Orlando City SC play host to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday in the teams’ lone meeting this season. Orlando are feeling great after a 2-1 road win against NYCFC. The Rapids are coming off a loss to Minnesota and have managed just four points in their opening six matches.
Saturday’s tie features two teams that couldn’t be further from each other in terms of momentum and overall mentality following their recent results. The Lions have produced their best start to a season since joining MLS, taking 15 points from their opening six matches. An opportunistic offense led by Cyle Larin, and a stingy defense has fueled Orlando’s hot start, as well as the benefit of playing four of six matches in front of a raucous home crowd.
Meanwhile, Colorado has been left to wonder if last season’s second-place finish in the Western Conference was a total fluke. They have recorded just one win alongside a draw and four losses, and they have scored the league’s fewest goals (5). To make matters worse for the Rapids, they will again be without Tim Howard between the sticks as the U.S. National Team star completes his three-match ban for a fan altercation.
Orlando City SC
- Current Record (W-L-D): 5-1-0
- Last Time Out: 2-1 away win against New York City FC
- Player to Watch for: Kaká. Orlando’s captain has been sidelined since the opening match of the season, but he has returned to training and is currently listed as day-to-day. If he were to make his return on Saturday, will the Brazilian star’s presence disrupt the team’s chemistry that has fueled their hot start? A shift away from the diamond 4-4-2 employed in recent weeks could be in the cards.
- Why They Win: Orlando will be extremely disappointed if they don’t end up taking the full three points against Colorado. The back line has been impressive, particularly in front of their home crowd. Furthermore, at this point there’s no reason to believe Cyle Larin won’t find himself on the scoresheet. These factors will likely produce another home win.
- Why They Won’t: If the Lions were to not pick up all three points on Saturday, it will likely be due to inefficiency in the final third, something that has been apparent outside of Larin’s goal scoring form. If he isn’t able to find the back of the net and a supporting player doesn’t step up, Orlando could drop points. Again, this seems highly unlikely against this Colorado side.
- Predicted Starting XI:
Colorado Rapids
- Current Record (W-L-D): 1-4-1
- Last Time Out: 1-0 loss at Minnesota United
- Player to Watch for: Dominique Badji. Badji has just two goals in his 2017 campaign, but the young Senegalese striker stands at 6′ tall and will likely be the focal point of Colorado’s effort to steal points at Orlando through long balls into the box. Look for him to try and give the back line fits with his size and aerial ability.
- Why They Win: While it’s pretty hard to make a great case for why Colorado will win this game, Major League Soccer is known for springing surprises throughout the season. This is especially true when it comes to teams in desperation mode. The Rapids will hope that they can weather the storm of Orlando’s home atmosphere and early attacks to stay in the game as long as possible. If they can do that and connect with Badji up top, all of the pressure will be on Orlando as the match progresses.
- Why They Won’t: If the Rapids’ performance is anywhere close to what we’ve cseen in 2017, particularly in the attacking third, their chances of taking three points from Orlando City Stadium are slim to none.
- Predicted Starting XI:
Score Prediction
How to Watch:
Where: Orlando City Stadium
When: Saturday, April 29th, 4:00 pm ET
Channel: Unimás and Facebook in the U.S. and MLS Live in Canada