Orlando City (15-11-7, 52 points) vs Atlanta United (9-14-10, 37 points)
When: Saturday, 6:00 p.m
Where: Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Radio: Real Radio 104.1, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Everything you need to know for the Lions' regular season finale on Saturday night against Atlanta United in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestones
- Facundo Torres can set a new single-season club record with his next goal, which would be his 19th of the year in all competitions. Cyle Larin scored 18 in his historic rookie campaign in 2015, a number Torres matched with his goal Wednesday against Philadelphia. Torres has already overtaken Larin on the all-time scoring list with 45 career goals for Orlando City.
- At 25 assists, Torres is one helper from tying Nani for second in club history.
- Should he start this weekend’s game against Atlanta, Rodrigo Schlegel will reach 10,000 minutes played for Orlando City in the 55th minute of the match. Schlegel would become the fourth Lion ever to hit 10,000 minutes, joining Robin Jansson, Pedro Gallese, and Mauricio Pereyra.
- Martín Ojeda is up to 23 assists in all competitions for the club, including 13 this season, tied with Nicolás Lodeiro for the club’s single-season record. Ojeda’s next assist will see him tie Chris Mueller for fourth in club history.
- Dagur Dan Thórhallsson’s next appearance will be his 75th for Orlando City in all competitions.
Stats & Storylines
- Orlando City will look to wrap up the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and home-field advantage in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs this Saturday when it hosts Atlanta United for a Decision Day clash. The Lions enter play two points ahead of NYCFC in fourth, meaning a win, an NYC loss or draw, or a draw and better goal difference than NYC will be enough to secure their position. NYCFC is away to Montréal, which is looking to return to the postseason after a heartbreaking last-second elimination on Decision Day 2023.
- As is Decision Day tradition, all seven Eastern Conference matches will kick at exactly the same time so as to prevent anyone from gaining an advantage through knowing results ahead of time. The only team not in action is Toronto FC, which has been eliminated from playoff contention.
- Oscar Pareja has won three straight Decision Day games as Orlando City head coach, including do-or-die playoff clinchers at Montréal in 2021 and home to Columbus in 2022. Orlando beat Wooden Spoon-winning Toronto 2-0 last year in a game that had no playoff implications for either side.
- Facundo Torres scored the playoff-clinching goal against the Crew in 2022 and enters play with 6 G/1 A in his past seven matches. Duncan McGuire scored twice in Toronto in last year’s regular season finale.
- The Lions’ offense is rolling into Decision Day, having scored multiple goals in seven consecutive matches and 14 of 16 regular season games going back to mid-June. In addition to Torres’ hot streak, Ramiro Enrique has 4 G/2 A over his last four, while Martín Ojeda has five assists in his past six starts. Orlando City has scored 41 goals in its past 16 games and has already broken the club record for goals scored in a single MLS regular season.
- Orlando is 10-2-1 in 13 regular season matches since July 1, the best record of any team in MLS since that date. The Lions have been even more dominant at home over the past four months, going unbeaten in ten straight games at Inter&Co Stadium with a +19 goal difference during the streak.
Series History
All-time vs. Atlanta United - 4-10-7, -10 GD (2-6-3, -3 GD home)
MLS only vs. Atlanta United - 4-9-7, -8 GD (2-5-3, -1 GD home)
2017 - L 0-1 (H), D 1-1 (A), D 3-3 (A)
2018 - L 1-2 (H), L 4-0 (A), L 1-2 (H)
2019 - L 1-0 (A), L 0-2 (H/USOC), L 0-1 (H)
2020 - W 1-3 (A), D 1-1 (H), D 0-0 (A), W 4-1 (H)
2021 - D 0-0 (H), W 3-2 (H), L 3-0 (A)
2022 - D 1-1 (A), L 0-1 (H)
2023 - D 1-1 (H), W 1-2 (A)
2024 - L 2-0 (A)
Meet the opponent: Atlanta United
- Let’s rewind seven months – an unrecognizable Orlando City XI, playing its fifth match in 15 days and returning from a visit to El Volcán in Monterrey, fell 2-0 to an equally dated Atlanta United squad all the way back on March 17.
- With César Araújo injured and Wilder Cartagena suspended, Orlando started Kyle Smith and Nico Lodeiro in central midfield, while Facundo Torres was rotated after the Tigres series and Ramiro Enrique missed out through injury.
- Meanwhile, Atlanta started three players who are no longer on the roster – attacking midfielder Thiago Almada, left back Caleb Wiley, and striker Giorgos Giakoumakis (who scored Atlanta’s second goal).
- Even with that defeat, Orlando is 4-3-5 against Atlanta under Oscar Pareja, with just one loss in six home matches. The Lions are seeking their first home win against the Five Stripes since 2021, when Nani scored a dramatic 87th minute winner to cap off a 3-2 thriller.
- Atlanta enters Decision Day playing for a potential MLS Cup Playoffs berth, needing a win and some help to get in. In addition to pulling the upset on the field, the Five Stripes have to hope at least one of Montréal or D.C. United loses, putting them in position to clinch a spot based on their superior goal difference.
- The Georgians kept their season alive and did Orlando City a favor with a 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls prior to the international break, featuring goals from new signing Alexey Miranchuk and substitute Tyler Wolff.
- Miranchuk, the big DP replacement for Almada, has 3 G/1 A in eight matches since joining MLS from Serie A side Atalanta over the summer. Miranchuk was teammates with Orlando attacker Luis Muriel while in Italy and has 45 caps for his native Russia.
- Atlanta’s top scorer this season is Turkish winger Saba Lobjanidze, who scored against Orlando back in March and has 8 G/7 A for the season. The Five Stripes have scored just 44 goals this year, which would be their lowest ever in a full season (45, 2021).
