Orlando City (13-6-8, 47 points) at Sporting Kansas City (14-8-5, 47 points)
When: Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
Where: Geodis Park, Nashville, Tenn.
TV: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (subscription required)
Radio: AM 810 Fox Sports Radio, (English), Mega 97.1 (Spanish)
Here are five storylines to watch for Saturday's match as the Lions head to Tennessee:
Designated Dominance
Orlando City’s Designated Players are enjoying a remarkable run of form, contributing more to the scoresheet than any other DP trio in Major League Soccer, save for one. Leading the way is Martín Ojeda, who has been the most productive of the trio, tallying 14 goals and 14 assists for a total of 28 goal contributions in regular season play. Luis Muriel has been a consistent presence in the attack, recording 15 goal contributions with eight goals and seven assists, while Marco Pašalić has added to the firepower with 11 goals and four assists, bringing his total to 15. Altogether, the three have combined for an impressive 58 goal contributions, more than any other group of Designated Players in the league. The next closest challengers are Western Conference foes San Diego FC, whose DPs have totaled 46 goal contributions to date.
Final Four
Orlando City SC advanced to the semifinals of the Leagues Cup following a tense 0-0 draw against reigning Liga MX and Campeón de Campeones titleholders Deportivo Toluca, ultimately prevailing in a penalty shootout. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese played a decisive role, saving two consecutive Toluca attempts before converting the match-winning penalty himself. With this result, Orlando improves its all-time penalty shootout record to 11-3 and will now face intrastate rivals Inter Miami CF on Wednesday, August 27, at Chase Stadium. With three berths in the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup at stake, Orlando City is guaranteed one additional match following the semifinals, either the Final or the Third-Place Match, against the winner or loser of the Seattle Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy semifinal.
Martín for MVP
Midfielder Martín Ojeda enters Saturday night’s Eastern Conference clash with 28 total 2025 MLS goal contributions, scoring 14 goals and providing 14 assists and 35 across all competitions with 17 goals and 18 assists. Earlier this season. Ojeda has a goal contribution in 12 consecutive MLS matches, tying Sebastian Giovinco’s mark in 2018 for second-best in league history and just three games away from tying Josef Martínez’s all-time league record of 15 in a row, set in 2019. Over his last 41 MLS regular season starts, Ojeda has amassed 17 goals and 25 assists, firmly establishing himself as one of the league’s most dynamic and productive playmakers. Ojeda also heads into the weekend ranked third in MLS in total goal contributions with 28, behind only San Diego’s Anders Dreyer (30) and Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi (29). Ojeda is second in the league behind Dreyer in assists and second behind San Jose’s Cristian Espinoza in key passes.
Higher Level Clash
Saturday’s fixture presents a pivotal encounter between two of the Eastern Conference’s top four teams, with significant implications for postseason positioning and a potential six-point swing in the standings. Nashville SC and Orlando City SC are currently level on 47 points through 27 matches. However, Nashville holds the advantage in the first tiebreaker, having secured 14 wins compared to Orlando’s 13. With only six regular-season matches remaining following Saturday’s contest, the outcome could play a decisive role in determining final seeding and securing home-field advantage in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Turn it Up
Orlando City SC has demonstrated consistent success at Geodis Park in recent years, maintaining a flawless record at the 30,000-seat venue. The Lions are 3-0-0 in their visits to Nashville SC’s home ground, including a decisive 1-0 victory that sealed the series in the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. Their dominance was further underscored by a commanding 3-0 win last July, with César Araújo and Ramiro Enrique both contributing to the scoresheet in a comprehensive shutout performance.
Milestone Tracker:
-Martín Ojeda now has a goal contribution in 12 consecutive MLS matches, just three away from tying the league’s all-time record (15).
-Ojeda is one goal contribution away from matching Facundo Torres’ Orlando City career record of 72 in all competitions
