5 - Grabbed ‘Em by the Horns
Ahead of this Saturday’s rematch, it’s worth looking back a couple weeks to July 27, when Orlando City obliterated the New York Red Bulls 5-1 to advance to its first-ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final. The Lions were rampant, scoring four times in the second half. César Araújo led the way with his first two professional goals. This wasn’t the first time Orlando put five past RBNY – they did it on September 25, 2015, when Cyle Larin recorded a hat trick in a 5-2 Lions win.
25% - Lion Cásserole
Red Bulls defensive midfielder Cristian Cásseres Jr. doesn’t score a whole lot of goals, but he seems to enjoy getting on the scoresheet against Orlando City. The Venezuelan international has a full quarter of his MLS goal tally against the Lions, scoring three times (out of 12 total) against City in his career, including his only goal this year on April 24.
3 - The Swamps of Jersey
The New York Red Bulls have been the Eastern Conference’s best away team in 2022, racking up seven victories and three draws against just three losses. But at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., the Red Bulls have uncharacteristically struggled this season, sporting a 3-4-4 record. RBNY has not finished under .500 at home in any season since Red Bull Arena opened in 2010.
57.3% - No, You Keep the Ball, I Insist
Orlando City’s last win against RBNY at Red Bull Arena came on March 23, 2019, a 1-0 victory in a game that looked more like a rock fight. Orlando turned Red Bulls’ usual press-and-dump strategy against them, launching long balls indiscriminately and ending the match with a 57.3% passing accuracy, by far their lowest in the past four years of data and the ninth-lowest of any team in the last four seasons in MLS. For their part, Red Bulls’ 62.1% passing accuracy in the same game is the 32nd-lowest in the data set, and New York is responsible for 16 of the 40 lowest totals since 2019.
