KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Another quick turnaround for Orlando City SC. Since Sunday, April 12, the Lions have played a match every 72 hours.
Now, 72 hours after their match in D.C., Orlando City hits the road again for another midweek contest, this time for a Round of 16 showdown with the New England Revolution in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, for a spot in the Quarterfinals of the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on the line.
"Of course, it's different playing the Cup. Every game that's a mata o mata, like we say, where you win or go home," Perelman said. "It's a different context that changes the game. But we have experience in those kind of competitions, and we're ready to do it. We like to compete. We are competitors. So happy and excited."
That experience runs deep in this squad. When Orlando City lifted the 2022 U.S. Open Cup in Orlando, Florida — the club's first and only piece of major silverware — it was a moment that has shaped the organization's relationship with the competition ever since. A handful of players from that title-winning run are still on the roster, and their experience will be invaluable for a group with plenty of faces for who this is still new territory.
"Having the experience of winning is always good," Perelman said at Orlando Health Training Ground at Osceola Heritage Park on Monday. "Now every game is a final for us, and we try to play one at a time."
Forward Iván Angulo, one of only three remaining players from the 2022 Open Cup-winning squad, along with Wilder Cartagena and Robin Jansson, knows just what this competition means to both himself and the Club as a whole.Â
"It's a short competition, very competitive, and also prestigious," Angulo said through a translator. "It's important to go out from the first moments with everything. From the very first minute, you have to go out there and overcome the other team, try and score as quickly as you can, put pressure on your opponents, and stay concentrated throughout the entire game, because there are no more games. It's only the game you're playing in at that moment."
The last few weeks have been the same thing over and over: recover, review, prepare. After now scoring six goals in the last two matches, Angulo said the group has found a bit of a groove, despite the number of matches.
"It's been a difficult few weeks with a lot of games and only a few days in between to be able to work," he said. "But we're managing it well, working hard on our recuperation, focusing a lot on that, working with the technical staff, focusing on video, looking at the opponents, looking at ourselves and doing self-reviews. When we don't have that much time on the field in between games, I think we're managing it well."
The injury situation is also slowly improving. Perelman noted that players returned against Charlotte and D.C., with more potentially available on Wednesday and a larger group expected back for the weekend's league match.
"Fortunately, we are having three guys back last game, hopefully a couple more for Wednesday," he said. "The ones who are healthy are still healthy. The players who have been playing, especially the younger ones, I think they showed that they took advantage of the opportunity. That increases our roster, our internal competition, and makes us stronger."
Standing in Orlando's way is a New England side that is in good form. The Revolution enter the Round of 16 sitting fourth in the Eastern Conference with 16 points, unbeaten in five straight MLS matches. Their captain, Carles Gil, remains one of the most dangerous playmakers in the league, recently becoming the 32nd player in MLS history to have 50 goals and 50 assists in his MLS career.Â
"They're a very good team. They have one of the best players in the league, in Carles Gil," Angulo said. "For us, it's important to disrupt their communication with him and their connection between him and the forwards, because he's the player that really drives their team. Limiting his time on the ball, when he does have it, don't give him time to think too much. And then, let's just go out there and play our game."
Rather than playing the match in Foxborough at the normal home of the Revolution, Gillette Stadium, Wednesday's match will be played at Centreville Bank Stadium, the 10,000-seat home of USL Championship side Rhode Island FC in Pawtucket.
"It doesn't really change too much," Angulo said on the venue. "We just played in the last round against Naples in a different stadium. It doesn't change our mentality."
Kickoff at Centreville Bank Stadium is set for Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the match streaming live on Paramount+.
