Orlando City (11-10-6, 39 pts.) brings a season-best three-game winning streak into Wednesday night’s game against Seattle Sounders FC (10-14-3, 33 pts.), the Lions’ final test ahead of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final on September 7. The match, presented by Socios.com, is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised locally on FOX35 PLUS and LionNation TV, with pregame coverage set for 7 p.m. Local radio coverage will also be available from 7 p.m. ET on FM 96.9 the Game in English and Acción 97.9 FM in Spanish.
Here’s everything you need to know about Seattle:
Transactions
Key Additions - CM Albert Rusnák (Real Salt Lake), LW/M Dylan Teves (University of Washington), DM Obed Vargas (Tacoma Defiance)
Key Departures - LWB Brad Smith (D.C. United), RW Nicolas Benezet (Nîmes), CM Jordy Delem (San Antonio FC), CB Shane O’Neill (Toronto FC)
Take a look at Seattle’s full roster here.
News
Seattle made history this spring by becoming the first MLS team ever to win the CONCACAF Champions League, defeating Pumas 5-2 on aggregate in the final. Team captain Nicolás Lodeiro scored three times across the two legs, with Raúl Ruidíaz adding the other two. The Sounders will become the first MLS club to feature in the FIFA Club World Cup at a date still to be determined.
Team Form
Here’s the crazy part – that same Sounders team that finally broke the CCL glass ceiling is threatening to become the first Seattle side ever to miss the playoffs. Seattle is 13 for 13 in postseason appearances since joining MLS in 2009, but this year’s squad sits four points below the seventh-place LA Galaxy and has one fewer game remaining than Los Angeles. The Sounders have been decimated by injuries in midfield, losing João Paulo, Obed Vargas and Cristian Roldan to long-term issues.
Head-to-Head
No team has been harsher on Orlando City than Seattle over the years. The Lions are 0-4-1 against the Sounders with a -8 goal differential in the five games. However, Oscar Pareja’s version of Orlando has never faced Seattle – the last meeting between the two teams came all the way back on May 15, 2019, meaning 1,204 days will have passed since the sides last faced.
Rasmussen University Fact
With Orlando City gearing up for its first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, it’s worth noting that the Sounders actually won the Open Cup in each of their first three seasons as an MLS club, three-peating from 2009-2011. Seattle won its fourth and most recent Open Cup in 2014.
