Orlando City (9-5-7, 34 points) vs CF Montréal (3-13-5, 14 points)
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Fla
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' match hosting Montréal in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestones
- Pedro Gallese is two saves away from 500 for Orlando City in all competitions.
- Kyle Smith’s next appearance will be his 200th for Orlando City in all competitions, making him the second player in club history to reach 200 games played after Robin Jansson.
- Ramiro Enrique is seventh in Orlando City history with 23 goals, one away from catching Dom Dwyer in sixth and two away from Kaká in fifth. Martín Ojeda is tied for eighth at 22 goals.
- Ojeda has a goal contribution in six consecutive matches. If Ojeda contributes a goal or an assist against Montréal, he will tie his own club record (all competitions) from the 2024 season.
- Ojeda also needs just one goal to become the third player in Orlando City history to achieve double-digit goals and assists in the same season (Nani, 2019; Facundo Torres, 2022).
Stats & Storylines
- Orlando City roared back from a 2-0 second half deficit to take a valuable point in Charlotte last weekend. Ramiro Enrique scored his sixth goal in his last six starts, with at least one goal in five of those six, while Marco Pašalić scored for the fourth time in his last three games to tie it up. Martín Ojeda and Luis Muriel combined to assist both goals.
- The Charlotte game was Orlando’s first multi-goal comeback since September 16, 2023, when the Lions famously turned around a 3-1 deficit to the Columbus Crew with 20 minutes remaining and won 4-3 at the death.
- Pašalić is one of 12 players in MLS with double digit goals, and one of only three playing his first season in the league, along with Cincinnati’s Kévin Denkey and San Diego’s Milan Iloski. The Croatian ranks in the 98th percentile in goals per 90 minutes among all attacking midfielders and wingers in MLS and similar leagues according to Football Reference.
- Ojeda remains in the top five in MLS in goal contributions and is one of just two players in the entire league with at least nine goals and nine assists, along with San Diego’s Anders Dreyer. Ojeda is tied for third in MLS in assists and ranks second in key passes.
- Alex Freeman’s CONCACAF Gold Cup journey came to an end on Sunday as the United States fell 2-1 to Mexico in the final. Freeman started every match for the U.S.M.N.T in his first major international tournament. The 20 year-old, who was named Orlando’s first MLS All-Star since 2021 during the Gold Cup, will be available for selection this weekend for Orlando City for the first time since May 31.
- The Lions will be without goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and captain Robin Jansson this weekend, as both players were booked against Charlotte and will be forced to sit out due to yellow card accumulation. Oscar Pareja has numerous options to choose from at center back, while No. 2 goalkeeper Javier Otero has impressed in limited duty this year, saving seven of eight shots while winning both of his starts against D.C. United and the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Series History
All-time vs. CF Montréal - 10-10-6, 0 GD (5-4-3, +3 GD home)
MLS only vs. CF Montréal - 8-9-6, -2 GD (4-4-3, 0 GD home)
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)
2025 - D 0-0 (A)
Meet the opponent: CF Montréal
- Orlando City and CF Montréal played to a 0-0 draw at the Stade Saputo back on April 19. It was the Lions’ third consecutive 0-0 draw and second straight game enduring a red card. Pedro Gallese was massive, making six saves to pick up the clean sheet.
- Orlando is unbeaten in five against Montréal going back to 2023. After struggling against the Canadians at home early in the series’ history, the Lions have held Montréal in check at Inter&Co Stadium as of late, going 3-0-1 with a +8 goal difference at home against CFM since 2022.
- Iván Angulo and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson are the only two players with league goals against Montréal who will be eligible to play on Saturday, but Ramiro Enrique and Martín Ojeda also found the back of the net against the Quebecois side in a 4-1 Leagues Cup romp last July. Thórhallsson scored the final goal in that game, meaning two of his eight career Orlando goals have come against Montréal.
- It’s been a tough year for Montréal, who fired head coach Laurent Courtois just five matches into his second season and sit dead last in the East with a 3-13-5 record and a joint-worst -22 goal difference (with D.C. United). CFM had won two of its last three before being swept aside 4-1 at home last weekend by Inter Miami.
- Striker Prince Owusu has been a bright spot for Montréal this season, notching 8g/2a in a little under 1700 minutes while appearing in every MLS match to date.
- In a feel-good story, former Lion Luca Petrasso has won the starting left-back job for Montréal and currently leads the team in minutes played while providing 1g/2a.
