Concacaf Champions League: Orlando City vs. Tigres UANL (Round of 16, 2nd Leg)
When: Wednesday, 8:15 p.m. ET
Where: Exploria Stadium, Orlando
TV: FS2, TUDN
Radio: None
Tickets: View seats
Here are five storylines to watch on Wednesday when Orlando City meets Tigres UANL in the second leg of its Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 series at Exploria Stadium:
We meet again
The Lions will face off against Tigres UANL in the second leg of the Round of 16 of the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League on Wednesday night, with all to play for in front of their home crowd. After battling to a scoreless stalemate last week in Monterrey, a win at home would punch City’s ticket to the Quarterfinals, where it would face the winner of Pachuca of Liga MX or Futbol Club Motagua out of Honduras.
A Best XI effort
Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese put forth a stalwart effort last go around against Tigres UANL, tallying eight saves to keep the home side off the board, one shy of his single-game career high in purple and the most of all netminders throughout the round. As a result, “El Pulpo” earned Best XI honors for the first leg of the Round of 16, along with Player of the Match.
Early impact
Orlando City forward Duncan McGuire made his professional debut over the weekend, getting the start as the Lions returned to MLS regular season action at D.C. United. The Creighton University-product would go on to score the lone goal for City in the fixture, becoming the first 2023 MLS SuperDraft selection to find the back of the net and the first Lion in Club history to score in his professional debut.
Tight turnaround
Wednesday night will see the Lions play their fourth fixture in the span of the last 12 days between Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League competition and MLS play. The side’s tight schedule isn’t set to end just yet, with City set to return to Exploria Stadium on Saturday to host 2022 expansion side Charlotte FC in MLS regular season action.
Entering the fold
Defender Rafael Santos joined McGuire on Saturday evening as a debutant for the Lions, making his first start since joining the Club this past offseason. The Brazilian defender went the full 90 for City in his first appearance, becoming the seventh member of the side to feature along a Lions backline thus far in 2023 that has conceded just once across all competitions.
