Orlando City (14-7-9, 51 points) at FC Cincinnati (18-9-4, 58 points)
When: Sunday, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: TQL Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
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 Sunday's big match against FC Cincinnati in Ohio:
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. Leading the way is Martín Ojeda, who has been the most productive of the trio, tallying 16 goals and 14 assists for a total of 30 goal contributions in regular season play. Luis Muriel has been a consistent presence in the attack, recording 17 goal contributions with nine goals and eight assists, while Marco Pašalić has added to the firepower with 11 goals and four assists, bringing his total to 15. Altogether, the three have combined for an impressive 62 goal contributions, more than any other group of Designated Players in the league. The next closest challengers are intrastate rivals Inter Miami CF, whose DPs have totaled 59 goal contributions to date.
Lions on Fire
Orlando City SC has been a potent attacking force throughout the 2025 MLS regular season. The Lions are just one goal away from tying their single-season club record of 59 goals, set in 2024, and only two goals shy of reaching 60 for the first time in club history. Their current tally of 58 goals ranks second in the league, trailing only Inter Miami CF (64), with four regular-season matches remaining.
Martín for MVP
Martín Ojeda continues to build a strong case for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award, setting new records in Orlando City’s 2025 campaign. With a first-half brace in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Nashville SC, the Argentine midfielder reached 16 goals and 14 assists in MLS regular season play, and 20 goals and 18 assists across all competitions. Ojeda ranks second in MLS in assists (14), behind Anders Dreyer of Sporting Dallas (18), and is tied for third in total goal contributions (30), alongside Denis Bouanga and Evander, trailing only Lionel Messi (34) and Dreyer (33). His two goals also set a new club record for most goal contributions across all competitions with 74, surpassing Facundo Torres (72). Ojeda is now just one goal away from tying the club’s single-season MLS scoring record of 17, set by Cyle Larin in 2015, and from breaking the all-competitions single-season scoring record, currently shared by Ojeda and Torres at 20 goals.
Clinched
With four matches remaining in the 2025 MLS regular season, Orlando City SC have officially clinched a spot in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. The Lions clinched their postseason berth on Saturday, following a loss by the New York Red Bulls in their match against New York City FC. With Orlando City clinching, it marks their sixth consecutive playoff appearance, all under Head Coach Óscar Pareja. This streak stands as the second-longest active run in Major League Soccer, trailing only the New York Red Bulls, who have qualified for the playoffs in 15 straight seasons.
Sunday Night Soccer
Orlando City SC will make its third appearance on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire this weekend, facing FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium. The match, originally scheduled for Saturday afternoon, was flexed to Sunday night last month. Orlando City has dominated its previous Sunday night matchups, defeating Inter Miami CF twice, 3-0 in Fort Lauderdale on May 18 and 4-1 at Inter&Co Stadium on August 10.
Milestone Tracker:
- Martín Ojeda is one goal away from setting a new single-season record across all competitions, surpassing Facundo Torres’ 20-goal haul in 2024. Ojeda would also tie Cyle Larin’s 17-goal 2015 for the most goals scored in an MLS regular season in club history
- Ojeda is two assists away from achieving the first 20 goal, 20 assist season in club history
- Duncan McGuire’s next goal will be his 30th for Orlando City in all competitions
