Milestones, storylines and more ahead of the Lions home match against the Five Stripes in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestones
- Martín Ojeda needs two goals in all competitions to catch Cyle Larin for second in club history at 44 and five to tie Facundo Torres’ club record of 47. Ojeda is five assists away from Mauricio Pereyra’s club record, also 47.
- Marco Pašalić’s next appearance will be his 50th for Orlando City in all competitions.
Stats & Storylines
- The Cardiac Cats played yet another thriller on Wednesday night, downing the Philadelphia Union 4-3 on a late winner from Martín Ojeda. The Philly game was the fifth consecutive Orlando City match decided in the 90th minute or later and the Lions’ third 4-3 win in a two-week span in all competitions.
- Orlando’s attack has been firing on cylinders for weeks. Wednesday marked the fourth game in six in which the Lions scored four goals. City has found the back of the net 18 times in its last six games in all competitions, going 4-2-0 in that stretch. Orlando is 5-3-1 in all competitions since captain Robin Jansson returned to the side on April 12.
- Star DP attacker Martín Ojeda has led the charge for Orlando, scoring seven goals across those six games while largely operating as a false 9 in Martín Perelman’s 3-4-3 system. Ojeda is up to nine goals on the season, tied for fourth in MLS behind Chicago’s Hugo Cuypers (12), Miami’s Lionel Messi, and Dallas’ Petar Musa (both 11). Ojeda has started every MLS match this season for the Lions and has played all but 35 minutes of City’s’ MLS campaign to date.
- Tyrese Spicer continues to establish himself as one of MLS’ best super subs. The Trinidad & Tobago international added another assist from the bench on Orlando’s third goal, his fourth consecutive substitute appearance with a goal contribution. Spicer is up to 5g/4a in just over 800 minutes as a Lion.
- Duncan McGuire scored that third goal, his second of the season and first since March 14. McGuire’s goal against Philly, the 32nd of his Orlando City career, moved him past Nani for sole possession of fourth place in club history.
Series History
All-time vs. Atlanta United - 6-12-7, -8 GD (4-7-3, 0 GD home)
MLS only vs. Atlanta United - 5-10-7, -6 GD (3-6-3, +1 GD home)
2017 - L 0-1 (H), D 1-1 (A), D 3-3 (A)
2018 - L 1-2 (H), L 4-0 (A), L 1-2 (H)
2019 - L 1-0 (A), L 0-2 (H/USOC), L 0-1 (H)
2020 - W 1-3 (A), D 1-1 (H), D 0-0 (A), W 4-1 (H)
2021 - D 0-0 (H), W 3-2 (H), L 3-0 (A)
2022 - D 1-1 (A), L 0-1 (H)
2023 - D 1-1 (H), W 1-2 (A)
2024 - L 2-0 (A), L 1-2 (H), W 1-0 (H/MLS Cup Playoffs)
2025 - W 3-0 (H), L 3-2 (A)
Meet the opponent: Atlanta United
- Orlando City and Atlanta United are set to meet twice in a 72 hour span, facing off in MLS action on Saturday night ahead of their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday. After going 0-7-2 against Atlanta from 2017-19, Orlando has been roughly even with their southeastern rivals, going 6-5-5 in all competitions against the Five Stripes since 2020.
- Orlando cruised to a 3-0 win over Atlanta last April at Inter&Co Stadium, earning goals from Luis Muriel, Alex Freeman, and Marco Pašalić. The Lions led 2-1 late in the return match in Atlanta in May, but a César Araújo red card in the 77th minute proved fatal, with Bartosz Slisz and Jamal Thiaré scoring up a man to give Atlanta the 3-2 win.
- Atlanta has struggled mightily in 2026 despite bringing back head coach Tata Martino, who led the Five Stripes to MLS Cup glory in 2018. The Georgians sit second from the bottom in the East on 10 points through 12 games. Their 13 goals scored is tied with Philadelphia for fewest in the East. There have been signs of life in recent weeks, though – Atlanta has won two of its past three games, scoring six times in that span.
- DP attacking midfielder Alexey Miranchuk has been a bright spot this year for Atlanta, notching 5g/2a in just over 800 minutes of action. Fellow DPs Miguel Almirón (0g/3a) and Emmanuel Latte Lath (2g/2a) have not been as productive despite their hefty price tags. Teenage midfielder Cooper Sanchez leads the team with four assists.
- Marco Pašalić’s return from injury is timely; the Croatian had 1g/2a against Atlanta in his two matchups with the Five Stripes last year. Braian Ojeda has only faced Atlanta once in his career, but put together a 1g/1a performance for Real Salt Lake in a 5-2 win on July 6, 2024. Atlanta brings not only old nemesis Almirón (2g/1a vs. Orlando), but longtime Lion killer Fafa Picault, who has 5g/2a against City in 11 appearances.
