Orlando City (4-5-4, 16 points) vs Columbus Crew (5-2-6, 21 points)
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m
Where: INTER&Co Stadium
Radio: Real Radio 104.1 FM, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Here are five storylines to watch on Saturday when Orlando City SC host the Columbus Crew:
Striking Late
Orlando City SC was able to pick up another late win in its latest match against the San Jose Earthquakes this past weekend. The Lions entered the last five minutes of the game locked in a scoreless draw at PayPal Park before Iván Angulo broke out down the left wing, setting up a connection between Martín Ojeda and Jack Lynn. Lynn struck the back of the net in the 88th minute for his second of the year and City’s third goal in the 88th minute or later in its last four road matches to change the result.
Last Regular-Season Meeting
The last time Orlando City and the Columbus Crew met at INTER&Co Stadium in the regular season was on September 16 of last season, a match that ended in a 4-3 thriller in favor of the Lions after being down 3-1 entering the final 20 minutes of play. Forward Ramiro Enrique scored twice in the final five minutes of the match to take all three points for City, putting in the equalizer in the 86th minute and then burying the game-winner on the final play of the game in second-half stoppage time.
Climbing on Up
Uruguayan forward Facundo Torres will be looking to climb the ranks even further on Orlando City’s all-time scoring chart in Club history this weekend. Torres’ next goal will be his 32nd all-time for the Lions and will take him past former captain Nani for sole possession of second place in Club history. Torres has already scored four goals across all competitions in 2024 and has played two consecutive games in which he’s contributed to a goal, with one goal and an assist across that span.
Angulo’s Accuracy
Colombian winger Iván Angulo played a big role in Orlando City’s 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes this past weekend, involving himself heavily in the Lions’ distribution and breakout plays. Angulo completed over 91% of his passing attempts on the night, completed three dribbles, won two tackles and picked up the secondary assist on Jack Lynn’s game-winner in the 88th minute after creating the full-field counterattack by sprinting box to box with the ball on the break. Angulo is also the only Orlando City player to start every regular season match so far in 2024.
Locking it Down
The Lions’ defense continued to stand strong over the weekend, picking up their second clean sheet in a week with the 1-0 win after shutting out Inter Miami CF in a scoreless draw at the midweek. Orlando City’s back three of Rodrigo Schlegel, Wilder Cartagena and David Brekalo won 19 of their 24 duels against the San Jose Earthquakes, while winning four additional tackles and making five interceptions on the night to limit the Earthquakes to a total of 0.62 expected goals.
Milestone Tracker:
- Facundo Torres' next goal will be his 32nd across all competitions, giving him sole possession of second all-time in Orlando City history
- Duncan McGuire is one goal away from tying Chris Mueller (22) for sixth on Orlando City’s all-time scoring list
- Rafael Santos is one appearance away from 50 for Orlando City across all competitions
