setting his own new record.
Road Warriors
With three games left in the 2023 regular season, the Lions currently rank as the league’s best road team with a record of 7-4-4 away from Exploria Stadium. Taking 25 points this campaign from road matches, Orlando City has ended long-standing unbeaten streaks at both Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati, the only team to take a win from TQL Stadium to date this year.
Setting the Standard
Orlando City SC set two new single-season records with its last 3-0 win over CF Montréal. The Lions recorded their 15th win of the 2023 campaign, also securing their 54th point of the year with the win. Both marks surpassed their previous single-season bests, with the record for points previously standing at 51 following the 2021 1regular season and the wins mark at 14 wins in the Lions’ inaugural MLS season in 2015.
Milestone Tracker
- Facundo Torres’ next goal will give him sole possession of third place on the Lions’ all-time scoring list.
- Mauricio Pereyra’s next assist will give him double-digit helpers in three consecutive seasons. Pereyra has 44 career assists for Orlando City, 18 more than the next closest player.
- Oscar Pareja is one win away from 60 as Orlando City’s Head Coach.
