KISSIMMEE, Fla. — After weeks spent playing on the road, Orlando City SC is finally back at Inter&Co Stadium this week.
The Lions' Wednesday night match is the beginning of a run of three straight games at home, including a U.S. Open Cup match next week, to close out a home stretch before the FIFA World Cup 2026™ break.
"It's definitely huge for our momentum being away from home," forward Duncan McGuire said at Orlando Health Training Ground at Osceola Heritage Park this morning. "It feels like it's been a few weeks now since we've played in front of our home crowd. So I'm definitely glad to be back for a good stretch of games, and hopefully we can take advantage of the home advantage."
The Lions will suit up against a Philadelphia Union side that arrives in Orlando as the reigning Supporters' Shield holders, but have struggled to begin 2026. Sitting 15th in the Eastern Conference, the Union have dropped MLS matches to Columbus, Chicago, Atlanta, San Jose and NYCFC, with draws against Toronto and D.C. United. A 0-0 result against Nashville on the weekend is their most recent outing, having not won a match since April 11.
"It's true that they couldn't get the result, but at the same time, it's true that they are a strong team," Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman said. "We know them. We respect every opponent. We are going to prepare the game like we always do, taking care about our team, preparing properly, recovering the players because we played a few days ago, and trying to get the points for us and for our people."
"It can be easy to underestimate a team that doesn't have a good start to the season, but we're also in the same boat," McGuire added. "We know what position we're in, and we know that we can't take any game for granted and come in flat-footed. Martín does a good job at keeping the mentality good for this game coming up on Wednesday."
On the injury front, there is a significant piece of good news. Marco Pašalić, Orlando's dynamic winger who has been sidelined in recent weeks, is back in full training with the team. With the World Cup coming up, there is a bit of extra care for the Croatian international's return to play.
"Marco was dealing with an injury, and we were really careful with him, because we not only want him to recover for us, but also we want him to be able to play in the World Cup in good shape," Perelman said. "We have worked deeply for him and for us. We're happy he's back in training, and hopefully, as soon as possible, he can come back and have minutes, because he's an important player for us."
With so many players now starting to come back off of the injury list, the next big step for the team is finding consistency. This year has been a bit of a roller coaster, so the biggest test for the team now is stabilizing the team and the matches.
"What is coming next is consistency in a positive way, in terms of results," Perelman said. "I have no doubts that that consistency is going to come. We are working for that. I'm proud of the effort of the players and the whole club, and we will continue doing so."
Kickoff at Inter&Co Stadium is set for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the match available on Apple TV.
