Orlando City (3-5-3, 12 points) vs Inter Miami (8-2-3, 27 points)
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: INTER&Co Stadium, Orlando, FL
Radio: 96.9 the Game FM, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Everything you need to know for the Lions match hosting rivals Inter Miami in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestones
- Duncan McGuire’s goal against Philadelphia on Saturday drew him level with Tesho Akindele for seventh in club history at 21 goals. McGuire’s next goal will see him tie Chris Mueller for sixth on the Lions’ all-time scoring charts.
- Facu Torres’ next goal (his 32nd) will put him second all-time in club history, passing Nani. Cyle Larin has the club record with 44 career goals.
- Iván Angulo is five minutes away from becoming the seventh player on the active roster and only the third non-defender or goalkeeper with 5,000 minutes in all competitions for Orlando City.
Stats & Storylines
- Oscar Pareja’s bold switch to a 3-5-2 formation paid off on Saturday night, with Orlando City winning 3-2 at Subaru Park. The defeat marked the first time the Philadelphia Union have lost three consecutive home games in the 15-year history of the club.
- Luis Muriel scored his first two goals for Orlando City in the game, the first a blistering left-footed strike late in the first half (nominated for AT&T Goal of the Matchday) and the second a calm right-footed finish just 21 seconds after the break. Muriel was nominated for MLS Player of the Week honors for his performance, which also included a secondary assist on Duncan McGuire’s goal.
- Nicolás Lodeiro provided the primary assist on all three Orlando goals, his second three-assist game in MLS and his first since October 2018. Lodeiro’s 15 career multi-assist games are the most of any active player in MLS and seventh in league history.
- Duncan McGuire has three goals and one assist over his past five games, with a goal contribution in all but one of those matches. McGuire is in the 98th percentile of all forwards in MLS and comparable leagues in goals per 90 minutes over the past calendar year, according to Football Reference.
- Pedro Gallese picked up his 50th MLS win in style, becoming the first goalkeeper to save a Daniel Gázdag penalty outside of a shootout. Gallese has saved three penalties in regulation for Orlando City and has never lost a shootout while with the club.
Series History
All-time vs. Inter Miami - 5-5-4, -6 GD (2-0-4, +2 GD home)
MLS only vs. Inter Miami - 5-4-3, -4 GD (2-0-3, +2 GD home)
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)
Meet the opponent: Inter Miami CF
- Inter Miami sits atop the Supporters’ Shield standings with 27 points through 13 matches played. The Herons have scored 35 goals this season, 12 more than any other team in MLS, and have scored at least three goals in each of their past three games, the second team in MLS history to accomplish that after 2017 Toronto FC.
- Of Inter Miami’s 27 points, 20 of them have been earned after Miami trailed in the game, by far the most in MLS this season. Orlando has the second-most points gained from losing positions this year with eight, including three on Saturday in Philadelphia.
- Orlando City has never lost to Inter Miami in the City Beautiful. In addition to six matches at Inter&Co Stadium without defeat, the Lions beat the Herons in their first-ever meeting on July 8, 2020 in the match that kicked off the MLS is Back Tournament at Walt Disney World.
- Lionel Messi has 10 goals and 12 assists through nine matches played this season. Messi has four more assists than any other player in the league and is one goal shy of the Golden Boot lead. This weekend’s game against Montréal marked the first match in any competition all season in which Messi did not record a goal contribution. Messi has four goals and one assist in two career appearances against Orlando City.
- 37-year-old striker Luis Suárez has shown he has plenty left in the tank, equaling RSL’s Chicho Arango and D.C. United’s Christian Benteke for the league lead with 11 goals. Suárez has scored five times in Miami’s last three games, including a hat trick against the New York Red Bulls on May 4 (all assisted by former Barcelona running mate Messi). He recorded two goals and two assists in Miami’s 5-0 win over Orlando back on March 2.
- Julian Gressel has seven assists in his career against Orlando, including three in the March 2 game earlier this season.
- The latest attacking revelation for Miami is Paraguayan midfielder Matías Rojas, who scored a wild free kick against Montréal and assisted on Benjamin Cremaschi’s winner. Rojas, who signed as a free agent in April, has three goals and an assist in just 131 minutes in a Miami shirt.
