Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night match-up between Orlando City (6-9-1, 19 points) and Atlanta United (10-3-4, 34 points) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It’s the second of the three scheduled Southeast Showdown (*must credit The Mane Land PawedCast) meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals this season, with the finale of the season series coming in Orlando on Aug. 24. It’s hard to believe now but the last time these two teams met they were separated by only three points in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference standings. Seems like a lifetime ago. History Orlando lost the most recent meeting, 2-1, at home on May 13. An early penalty on a Cristian Higuita foul gave the visitors a leg up on a Josef Martinez goal from the spot and Ezequiel Barco doubled the lead before halftime. Justin Meram scored his first as a Lion to pull one back but Orlando — which played well through most of the game — could get no closer. The unfortunate ending with a shower of debris coming out of the stands due to unrest with referee Alan Kelly’s decisions that night may have killed the Lions’ hopes for a dramatic equalizer. The Lions are 0-2-2 in the fledgling series, but might be 1-1-2 if not for the existence of Hector Villalba. His two very goals in the first two meetings turned a draw and a win into a loss and a draw. The two teams kicked off their first ever season series with Orlando suffering a late 1-0 loss at home on July 21, 2017. Villalba found the net in minute 86 to ruin what was a pretty good performance by the Lions, despite the dearth of goals. Villalba proved that he was indeed the man Orlando fans should direct all hate towards when his stoppage-time tally rescued a 1-1 draw for Atlanta in the second meeting on July 29. Kaká scored one of his best goals as a Lion in that match to provide Orlando’s tally. Orlando City became the first visiting team to take any points out of Mercedes-Benz Stadium last season with a 3-3 draw in Atlanta last September. Dom Dwyer scored his first brace as a Lion (in MLS, anyway) and also assisted on Cyle Larin’s goal. Martinez’s hat trick spoiled Orlando’s bid to take all three points. Overview The Lions are 2-5-0 away from home this season while Atlanta is 5-2-2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Orlando City rides a seven-game losing streak into this weekend, while Atlanta is unbeaten in five (2-0-3). Bobby Murphy is 0-1-1 in all competitions in his second stint as the club’s interim head coach and tonight will be his last match in charge after the hiring of James O’Connor yesterday. Atlanta midfielder Miguel Almiron is the man to whom Orlando must pay the most attention. His propensity for turning opposition turnovers into lightning-fast transition attacks is the Five Stripes’ greatest weapon. His 75 shots this season are second only to Sebastian Giovinco in MLS. His six goals and seven assists show how dangerous he can be. Martinez is another obvious nemesis with his hat trick last year in the third meeting and his league-leading 14 goals. Watch for him to be especially dangerous this week after uncharacteristically blowing multiple sitters last weekend against Portland because...well, that’s just how things go, I guess, especially lately. Villalba also has a flair for the dramatic against Orlando City, but you can’t sleep on Julian Gressel or Barco either. Watch for Atlanta to pressure on defense and push the tempo whenever it has the ball. Giving the ball away in the midfield is usually lethal against Atlanta’s quick counter. Whichever midfield can exert its will over the other should have a leg up in this game. Orlando City is surprisingly healthy and both Higuita and left back Mohamed El-Munir should be good to go after serving suspensions. So the only regulars missing are Yoshimar Yotún, who will arrive back from Russia on Saturday, and Justin Meram, who was given a three-day leave for personal reasons. Atlanta has only a few injuries of its own but it does have a couple of big ones. Defender Greg Garza (shoulder surgery) and midfielder Darlington Nagbe (adductor) are both out, as well as defender Chris McCann (lower leg). Mandatory Match #Content Here's your mandatory match content for tonight: Official Lineups Orlando City (3-4-3) Goalkeeper: Joe Bendik. Defenders: Amro Tarek, Lamine Sané, Jonathan Spector. Wingbacks / Midfielders: Mohamed El-Munir, Will Johnson, Uri Rosell, Scott Sutter. Forwards: Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, Dom Dwyer. Bench: Earl Edwards Jr., RJ Allen, Tony Rocha, Stefano Pinho, Richie Laryea, Dillon Powers, Josué Colmán. Atlanta United (4-2-3-1) Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan. Defenders: Mikey Ambrose. