It’s a midweek matchday for the Five Stripes coming off of a victorious feeling draw down in Miami. Now, Atlanta United’s focus shifts to another Florida club as they welcome an older foe to the Benz in Orlando City.
Let’s begin with some head-to-head stats, courtesy of stats.scarvesandspikes.com:
Rivlaries are always more fun when there’s some back and forth. That’s been somewhat the case between Atlanta and Orlando in more recent years, with Atlanta able to muster up a result against their most familiar rivals. Two head to head matches this season came in the same week down in central Florida, as Atlanta and Orlando played back to back matches in May for both the MLS regular season and the U.S. Open Cup.
The MLS match, a 1-1 draw, seemed to give Atlanta some steam heading into the Quarterfinal match after a late Jay Fortune equalzier. The Open Cup match… well, we don’t have to go any further.
A revamped Atlanta United, now featuring Breel Embolo and Mauricio Amaro, aim to get a better result in front of a home crowd this time. It’s not the same Orlando side, either, which now boats one Antoine Greizmann, who already has five goals and three assists in his eight appearances with his new club. He and Orlando sit 8th in the Eastern Conference, six points ahead of Atlanta. Orlando City’s road form, however, shows only two wins this season. Can the Five Stripes make home field advantage count?
We know Embolo and Amaro are available, along with Jay Fortune, who could feature in limited minutes tonight. He may have to, as two midfielders appear on the availability report for this one. Alzate is listed as questionable with an illness, while Cooper Sanchez is held out due to concussion protocol after Saturday’s match. Galoppo continues a common theme this summer: awaiting his visa.
Before kickoff rolls around, be sure to check out our three questions series, this time with the Orlando Lions Den Podcast’s Mike Spillane:
Atlanta United vs. Orlando City: 3 questions about Orlando with Orlando Lions Den Podcast’s Mike Spillane
The scoop on Orlando City as they visit Atlanta United on Wednesday.
Tonight’s match is set for a 7:40 PM ET kickoff tonight in the Benz, with streaming available through Apple TV. If audio is more your vibe, 92.9 The Game has your English language coverage, while La Mejor is your go-to for Spanish radio.
No matter where you are, or how things look on the pitch, feel free to chime in on the match down below in our match thread as the Five Stripes go again in the Benz.
Atlanta United’s Lineup:
TBA
Orlando City’s Lineup:
TBA
How to Watch:
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Kickoff Time: Wednesday, September 9th, 7:40 PM ET
Available TV/Streaming: Apple TV
Available Radio: 92.9 The Game, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM
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