Lions look to bounce back against the Fire on Wednesday
ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando City SC (6-2-3, 21 points) heads out on the road, traveling to take on Chicago Fire FC (2-7-2, 8 points) on Wednesday, July 7. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. ET at Soldier Field.
The match, presented by Publix, will be nationally televised on UniMás and TUDN, with English commentary available on Twitter. The fixture will also be broadcast on 96.9 The Game in English and Acción 97.9FM, 810AM in Spanish.
“A quick turnaround with Chicago. Like always an important game, and a team who has gained momentum in the last two games,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “For us, with the urgency to keep adding points, it surely will be a hard rival who has been more consistent in the last two games with the way they’ve changed their model. [We’re] analyzing aspects that we need to control from them, but also the opportunities that we have as a team to hurt them. We’re ready to fight back.”
The matchup will serve as the first between the Lions and Fire since Sept. 19, 2020, a match that resulted in a 4-1 victory for City at Exploria Stadium. Chris Mueller, Nani, Júnior Urso and Benji Michel all found the back of the net for Orlando on the night, in what served as the sixth-consecutive result as part of last year’s Club-record 12-game unbeaten run.
City comes into the midweek looking to bounce back from a 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls this past Saturday. A sixth-minute finish from Cristian Cásseres Jr. put the visitors up heading into the break, with Chris Mueller providing the equalizer in the 59th. The Red Bulls would go on to regain the lead however, thanks to an eventual game-winner from Fábio in the 79th minute.
Nani leads the Lions with six goals this year, followed by Tesho Akindele with three. Akindele sits as one of three City players tied for the team lead in assists, along with Mueller and Mauricio Pereyra, each with four to their credit this year.
Chicago enters Wednesday’s match after taking a 3-0 victory over Atlanta United FC this past Saturday at Soldier Field. A first-half brace from Ignacio Aliseda took the Fire into the break with a two-goal lead, with Przemyslaw Frankowski adding another in the 58th.
Luka Stojanovic leads the Fire with three goals this year, followed by Aliseda’s two. Álvaro Medrán sits atop the side in assists this campaign with three.
Following Wednesday’s fixture, the Lions will enjoy over a week off from match play, next set to return to the field on Saturday, July 17 in a road contest against Toronto FC.
