Matchday 12: Orlando City SC vs The New England Revolution Preview

Orlando, FL – A smackdown in the 407! Orlando City SC takes on the New England Revolution during a matchday 12 wrestling night. New England is coming in hot off the top ropes, winning four consecutive games. Orlando, on the other hand, has not lost since March 8th. Who will ring the bell and take the coveted three points up for grabs? Time to snap into the Matchday 12 preview.

“Whatcha gonna do when New England runs wild on you?”

The New England Revolution has been on a tear for the past several games. They have four straight wins, a huge climb up the Eastern Conference leaderboard, and three goals by Carles Gil. Everything seems to be going in New England’s favor. Not to mention, Leonardo Campana has also tallied two goals over the four-game stretch. Consider this a revolution, and Orlando City better take notice.

“Orlando never backs down and Orlando never quits.”

Despite taking on what could arguably be the hottest team in MLS as of late, Orlando has been setting records of their own. This is the first time in team history that five straight clean sheets have occurred for the Lions. Pedro Gallese had one of the best defensive games of the year versus the Chicago Fire. Gallese did not waver and kept the team afloat. For his efforts, Gallese was named to the Team of the Matchday 11 starting lineup. Orlando played the game with a one-man advantage during the entire duration of the second half (Christopher Brady was issued a red card during the 35th minute for the Fire), yet could not find the back of the net. If Orlando cannot find a way to score, “Ooohhh Brotherrr” it will be a long night.

Stars of the weekend 🤩

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— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 5, 2025

“Do you smell what the goalkeepers are cooking?”

Both goalkeepers have had stellar starts to their season. Like Gallese, New England’s Aljaz Ivacic also has five clean sheets on the season (not consecutive, however). Ivacic has had a total of 36 saves versus Gallese’s 33. An alarming stat for Ivacic is that he has only allowed seven goals on the season. In comparison, Gallese has allowed double-digit goals at 11. Gallese has shown he can defend the net when being tested by the opponent. The question becomes, can Gallese stop the red-hot Revolution, who have scored five goals in the last three games? If El Pulpo manages to fortify the net and not allow any goals, the potential sixth straight clean sheet might be the most impressive of the season.

“Too hot to handle and too cold to hold”

New England is simply too hot right now. Orlando needs to find a way to slow their opposition down while also thawing out the ice and finding a way to score. In the past five games, the Lions have scored three goals. The three goals that were scored during this period were all versus Atlanta United on April 26th. That simply will not cut it versus New England. Marco Pasalic, who leads the Lions with five goals, needs to step up and get the team on the right track. One element that could potentially hurt OCSC is the absence of Eduard Atuesta. Atuesta was sidelined in the last game with a neck injury. There is no doubt that Atuesta is one of the driving factors in Orlando’s offense. Expect the Lions to lean on Luis Muriel and Martin Ojeda to get the scoring route corrected. Ball movement will be critical. The question is, will the purple and gold have enough to get the job done?

“And that’s the bottom line because New England said so!”

The results of the game can potentially propel either team within the top-5 in the Eastern Conference standings. While Gallese has been an unstoppable force lately, New England will ultimately be too much for the Lions to handle. The Revolution has proven they can score, and Orlando has had a tough time being able to generate points consistently. A pile drive off the top ropes for New England, straight into a hard three-count. The final, New England-2, Orlando-0. New England will sadly “layeth the smacketh down on the Lions candy behinds.”