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, Michael Parkhurst, Franco Escobar. Defensive Midfielders: Jeff Larentowicz, Julian Gressel. Attacking Midfielders: Ezequiel Barco, Miguel Almiron, Hector Villalba. Forward: Josef Martinez. Bench: Alec Kann, Sal Zizzo, Kevin Kratz, Brandon Vazquez, Romario Williams, Miles Robinson, Andrew Carleton. Referees Ref: Kevin Stott. AR1: Cameron Blanchard. AR2: Adam Garner. 4th: Fotis Bazakos. VAR: Dave Gantar. How to Watch Match Time: 7 p.m. ET. Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, GA. TV: ESPN, ESPN Deportes. Radio: FM 96.9 The Game (English), La Nueva 990 (Spanish). Streaming: Watch ESPN, ESPN3. Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City's official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC). Match Thread Rules This is your live thread for posting comments on the match. So use our comments section below to talk about the game in real time with other supporters. If you’re new, welcome to our happy home! While you’re here, please observe a few basic rules: Absolutely no links to illegal streams. They can get us in trouble, and no one wants that. Try not to be the person who spews nothing but venom and hate for the team. It’s OK to be critical, and, let’s face it, sometimes even the best teams can be frustrating to watch, but being overly negative relentlessly can sap the enjoyment for others. Keep it somewhat clean and fair when criticizing players / officials. You never know who might be reading.<doc-sep>Orlando City was in a tough spot on Saturday night. The Lions were looking to put an end to a seven-game league losing streak, but they were challenged to do it against the top club in the MLS table, Atlanta United (11-3-4, 37 points), on the road in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Those aren’t exactly the ingredients for a turnaround performance, but stranger things have happened. Well, they didn’t happen on Saturday. Orlando (6-10-1, 19 points) left Atlanta with its eighth straight MLS loss, this time a 4-0 loss led by a brace from Miguel Almiron. Bobby Murphy stuck with the 3-4-3, opting to play defensively and look for counter-attack opportunities. Atlanta United didn’t let City hang around and build confidence at all, getting the party started right out of the gate in the third minute thanks to the right foot of Josef Martinez. Orlando’s plan to absorb pressure quickly backfired as Julian Gressel played a pretty, curling ball in from the right flank that found its way past Amro Tarek and Lamine Sane before connecting with the on-running Martinez, who slotted it home into the bottom corner as he slid to ground. Joe Bendik had virtually no chance to stop it, and Atlanta went ahead very early. The mission for the Lions very quickly became to withstand the onslaught, as United looked threatening after the early goal and appeared ready to bust the match wide open a number of times. After a careless Orlando turnover in minute five, Atlanta hit on the counter and missed a chance to make it 2-0 when a streaking Martinez played a low cross from the left that rolled all the way across the face of goal without finding a red and black foot. Once again, in minute 12, United created a dangerous situation that the Lions were fortunate to get out of when Almiron played a ball across the face of goal that deflected behind the goal off Jonathan Spector’s leg. Things continued in the same vein for a while, with Orlando City playing on the back foot and Atlanta looking by far the more dangerous side. There were moments in the first half where the Lions appeared listless, reeling from their seven-game skid and deflated even more by Atlanta’s early goal. Things improved a bit toward the end of the half, however, and the Lions were actually a bit unlucky to go into the break a goal down. In minute 38, Chris Mueller won a corner after corralling the ball off a set piece, spinning away from a defender, and sending the ball towards goal before it was deflected out behind for a corner. On the resulting corner, Mueller got a head on the ball that fell in the six-yard box for Spector, whose shot was deflected by Guzan and bounced around for Tarek to charge onto. The center back couldn’t put it home, however, as former Lion Mikey Ambrose got to it first and cleared it off the line. On the ensuing corner, Guzan charged out to punch the in-swinging cross but misjudged its path as he was beaten in the air by Tarek, whose header sailed just wide of the right post, and Atlanta escaped the sequence unscathed. Will Johnson got a chance at a header at the death of the half after Hector Villalba turned it over and Tarek took advantage and sent a ball in from the left side. Johnson’s header looped over the bar, however, and the half ended 1-0 to Atlanta. The Lions may have steadied the ship (relatively) in the first half, but a team like