Facing the Opposition
The Lions will look to add to a three-game win streak against CF Montréal in all competitions on Wednesday night at Exploria Stadium. City took a pair of 1-0 victories from Wednesday’s opposition in 2020, the first of which came in the Round of 16 at the MLS is Back Tournament thanks to an eventual game-winner from Tesho Akindele. The Lions would then go on the road on Nov. 1 and earn the same result, this time with Daryl Dike scoring the deciding goal in the contest.
Protecting the Fortress
City is currently riding a six-game unbeaten run at home in MLS action, dating back to July 22 in a 2-1 victory over Philadelphia Union. The side holds a 7-1-4 record at home through the 2021 campaign, with its next victory in The City Beautiful to set a new Club-record for home wins in a single-season, surpassing its total from 2015 and 2017.
Mr. 200
Forward Tesho Akindele recorded his 200th MLS appearance on Friday night in Atlanta, becoming the first member of the 2014 MLS SuperDraft class to reach that milestone. The 2014 MLS Rookie of the Year has tallied 67 of those appearances as a Lion, scoring 16 goals since joining the side ahead of the 2019 campaign with seven assists to add.
Quick Trip Home
Wednesday’s return to The City Beautiful will be short lived for the Lions’ side, set to embark on a three-game road trip following their midweek match against CF Montréal. City will travel to face three sides currently in the top five of the Eastern Conference standings, beginning with a trip to Philadelphia on Sunday. The Lions will then head to New England to take on the Revolution the following weekend before closing out the road stint with a trip to Nashville SC on Wednesday, Sept. 29.
The Return of ‘El Pulpo’
Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese is back with the side after competing with the Peruvian National Team in World Cup Qualifying last week. Gallese played every minute for his home nation through a stretch of three matches, with Peru taking a 1-1-1 record in those contests. Gallese is expected to be available for Wednesday’s match against CF Montréal.
Milestone Tracker
- The Lions’ next clean sheet will set a new single-season record for eight shutouts in a campaign, besting the previous mark of seven set in the 2015, 2017 and 2019 MLS campaigns.
- Nani is one goal away from 10 for the 2021 season, which would make him the second player in club history after Cyle Larin to record multiple double-digit goal seasons for the club in the MLS era.
- Tesho Akindele is two goals away from 20 in his Orlando City career.
- Mauricio Pereyra’s next assist will set a new Orlando City high for his career (9).
- Pedro Gallese’s next clean sheet will be his 10th for Orlando City. He is six saves away from 150 in his Lions career.
