Orlando City (9-5-8, 35 points) vs. New York City FC (9-8-4, 31 points)
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Inter & Co Stadium, Orlando, Florida
Tickets: Available for single-match purchase
Watch: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (subscription required)
Listen: AM 810 Fox Sports Radio (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
As Orlando City prepares to host New York City FC in a midweek showdown, here’s everything to keep in mind ahead of kickoff — from player milestones to notable stats and recent form.
Milestones
Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese is just two saves shy of reaching 500 in all competitions for Orlando City.
Martín Ojeda has recorded a goal or an assist in each of his last seven appearances, which stands as a club record in the MLS regular season. Another contribution on Wednesday would extend that streak to an all-competitions high for Orlando.
With 10 goals and 10 assists across all matches this year, Ojeda becomes only the third player in club history to post double figures in both categories within a single season. Only Nani has done it before in MLS regular season play, which Ojeda could match with one more assist.
Ojeda and Ramiro Enrique are currently tied with 23 career goals for Orlando City, placing them seventh in the club’s all-time scoring chart. One more puts them level with Dom Dwyer (24), while two more ties Kaká (25) for fifth place.
Defender David Brekalo is on track to make his 50th appearance for the club across all competitions.
Stats & Storylines
Orlando came away with a draw in their last outing against CF Montréal, with Ojeda’s early strike canceled out by a late penalty conversion from Prince Owusu.
Ojeda became the second Orlando City player to reach 10 goals this season, joining fellow Designated Player Marco Pašalić, who recently netted his 10th in MLS play. Orlando is now among only four teams in the league with multiple players hitting double-digit goals — the others being FC Cincinnati (Denkey and Evander), Nashville SC (Surridge and Mukhtar), and San Diego FC (Dreyer and Iloski).
Orlando’s three Designated Players have combined for 48 total goal contributions this season: Ojeda leads with 20 (10 goals, 10 assists), followed by Pašalić with 16 (11 goals, 5 assists), and Luis Muriel with 12 (6 goals, 6 assists). Muriel also has three assists in his last two outings.
Despite a strong stretch at home through the spring — an eight-game unbeaten run — the Lions have cooled off at Inter\&Co Stadium recently, winning just once in their last five home matches. Their record stands at 6-4-3 at home across all competitions, compared to 4-2-3 on the road.
Reinforcements are expected for this fixture. Captain Robin Jansson and starting goalkeeper Pedro Gallese return from yellow card accumulation suspensions. Jansson holds club records for both minutes and appearances, while Gallese is closing in on 200 matches played in purple.
Series History
All-time vs. NYCFC – 7 wins, 10 losses, 10 draws; goal difference -15 (Home: 4-2-8, -1 GD)
MLS only – 7 wins, 10 losses, 8 draws; goal difference -15 (Home: 4-2-6, -1 GD)
2015 – Draw 1-1 (Home), Loss 5-3 (Away), Win 2-1 (Home)
2016 – Win 1-0 (Away), Draw 2-2 (Away), Win 2-1 (Home)
2017 – Win 1-0 (Home), Win 2-1 (Away), Loss 0-3 (Home)
2018 – Loss 2-0 (Away), Loss 3-0 (Away), Loss 0-2 (Home)
2019 – Draw 2-2 (Home), Draw 1-1 (Away), Draw 1-1, 5-4 on penalties (Home, U.S. Open Cup)
2020 – Win 3-1 (Neutral), Draw 1-1 (Home), Draw 1-1, 6-5 on penalties (Home, MLS Cup Playoffs)
2021 – Draw 1-1 (Home), Loss 5-0 (Away)
2022 – Win 2-1 (Home), Loss 2-1 (Away)
2023 – Draw 1-1 (Home), Loss 2-0 (Away)
2024 – Loss 4-2 (Away), Draw 1-1 (Home)
2025 – Loss 2-1 (Away)
Meet the Opponent: New York City FC
New York City FC, Orlando’s first MLS expansion-era rival, returns to Central Florida for another installment in a rivalry that has spanned a decade. The Lions are currently on a six-match winless run against NYCFC, including a 2-1 loss earlier this year at Yankee Stadium.
Matches between these two sides in Orlando tend to be close — seven of the last eight have ended in draws. However, Orlando fans will remember two of those games for their dramatic penalty shootout victories: the 2019 U.S. Open Cup’s “Running of the Wall” and the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs, where Rodrigo Schlegel made an unforgettable cameo in goal.
NYCFC’s last win in Orlando dates back to July 26, 2018 — nearly seven years ago. None of the current Orlando players were on the roster back then. That night, club icon Maxí Moralez, now NYCFC’s starting No. 10, scored the match-winner at age 31.
The Pigeons are led up front by Alonso Martínez (8 goals, 1 assist in 17 starts) and winger Hannes Wolf (9 goals, 4 assists), who has been in scorching form with six goals and three assists in his last seven appearances. Both players were on the scoresheet in the March meeting between the two sides.
Orlando’s goal in that match came from Luis Muriel. Ramiro Enrique and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson have also found the net against NYCFC in past contests, while Ojeda (2 assists) and Pašalić (1 assist) have created goals against this opponent.
