Orlando City vs DC United

Exploria Stadium is the venue as underperforming Orlando City and Eastern Conference basement boys DC United go head-to-head in an intriguing Major League Soccer match-up.

These are tumultuous times for Orlando City as they enter this round having won just one of their last five MLS outings (D2, L2). With eighth-placed Inter Miami languishing just four points behind, Orlando’s bid to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs is still up in the air. But Oscar Pareja’s side will show up in a confident mood following a penalty shoot-out triumph over fellow top-flight rivals Nashville in the US Open Cup quarter-finals last time out. Worryingly, though, the ‘Lions’ have blown hot and cold at home this term, racking up four wins from eight fixtures while losing the other four. That includes a topsy-turvy six-game run that has seen them alternate between winning (3) and losing (3) on each occasion.

In the meantime, visiting DC United are on the verge of missing out on the MLS Cup playoffs as they currently sit bottom of the Eastern Conference, ten points adrift of the playoff zone. Yet, two games in hand on seventh-placed New England Revolution give the visitors a glimmer of hope. However, that means they need to find a way to arrest an underwhelming three-game losing league streak and launch a substantial winning run of their own. That’s easier said than done as they’ve lost four of their last five MLS fixtures on hostile turf (D1), conceding an average of 2.4 goals per game.