Orlando City (14-11-7, 49 points) at FC Cincinnati (17-10-5, 56 points)
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m
Where: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio.
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: Real Radio 104.1, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Here are five storylines to watch on Saturday as the Lions take on FC Cincy:
Claiming the Throne
Orlando City forward Facundo Torres has played at a high level down the stretch for the Lions, and his efforts as a goal scorer have earned him the rightful place as the Club’s all-time leading goal scorer. With the go-ahead goal in the 57th minute of Wednesday’s game against the Philadelphia Union, the Las Piedras, Uruguay native scored his 45th career goal across all competitions for the Lions and broke a tie with former Lion Cyle Larin for most goals all-time in Club history. It was also Torres' 18th goal of the 2024 season across all competitions, tying Larin’s record for most goals in a single season set in 2015. Torres joined Orlando City prior to the 2022 MLS season and has led the Lions in scoring each of the past two seasons.
Playoff Atmosphere in The Queen City
Both Orlando City and FC Cincinnati are playoff bound but that doesn’t mean both Clubs aren’t going to bring their best on Saturday night. FC Cincinnati is guaranteed to finish in either second or third place while the Lions are pushing to lock up the four seed in the Eastern Conference. Depending on how things unfold, this match could be a preview of things to come in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. Orlando City fell to FC Cincinnati 1-0 earlier this season at Inter&Co Stadium while the Lions will look to continue their momentum heading into Decision Day.
Looking For Home-Field Advantage
With the Lions making the playoffs for the fifth straight season under Head Coach Oscar Pareja, the Club is also looking to host a playoff match for the second straight season. The Lions hosted New York City FC for Orlando’s first-ever playoff match in the first round of the Audi 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs and the New England Revolution in the following match. Last season, the Lions hosted Nashville SC in Round One before hosting the Columbus Crew in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. In 2024, the Lions control their own destiny, heading to Decision Day, leading New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls each by two points. An Orlando City win against FC Cincinnati paired with losses or draws for the New York-based clubs will secure home-field advantage for the Lions in Round One this year.
Lions on the Attack
Orlando City’s offensive output continues to drive this team forward heading into the final two matches of the 2024 regular season. With two goals scored Wednesday night against the Union, the Lions matched the single-season Club record for most MLS goals scored in a season with 55 set by the 2016 team and matched in 2023. Orlando City has scored 38 of its 52 MLS goals in the last 15 matches and since the beginning of June has scored multiple goals in 15 of the last 17 matches.
Trusting The Process
When Luis Muriel was signed prior to this season, it was expected he would come in and be an integral part of the Orlando City offensive attack. The start of the season wasn’t how the Lions envisioned, but the Colombian forward has seemed to carve out more of a role for himself and is finding his footing with the Club. Over the last four matches, Muriel has provided two goals and three assists off the bench, including two assists in the most recent match against Philadelphia. After the match, Muriel spoke about working through his process of figuring out how to play in Major League Soccer, and Orlando City fans are seeing the results of that process at the perfect time right before the playoffs. Since the start of the 2024 campaign, Muriel has scored five goals and provided eight assists across all competitions.
Milestone Tracker:
- Duncan McGuire sits tied with Kaká (25) for fourth on Orlando City’s all-time scoring list and is one goal away from taking sole possession of fourth place.
- Facundo Torres (25) is one assist away from tying former Lions captain Nani (26) for second on the Club’s all-time assist chart.
- Torres (18) also sits just one goal away from setting the Club record for goals in a single season across all competitions, which would break a tie with Cyle Larin (18) set in 2015.
