Orlando City vs DC United – Orlando City return to MLS action on Monday against DC United after reaching the semi-finals of the U.S. Open Cup for the first time since 2019.
The Lions won their quarterfinal matchup against Nashville SC on penalties (6-5) after scoring deep into injury time on Wednesday. DC, on the other hand, have the league’s poorest record and have gone six games without a win at home.
They are the most complicated team in the league since they don’t always seem outstanding, but they have enough solid performances to keep themselves in contention for the playoffs and, most importantly, in a postseason spot.
During the off-season, Oscar Pareja’s team was decimated by the departure of three of their top scorers from the previous three seasons (Nani, Chris Mueller, and Daryl Dike) to other clubs.
As a result of how important those assets were to their success in prior years, it is no surprise that they have struggled to score this season, with the fourth-lowest goal total in the Eastern Conference (20).
In the absence of an established ninth or ten, Pareja’s club has had to employ an unconventional tactical strategy in order to maintain a winning record, albeit with a small number of victories and draws.
They’re only four points out of first place in the East with this strategy, which isn’t the most exciting to see, but it’s kept them there. In spite of their slow start, the Lions responded admirably after falling down against the Titans in midweek, displaying glimpses of inventiveness and vigor that have been hard to come by in this season’s campaign as a whole.
Orlando City vs DC United – Betting Analysis
The once-mighty DC United, who had previously won four MLS Cups, are now languishing in the Eastern Conference relegation zone after losing their last three league games.
Only two league games since he took over in April have the appointment of Chad Ashton as interim manager done little to inspire this club. As the Eastern Conference’s third-worst team in goals surrendered, they’ve looked most vulnerable on the road, where they’ve allowed 10 goals in Ashton’s four outings.
After Edison Flores went to Atlas in Liga MX, there was some general allocation money (GAM) available for DC to recruit another Designated Player, thus there is reason to be optimistic in the US capital despite their troubles (DP).
In the wake of recent DP additions, the Black and Red aren’t guaranteed a spot in the 2022 playoffs, but they have a leg up on the rest of their Conference rivals because they have a game in hand. There is no time to waste if they hope to enter the playoffs for the first time since 2019 with 19 games left and 10 points to make up in the race.
Orlando City vs DC United – Head -to- Head
Our Prediction: Both Teams to Score
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