Orlando City (0-1-0) vs Toronto FC (0-0-1)
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m
Where: Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Fla
Radio: AM 810 Fox Sports Radio, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Everything you need to know for the Lions' second match of the season in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestones
- Iván Angulo’s next appearance will be his 100th for Orlando City in all competitions. Angulo has appeared in 86 consecutive MLS regular season and playoff games dating back to August 2022.
- Martín Ojeda’s next appearance will be his 90th for Orlando City in all competitions.
- Ojeda has pulled even with Chris Mueller for fourth in Orlando City history in assists at 24. His next assist will tie him with Facundo Torres for third, and he’s two away from matching Nani in second. Angulo enters the weekend one assist behind Ojeda for his career.
- Pedro Gallese’s next win will be his 75th as Orlando City goalkeeper. Gallese is two clean sheets away from 50 in his Orlando career.
Stats & Storylines
- Orlando City lost a home opener for the first time in club history last week, falling 4-2 to the Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium. Playing without midfield stalwart Wilder Cartagena and losing Robin Jansson to a warmup knock moments before kickoff, the Lions conceded four goals at home for the first time since July 2022.
- Despite the loss, new Designated Player Marco Pašalić was transcendent in his first Orlando City game, scoring the fastest debut goal in club history and ending the night as the first Lion ever to record a brace in his first match. Pašalić took seven shots, landing four on target, and added two key passes in a stellar performance.
- Pašalić was one of seven MLS players to record a brace on opening weekend and one of just three league newcomers (Emmanuel Latte Lath, ATL; Anders Dreyer, SD).
- Other new Lions who debuted against the Union included midfielder Eduard Atuesta, who started the game; midfielder Joran Gerbet, who replaced Atuesta in the second half; and forward Nico Rodríguez.
- Martín Ojeda provided seven key passes on Saturday, two more than any other player in MLS on opening weekend. Ojeda ranked 12th in MLS in key passes per 90 minutes last season among qualifying players. The Argentine, who had nine assists over the final 16 games of the 2024 regular season, picked up his first helper of 2025 on Pašalić’s first goal and took four shots himself, forcing two saves from Union keeper Andre Blake.
Series History
All-time vs. Toronto - 9-9-3, -2 GD (5-5-0, +3 GD home)
MLS only vs. Toronto - Same
2015 - L 0-2 (H), L 4-1 (A), L 5-0 (A)
2016 - W 3-2 (H), L 1-2 (H), D 0-0 (A)
2017 - L 2-1 (A), L 1-3 (H)
2018 - L 2-1 (A), W 2-1 (H)
2019 - L 0-2 (H), D 1-1 (A)
2021 - W 1-0 (H), W 2-3 (A*), D 1-1 (A)
2022 - W 0-1 (A), W 4-0 (H)
2023 - W 4-0 (H), W 0-2 (A)
2024 - L 1-2 (H), W 1-2 (A)
*closed door game played at Inter&Co Stadium due to COVID-19 pandemic
Meet the opponent: Toronto FC
- Orlando City has been utterly dominant against Toronto since Oscar Pareja took over the club, going 7-1-1 against the Reds since 2021.
- The Lions took their first loss to TFC since 2019 last April at home, leading most of the way through Duncan McGuire before Tyrese Spicer (87’) and Prince Owusu (90’) scored twice late on. Orlando got their revenge up north in July, turning around an early deficit of their own thanks to a Martín Ojeda strike and a game-winning own goal.
- Ojeda, Iván Angulo, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, and Kyle Smith have scored for Orlando against Toronto in the past. McGuire has four goals in three matches against the Reds, but will miss this match recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
- Toronto picked up a 2-2 draw in D.C. on opening weekend, getting goals from club legend Jonathan Osorio and Italian international star Federico Bernardeschi. It was a largely successful debut for new head coach Robin Fraser, who will look to steer TFC into the playoffs for the first time since 2020. Fraser, an on-and-off USMNT member throughout the 1990s, spent parts of five seasons coaching the Colorado Rapids from 2019-23, finishing top of the West with a 61-point season in 2021.
- The Reds made some key signings over the winter, bringing in right-back Henry Wingo (Ferencváros), striker Ola Brynhildsen (loan, Midtjylland), center-back Zane Monlouis (Arsenal), and winger Theo Corbeanu (Granada). Departures included striker Prince Owusu (Montréal), midfielder Brandon Servania (D.C. United), and former Orlando City players Shane O’Neill (Radnicki 1923) and Greg Ranjitsingh (NYCFC).
- Not departing, at least not yet, is Italian star Lorenzo Insigne, who was left out of Fraser’s squad on opening weekend in D.C. Insigne has played just 54 league games for the Reds since signing on a then-MLS record salary from Napoli in summer 2022, providing 14 goals and 14 assists. His Italian counterpart Bernardeschi, signed in the same window from Juventus, had a career resurgence last season, posting 8 G/8 A in 29 games while playing a large number of minutes as a right wingback.
