Orlando City (4-8-5, 17 points) at Charlotte FC (8-6-4, 28 points)
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m
Where: Bank of America Stadium
Radio: 96.9 the Game FM, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Here are five storylines to watch on Wednesday when Orlando City SC take on Charlotte FC:
Last Time Out
The last time that Orlando City and Charlotte FC faced each other came at the end August last season, with the Lions making a late season trip up to Bank of America Stadium. Charlotte held the lead for a good portion of the match, during a heavy rainstorm, before the Lions snuck one in to steal a point. Midfielder Martín Ojeda claimed the glory on the day, sending in a free kick from outside the box that snuck past both teams’ players and found its way into the net.
Spot On
So far in its 2024 MLS campaign, Orlando City’s best passer in terms of accuracy in the regular season to date has been defender Rodrigo Schlegel. The Argentine center back has completed 90.02% of his passes in regular-season action, completing 480 passes on 533 attempted efforts so far this year, this highest percentage of any Lion with more than 100 attempted passes.
Minty Feeling
Entering Wednesday’s midweek matchup against Charlotte FC, midfielder Martín Ojeda has scored eight total goals across all competitions, including one in Orlando City’s last match against LAFC this past weekend. Two of those eight career tallies for the Argentine midfielder have come against the North Carolina-based club, including a strike in the Lions’ 2023 home matchup against the Crown in March of last season.
Copa Dreams
Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and midfielder Wilder Cartagena have officially been named to Peru’s final roster for the CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024. The Peruvian duo have combined for almost 150 caps for La Bicolor, with Gallese making 106 total appearances and 40 career shutouts, including 23 matches and 10 clean sheets to date in Copa America, while Cartagena has played in 33 matches for the South American country including four caps in Copa America games. Peru will take on Chile, Canada and Argentina in the Group Stage, with Gallese set to Captain his country through the tournament.
A Euro Debut
Orlando City defender David Brekalo and Slovenia had a strong start to their UEFA EURO 2024 campaign this past Sunday, posting a 1-1 draw against 2021 semifinalists Denmark. The Lions’ Slovenian center back made his Euros debut, entering the match as a second-half substitute, marking his countries return to the Euros for the first time since 2000 with an early point in the Group Stage. Brekalo and Slovenia still face matches against Serbia and England in Group C action.
Milestone Tracker:
- Duncan McGuire is one goal away from tying Chris Mueller (22) for sixth on Orlando City’s all-time scoring list
- Facundo Torres is two appearances away from 100 across all competitions for Orlando City
