Orlando City currently leads the Eastern Conference with two games in hand. Eight weeks into the MLS season, the Lions have played six games. They’re a bit behind some of their Eastern Conference rivals, thanks in part to a game in week two against the New England Revolution that was rescheduled due to weather. But the Lions will make-up some of that ground in the month of May.
Here is what the schedule looks like:
Wednesday May 3rd: at Toronto FC, 7:30pm
Saturday May 6th: at Houston Dynamo, 8:30pm
Saturday May 13th: vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:00pm
Wednesday May 17th: at San Jose Earthquakes, 10:30pm
Sunday May 21st: vs. New York City FC, 7:00pm
Saturday May 27th: at Minnesota United, 8:00pm
Wednesday May 31st: vs. D.C United, 7:30pm
The schedule is a bit rough. In total, Orlando City will play seven matches, including three midweek matches. The Lions will be on the road slightly more than at home, but the matches are pretty evenly split, 4-3. Following the final match of the month against D.C United, Orlando will host the Chicago Fire on Sunday, June 4th at 7:30pm.
Playing so many matches close together will require depth and rotation. As early injuries have shown, Orlando City has the depth to deal with these challenges like never before.
Kreis and the Lions haven’t shied away from a challenge. After losing in Columbus, the team came home and won. They won on the road against New York City FC. After conceding an equalizing goal late in the match against the L.A Galaxy, Orlando City came back to win the match 2-1. And they can rise to this challenge as well if they approach it properly and react in the moment.
