ORLANDO, Fla. (October 14, 2016) – Two weeks after its last match, Orlando City SC (7-11-14, 35 points) visits the Philadelphia Union (11-12-9, 42 points) for its final road game of the season on Sunday, Oct. 16. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. ET at Talen Energy Stadium.
The match will be televised on WRDQ TV27 and transmitted on Real Radio 104.1 FM in English and on La Grande 1030 AM in Spanish.
"[Philadelphia] is an extremely hard-working team,” Lions Head Coach Jason Kreis said. “It’s a team that’s very dangerous with the numbers of players that they get involved in their attacks, with how direct they can be, with the danger they present in opponents’ penalty boxes. We need to have our players very well prepared for that.”
Sunday will mark the third and final meeting of the season between the two teams. On April 8, Adrian Winter equalized in the 43rd minute but a Tranquillo Barnetta free kick in the 90th minute gave the the Union a 2-1 win. On May 25 at Camping World Stadium, City overcame another Barnetta goal with two goals in a three minute span in the second half. Kevin Molino tied it in the 68th minute before Cyle Larin chested home a Kaká cross, but Philadelphia leveled the match at two in the 75th minute.
City is coming off of a hard-fought loss against Montreal Impact on Oct. 2. Despite controlling 66 percent of possession and firing 22 shots, the Lions couldn’t overcome Dominic Oduro’s goal in the 56th minute. The Lions nearly equalized shortly after when Larin directed Kaká’s cross on net, but Montreal goalkeeper Evan Bush made an incredible save.
Larin leads the Lions with 14 goals while Molino is second on the team with 10 goals and seven assists. Kaká leads the team with eight assists and is third on the team with eight goals. Goalkeeper Joe Bendik is tied for third in MLS with 109 saves.
The Union are coming off of a three-game road trip that saw them only secure one point. Most recently, Fabian Herbers and Chris Pontius scored for Philadelphia in a 3-2 loss against the Red Bulls. The Union have not won since Aug. 27 and now sit in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference.
Pontius leads Philadelphia with 12 goals this season. Midfielder Roland Alberg is second with nine goals on the year. Herbers leads the team with seven assists and Andre Blake has recorded 95 saves and six shutouts on the year.
Orlando City plays its regular season finale on Sunday, Oct. 23, when it hosts D.C. United at 4 p.m. ET. The Lions will begin the 2017 MLS season in their brand new downtown stadium.
