Orlando City Set To Close Out Homestand Saturday vs. Montreal, Game Day Story Lines
By Orlando City Soccer Club // June 17, 2017
Pulse Club Tragedy victims To Be Remembered
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – Orlando City SC (7-5-3, 24 points) will close out a three-game league homestand on Saturday, June 17, when it hosts Montreal Impact (4-4-5, 17 points). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Orlando City Stadium.
The match will be locally televised on WRDQ TV27 and transmitted in English on Real Radio 104.1 FM and in Spanish on La Nueva 990 AM.
“Montreal has shown us in the past couple of games that they’re a team that’s coming into a little bit of form,” Lions Head Coach Jason Kreis said.
“They’re coming into an identity, had a really strong result and performance against Kansas City away, showed some real resolution. We know this is a team that is quite capable. This is a team that has some incredibly gifted attacking players. It’s a massive challenge for us.”
On June 4, nine-man Orlando City battled the Chicago Fire and earned a scoreless draw at home.
ABOVE VIDEO: Highlights of Orlando City’s tough draw at home vs. the Chciago Fire back on June 4.
Rafael Ramos was issued a straight red card 26 minutes into his 2017 season debut. Antonio Nocerino was then sent off, putting City down two men for almost half an hour.
Eight field players sat back and defended and Joe Bendik made six saves to tie his own franchise single-season clean sheet record with his fifth shutout. Ramos’ red card was later rescinded and he will be available for Saturday’s game.
Montreal is 3-1-1 in its last five games after starting the season with one win in its first eight games.
Most recently, the Impact picked up a 1-1 draw against Sporting KC when Matteo Mancosu equalized in the 82nd minute.
Defender Chris Duvall earned a straight red card in the 86th minute and will be unavailable for selection.
The match could see Donny Toia face his former team.
ABOVE VIDEO: As a member of the Montreal Impact Danny Toia scored this goal against his current team. Toia joined Orlando City after spending the 2015 and 2016 seasons with Montreal. The 25-year-old defender was a fixture in the Impact lineup, making 44 starts among 48 regular season appearances and notching a goal and two assists.
Toia played two seasons for Montreal, totaling 44 starts in 48 appearances in which he scored a goal and made two assists.
Toia was taken by Atlanta United FC with the first pick in the 2016 MLS Expansion Draft and was immediately acquired by the Lions in exchange for their first-round pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.
Orlando City owns the all-time series with a 3-2-1 record against Montreal. In City’s 2015 expansion season, the teams split the series 1-1-1, with the Lions taking a dramatic 2-1 win in Orlando.
The Lions won the first meeting of 2016 and thumped Montreal, 4-1, in Quebec on Sept. 7, but fell in Orlando on Oct. 2.
The match will be dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Pulse tragedy that occurred a year ago this week. Pregame tributes will include a banner at midfield, video remembrances and rainbow colored scarves and captains’ armbands.
GAMEDAY STORYLINES:
1 – The Late Show
In the six prior meetings between these teams, Orlando City has scored a late goal in three of them.
Seb Hines scored a memorable 80th-minute winner in late September 2015 to secure three points in the Lions’ playoff push. Then in 2016, City completed a clinical five-pass sequence in the 87th minute for the game-winner.
Carlos Rivas scored a goal, earned two assists and drew the penalty that Kaká converted in the Lions’ 4-1 win on Sept. 7.
2 – Half Century Mark
Joe Bendik’s next start will be his 50th for Orlando City. Bendik has played every MLS minute in goal for the Lions since joining the team ahead of 2016.
Last year, Bendik posted five clean sheets while leading the league with 114 saves and winning 11 MLS Save of the Weeks and Save of the Year.
Bendik matched last season’s shutout total – and tied his own Club MLS era single-season record. After taking 33 matches to reach five clean sheets in 2016, Bendik and the Lions did it in just 15 this season.
ABOVE VIDEO: In their first meeting last season in Montreal, the Lions came away with a 4-1 road victory but lost on Oct 2 in Orlando.
3 – Adversaires Communs
Orlando City and Montreal have faced nine common opponents this season. The Lions are 6-2-3 against those teams and has outscored them, 13-11. Montreal is 1-4-4 against the common opponents and has been outscored, 10-14.
Both teams picked up draws against Sporting KC and Chicago. They both earned 1-0 home wins over the New York Red Bulls and losses to Columbus. Orlando City has two wins and a loss to NYCFC while Montreal tied the Pigeons, 1-1.
The Lions have wins over the LA Galaxy and D.C. United, both of which beat Montreal. City tied San Jose and Montreal lost to the Quakes. City defeated Philadelphia, 2-1, while Montreal mounted a thrilling three-goal, second-half comeback to draw the Union.
4- Close Out The Stand
Orlando City closes out a three-game league homestand against Montreal. City has picked up four of six possible points following a 2-0 win over D.C. United and a scoreless draw against Chicago.
The Lions were happy to take a point from the Fire, though, as City was reduced to 10 men in the 26th minute and then nine in the 66th.
Orlando City has one more three-game homestand this season. City hosts New England on Wednesday, Sept. 27, FC Dallas on the following Saturday and Columbus two weeks later on Oct. 15.
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