New York City FC travel south to take on Orlando City SC on Wednesday night.
Here are the Keys to the Match, presented by Ford.
Back On The Road
New York City FC’s road schedule continues this week as they travel to Florida.
Orlando City SC are the opposition, with New York City keen to bounce back from a disappointing defeat at the weekend.
Pascal Jansen’s side out-shot and out-possessed their opponents on Saturday. A study of the expected goals paints an interesting picture, with both teams recording a total of 1.4 xG. It’s not unfair to suggest that New York City were close to recording a positive result, and they should take that as motivation into Wednesday.
New York City’s road diary will gain a few chapters this month, and with one win so far this season, the time to pick up points on the road is now.
Form Guide
Wednesday’s clash reunites two teams that first met all the way back in 2015.
It was on March 8, 2015, that New York City FC and Orlando City SC competed in MLS for the first time. Goals from Mix Diskerud and Kaká saw both teams share the points. Fast forward ten years to the day, and it was New York City’s turn to host Orlando as they met at Yankee Stadium.
This time there was a winner, with Alonso Martínez and Hannes Wolf both scoring in a 2-1 victory. That win continued a purple patch of form for New York City against Orlando. Including the game earlier this season, New York City have won three and drawn two of their last five meetings with Orlando.
Looking more closely at the Lions’ recent form, they have won two of their last five home games. A 1-0 success against Portland Timbers in late May was their last win at home, with both teams scoring in that same run of five home games.
That should give New York City a boost heading into the game as they seek to record a big road win against Oscar Pareja’s side.
Empty Bucket
Oscar Pareja first took charge at Orlando City in 2019.
Now over 200 games into his time with the Lions, that journey has seen him utilize several different formations. More recently, Pareja has stuck to a 4-4-2 with two holding midfielders, commonly referred to as an “empty bucket.”
The formation was used consistently by the U.S. Men’s National Team during a successful period under Bob Bradley. One of the key principles attached to the system involves absorbing pressure and using speed and intelligence to make the most of quick transition opportunities.
New York City will need to be mindful of that threat on Wednesday, with the likes of Mario Pašalić, Martín Ojeda, Luis Muriel, and Ramiro Enrique all threats on the break.
