Oscar Pareja wants Orlando City to play as “protagonists” when they travel to the New York Red Bulls in MLS on Saturday.
The two teams met last season in the Eastern Conference final, but have not yet completely hit their pass in the 2025 season.
Orlando has won only one of their matches, the other two lost and celebrated Van Bottom in the early classification of the Eastern Conference.
But Pareja believes that getting up against an opponent they know they can be the boost they need to start their season.
“We want to go there and be the main characters in the game,” said Pareja.
“We want to win it. We have to commit ourselves to our ways and impose them and see if that can bring us a result. Given that this is a team that we know, we can better control their approach.
“A good opportunity for us to bounce back in the result, but an even better chance of continuing to grow as a team and to keep gluing together.”
On the way to New York pic.twitter.com/qmomlpodhx
– Orlando City SC (@orlandocitySC) March 14, 2025
NYRB is one point better than their opponents who go into this game, after a loss of opening day to bounce back to FC Cincinnati with a victory and a draw.
They were struggling against Atlanta United in a 0-0 draw previous time-out, and this week they received an injury strap with Lewis Morgan for the next six weeks after an operation on his knee.
“From the mental side, [he’s] In a positive way, in a good place, “said Schwarz.
“He is now also very professional in his rehabilitation at the medical department with all the boys. I am pretty sure … In the coming weeks, hopefully he will take big steps, and then he will be before us in six weeks.”
Players to watch
New York Red Bulls – Noah Elie
The Red Bulls did not succeed in getting the target with one of their seven attempts against Atlanta United on Saturday, the first time they have been held against the Philadelphia Union in a regular season since September 2020.
No player had more than one shot in that game, where Noah Elie turned out to be the best, although his 'big' chance was only worth 0.09 expected goals (XG). He also had 12 last third submissions.
Orlando City – Marco Pasalic
15 goals were scored in the first three games of Orlando City this regular season (seven in front, eight against).
Only Marco Pasalic has scored more than once under Orlando players (two) this season, while he has also received an assist in his three games so far.
That feeling when spring jumps and it's Friday and we have an afternoon game yktvfr pic.twitter.com/qihqa6dviz tomorrow
– New York Red Bulls (@Newyorkredbulls) March 14, 2025
Match forecast: New York Red Bulls Win
The Red Bulls have each won of their last two games against Orlando City, including a 1-0 win in the Eastern Conference Final last season. New York has only one three-match winning streak about Orlando in all competitions and does this in 2021-22.
They followed a 2-0 victory on Nashville SC on 1 March with a scoreless draw in Atlanta United on Saturday. It is the first time that the Red Bulls have kept consecutive clean sheets in the regular season since the beginning of last season.
As far as Orlando is concerned, they have lost five of 17 since the beginning of April 2024 in all games in all matches (W8 D4). Three of the five defeats, including Saturday, have arrived in New York City FC (two) or the Red Bulls (one).
Opta wins probability
New York Red Bulls – 44.2%
Drawing – 26.8%
Orlando City – 29%
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