Storyline to Watch
Orlando City SC is on a hot streak...
Orlando's early season woes seem to be be behind them, as they are creeping up the standings in the Eastern Conference with a 4-2-1 overall record. The Lions extended their winning streak to four with a win last Saturday over San Jose at Orlando City Stadium.
Jason Kreis' men have dispatched the New York Red Bulls, Portland Timbers, Philadelphia Union and the Earthquakes during the winning streak, with three of the wins coming in front of their home fans.
Player to Watch: Chris Mueller
Not only has Chris Mueller scored a goal in each of the past three games, the rookie has already broken club records too. Mueller was selected as the sixth overall pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft and this past weekend the Illinois native opened the scoring against San Jose with the fastest goal (63 seconds) in Orlando City history. His record-breaking performance earned the 21-year-old a spot on the MLS Team of the Week for Week 8 alongside teammate Yoshi Yotún.
Mueller scored his first MLS goal against the Timbers on April 8, and capped it off with a knee slide that went viral on social media. His second goal came just four days later when he showed poise in doubling Orlando's lead over Philadelphia Union with a calm finish in the 45th minute.
Mueller credits learning under MLS veterans Dom Dwyer and Sacha Kljestan, two players he admired growing up. In fact, many people around the league have been comparing Mueller's style of play and confidence to Dwyer, who has nothing but praise for the rookie.
“You saw it in the preseason — the kid’s a goalscorer,” Dwyer said of Mueller. “He’s hungry, he’s working hard, and he’s getting his rewards. I think he did fantastic tonight (against Philadelphia) and I’m very proud of him and excited for his potential. I’ll be keeping good tabs on him and pushing him in training.”
Mueller has appeared in all seven of Orlando's MLS regular season matches, and will likely feature for the Lions on Sunday afternoon.
Colorado Rapids vs Orlando City SC - Head-to-Head
The Rapids have met Orlando City three times in the MLS regular season, resulting in a 0-2-1 record. Orlando currently sits above the playoff line with a 4-2-1 overall record, while the Rapids are coming off a 3-0 loss on the road to Real Salt Lake that sees their season record sit at 2-2-2 overall.
The last time the two sides met Orlando City SC downed the Colorado Rapids with a pair of second-half goals from substitutes Carlos Rivas and Kaká, both of whom are no longer with the club. In fact, Orlando - similar to the Rapids - went through a roster overhaul in the offseason that included the additions of Justin Meram, Sacha Kljestan, Josue Colman, Uri Rosell and Lamine Sane, among others. One of the few familiar faces that remains from the last time the two sides met, however, is Zac MacMath. The keeper stepped up big with a six-save performance against Real Salt Lake after Tim Howard was shown a red card just 20 minutes in to the match for handling the ball outside of the box. In steps MacMath as the Rapids seek their first ever three points over Orlando City SC.
- Head-to-Head Overall: Colorado 0 wins, 0 goals | Orlando City SC 2 wins, 4 goals | 1 tie
- Head-to-head at Colorado: Colorado 0 wins, 0 goals | Orlando City SC 0 wins, 0 goals | 1 tie
- Head-to-head Previous Meeting: Orlando City SC 2, Colorado Rapids 0 (April 29, 2017)
