Matchday 21: Orlando City SC vs FC Cincinnati Preview

Orlando, FL – The second half of the MLS season is underway. Orlando City SC look to ride the positive vibes after a commanding victory over St. Louis City SC 4-2. The only hurdle in their way is FC Cincinnati. A dominant force in the east and currently sitting in second place with 36 points. Who will win? Time to flip a coin and dive into the Matchday 21 preview.

A Storms Brewing

Some duos just go well together. Scooby Doo and Shaggy, Ben and Jerry, Shrek and Donkey and now Thunder (Enrique) and Lightning (Pasalic). Marco Pasalic and Ramiro Enrique accounted for a brace each versus St. Louis. There were moments during the game where both Pasalic and Enrique could have tallied more goals to their season stat line. Both players looked electric and provided a much-needed spark. Orlando looked dominant, albeit two goals were scored that could have been prevented. Walking away with three points on the road to start the next leg of the MLS campaign is a move in the right direction.

Pašalić completes his brace and extends the @OrlandoCitySC lead! pic.twitter.com/rBn4HHD3Tl

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 26, 2025

Solid as a Rock

FC Cincinnati has been commanding all season. Cincinnati is ranked second in points (36) and second in wins (11) in the Eastern Conference. Just like Pasalic and Enrique, Evander had a brace versus Montreal to kick-start their second half of the season. Kevin Denkey is a force to be reckoned with. With 11 goals on the season, Denkey currently ranks tied for 3^rd in all of the MLS in goal scoring. Evander is also deadly accurate and ranks 5^th with 29 shots on target. When the numbers are boiled down, every other shot Evander takes is a quality look on target (62 shots on goal this season).

The Purple and Gold with an Emphasis on Gold

While FC Cincinnati is a difficult foe to face, Orlando is no slouch of a team. Goalie Pedro Gallese has eight clean sheets on the campaign. Gallese had eight clean sheets the entire season last year. Martin Ojeda is having the best season of his career. Ojeda currently has 9 goals and leads the team. What’s more impressive is Ojeda’s ability to create offense for his fellow teammates. With 51 key passes, Ojeda ranks 5^th in the MLS. A player who can score and also give others the opportunity to create change is an incredibly valuable piece to have. As a team, Orlando ranks 3^rd in goals scored with 36.

Pedro’s reflexes go crazy 🐙 pic.twitter.com/CfGPhNKc1J

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) June 27, 2025

Red, White and Feeling Blue

There are two advantages Orlando has heading into the contest. One, Orlando has lost only four games this season, while Cincinnati has lost five. Two, Orlando is playing at home, where they have had success. With that being said, the Lions will be without their lone all-star, Alex Freeman. Freeman is currently representing Team USA and has been a major contributing force for the red, white and blue. Freeman becomes the first Orlando City player to be selected for an all-star game since 2021, when Pedro Gallese and Nani were picked to represent the purple and gold. Being without Freeman will be an incredibly tough void to fill.

And the Winner is…

After the dust settles, there is a reason why FC Cincinnati is in second place and Orlando City is in fifth place. While Orlando has fewer losses, FC Cincinnati simply has more wins. More wins mean more points, and more points mean Cincinnati is doing something right. While Pasalic and Enrique had braces in their previous contest, Orlando did let in two shaky goals that the defense should have prevented from happening in the first place. Mistakes like this are something that should have been corrected with the extended time off. FC Cincinnati is a sound soccer team and will provide a challenge to the Lions. If Orlando manages to pull off a victory, it will be their most impressive win of the 2025 campaign, no questions asked. Gaining three points could catapult OCSC into 2^nd place. Unfortunately, Orlando will take a trip to the “Nether” because Cincinnati’s lava chicken is too “sizzling.” The final Orlando-1 Cincinnati-3. “Ohh, super spicy, it’s a Cincinnati lava attack!”

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