Orlando City and New York City FC both began their time in the MLS against each other on the same pitch at the Citrus Bowl to open up the season. Now, they're sharing the pitch again, this time in the Bronx, though both clubs are hoping to improve upon their 1-1 draw from opening day.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Thanks to its recent form, NYCFC is a relatively heavy favorite in this match. The Sky Blues aren't quite of the odds-on variety at this point, but they're darn close at +105 on the moneyline.
You can find Orlando City at +0.5 (-125) on the other end of the Asian Handicap, or they are available at +260 on the moneyline.
The total is fairly level at a flat 2.5.
KEY INJURIES
Orlando City has been ravaged by injuries of late. The team is playing without Kevin Molino and Martin Paterson for the long run, while Brek Shea and Harrison Heath both look to be embarking upon relatively long absences.
Manager Adrian Heath also won't be around for this match for the Lions after he was issued a red card last week against the New York Red Bulls.
Suspensions are also hurting both of these teams on the pitch as well. For City, Jason Hernandez and Ned Grabavoy will both be sitting this one out, while Orlando City will be without its top rookie, Cyle Larin and Cristian Higuita.
Frank Lampard, one of NYCFC's designated players, has been out with a calf strain. Connor Brandt, Javier Calle and Sebastian Velasquez are all question marks as well.
Mix Diskerud remains with the United States men's soccer team at the Gold Cup and will not return until next week.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"He's not healthy. We really thought last week, based on the severity of the calf injury, that we'd have a player who would be available this weekend, but plans change and reality sometimes don't mesh. He's still carrying the calf injury, and we're not going to take a risk with it. Our midfielder is clearly going to need to step up against Orlando City." – New York City FC manager Jason Kreis on Frank Lampard's injury and the situation in the NYCFC midfield
RECENT FORM
Orlando City is coming off of a very disappointing home stand. The team lost both of its matches against FC Dallas and the Red Bulls by matching 2-0 score lines.
City came out on the wrong end of a defensive battle last weekend against New England, losing 1-0. That snapped a streak of six out of seven matches with at least a result to get back into the chase in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
TALKING TOTALS
The Lions have played six straight matches under the total, and five of those six have featured exactly two goals. Had OCSC had a little better fortune offensively in any of those matches though, they easily could have gone past the number.
Perhaps it shouldn't have been shocking to see New York City FC play an under match after its wild 4-4 game against Toronto FC two weekends ago. Still, the 1-0 match against the Revs was City's first under game since June 20, a span of three consecutive overs.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
This is a really tough match to call considering the fact that both of these teams have so many holes to fill thanks to injuries, suspensions and Gold Cup duties. We're a little worried as well that Orlando City has to play in the US Open Cup on Wednesday before turning around and playing this duel on Sunday, but we have seen Heath get this team ready by slotting in a bunch of friendlies in the middle of weeks in the past as well.
To us, it's a little ridiculous that, in a game which has the potential to be as wide open as this one, that Orlando City is such a big underdog. Kaka is still the best player on the pitch, and even though the men in purple aren't known for their fantastic midfield, this is clearly NYCFC's weakness.
We suspect that the visitors will get back into form in this match and take the spoils.
Orlando City 2, New York City FC 0
BookMaker has MLS lines for every match of the season. New York City FC is lined as a +105 moneyline favorite, while the total is set at 2.5. You can make a futures bet and predict the champion, wager on head-to-head matchups or use BookMaker’s live betting feature to gamble while the match is happening.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The fixture between New York City FC and Orlando City is scheduled for Sunday, July 26, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, NY. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
