ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 15, 2019) - Orlando City SC (9-11-6, 33 points) travels to take on Minnesota United FC (12-8-5, 41 points) on Saturday, August 17 in its first visit to Allianz Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
The match will be televised locally on My65 and available to stream on YouTube TV. It will also be broadcast on Real Radio 104.1 FM in English and Acción 97.9 FM, 810 AM in Spanish.
“Obviously a massive three points for us at the midweek, but now we face a formidable opponent in Minnesota. They’ve had a good run of form as of late and they present a lot of different challenges to any team,” Head Coach James O’Connor said. “I think the biggest thing for us is to be mindful of the threats they present while being clinical ourselves going forward.”
The Lions enter Saturday’s contest facing a quick turnaround after earning a 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday. Tesho Akindele scored the eventual game-winner in the 21st minute, good for his ninth finish of the 2019 season. The shutout served as the Lions’ seventh of the season, tying a Club record set in both 2015 and 2017.
With his finish on Wednesday, Tesho Akindele took sole possession of the team lead with nine goals this season, followed by Nani with eight. Nani leads the Lions in assists this season with eight, followed by Ruan and Chris Mueller each with four.
Minnesota comes into this weekend’s matchup also facing short rest, having defeated the Colorado Rapids 1-0 on Wednesday. Darwin Quintero scored the lone goal in the match in the 39th minute to give the home side all three points on the evening.
Quintero leads the Loons with eight finishes this season, followed by Ethan Finlay with six. Jan Gregus leads the side with eight assists, while goalkeeper Vito Mannone sits at third in MLS with 84 saves in 2019.
Following Saturday’s match, the Lions will return home to host Atlanta United FC on Friday, August 23 at Exploria Stadium. That match will be nationally televised on ESPN as a part of Major League Soccer’s Heineken Rivalry Week.
