Courtesy of Orlando City
Needing a win or a draw to make the 2021 MLS Playoffs, Orlando City have left it to the last match of the season to decide their fate for the postseason, having to travel to CF Montreal on Decision Day.
The match, along with all others in the eastern conference, will kick off at 3:30 p.m and will be on FOX35+ and LionNation TV.
“This week has been a great week of training for the boys preparing what is going to be that decision day for us in a rival that we faced not long ago, a couple of weeks maybe, where we had a good performance, despite results,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said in his pre-match press conference. “I thought we have had the three there, but now we have this opportunity to go to Canada and not just qualify but give the final touches of just getting the three points which is another instance right now.”
Montreal (12-10-11, 46 points) are coming off a 2-0 win over the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday. The matchup will be the third between the Lions and the team formerly known as the Imapct. Orlando lost their first matchup 4-2 at Exploria Stadium and held them to a 1-1 draw the second time around. Any point in the match will see Orlando advance to the playoffs, while a win for Montral would almost certainly knock out the Lions from contention.
The only other way for Orlando to qualify for the playoffs is if the New York Red Bulls fail to get a result against Nashville SC. Any other results on the day would spell the end of Orlando’s season.
Orlando could potentially be without fullback Joao Moutinho, who is questionable with a lower-body injury, while all other players are available for selection, other than Jordan Bender, who is out with a lower-body injury.
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