Milestones, storylines and more ahead of the Lions home match vs FC Cincinnati in "The Road Ahead" driven by Audi:
Milestones
- Eduard Atuesta’s next appearance will be his 50th in all competitions for Orlando City.
- Marco Pašalić’s next start will be his 50th in all competitions for Orlando City.
- Iván Angulo is one assist away from becoming the third player in club history to reach 40 assists in all competitions for Orlando City.
- Daryl Dike’s next goal will be his 21st for Orlando City, tying former teammate Tesho Akindele for tenth on the club’s all-time scoring list.
- Pašalić is two goals away from 20 for the club, two behind Dike.
Stats & Storylines
- Orlando City wrapped up its Leagues Cup 2026 run with a 2-2 draw against Atlético de San Luis on Wednesday night, winning the penalty shootout to finish with five points in three matches. Daryl Dike earned his first start since his return from West Bromwich Albion and scored his first goal for the club since November 2021. Breakout star academy product Justin Ellis bagged his third goal of the season on an assist from Tiago.
- MartÃn Perelman made seven changes to his starting XI, the most he’s made for any match within the same competition. It was a night for the youngsters – beyond Ellis’ goal, rookie Harvey Sarajian made his first career start for Orlando City and fellow 2026 draft pick Issah Haruna made his first team debut. Homegrowns Colin Guske and Zakaria Taifi each went the full 90 minutes, while 17-year-old Gustavo Caraballo played the whole second half.
- Orlando now turns its attention back to league play. The Lions enter this weekend three points back of a playoff spot and five back of seventh place, which avoids the Wild Card Match that felled City in 2025. Notably, Orlando is six points back of Saturday opponent FC Cincinnati, making this game a true six-pointer.Â
- The Lions continued to score in bunches during Leagues Cup, putting five in the back of the net. Orlando has averaged two goals per game since the World Cup and has not been shut out in ten consecutive games, scoring multiple times in seven of those ten matches.
Series History
All-time vs. FC Cincinnati - 5-5-4, +3 GD (2-3-1, +4 GD home)
MLS only vs. FC Cincinnati - Same
2019 - W 5-1 (H), D 1-1 (A)
2021 - W 3-0 (H), D 1-1 (A), W 0-1 (A)
2022 - L 1-2 (H), L 1-0 (A)
2023 - D 0-0 (H), W 0-1 (A)
2024 - L 0-1 (H), W 1-3 (A)
2025 - L 1-2 (H), D 1-1 (A)
2026 - L 6-2 (A)
Meet the opponent: FC Cincinnati
- Orlando City owes FC Cincinnati a receipt after the Lions took their worst loss ever to the Orange and Blue back on May 23, shipping a joint-club record six goals in a 6-2 defeat at TQL Stadium. It was just the second loss for Orlando in eight visits to Cincinnati. Landon Donovan MLS MVP candidate Evander was involved in five of the six goals, notching 2g/3a in the contest, while forward Kenji Mboma Dem scored a brace and DP No. 9 Kévin Denkey added 1g/1a. MartÃn Ojeda scored a first-half brace for Orlando City.
- Evander has been on a nuclear heater over the past several months, both before and after the World Cup. The Brazilian has contributed a goal or an assist in 11 consecutive matches in all competitions since the beginning of May and is averaging two goal contributions per match in that span (11g/11a). Evander leads MLS in both assists and total goal contributions while ranking fifth in goals.
- Cincinnati’s attack is one of the finest on the continent overall. The Orange and Blue are tied with Inter Miami for the MLS lead with 45 goals scored, averaging 2.5 per game for the entire season. Conversely, defending has been a weak spot – Cincy has shipped 44 goals this year, third-most in MLS.
- Leagues Cup started very well for Cincinnati – the Orange and Blue saw off Pachuca and Pumas UNAM by a combined 5-1 scoreline and looked poised to advance to the knockout stages. However, Cincy lost a late lead in their final game against Atlas FC, allowing two goals in the final 15 minutes and missing out on qualification by one point.