Atlanta, which is the highest-scoring club in MLS, can flip a game on its head quickly. A few minutes into the second half, that’s exactly what happened. After Mueller and Tarek managed to get to the end line in the box for Orlando on back-to-back sequences, the latter managed to win a corner. The set piece went awry when Johnson whiffed on a pass and United was out on the break, and a few seconds later Almiron made it 2-0 after slotting past Bendik. Martinez had received the ball near midfield, charged forward, and dished the assist. Just two minutes later, Ezequiel Barco made it 3-0 after putting back a rebound after Almiron curled one onto the crossbar, and the rout that felt close early in the game was officially on. Almiron put a bow on the win for Atlanta in the 78th minute when he beat a stumbling Spector and got himself into another 1-v-1 situation with Bendik, which he converted with a five-hole finish between Bendik’s legs from an acute angle. Almiron was denied a hat trick by a Mohamed El-Munir block on a breakaway in the 85th minute and the AR’s flag was up anyway. The Lions just couldn’t get on the scoreboard, missing a couple chances toward the end of the first half and blowing their most clear-cut chance of the night in minute 61 as well. After Uri Rosell fired a shot from distance that a diving Guzan parried back in front of goal, Johnson was unable to simply slot home into the resulting open net, instead scuffing it wide of the goal. So it went for Orlando on the evening, continuing the long run of futility that has now seen the Lions outscored 23-5 on aggregate since a loss to Atlanta started the losing streak in May. The shutout this week was the third on the spin for Orlando, which ties the club’s record. Saturday’s match was the last that Orlando will play under Interim Head Coach Bobby Murphy, as new hire James O’Connor will take the reins and look to get things back on track following the dismissal of former Head Coach Jason Kreis. Murphy went 0-2 in MLS play and saw his team out-scored 6-0, but he did manage to get the team into the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals with a penalty shootout win. Orlando City’s last league win came way back on May 6 against Real Salt Lake.<doc-sep>After a tame 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers, Atlanta United takes on a struggling Orlando City in front of an expected crowd of over 70,000 people. Darlington Nagbe’s long-term injury means a switch in the midfield is necessary, but how does Tata Martino approach it? Does he continue to stick with the 4-3-3 formation as he has the past couple of matches? Let’s try and answer these questions as best as we can. Here is the definite, surefire lineup for June 30. * *I’m probably wrong. Formation: 4-3-3. Uhhhhh so I guess Martino likes the 4-3-3 again? In fairness, I think most fans prefer it for the generally more exciting and attacking lineup that it naturally is. Cheers to more of it. Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan. Left Back: Mikey Ambrose. Center Back #1: Leandro Gonzalez Pirez. Center Back #2: Michael Parkhurst. Right Back: Franco Escobar. Orlando has used twelve different backline combinations in sixteen matches this season. The difference between a good defense and a bad one is consistency a lot of the time. Nothing proves that more than what we’ve seen from each of these teams in 2018. Central Midfielder #1: Jeff Larentowicz. Central Midfielder #2: Julian Gressel. With Nagbe out, someone has to step in. Gressel did just that when Nagbe went down against Portland. Although Martino teased the potential of Kevin Kratz starting after Friday’s training, he seemed much more interested in the idea of Gressel and a certain Argentinian winger coming through. Attacking Midfielder: Miguel Almiron. Left Winger: Ezequiel Barco. Right Winger: Tito Villalba. I’m a simple man. When Villalba starts, I’m happy. Even when he isn’t playing particularly well, he’s still able to stretch an opposing backline with his pace and create more space for teammates like Almiron, Barco, and Josef Martinez who absolutely thrive in it. Striker: Josef Martinez. Speaking of....oh and also he hates his mask and doesn’t want to wear it anymore. Y’all pray for his nose. The doctor said he’s supposed to have it on for at least another five weeks. Yikes. To recap, here’s the projected lineup against Orlando City. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.<doc-sep>Orlando City SC hired James O'Connor as its new head coach on Friday and he will make his debut on July 7 when Orlando City plays LAFC. Interim coach Bobby Murphy will coach the Lions on Saturday when they visit Atlanta United. O'Connor will coach Louisville City FC of the United Soccer League Saturday for the final time. He has a 56-21-27 record in three-plus seasons with the club. NEWS: There's a new boss in town. #WelcomeHome to new City Head Coach, James O'Connor! 