Orlando City SC vs. Columbus Crew SC | 2017 MLS Match Preview

Sam Stejskal

Orlando City SC vs. Philadelphia Union
2017 MLS Regular Season
Orlando City Stadium – Orlando, Fla.
Sunday, Oct. 15 – 5 pm ET
WATCH: MLS LIVE

Columbus Crew SC will be fighting for a home playoff game – Orlando City will be honoring a legend.

Sunday’s match took an added significance for Orlando on Wednesday, when Kaká announced that he won’t return to the club after his contract expires this winter. That means Sunday’s contest will be the final regular season home game in Central Florida for the Brazilian legend, with the Orlando City faithful sure to send him off in grand fashion.

While the match doesn’t have much significance for Orlando beyond Kaká, it has plenty of meaning for Columbus. Crew SC have already clinched their berth in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs, but will want to move up from their fifth position in the East before the end of the regular season. They’ll have a good shot at doing that if they grab three points on Sunday, which – pending other results – could vault them as high as third in the conference.

Orlando City SC

Suspended:None
Suspended next yellow card: D Leo Pereira
International duty: None
Injury report: OUT: GK Josh Saunders (neck injury), M Cristian Higuita (calf injury)

Projected Starting Lineup
(4-4-2 diamond, left to right)
GK: Joe Bendik – Donny Toia, Jonathan Spector, Seb Hines, Scott Sutter – Antonio Nocerino, Yoshimar Yotun, Giles Barnes, Servando Carrasco – Kaká, Dom Dwyer

Columbus Crew SC

Suspended: None
Suspended next yellow card: M Justin Meram
International duty: None
Injury report: OUT: D Gaston Sauro (left PCL surgery), M Ben Swanson (right ankle surgery), D Alex Crognale (sports hernia surgery); QUESTIONABLE: D Waylon Francis

Projected Starting Lineup
(4-2-3-1, left to right)
GK: Zack Steffen – Hector Jimenez, Josh Williams, Jonathan Mensah, Harrison Afful – Artur, Wil Trapp – Justin Meram, Federico Higuain, Pedro Santos – Ola Kamara

All-Time Series

Columbus have dominated the all-time series between the sides, posting a 3-1-3 record in seven regular season games between the clubs. They last met on Aug. 19, when they drew 1-1 in Orlando.