Orlando City closes out road trip to Columbus on Saturday
ORLANDO, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Orlando City SC (5-8-3, 18 points) closes out a two-game road trip on Saturday when it faces Columbus Crew SC (5-10-2, 17 points). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at MAPFRE Stadium.
The match will be televised locally on My65 and available to stream on YouTube TV while being broadcast on FM 96.9 The Game in English and La Nueva 990am in Spanish.
"Obviously Columbus is a tough opponent and it's a quick turnaround that we now have to manage," Head Coach James O'Connor said. "They're obviously missing some players due to international duty, but they still pose a lot of threats that we'll have to be mindful of and manage while focusing on being more clinical ourselves in our attack."
City enters Saturday's match facing a quick turnaround following a 1-0 loss at D.C. United on Wednesday. Wayne Rooney scored the eventual game-winner in the 10th minute of the match off a near 70-yard strike past midfield that sailed straight into the back of the net.
Nani leads the Lions with eight goals scored this season, tied for fifth in MLS with three other players. He is followed by Tesho Akindele with five in MLS play and six across all competitions.
Columbus comes into Saturday's contest after falling 1-0 to Sporting Kansas City at home this past Sunday. After a scoreless first half, Felipe Gutiérrez scored the eventual game-winner in the 48th minute to earn all three points for the road team.
Gyasi Zardes leads the Crew in goals in 2019, but will not be available for Saturday's match as he is currently on international duty with the U.S. Men's National Team at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Saturday's matchup will be the first of two between the two clubs over a span of two weeks, with the Crew scheduled to visit Exploria Stadium on Saturday, July 13.