Our prediction for this MLS match:
Columbus Crew
Match Time & Date:
21/07/2018
07:30 PM
Prediction: 3-2
Orlando City
Sunday’s football game at MAPFRE Stadium pits together Columbus Crew and Orlando City. Columbus aim to make amends for back-to-back defeats to the likes of LA Galaxy and New York City, whilst Orlando City want to give fans yet another reason for celebration following a 2-1 victory over Toronto. The Lions did well to put an end to their nine-game winless run in MLS, but they should not stop now. Orlando City need to keep on raising their form if they are to make it to the play-offs and we predict that the visitors are going to adopt an attack-minded approach in Sunday’s clash. However, seeing that the Lions have been struggling on the back when playing on the road, we do not believe that they are capable of spoiling Columbus Crew’s party at MAPFRE Stadium. In their last meeting in MLS Columbus recorded a hard-fought 1-0 win over Orlando City.
Highlighted Player (Cristian Martinez):
Cristian Martinez is a Columbus Crew midfielder who was born in Panama City on February 6, 1997. Martinez began his senior career in 2012 at local club Chorrillo, but after four years he was sent on loan to MLS club Columbus Crew. The Panama footballer found the net for Columbus on his MLS debut on June 1, 2016, becoming the youngest goal scorer in the club history.
Cristian Martinez played for the likes of Pittsburgh Riverhounds and FC Cincinnati on loan as well, but in 2018 he returned to the MAPFRE Stadium outfit. The Columbus footballer made his debut for Panama national football team against El Salvador on February 18, 2016, coming as a substitute for Armando Cooper in the 78th minute of the match.
Martinez made his first start for Panama in a 1-0 loss to Nicaragua in a friendly game on March 16, 2016. The Columbus midfielder has five caps for Panama U20 team as well as he represented los Ticos at the 2017 CONCACAF U20 Championship.
Highlighted Team (Orlando City):
Orlando City are a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer. The Lions have been participating in the major league since 2015 and they host their rivals at Orlando City Stadium. The venue was opened in February, 2017 and the construction of the stadium cost $155 million. Orlando City finished the 2015 MLS season in seventh place in the Eastern Conference and they failed to make it to the play-offs in the 2016 season as well (8th place).
Brazilian ace Kaka is undisputedly the club’s most famous player and the former Real Madrid and Milan man became the highest-paid player in MLS history. His base salary was $6.6 million per year and it has to be noted that the Brazilian superstar found the net on his Orlando City debut against FC Dallas (friendly). Orlando City’s home kit is violet, while they wear white and violet shirts and white socks on the travels. The club’s official mascot is Kingston the Lion.
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