Orlando City attempt to get back on the winning track and hold onto their spot above the playoff line when they host the surging Columbus Crew on Saturday.
The Lions (10-13-4, 34 points) begin the weekend in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of New York City FC, the New York Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati with seven games to go.
Orlando City have dropped their past two matches, both on the road by scores of 4-2. Those losses came after a five-game unbeaten run propelled the Lions above the playoff line.
The Lions’ most recent setback came at Philadelphia on Sept. 26. Orlando City trailed 4-0 before halving the final margin via goals by Ivan Angulo in the 78th minute and Martin Ojeda in the 90th.
Since that match, Orlando lost forward Tyrese Spicer to a broken right foot sustained while on international duty with Trinidad and Tobago. Spicer (six goals, two assists in league play) underwent successful surgery to repair the fracture on Oct. 2.
Orlando and Columbus played on Sept. 16 in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, with the Crew prevailing 2-1 at home.
Lions coach Martin Perelman said the familiarity attained from that match will help prepare for Saturday’s meeting.
“We always analyze the opponent, the previous games,” Perelman said Thursday. “Every game is a new chapter. Every game is a new story, different context, different competition. We focus on us. We focus on our team. Everybody will be ready to compete.”
Ojeda leads the Lions with 13 goals while Angulo and Justin Ellis pace Orlando with 10 assists apiece.
The Crew (8-14-5, 29 points) are in 12th place in the conference, four points short of ninth and a spot in the East play-in game. Columbus went into the international break on a positive note following a 2-1 home win over Inter Miami on Sept. 27, with Jamal Thiare netting the game-winner eight minutes into second-half stoppage time after Miami was assessed a red card two minutes earlier.
Columbus also got a tally from Josef Martinez on a penalty kick. It was Martinez’s 131st MLS goal and first in nine matches since Columbus signed him from Mexican side Tijuana in mid-August.
The result marked just the second time this year that Columbus has produced back-to-back wins in MLS play in 2026.
“It was important, especially before a mini break, to have not only the performance but the key moments and also the three points,” Crew interim coach Laurent Courtois said. “And of course, that’s going to give the guys confidence.”
–Field Level Media
