Orlando City takes its show to the Bronx to play New York City FC
The Purple evened its record with a 4-2 win against Toronto last week, but now the Lions play the Pigeons on the tiny surface at Yankee Stadium.
Orlando City defensive midfielder Cesar Araujo, shown in a 2024 playoff match against the New York Red Bulls, scored the Lions’ first goal in a 4-2 win over Toronto FC last week with a perfectly placed free kick. Photo credit: Mike Watters/Imagn Images
Lions try to maintain momentum
Which Orlando City team will show up tonight at Yankee Stadium? The uninspired under-performers who lost the season-opener 2-4 against Philadelphia? Or the offensive juggernaut who dispatched Toronto FC 4-2 a week ago?
Lions coach Oscar Pareja still has a lot to learn about this Orlando team; class resumes at 7:30 p.m. EST tonight against New York City FC in Yankee Stadium, a notoriously challenging venue for visitors thanks to the diminutive — for soccer —playing field. The Lions have won just three away matches against New York City in 12 tries, one of those played in Orlando’s back yard during the MLS is Back tournament at the ESPN Wide World of Sports soccer complex in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Orlando City last won at Yankee Stadium in 2017; the teams — which played their first MLS matches against one another in 2015 — have tied just twice.
The Lions can’t change the field’s dimensions, but can concentrate on how they perform, Pareja told Orlando Sentinel reporter Kyle Foley.
“…We have to find a way to accommodate ourselves….”
Oscar Pareja, Orlando City SC coach
“We have competed on that pitch a few times in the last three or four years, and we have to find a way to accommodate ourselves and also try to give consistency and just performing,” Pareja said. “The good thing is that we are scoring goals.”
To read Foley’s story, click here.
Orlando City’s six goals this season have been scored by five players. Designated player Marco Pašalić scored both goals in the loss to Philadelphia but was stifled by Toronto’s double- and triple-teams. Cesar Araujo, Alex Freeman, Dan Thorhallsson and Martin Ojeda each scored in last week’s win.
The Purple’s attack hummed when Pareja moved utility man Kyle Smith to center back and started teenager Freeman at right back against Toronto, helping convert turnovers into counter-attack opportunities. Yankee Stadium’s small field will negate, to a degree, the speed of Freeman, Ivan Angelo and Ramiro Enrique, and put a premium on the technical abilities of Pašalić and Luis Muriel to dribble and pass in tight spaces.
New York City escaped South Florida with a 2-2 draw in its opener against Inter Miami CF, which played more than two-thirds of the match down a man after Tomas Aviles was ejected on a red card. Last week, the Pigeons lost 1-0 at Los Angeles FC when defender Ryan Hollingshead scored in the 86th minute.
Alonzo Martinez and Maxi Morales were the Pigeons’ goal scorers against Miami and club’s top offensive weapons.