Miami FC Full Of Confidence Heading Into Tough Cup Clash With Orlando City SC

In his second season as head coach of Miami FC, Italian legend Alessandro Nesta has the NASL side firing on all cylinders. The Orange and Blue sit atop the league standings, five points clear of second-place Jacksonville, and the club’s only loss in 2017 came over two months ago.

On Wednesday night, Nesta’s men will likely be presented with their greatest challenge to date – a showdown with fellow Florida side Orlando City SC of MLS. Miami and Orlando will meet in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Orlando City Stadium, the MLS club’s beautiful new home that was unveiled to the soccer world at the start of the 2017 season.  

For years, the South was largely viewed as the region of the U.S. that was most lacking in the soccer department. But today, clubs like Miami and Orlando City, as well as Atlanta United FC (MLS) and Jacksonville Armada FC (NASL), are bringing a quality product to the fans in the region. The state of soccer in the region makes Wednesday’s Cup matchup in Orlando particularly exciting.

Miami has been nothing short of dominant to start the NASL campaign. The second-year club boasts the league’s most potent attack, leading the way in goals, shots, and chances created. Enzo Rennella, Dylan Mares, and Kwadwo Poku have combined to score 11 of the club’s 17 goals, and other dangerous attacking players like Jaime Chávez and Stefano Pinho are contributing as well.

It’s not all about offense for Miami, though. After all, the club is coached by one of the game’s all-time great defenders. Through 11 games, Miami is tied with the defending champion New York Cosmos for the most clean sheets in the NASL with five. The club has also conceded the least amount of goals in the league (8) so far. Miami’s possession-oriented style also comes through on the stat sheet, as its roster is home to four of the top six passers in the league: Hunter Freeman, Mason Trafford, Robert Kcira, and Richie Ryan.

For Orlando City, 2017 has been a turnaround year. Through 15 games, the club has already won seven times – just two shy of its win mark from all of the last season. Forward Cyle Larin’s eight goals have him in the top 10 on the MLS scoring chart, and the Lions’ 18 goals against make them one of the league’s better defensive teams. Goalkeeper Joe Bendik, who has begun to attract U.S. men’s national team attention, ranks second in the league in saves with 52.

Orlando City’s success this season has been front-loaded, however. Quite impressively, the Lions won six of their first seven games in 2017, starting the season as arguably the hottest team in MLS. Since then, however, the club has claimed just six points from its last eight games, and its only win in that period came against last-place D.C. United. Still, Orlando City is headed in the right direction compared to its results over the last two MLS seasons that saw the club miss the playoffs.

Heading into Wednesday’s matchup, both clubs are looking to perform better in the Cup than they did last year. Miami was bounced by then-USL side Wilmington Hammerheads in the third round, while Orlando City fell, at home, to the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the Round of 16.

Miami has won eight of its last 10 games in all competitions, including the 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies that booked them a ticket to Orlando in the fourth round. Orlando City enters the Cup fold for the first time in 2017 on the heels of a scoreless draw in league play with the Chicago Fire.

The Lions have a few faces that will be familiar for NASL fans. Goalkeeper Josh Saunders played in the NASL in 2014, while defender PC plied his trade in the league from 2015-2016. Defender Conor Donovan is a product of the Carolina RailHawks (now North Carolina FC) Academy, and appeared in exhibition play for the NASL side. With 12 players on Miami’s roster holding MLS experience, the clubs will have plenty of familiarity with each other on Wednesday night.

The all-Florida matchup will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Orlando City Stadium, and the game can be seen live on ussoccer.com. The winner will move on to the Round of 16, which will be played on June 28.