Orlando City (3-2-3, 12 points) at CF Montréal (0-6-2, 2 points)
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Stade Saputo, Montréal, Quebec
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (subscription required)
Radio: AM 810 Fox Sports Radio, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Everything you need to know for the Lions' road match in Quebec in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestones
- Orlando City will look to keep three consecutive clean sheets in MLS regular season play for just the second time ever and the first since August 31-September 18, 2024.
- With a win or draw on Saturday, the Lions would extend their current unbeaten run to six, their longest streak without a loss in MLS regular season play since July 15-September 16, 2023.
- Martín Ojeda’s next assist, his 27th for Orlando City, will see him pass Nani for second all-time in club history. Iván Angulo is one assist behind Nani and Ojeda.
- At 17 goals in all competitions, Ojeda is now two away from entering the club’s all-time top 10 scorers. Daryl Dike and Benji Michel are tied for ninth at 19 goals apiece, while Ercan Kara is 11th with 18. Duncan McGuire is the only player on the active roster in the top 10, ranking fourth with 26 career goals.
Stats & Storylines
- Despite playing the final 34 minutes and second half stoppage time down a man, Orlando City pitched its second straight clean sheet last weekend, drawing the New York Red Bulls 0-0 at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions have played to a scoreless draw in two straight matches, the first time they have ever done so in MLS regular season play. Orlando had back-to-back 0-0 draws against CF Montréal in league play and Tigres UANL in CONCACAF Champions Cup to open the 2023 season.
- After giving up 10 goals in its first four games, the most in MLS, Orlando City has conceded just twice over its last four matches, the fewest of any team in the league over that span. The Lions have risen from last in MLS to a tie for 20th in goals conceded over the past four weeks.
- Notably, Oscar Pareja made no changes to his starting lineup for the first time this season last weekend. David Brekalo made his second straight start at left back, while Joran Gerbet and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson remained in central midfield, while César Araújo and Eduard Atuesta recover from minor ailments. Araújo and Atuesta both made the bench, with the latter appearing for 11 minutes at the end of the game.
- Pedro Gallese picked up his 50th career clean sheet for Orlando City. Gallese has allowed just one goal in three matches since returning from World Cup qualifying with Peru last month.
- Despite back-to-back shutouts offensively, Orlando remains at the top of the Eastern Conference in goals and ranks third overall, behind Vancouver and San Jose. The Lions created 1.49 expected goals worth of chances (per Opta) in the first 55 minutes of Saturday’s game against the Red Bulls before Rodrigo Schlegel’s red card.
- Luis Muriel’s underlying numbers continue to suggest top-level production from the forward. The Colombian ranks seventh in MLS in non-penalty expected goals this season, both in total and per 90 minutes. Per Football Reference, Muriel ranks in the 99th percentile among forwards in MLS and similar leagues in progressive carries and successful take-ons, while ranking in the 98th percentile in assists and shot-creating actions.
- Marco Pašalić and Martín Ojeda also rank well on Football Reference’s data – Pašalić is 99th percentile in non-penalty goals, 91st percentile in expected goals, and 94th percentile in successful take-ons among attacking midfielders and wingers, while Ojeda is 97th percentile in assists and 95th percentile in expected assists.
Series History
All-time vs. CF Montréal - 10-10-5, 0 GD (4-6-2, -3 GD away)
MLS only vs. CF Montréal - 8-9-5, -2 GD (4-5-2, -1 GD away)
2015 - D 2-2 (A), L 2-0 (A), W 2-1 (H)
2016 - W 2-1 (H), W 1-4 (A), L 0-1 (H)
2017 - D 3-3 (H), L 2-1 (A)
2018 - L 3-0 (A), L 0-2 (H)
2019 - L 1-3 (H), W 0-3 (A)
2020 - W 1-0 (N/MLS is Back), W 0-1 (A*)
2021 - L 2-4 (H), D 1-1 (H), W 0-2 (A)
2022 - W 2-0 (H), L 4-1 (A), L 2-0 (A/MLS Cup Playoffs)
2023 - L 2-0 (A), W 3-0 (H)
2024 - D 0-0 (H), D 2-2 (A), W 4-1 (H/Leagues Cup)
Meet the opponent: CF Montréal
- After a three-game skid from 2022-23, including an MLS Cup Playoffs loss, Orlando City has gone four straight unbeaten against Montréal, including a 4-1 romp in Leagues Cup last summer. Martín Ojeda, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, Iván Angulo, and Ramiro Enrique all found the back of the net against the Canadian side at some point in 2024.
- Overall, Orlando City is 6-4-3 against Montréal under Oscar Pareja, including a win in the MLS is Back knockout rounds in 2020.
- Montréal will be coached this weekend by interim Marco Donadel after parting ways with Laurent Courtois earlier this spring. Donadel spent most of a long fruitful career in Italy’s Serie A, featuring for clubs like AC Milan, Fiorentina, and Napoli before wrapping up his run with Montréal from 2015-18. He returned to the club this past winter after coaching in his native Italy for most of the past six seasons.
- As you’d expect from a club that fired its second-year head coach after five games, it’s been a struggle for Montréal in 2025. The Québécois side is 0-6-2 with a -9 goal difference, good for last place in the Eastern Conference. As usual, Montréal started the year with a lengthy road trip, opening up their home slate this past weekend with a 1-0 loss to Charlotte FC.
- Among the few highlights for Montréal this year has been center forward Prince Owusu, who has produced 2 G/1 A and held down the job over DP acquisition Giacomo Vrioni. Owusu scored a late winner against Orlando City last season while playing for Toronto FC.
