Matchday 6: Orlando City vs. LA Galaxy Game Preview

Orlando, FL– In a galaxy far, far away… the LA Galaxy to be exact. Orlando City SC takes on the LA Galaxy for match week 6. Expect a high-scoring contest, as Orlando will come in like a wrecking ball. Time to break down the preview from the home of the Sunset Strip.

Paint the town purple and gold. Before looking ahead to the next contest, time is needed to recover from the display of soccer masterclass on the pitch this past weekend versus DC United. Lou Bega would say, “1,2,3,4,5, everybody in the car so come on let’s ride.” A little bit of Pasalic scoring goals. A little bit of Ojeda making assists. A little bit of Freeman adding to his rookie totals. A little bit of Muriel finding the net. It was the Mambo #4 as four players scored to lead the Lions to a 4-1 victory at home.

Matchday -1 mood 🕺 pic.twitter.com/yUuFGzche6

— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) March 28, 2025

Evil Empire?

Not much dignity is expected at Dignity Health Sports Park this weekend. The Los Angeles Galaxy enter the game 0-3-2 in 14th place with two points. So far, no wins on the season for the home team. The Galaxy leads the Western Conference in goals against at 11 on the season. It is also important to note that the LA Galaxy is one of three teams in the Western Conference to average less than a goal per game at 0.4.

Flip the script, while only three players have scored this season for the Galaxy, Christian Ramirez (2), Emiro Garces (1) and Gabriel Pec (1). Orlando has more than double the fire power with six different players scoring Marco Pasalic (4), Martin Ojeda (3), Alex Freeman (2), Luis Muriel (2), Cesar Araujo (1) and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (1). Four different players have scored multiple times thus far this season. Pasalic is tied for third in goals scored. Meanwhile, Orlando as a team leads the league in goals scored with 13.

What To Expect

Pass, pass, pass- that will be the strategy that the LA Galaxy enacts. The Galaxy lead the MLS in passes with 2953. Those passes have not led to many goals, as the Galaxy has scored only four times this season, two of those goals coming from last week’s matchup versus the Minnesota United FC. Christian Ramirez is the only Galaxy member that has scored on multiple occasions through five games.

While the LA Galaxy is one of the founding ten teams of MLS, they are soon to be forgotten in this matchup. Orlando’s stardom will be on full display. Orlando enters the battle with a 2-2-1 record, currently in 9th place with seven points. The Lions are only four points away from the top spot, currently held by the Philadelphia Union (OCSC will face Philadelphia the following weekend after the Galaxy game).

Distribution from the back. 🎯
Cheeky flick. 😮‍💨
Top bins finish. 🚀

A much-deserved @ATT Goal of the Matchday for Marco Pašalić and @OrlandoCitySC! 👏 https://t.co/4ha8y9y0lq pic.twitter.com/tKQFHSEAfC

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

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Will Oscar Pareja stick with the untraditional 4-4-2 lineup? While that determination is still up in the air, we do know that Pedro Gallese should get the start behind the net now that international duty has wrapped up. Javier Otero nearly had a clean sheet filling in for El Pulpo. DC United was able to squeak past a goal in the 91st minute during Otero’s first start with the Lions. David Brekalo should get some playing time as well, after playing with his home team of Slovenia. One Lion who is still to hit the pitch after the opening day contest is Nico Rodriguez. “The Roadrunner” will have an immediate impact off the bench, providing speed when legs start getting heavy during the second half of matchups. The past few weeks, Rodriguez has been battling a thigh injury.

Get ready to cha-cha, salsa and Mambo #4 as Orlando City SC are the heavy favorites to win. Pasalic will score again, Tincho will score and have an assist and Freeman will continue with his rookie luck, getting the ball past the goalkeeper for his third goal of the year. Orlando will also gain a critical three points, moving them into the top six teams in the Eastern Conference, setting up a clash of Titans as OCSC takes on the Philadelphia Union on April 5th. The final prediction, Orlando 3 – LA Galaxy 1.