Philadelphia Union vs Orlando City SC: Can the red-hot Union keep their playoff push alive?

After a 1-1 draw against Atlanta United at Subaru Park over the weekend, Union’s record coming into a pivotal mid-week match against Orlando City sits at 9W-10D-12L, which puts them in the 9th and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 37 points.

Union come into Wednesday’s game having won 3 of their previous 5, but know dropping points against Atlanta at home could come back to haunt them if they don’t secure points on the road against Orlando.

How to watch Union vs Orlando City

When: Wednesday, October 2nd @ 7:30pm
Where: Inter & Co Stadium – Orlando, FL
Where to Watch: Apple TV+

Philadelphia Union vs Orlando City Betting Odds

Orlando City SC: -135
Draw: +310
Philadelphia Union: +285

Orlando City’s Season So Far

Orlando City’s record 13W-7D-11L has Óscar Pareja‘s side in 4th place in the Eastern Conference with 46 points. Orlando have won 4 of their previous 5 games, with their lone loss in that stretch coming in a 7-goal game against the Columbus Crew.

Coming into Wednesday’s match against Union, Orlando City have already punched a ticket to the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs, turning their focus to locking up a spot in the top 4 – and homefield advantage – in their final 3 games of the season.

Meetings This Season

The first and only meeting of the season between the two Eastern Conference opponents came near the beginning of Union’s abysmal stretch where the won just once in 17 games. Mikael Uhre got Union on the board first in the 12th minute, but 3 consecutive Orlando goals courtesy of Duncan McGuire and a Luis Muriel brace put Orlando in front early in the 2nd half.

Daniel Gazdag got Union back in the game in the 66th minute when he converted a chance from the penalty spot. Gazdag got a 2nd opportunity from the 12-yard mark in the 88th minute with a chance to draw the game level, but Pedro Gallese made a great diving save, and Gazdag put the rebound over the crossbar. It was Gazdag’s first missed Penalty in MLS regular season play, giving Orlando a 3-2 win at Subaru Park.

Preview By The Numbers

Available Players and Predicted Lineups

I’m not expecting too many changes in the starting XI on Wednesday night, though Jim Curtin will have to be mindful of this being the 3rd game in a week for the Union, and the 4th in 10 days coming Saturday in Columbus.

Luckily for Union, Curtin said Danley Jean-Jacques is as close to 100% as possible, and will play a big role in the next two games. Here’s how I think Union line up against Orlando on Wednesday night

STARTING XI:

4-4-2 Diamond
GK: Andre Blake
RB: Nate Harriel, CB: Jakob Glesnes, CB: Jack Elliott, LB: Kai Wagner
CDM: Danley Jean-Jacques
RCM: Ale Bedoya, LCM: Jack McGlynn
ST: Tai Baribo, ST: Mikael Uhre

Quotes from Curtin

It’s a big, big game for the Union, who have seen more success on the road this season than at home, beating both NYCFC and Red Bulls on the road over the last few weeks. Jim Curtin will hope to carry that form down to Orlando and Columbus over the next few days, knowing 4 points across the final 4 games should just about lock them into a playoff spot.

“We have a situation where we kind of control our own destiny. It starts with a difficult match against Orlando and then a quick trip straight to Columbus, so two challenging games for sure and we’ve stressed to the group that finding a way to come back [home] with a minimum 3, hopefully 4 points would go a long way to finalizing our ultimate goal which is a playoff berth”

Mandatory Credit: Caean Couto-Imagn Images