Orlando City vs Nashville SC
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Inter&Co Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
Attend: Single-Match Tickets
TV: Paramount+ (subscription required)
Everything you need to know for the Lions' U.S. Open Cup match vs Nashville SC in "The Road Ahead":
Milestones
- With a win or draw against Nashville, Orlando City will run its current unbeaten streak to 13 matches, breaking the club record of 12 set in 2020 and tied this past Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.
- Orlando City has scored 14 goals in its past four games, the most it has ever scored in a four-game span in club history. The Lions’ record for a five-game stretch is 16 goals, set from June 22 to July 13, 2024.
- Pedro Gallese’s next appearance will be his 175th in all competitions for Orlando City and his next win will be his 80th as starting goalkeeper. “El Pulpo” is 16 saves away from 500 in his Lions career.
- Martín Ojeda ranks eighth in Orlando City history with 21 goals in all competitions. Ojeda’s next goal will tie him with Chris Mueller for seventh all-time, and the Argentine is three away from catching Dom Dwyer in sixth.
- Ojeda ranks second in club history in assists with 27. Iván Angulo is right behind Ojeda at 26, tied for third with Nani.
Stats & Storylines
- Orlando City sauntered to a historic rivalry win on Sunday Night Soccer, blasting Florida Derby foes Inter Miami 3-0 to move its unbeaten streak to a record-tying 12 games. Per MLS Communications, Orlando was the first team to shut out Miami at Chase Stadium since FC Cincinnati did it on October 7, 2023, a run of 24 consecutive home games with a goal for the Herons.
- Going into Sunday night, Lionel Messi had played 312 home games in league play between Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, and Inter Miami. Not once had Messi’s team lost by three or more goals in any one of those 312 games. In game 313, Orlando City became the first team ever to hand Messi a three-goal defeat in a league home game.
- Pedro Gallese made four saves, including two impressive stops on Messi, to keep his sixth clean sheet of the season, one off the league lead. Gallese and the Orlando City defense have conceded just four times over their last eight MLS matches. “El Pulpo” also added the first primary assist of his Orlando City career, finding a wide open Luis Muriel with a perfect 75-yard bomb.
- Muriel scored for the second consecutive game and now has 6 G/3 A on the season. The Colombian has already surpassed his goal haul from 2024.
- Marco Pašalić also found the back of the net against Miami, bringing him to six goals in his maiden campaign in Orlando. All three of Orlando’s Designated Players have at least six goals this season, the only trio of teammates to reach that mark in MLS regular season play this year. Only three other teams (Cincinnati, Nashville, San Jose) have even two players with six goals.
- Though he wasn’t on the scoresheet, right back Alex Freeman put together another dominant performance on Sunday, creating four chances and running Barcelona legend Jordi Alba ragged on their side of the pitch. Freeman has been included on United States Men’s National Team head coach Mauricio Pochettino’s preliminary 60-man roster for the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer as he continues his march towards stardom.
- Rookie midfielder Joran Gerbet continued his own ascension, taking the lead in limiting Messi to just two shots on target while winning more than half his duels and contributing a game-high 11 ball recoveries and two tackles. Gerbet again flashed his impressive cool under pressure, passing the ball at a team-high 91% clip.
Series History
All-time vs. Nashville - 6-3-5, +6 GD (3-2-2, +3 GD home)
2020 - W 3-1 (H), D 1-1 (A), L 2-3 (H)
2021 - D 1-1 (A), D 2-2 (A), D 1-1 (H), L 3-1 (A/MLS Cup Playoffs)
2022 - D 1-1 (6-5) (H/USOC)
2023 - L 0-2 (H), W 0-1 (A), W 1-0 (H/MLS Cup Playoffs), W 0-1 (A/MLS Cup Playoffs)
2024 - W 0-3 (A), W 3-0 (H)
Meet the opponent: Nashville SC
- After winning just once in the first nine meetings between the two sides, Orlando City has won five consecutive games against Nashville in all competitions dating back to October 2023. The Lions have not conceded a single goal to the Coyotes across the five matches and have gone 466 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal against Nashville.
- Orlando easily swept Nashville last season by a pair of 3-0 scorelines. César Araújo, Ramiro Enrique, and Iván Angulo – who also scored the 2023 goal that ended Nashville’s season in the MLS Cup Playoffs – all netted against the Tennessee side last year.
- Orlando City and Nashville SC have met in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup once before, back in the quarterfinals in 2022. Nashville was moments away from advancing after a Hany Mukhtar goal gave them the lead early in the second half, but Rodrigo Schlegel came to the rescue with a 94th minute equalizer to force extra time. Pedro Gallese saved a shot from Eric Miller during the penalty shootout to send Orlando through in a tournament they would ultimately win later that year.
- Mukhtar has been a thorn in the Lions’ side over the years with 7 G/5 A against Orlando City in all competitions. The 2022 Landon Donovan MLS MVP has been revitalized under head coach B.J. Callaghan in 2025, shaking off a down year in 2024 with 6 G/4 A through the first 14 games of this season.
- Nashville in general has completely changed their identity after years of bunker and counter under former head coach Gary Smith. The Coyotes are tied for third in the Eastern Conference in goals, behind only Orlando and Philadelphia, and they trail only Orlando and San Jose in expected goals in all of MLS. DP striker Sam Surridge has broken out after struggling through his first year and change in MLS, adding 6 G/3 A to give Mukhtar some support in attack.
