In-form Orlando City welcome struggling Colorado Rapids to Exploria Stadium this weekend as Major League Soccer serves up an intriguing cross-conference clash.
Orlando occupy eighth place in the Eastern Conference, while Colorado find themselves second from bottom in the Western Conference, with the two sides separated by 10 points in the overall standings.
The hosts head into this weekend’s clash on the back of an impressive 3-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls, with Uruguayan Designated Player Facundo Torres bagging a brace in the Big Apple.
Thanks to that win, the Lions are currently enjoying a five-game unbeaten streak, having picked up two victories and three draws since their last loss, with a 3-1 win over Inter Miami coming at the end of last month.
Following three successive defeats at Exploria Stadium, Oscar Pareja’s men are now unbeaten in three home games, with a 2-0 victory over LA Galaxy preceding 1-1 draws with New York City and Atlanta United.
By contrast, the Colorado Rapids have endured a season to forget up to now, recording two wins, seven draws and eight losses to remain one point above last-placed LA Galaxy in the Western Conference.
Last weekend, Robin Fraser’s side ended a run of six successive defeats with a goalless draw against the San Jose Earthquakes, despite playing the majority of the second half with 10 men following Moise Bombito’s red card.
It is also worth noting that Colorado have the third-worst defensive record in the West, while only bottom club LA Galaxy have scored fewer goals than Fraser’s men.
Having suffered back-to-back defeats on the road – enduring a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Atlanta United before losing 3-2 to Columbus Crew earlier this month – the Rapids will struggle to pick up their third win of the season this weekend.
To make matters worse for Colorado, they have managed to win just one of their last seven Major League Soccer meetings with Orlando City, suffering four defeats in the process.
The hosts will be without the injured duo of Gaston Gonzalez (thigh) and Abdi Salim (knee) this weekend, while Luca Petrasso (thigh) is a doubt after missing the past nine games.
Top scorer Ercan Kara will continue to lead the line for Orlando, while Argentine winger Martin Ojeda will aim to enhance his tally of three goals and three assists when leaky Colorado come to town.
On the flip side, the Rapids are currently without Jack Price (Achilles), Abraham Rodriguez (ankle) and Diego Rubio (ankle), while there are question marks over the fitness of Michael Barrios, Braian Galvan and Ralph Priso.
Lalas Abubakar, Kevin Cabral and Cole Bassett have all netted two MLS goals this season, but no Colorado player has managed to score more than twice in 2023.
Fans of Major League Soccer in the UK can catch the action on Apple TV.
Expert Insight: When you consider the contrasting form of these two sides, all the signs point towards a straightforward home victory. After all, Orlando have avoided defeat in each of their last five matches, while Colorado have lost six of their previous seven.
Major League Soccer