What to watch, presented by Verizon, as Orlando City host New York City FC in a midweek clash

Orlando City (9-5-8, 35 points) vs. New York City FC (9-8-4, 31 points)

When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Fla

Attend: Single-Match Tickets

TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (subscription required)

Radio: AM 810 Fox Sports Radio, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)

Here are five storylines to watch for Wednesday's match as the Lions host the Pigeons:

Designated Dominance

Orlando City’s Designated Players are enjoying a remarkable run of form, contributing more to the scoresheet than any other DP trio in Major League Soccer. Luis Muriel has been a consistent presence in the attack, recording 12 goal contributions with an even split of six goals and six assists. Marco Pašalić has added to the firepower with 10 goals and four assists, bringing his total to 14. Leading the way is Martín Ojeda, who has been the most productive of the trio, tallying 10 goals and nine assists for a total of 19 goal contributions in regular season play. Altogether, the three have combined for an impressive 45 goal contributions – more than any other group of Designated Players in the league. The closest challengers are 2025 expansion side San Diego FC, whose DPs have totaled 40 goal contributions to date.

Attacking Prowess

Fueled by the performance of their Designated Players, Orlando City's attack has emerged as one of the most potent in MLS. The Lions currently rank fourth in the league with 40 goals, trailing only San Diego FC (46), Inter Miami CF (44), and the San Jose Earthquakes (42). Their offensive success has been driven by strong distribution and cohesive team play, reflected in their 30 total assists – third-best in the league behind San Diego FC (37) and San Jose (31). In contrast, the Lions’ upcoming opponent, New York City FC, ranks 20th in goals scored (27) and 19th in assists (18). Orlando City is one of just four clubs with multiple double-digit goal scorers in the 2025 MLS regular season (FC Cincinnati, Kévin Denkey and Evander; Nashville SC, Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar; San Diego FC, Anders Dreyer and Milan Iloski).

Double Double

With his free-kick goal against CF Montréal over the weekend, midfielder Martín Ojeda became just the third player in Orlando City history to record double digits in both goals (10) and assists (10) across all competitions in a single season. Ojeda currently has nine assists in MLS play in 2025, putting him just one shy of reaching the same milestone in regular-season action. If he does, he’ll join former Lions captain Nani, who accomplished the feat in 2019, as the only players in club history to do so in league play. His goal also made him the second Orlando player to reach double-digit goals this season, following fellow Designated Player Marco Pašalić, who scored his 10th in MLS last week.

“I’m Gonna Be”

Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese is on the verge of a historic milestone as he enters Wednesday night’s matchup against New York City FC just two saves shy of 500 across all competitions for Orlando City—a mark no other goalkeeper in club history has come close to. Gallese currently sits at 498 saves, a staggering 182 ahead of the next closest total held by Joe Bendik (316). Since joining the Lions ahead of the 2020 season, the Peruvian international has rewritten the club’s record books, setting new all-time marks for saves (498), appearances (182), clean sheets (56), penalty kicks saved in regulation (6), and wins (82).

Double Centurion

Entering the Lions’ recent match against CF Montréal as a second-half substitute, defender Kyle Smith reached a major milestone, becoming just the second player in Orlando City history to make 200 appearances across all competitions. Since joining the club ahead of the 2019 season, the Cincinnati native has made 112 starts in those 200 appearances, contributing five goals and 11 assists. Smith now joins fellow defender, current teammate, and club captain Robin Jansson (221 appearances) as the only players to reach the 200-match mark in Orlando City history.

Milestone Tracker:

-Ramiro Enrique and Martín Ojeda are now tied with Dom Dwyer for sixth on the club’s all-time scoring list with 23 goals, and each just one goal away from matching Kaká in fifth.

-Martín Ojeda needs one more assist to become only the second player in club history to record double-digit goals and assists in a single MLS season.

-David Brekalo’s next appearance will be his 50th for Orlando City in all competitions.