5,140 – Miles Ahead
Orlando City embark on one of the longest trips in MLS this week. The Lions will first head to Atlanta for a nationally-televised Sunday showdown, then hop a flight across the country to Seattle for a mid-week test just over 72 hours later. All in all, Orlando will travel 5,140 miles in the air in less than a week.
8 – Nani key passes
Nani might not have scored last Saturday against Toronto (though he still has the team’s last four goals, a club record), but he did his best to get on the scoresheet. Nani made eight key passes—defined as a pass that leads directly to a shot—which were more than any player in the game on either team. Nani was ranked as the third-best player in MLS for the second straight week by ProSoccerUSA, behind only Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Carlos Vela.
37 – Rowe stops
Brian Rowe was immense for Orlando on Saturday, stopping seven Toronto shots, including six in the second half alone. Rowe is third in MLS with 37 saves, behind only San Jose’s Daniel Vega (39) and Seattle’s Stefan Frei (38).
1 – Change to the XI
James O’Connor seems to be settling into his preferred XI for the season. After making multiple changes per game from Weeks 2-8, O’Connor has made just one change in each of the past two weeks, both to his front line. Tesho Akindele came in for Dom Dwyer at NYCFC, while Dwyer returned to replace Chris Mueller in the starting lineup against Toronto. The three midfielders, four defenders, and goalkeeper have been constant for the past three matches.
6 – Martinez goals
Josef Martinez has terrorized MLS since signing for Atlanta United in 2017, and Orlando have fallen victim to the reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP on numerous occasions. Martinez has scored six times against Orlando, including a hat trick in a tense 3-3 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in late 2017. Martinez also scored his record-setting 28th goal of the 2018 season at Orlando City Stadium.
0 – The Other Martinez
Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez, the 2018 South American Footballer of the Year, arrived in Atlanta from River Plate to much fanfare during the offseason, even being named the best No. 10 in MLS by MLSSoccer.com before the start of the season. Thus far, Martinez has struggled to acclimate to the league—he does not have a single goal or assist to his name in 365 MLS minutes.
