Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Back a Union Victory and Carranza to Roar in the Lions’ Den

Jack Collins here from The Game Day to look at a midweek matchup between two sides currently holding down Playoff spots in the East as Philadelphia Union make the trip south to face Orlando City. 

Orlando’s slow start has given way to brighter skies, and although they took a hit with a loss last time out on the road against the Revs, it feels like they’re still on an upslope. Meanwhile, the Union are one of just four clubs to have broken the 30-point threshold already this season and have both the Revs and Nashville in their sights, having played fewer games than both. 

Orlando City vs Philadelphia Union Odds

Orlando City vs Philadelphia Union betting lines are current as of Monday, June 19, at 12 p.m. ET and were found at bet365 Sportsbook.

• Orlando (+137) • Tie (+230) • Philadelphia (+162)

• Total Goals: Over 2.5 (-118) • Under 2.5 (-106)

• Both Teams To Score: Yes (-150) • No (+110)

Orlando City vs Philadelphia Union Match Prediction

Orlando City 1:2 Philadelphia Union

These two have already met this season when the Lions traveled to Philadelphia and picked up a 2-1 win on the road, which felt like a shock at the time. That said, bucking MLS tradition, Orlando are one of the few teams to have a better away record than home this year - picking up 14 points in 8 games on their travels and just 12 from nine fixtures at Exploria Stadium. 

It’s a bit of an anomaly, and that result at Subaru Park was the catalyst that started the whole thing off. It also makes this interesting, as Philadelphia’s road record is similar to Orlando’s home one - so we have a game on our hands! 

Saturday’s trip to New England didn’t go to plan for Oscar Pareja’s Lions. After a good streak of conceding one or fewer in five games before the weekend, they were comprehensively outplayed by the Revs, who put three past them. 

That said, it wasn’t all bad - but for a superb Earl Edwards Jr. save from Martin Odeja’s volley, Orlando would have been back on level pegging, and their chance creation was impressive despite the absence of several key players. 

Some of those will be back after this one. International duty continues for the likes of Wilder Cartegena and, in particular, Facundo Torres, who had finally started to come to life this season. Still, the Lions’ defense will be bolstered by the return of Antônio Carlos and Kyle Smith, who were missed in Foxborough.

Without Torres, Orlando will look to SuperDraft selection Duncan McGuire to continue to inspire. The 22-year-old, selected in the first round this season, has now netted five times for Orlando, despite making just four starts - the same number as Torres and Austrian No. 9 Ercan Kara. 

While the Austrian will likely still start, McGuire’s stock is on the rise, and he’s on course to emulate another rookie who set the league alight in Orlando’s famous purple in Daryl Dike. 

The Union have had a bit of a breather since their last fixture, last featuring in a 2-1 road loss to San Jose a week-and-a-half before this game, which will have allowed them to take stock after a breathless May schedule, but a schedule that had rocketed them up the East. 

That made it a shock loss, too - for most of April and May, it had felt like nobody had the answers to deal with Jim Curtin’s navy and gold machine. Even in that game, though, the Union were mostly fine - losing to an absolute beauty from Miguel Trauco, struck from miles out. 

It might not have been the overwhelming domination that we’d seen at times in the games before. Still, they created chances, and Julián Carranza was uncharacteristically wasteful, despite the fact he’s been playing gloriously of late. 

There are question marks over how Curtin deals with the injury to Damian Lowe, who has been brilliant since the change of shape that lit the rocket fuse under Philadelphia’s season. Still, this side are fresh from an extended break, have obvious match-winners in Daniel Gazdag and Carranza, and a point to prove. 

Orlando City vs Philadelphia Union Best Bet

Philadelphia to Win (+162) • bet365 Sportsbook

I don’t back the away win often, but given Orlando’s strange home form and the fact the Union have had an extra week to recover in a packed schedule, it makes sense to pick the visitors here. 

Julián Carranza Anytime Goalscorer (+175) • bet365 Sportsbook

The Argentine might have been wasteful in the loss in California, but there’s no doubting his pedigree. With five goals in his last five matches and only four players above him in the Golden Boot race, expect him to roar back here.