Orlando City (4-2-6, 18 points) vs Charlotte FC (6-5-1, 19 points)
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
Attend: Single-Match Tickets
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (subscription required)
Radio: AM 810 Fox Sports Radio, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Here are five storylines to watch on Wednesday as the Lions host Charlotte FC at Inter&Co Stadium:
Hang 10
After managing a draw against the New England Revolution in Saturday’s contest, Orlando City extended its unbeaten streak to 10 consecutive matches, which is now just two shy of tying the Club record of 12 straight unbeaten, set back in the 2020 season. It has been a total of 67 calendar days since the Lions last suffered a defeat, with the third game of the season being the last time City failed to pick up at least one point. Prior to Revolution’s first goal in Saturday’s match, Orlando City had gone 653 minutes without conceding a goal. During the unbeaten run, City outscored its opponents 19-7, equaling a +12-goal differential. The Lions will look to continue their streak and get within one match of the Club record with a win or draw against Charlotte FC on Wednesday night.
Hats Off to Ojeda
Midfielder Martín Ojeda put on a magical performance in the Lions’ draw against the Revolution last Saturday, becoming the first City player to record a hat trick at home in Club history. Ojeda scored two first-half goals, just nine minutes apart, before capping off his three-goal performance by converting on a penalty kick early in the second half to put the Lions back in front at that point in the match. The Argentina international’s hat trick went down as the Club’s fourth all-time and the first since September of 2015. Ojeda currently sits in a three-way tie for second most goals scored in Major League Soccer this season, with seven, and is one of six players with at least 10 goal contributions in MLS action this year.
Joran Joining In
Rookie midfielder and 2025 MLS SuperDraft selection Joran Gerbet recorded his first career goal contribution as a professional against New England last Saturday. The French international, selected No. 27 overall by the Lions, showed off his playmaking abilities by layering a long through ball to fellow midfielder Martín Ojeda as he got in behind the Revs’ defense and delivered a low-driven shot to net his second goal of the night and secure Gerbet has made nine appearances for the Lions, with five of them as part of the Starting XI.
Heavy is the Head
Wednesday night’s showdown between Orlando City and Charlotte FC will mark the first time the two sides have met since Round One of the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. The Lions knocked the team from the Queen City out of the postseason in the best-of-three series, prevailing in a penalty-kick shootout in the third and final match at Inter&Co Stadium to secure a spot in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Orlando City has been especially dominant at home in the all-time series, sporting a 3-1-1 record at Inter&Co Stadium against Charlotte. With just one point separating the familiar foes in the Eastern Conference standings heading into the matchday, Wednesday evening’s result will prove critical for both teams as the MLS season swings into the summer months.
Staying Hot in the Heat
Overall, Orlando City has been strong offensively this season within the walls of Inter&Co Stadium, scoring 14 goals over its last five home matches, and has won or drawn all five of those games. The Lions have scored three or more goals in 13 of their last 28 regular season contests dating all the way back to the month of June in last year’s campaign, failing to win for just the second time in those 13 games this past weekend with the 3-3 draw against the New England Revolution.
Milestone Tracker:
- Duncan McGuire (27) sits fourth on Orlando City’s all-time scoring list and is four goals away from tying former captain Nani (31) across all competitions for third.
- A win or draw would extend the Lions’ current unbeaten streak to 11 matches across all competitions.
