Orlando City (5-8-7, 21 points) at Toronto FC (7-11-3, 24 points)
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m
Where: BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario, CA
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (Free)
Radio: 96.9 the Game FM, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Here are five storylines to watch on Wednesday when Orlando City SC visit Toronto FC:
Traveling to The Great North
Orlando City will make its third trip of the season to Canada when it takes on Toronto FC on Wednesday night. The Lions played at Starlight Stadium back in February when they took on Cavalry FC during Concacaf Champions Cup group play and drew with CF Montréal at Stade Saputo on April 20, but Wednesday’s match will mark their only stop in Toronto during the regular season. The Lions have made the most of their recent trips to BMO Field dating back to 2019, going undefeated in their last four trips to Toronto with a 2-0-2 record across that span.
No Rest for the Weary
With their game on Wednesday, the Lions will have played five games in 19 days, including three road matches. This will be the second time this season the Lions play five or more games in a three-week span, with the first time coming between February 21 and March 12 when Orlando City played seven games. With one more match set for this weekend at home against D.C. United, Orlando City will face one more match following its trip to Toronto before getting a chance to rest and recover.
Seeing Red
Despite an overall record of 8-9-3, Orlando City has gotten the best of The Reds, posting a 6-1-1 record since the beginning of 2021. The Lions had held an eight-game unbeaten streak against Toronto dating back to 2019 but dropped the most recent match 2-1 in Orlando back in April. Duncan McGuire gave Orlando the early first-half lead, but a pair of Toronto goals in the 87th and 90th minutes gave the Reds the win. The Lions will look to return the favor in Toronto, where they haven’t lost a match since 2018.
A Welcome Return from Copa
After representing Peru in Copa América, Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and midfielder Wilder Cartagena will be making their returns to the Lions’ squad for the team’s upcoming match against Toronto FC. Peru opened up the tournament with a strong scoreless draw against Chile but conceded a late goal against Canda in their second match. Needing a win in their final match to advance, Peru fell at the hands of 2022 World Cup winners Argentina. The Peruvian duo started in all three matches in group play. Gallese and Cartagena have not played a match for the Lions since June 1 against the New York Red Bulls.
A Lion in Europe
Another potential return for the Lions is defender David Brekalo who has spent the past month competing in UEFA EURO 2024 for his native Slovenia. Brekalo and the Central European country took third in their group and went undefeated in the group stage to advance to the knockout rounds for the first time in their history. Their run at this year’s tournament, their second-ever appearance, came to an end in the Round of 16 on Monday night after taking Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal to a penalty-kick shootout following a scoreless 120 minutes. Brekalo made two appearances in the group stage, coming in as a second-half substitute against Serbia and Denmark.
Milestone Tracker:
- Duncan McGuire is one goals away from tying Dom Dwyer (24) for fifth on Orlando City’s all-time scoring list and two goals away from tying Kaká (25) for fourth
- Rodrigo Schlegel and Kyle Smith are both three starts away from 100 in all competitions
- Ramiro Enrique’s next appearance will be his 50th all-time for the Lions
