46 - Into the fire
Daryl Dike is back in Orlando, and he brings with him both a barreling hype train and the stats to back it up. Since making his professional debut in the MLS is Back Tournament on July 25, Dike has made 46 appearances for club and country, with an aesthetically pleasing split of 22 for Orlando City, 22 for Barnsley of the English Championship and 2 for the United States Men’s National Team. Dike will look to continue taking the soccer world by storm with his astonishing strength and nifty finishing skill with the Lions this summer.
5,000 - Nani making history
Orlando City captain Nani will be available for selection on Saturday for the first time since May 16 after serving a two-game suspension, and if he plays 73 minutes against Toronto he will reach 5,000 minutes played in all competitions for Orlando. Nani has emerged as one of the best players in Club history since signing a Designated Player deal in 2019, scoring 24 goals and adding 18 assists in all competitions while leading the Lions to the MLS is Back final and their first-ever Audi MLS Cup Playoffs appearance and victory.
0.19 - Not-so-open looks
Expected goals (xG) tell us how likely, on a scale of 0 to 1, a shot from any given location will result in a goal. Post-shot expected goals (PSxG) adds another dimension by denoting the quality of the shots taken from those locations; were they scuffed, were they shot clean to the top corner, etc. So far this season, Orlando City’s defense is limiting opponents to 0.19 PSxG for every shot on target, meaning they have just a 19% chance of being scored. That is comfortably the lowest mark in MLS and it’s not just small sample noise either – Orlando City led the league in this same statistic last year as well.
20 - Sniffing them out
Antonio Carlos, twice named to the MLS Team of the Week in May, has established himself as one of the league’s best center backs both on the eye test and in the numbers. His 20 interceptions on the season rank third in the league behind the Seattle pair of Alex Roldan and Yeimar Gomez Andrade, and Antonio Carlos has played one fewer match than the Sounders duo. The Brazilian, who signed a new three-year deal this offseason, should be a rock at the back for the Lions for the foreseeable future.
1.5 - FAIRWINDS Credit Union
Score up to 1.5% cash back and LionNation points when you use your FAIRWINDS Orlando City Visa® or Orlando Pride Visa® on game day purchases and everyday essentials. Apply today and get purple carded.
