Orlando City (14-7-11, 53 points) vs Vancouver Whitecaps (17-6-9, 60 points)
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Fla
Attend: 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 for Saturday's final regular season home match:
Designated Dominance
Orlando City’s Designated Players are enjoying a remarkable run of form, recording the second-most goal contributions on the scoresheet than any other DP trio in Major League Soccer, trailing only intrastate rivals Inter Miami CF (68). Leading the way is Martín Ojeda, who has been the most productive of the trio, tallying 16 goals and 14 assists for a total of 30 goal contributions in regular season play. Luis Muriel has been a consistent presence in the attack, recording 17 goal contributions with nine goals and eight assists, while Marco Pašalić has added to the firepower with 12 goals and four assists, bringing his total to 16. Altogether, the three have combined for an impressive 63 goal contributions to date.
Gone International
Orlando City will be without seven First Team players this weekend due to international duty. David Brekalo (Slovenia), Gustavo Caraballo (Venezuela), Alex Freeman (USMNT), Colin Guske (U.S. U-19), Javier Otero (Venezuela), Marco Pašalić (Croatia), and Tyrese Spicer (Trinidad & Tobago) have all been called up to represent their national teams. Additionally, OCB’s Justin Ellis joins Guske on the U.S. U-19 squad, bringing the total number of unavailable players across the club to eight. This weekend’s match against the Vancouver Whitecaps, originally scheduled for August 30, was rescheduled to align with the October international break following Orlando City’s Leagues Cup run.
All On The Line
Orlando City SC has secured a spot in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the sixth consecutive year, continuing a remarkable run under Head Coach Oscar Pareja. With six straight playoff berths, Orlando City now holds the longest active streak in Major League Soccer. In fact, the Lions are the only club to qualify for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs every year of the 2020s so far. Orlando City needs three points over its last two games to guarantee at least a seventh-place finish and automatic bid in the Round One best-of-three series in 2025.
Martín For MVP
Martín Ojeda is making a compelling case for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award, setting new benchmarks in Orlando City’s 2025 campaign. The Argentine midfielder has recorded 16 goals and 14 assists in MLS regular season play, and 20 goals and 18 assists across all competitions. He currently ranks second in MLS for assists (14), trailing only San Diego’s Anders Dreyer (18). Ojeda is just one goal away from tying Orlando City's single-season MLS scoring record of 17, set by Cyle Larin in 2015. He’s also on the verge of breaking the club’s all-competitions single-season scoring record, which he currently shares with Facundo Torres at 20 goals. Additionally, the Gualeguaychú native is two assists shy of becoming the first player in club history to reach 20 goals and 20 assists in a single season across all competitions.
Long Time No See
Orlando City will face the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday for the first time in over six years, a span of 2,366 days since their last meeting on April 20, 2019. Only Robin Jansson and Kyle Smith remain from the squad that earned a 1-0 victory in that match, sealed by an 88th-minute strike from Sacha Kljestan that deflected off Nani and found the back of the net, Orlando’s first and only win against Vancouver to date. This match also marks a milestone for Head Coach Oscar Pareja, who has never faced the Whitecaps during his tenure with Orlando City. Vancouver joins 2025 expansion side San Diego FC as the only clubs Pareja has yet to coach against.
Milestone Tracker
- Martín Ojeda is one goal away from setting a new single-season record across all competitions, surpassing Facundo Torres’ 20-goal haul in 2024. Ojeda would also tie Cyle Larin’s 17-goal 2015 for the most goals scored in an MLS regular season in club history.
- Ojeda is two assists away from achieving the first 20 goal, 20 assist season in club history.
- Duncan McGuire’s next goal will be his 30th for Orlando City in all competitions.
