Columbus Crew SC will be looking to steal the limelight this weekend when it travels to the Citrus Bowl for the first time in club history to take on Orlando City SC this Saturday.
When the two sides last met on April 18, Crew SC put on an offensive clinic. Federico Higuain kicked off the scoring in the 32nd minute with a nifty back-heel redirection that slotted in the far post, just two minutes before an Orlando City red card that had them playing down a man for the rest of the match. 10 minutes into the second half, Justin Meram tacked another one when he hammered home a close-range shot, and forward Kei Kamara followed suit with a deft lofting ball over the head Orlando goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts to seal the deal and 3 points.
Since that match, Orlando’s quality of play has remained fairly consistent, amassing a 1-2-2 record since and keeping enough pace to rank near the middle of the Eastern Conference (6th). Star striker Kaká leads the Lions with five goals, accounting for more than one-third of Orlando’s total goal count. The Lions rank 11th in the MLS in total goals, having scored 14 goals on 39 on-target shots.
Orlando City will be without physical left back Brek Shea after receiving a red card last week against San Jose, instead, designated player Carlos Rivas will start, but that doesn’t mean Crew SC should expect a soft game. Crew SC’s possession-oriented style of play doesn’t often put themselves in a position to be fouled as Columbus is second-to-last in fouls suffered with 111.
Meanwhile, Orlando brings the defensive pressure to its opponents; the Lions are tied for third in the league in fouls committed with 167 and defensive midfielder Amobi Okugo is tied for first in yellow cards earned, accounting for 5 yellow cards on only 10 fouls committed.
In opposition of Crew SC’s dominance at MAPFRE Stadium, Orlando is just 1-2-1 at the Citrus Bowl this season, where they’ve scored seven of their 15 total goals this year, with a majority of those home goals occurring in their 4-0 shutout against LA Galaxy.
Columbus, meanwhile, is looking to improve on their road record (0-3-2) and have a breakout game as the Black & Gold have found the back of the net only twice so far on the road.
Saturday’s matchup marks the second of three regular season meetings between the two clubs in 2015, as Crew SC is scheduled to return to Orlando on August 1.
Orlando City SC Quick Facts:
Regular Season Record: 3-4-5
Points: 13
Eastern Conference Rank: 6th
HomeRecord: 1-2-1
Goals For: 14
Goals Against: 15
Current Run: 2 undefeated matches
Last Match: 1-1 at San Jose Earthquakes