ORLANDO – June 18, 2015 – After a 1-0 victory over Eastern Conference Leaders D.C. United last weekend and downing the Charleston Battery in an electrifying 10-round penalty kick shootout for the U.S. Open Cup, Orlando City SC (5-5-5, 20 points) returns to Major League Soccer (MLS) play, traveling to Saputo Stadium to face the Montreal Impact (4-5-2, 14 points) on Saturday night.
Kick-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. The match will be broadcasted on My65 and Sun Sports and will be also transmitted on Real Radio 104.1 FM and La Grande 1030 AM.
"Obviously, there's a lot of confidence within the group at the moment," said head coach Adrian Heath. "We know it's going to be tough as [Montreal] are another Eastern Conference team vying for a playoff position so we know it's going to be tough. But we'll have a few more players available for the weekend, with the likes of Brek (Shea), Ricky (Kaká), Darwin Cerén and Cyle Larin. By changing the team up against Charleston, hopefully we were able to keep one or two people fresh, so hopefully everyone is fit and well for the weekend."
The Lions come into Saturday's fixture in an impressive six-game unbeaten streak - the longest in Club history. After defeating Chicago Fire 3-2 at Toyota Park and beating the Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United 1-0 at home in league-play, City eliminated the Charleston Battery from the U.S. Open Cup on the road in an exciting 4-4 draw decided in a 10-round penalty kick shootout, that included a hat-trick from Colombian forward Carlos Rivas.
The victory over D.C. displayed a mature performance from City, who found the back of the net when Kaká headed a rebound from his own penalty kick - marking his seventh of the campaign - and giving a 1-0 lead to the home team in the first half.
Orlando City showcased a strong defensive performance for the remainder of the match, maintaining the advantage and limiting United's attackers, extending the Lions' unbeaten run. After earning back-to-back victories against Eastern Conference sides, Orlando City is now in third place in the East.
Orlando City and Montreal Impact faced each other earlier this season, when the Lions fought back from a 2-0 deficit at Olympic Stadium to draw 2-2 in a hard-played match, with goals from Kaká and Pedro Ribeiro.
The Impact currently eighth in the Eastern Conference table, with 11 games played, the least in MLS due to their participation in the 2015 CONCACAF Champions League.
The Impact enters the match against City looking to recover from their most recent loss - falling 3-1 to New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.
Argentinian midfielder Ignacio Piatti leads the club in goals and assists with three, including a goal from the penalty spot versus the Lions.
