After suffering their worst defeat of the 2022 MLS regular season, Orlando City return to Exploria Stadium on Wednesday with a chance to extend their home winning streak to four matches in all competitions when they host Atlanta United.
Over the weekend, the reigning U.S. Open Cup champions were beaten handily, 5-1 by the Philadelphia Union, while the Five Stripes ended a two-game losing streak by beating Toronto 4-2.
Match preview
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Days after capturing the first trophy in club history, beating Sacramento Republic FC 3-0 in the U.S. Open Cup Final, the Lions were the latest side to fall victim to the deadly Union attack.
While they are not the only team to be destroyed by the Supporters' Shield leaders this season, that defeat put a damper on what has been an impressive stretch of results for this side, who had won five consecutive matches in all competitions before they had to face Philly.
Oscar Pareja saw his players show plenty of poise for the opening half hour of that contest on Saturday, but an own goal from Joao Moutinho seemed to knock the stuffing out of them, and the Union took advantage, going up 4-0 beyond the hour mark and cruising to another comfortable three points.
Throughout 2022, the Lions have consistently found a way to earn points despite their attacking deficiencies, winning 10 matches this season by a single goal all while scoring the joint fourth-fewest goals among Eastern Conference clubs.
They have left it late numerous times this year but have claimed several valuable points, winning four matches this season thanks to a goal in stoppage time.
Those extra points could be enough to send the Lions into the postseason for a third successive campaign, as they currently sit fifth in the Eastern Conference table, four points above the playoff line with five matches left.
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Despite the off-field issues plaguing Atlanta United, this group still managed to put all of that aside for 90 minutes this past weekend, scoring four goals for the second time this year and climbing up to 10th place, five points behind the Columbus Crew for that final postseason berth.
Gonzalo Pineda's men never looked flustered despite the Reds finding an equaliser on two occasions on Saturday, as their attack was as relentless as we have seen all season, tallying four times in the second half.
The task for this team will not get any easier, as two of their next three matches will be on the road, where they are winless in 13 straight games and have not won in their last four visits to Exploria Stadium.
All four of their remaining encounters will be against teams in the East who are currently above them, three of which hold a cushion of at least six points or more in the standings.
If you do not include the shortened 2020 campaign, 2022 has been the worst defensive performance for the Five Stripes, conceding a franchise record 50 goals so far.
Lately, Atlanta have been deadly through the air, currently second in the league for headed goals with 12, one fewer than Nashville SC, while three of their four goals scored at home versus Toronto last weekend were headers.
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Team News
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Andres Perea scored his second goal of the season in all competitions for Orlando on Saturday, as both of his tallies have come against the Union, while Junior Urso picked up his third assist of the year.
Facundo Torres has three goals in his last two home matches in all competitions, including a brace in their U.S. Open Cup triumph last week, with the other tally last Wednesday coming courtesy of Benji Michel.
Mason Stajduhar made his second start in goal for the Lions last weekend, replacing Pedro Gallese, while Jake Mulraney, Wilder Cartagena, Perea, Nicholas Gioacchini and Michel all drew into the starting lineup after being relegated to the bench versus Sacramento Republic.
Robin Jansson is questionable with a right lower leg problem, Jack Lynn has an issue with his left thigh, while Alexandre Pato and Joey DeZart are both out with right knee injuries.
Juan Sanchez Purata scored on three separate headers for Atlanta in their victory against TFC, the first MLS player to do so in over a decade, while Thiago Almada tallied the other goal.
Four different Five Stripes players had assists in their previous match, including Brooks Lennon, Amar Sejdic, Edwin Mosquera and Alan Franco, while Josef Martinez, who was suspended from that encounter, has found the back of the net eight times versus the Lions.
Matheus Rossetto was on the bench for 90 minutes last Saturday, previously suffering an ankle issue, while Miles Robinson, Brad Guzan and Dylan Castanheira remain out with Achilles injuries.
Emerson Hyndman will not be available because of a quad strain, and Osvaldo Alonso is finished for the season with a torn ACL.
Orlando City possible starting lineup:
Gallese; Moutinho, Schlegel, Carlos, Ruan; Pereyra, Cartagena; Mulraney, Perea, Akindele; Kara
Atlanta United possible starting lineup:
Gudino; Hernandez, Purata, Franco, Gutman; Sejdic, Sosa, Almada; Lennon, Dwyer, Araujo
We say: Orlando City 2-0 Atlanta United
Losing in the manner Orlando did last weekend might be demoralising if it were anyone besides Philly, who have made it a routine of trouncing their opponents this season.
Atlanta are a different team away from home as they struggle to create much, while the Lions have managed to find various ways to win matches in 2022, and we believe Pareja will be able to put together an intelligent game plan to help his side earn another three points at home.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
