Milestones, storylines and more ahead of the Lions away trip to Miami in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestones
- Justin Ellis can become the first Orlando City Homegrown with a goal contribution in three consecutive regular season games if he records a goal or an assist against Inter Miami. Ellis has 2g/2a in his last three matches in all competitions.
- Martín Ojeda is three goals away from 40 in all competitions for Orlando City. Ojeda would become the third player in club history to score 40 goals, following Facundo Torres (47) and Cyle Larin (44), and the first with both 40 goals and 40 assists.
Stats & Storylines
- Orlando City played one of the most exciting games of the year on Wednesday night, outlasting New England 4-3 to advance to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. The Lions trailed three separate times in the game (1-0, 2-1, 3-2), taking the lead for the first time on Zakaria Taifi’s winner in the 92nd minute. The match marked the first time in club history in which Orlando trailed three times in a game and came back to win.
- The four Lions who scored on Wednesday night entered the game with one goal for the club combined, and that goal was scored just four days prior (Justin Ellis against D.C. United last weekend). Ellis picked up his second in as many games, while Iago, Griffin Dorsey, and Zakaria Taifi all scored their first goals for the club.
- Orlando’s attack has come alive over the past week and a half. The Lions have scored ten goals in their last three games, their best stretch since putting up 12 in three games last August against Atlas, Necaxa, and Inter Miami. Eight individual players found the back of the net; Ellis and Martín Ojeda have scored twice, while Luís Otávio, Ignacio Gómez, Tyrese Spicer, Iago, Dorsey, and Taifi have each netted once. Six of the ten goals have been firsts for the player in question at Orlando City.
- Orlando City is into the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup for the sixth time in club history and the first time since 2022, when the Lions went all the way to lift the trophy.
- The Lions return to league play this weekend seeking to make up ground in a crowded and muddled Eastern Conference. Despite a difficult 2-7-1 start to the campaign, Orlando is only five points back of seventh place in the East with both its form turning around positively and global superstar Antoine Griezmann due to arrive this summer.
- Speaking of Griezmann, the future Lion went the full 90 on Wednesday as Atlético Madrid dueled Arsenal to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal. The second leg is set for Tuesday, May 5 at the Emirates Stadium in London at 3 p.m. ET.
Series History
All-time vs. Inter Miami - 7-7-5, -4 GD (3-6-0, -8 GD away)
MLS only vs. Inter Miami - 7-5-4, 0 GD (3-4-0, -4 GD away)
2020 - W 2-1 (N), L 2-1 (A), W 2-1 (H), L 2-1 (A)
2021 - W 1-2 (A), D 1-1 (H), D 0-0 (H)
2022 - D 1-1 (4-2) (H/USOC), W 1-0 (H), L 4-1 (A)
2023 - W 1-3 (A), L 3-1 (A/LC), D 1-1 (H)
2024 - L 5-0 (A), D 0-0 (H)
2025 - W 0-3 (A), W 4-1 (H), L 3-1 (A/LC)
2026 - L 2-4 (H)
Meet the opponent: Inter Miami CF
- Orlando City is set to play Inter Miami CF in the actual city of Miami for the very first time this weekend. The Lions will be making their first trip to Nu Stadium, which opened just four weeks ago, after facing their Florida rivals in Fort Lauderdale for each of the past six years’ worth of road games. The game will kick 15 minutes earlier than usual and will be broadcast on both Apple TV and FS1.
- The Lions fought the Herons to a 3-4 record in Fort Lauderdale across seven matches. The Lions’ visit last May was particularly lopsided, with Orlando blasting Miami 3-0 in a game that could have seen two or three more goals for the visitors.
- Orlando and Miami battled on Sunday Night Soccer back on March 1, with Miami erasing a 2-0 halftime deficit to win 4-2. The game was the first in club history in which the Lions lost after going ahead 2-0.
- Miami has yet to win at Nu Stadium, drawing each of its first three games in the new digs against Austin, Red Bull New York, and New England. Despite a herky-jerky start that included the departure of MLS Cup-winning manager Javier Mascherano, the Herons have not actually lost a game since opening weekend at LAFC and are second in the East heading into Matchday 11.