📝 https://t.co/nbH0FKQ82N#FaceOfCity — Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) June 29, 2018 "This has been a difficult decision for myself and my family and in such a short space of time," O'Connor said via the Louisville City website. "While I will be forever grateful for my time here with Louisville City FC, the opportunity to coach in Major League Soccer is simply one I cannot pass up. "To be able to build a club from the ground up and to experience the successes we've had in just over three years is something I am very proud of. O'Connor, 38, replaces Jason Kreis, who was fired in mid-June after the team's sixth-straight setback. Orlando City has currently lost seven games in a row. "James was our top target going into the coaching search," Lions general manager Niki Budalic said. "He has proven himself a consistent winner as both a player and coach at the USL level, and now is extremely eager to prove himself in MLS. "James is very aware of the winning culture we have built in Orlando and what it will take to uphold that tradition in both the short and long-term. We couldn't be more excited for him to get started."<doc-sep>
Full-time: That’s it. Atlanta hands Orlando their eighth straight loss. 78’ - Atlanta United 4, Orlando City 0: Have yourself a day, Miguel Almiron. Finally we get to see him make a mockery of the opposing defense and score from a tight angle. So many times has he had this shot save, finally he gets it to go for an amazing goal. 56’ - Atlanta United 3, Orlando City 0: Oh boy. It’s getting ugly for Orlando now. Ezequiel Barco makes it 3-0 after collecting an Almiron shot off the crossbar. 54’ - Atlanta United 2, Orlando City 0: Finally, after dominating the majority of play, Atlanta extend their lead. A deadly counter attack started by Tito Villalba was finished off by Miguel Almiron. Martinez ➡️ Almirón. The dynamic duo is at it again. #ATLvORL https://t.co/vZgZxBxpYB — Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 1, 2018 4’ - Atlanta United 1, Orlando City 0: What a start for the Five Stripes as Josef Martinez has scored his 15th goal of the season early on to give the home side the lead. A ball in from Julian Gressel somehow made it past three Orlando defenders to Josef for the nice finish. #️⃣1️⃣5️⃣ on the year That didn't take long, @JosefMartinez17 pic.twitter.com/XsIAD9Gr5u — Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) June 30, 2018 Pre-game: Your favorite maybe a rivalry, maybe not a rivalry, totally, definitely is a rivalry is back. Orlando City visits Mercedes-Benz Stadium tonight to take on Atlanta United in the second match-up of the two Southeastern rivals of 2018. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last two months or even worse, don’t follow us on Twitter, you probably know that Orlando has hit a bit of a rough patch in their season. And by “bit of a rough patch,” I mean the equivalent of the Titanic hitting the iceberg. The Lions are riding an impressive seven-game losing streak coming into this match-up. You just know that the Five Stripes will be aching to extend that number to eight in this one. Before we all start pronouncing Orlando dead and buried before kickoff, let’s remember that it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Atlanta lately either. While they haven’t gone on historically bad losing streaks, they aren’t looking like the best team in the league as their points total suggests. Lack of finishing remains a problem and now individuals like Miguel Almiron and Josef Martinez are starting to slump a bit. Can Atlanta United get back to their dominant ways at the expense of their rivals or will Orlando City revive their season at the right time and add on to Atlanta’s worries? Buckle up for another fun edition of [insert clever rivalry name we’ve yet to come up with]. Note: We’re trying something new with our match threads this year. We’ll be updating the post with updates of goals and big moments as they happen. Check back every so often during the match for highlights and commentary. Atlanta United’s Lineup: Orlando City’s Lineup: How to Watch Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium Kickoff Time: 7:00 p.m. ET Available TV: ESPN Available Streaming: WATCHESPN Available Radio: 92.9 The Game (English), AT&T Countdown to Kickoff (FB Live/Periscope), La Mejor 1600 AM (Spanish) This thread will be your match thread. We don’t have many rules here. We just ask that you don’t insult each other personally and treat each other with respect. Debates can get heated and that’s fine, but name-calling and petty insults will get you banned. If you see a comment that you feel is out of line, please report it and it will be dealt with.