Two teams in complete opposite form will clash in the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs on Monday evening as red-hot Orlando City plays host to Leagues Cup finalists Nashville SC at Exploria Stadium. Kick-off for Game 2 of this best-of-three series is scheduled for 7 PM ET. Game 2 is set for November 7th in the Music City while Game 3 is on November 12th, if necessary, back in Florida. Orlando finished as the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference during the regular season and finished the campaign in fantastic shape. Nashville meanwhile comes in as the #7 seed but they’ve already had some playoff success in their short history. We’ll get more into that below. Continue reading for the Orlando City vs Nashville SC picks.
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Orlando is the favorite here with -110 moneyline odds to win outright. Nashville comes back at +260. The total in goals is set at 2.5. Regarding recent meetings, the visitors won the first clash of 2023 against Orlando but the Lions beat Nashville 1-0 back earlier this month.
You’d have a difficult time finding any club in the MLS that is coming into the playoffs in such fine form. Orlando has tasted defeat twice since the middle of June, also collecting 11 victories and four draws during that span. Oscar Pareja’s men have collected four straight wins heading into Tuesday’s massive encounter, taking down Montreal Nashville, New England, and Toronto. In the process, they conceded just twice and hit the back of the net nine times.
While there’s a plethora of players doing their part for this side, the clear stars are Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire. Torres is the leading man with 14 goals and three assists from the midfield, while McGuire has 13 goals and three assists as well. These two are an electrifying attacking duo who can create havoc against any opposition. McGuire in particular is finding on all cylinders right now, bagging five in his last five appearances. The American just netted a double against Toronto over a week ago.
This is only the Lions’ fourth time in the MLS Cup Playoffs, but it is the fourth in a row, which shows the club is clearly developing. They failed to make the postseason in their first five years. Orlando made it to the conference semifinals in 2020 but bowed out in the first round in back-to-back seasons prior to 2023. Orlando hasn’t lost on home soil since April 22nd, which is a very positive sign for the first game of this series versus Nashville. The confidence will be high.
Orlando is thriving, but Nashville is certainly not. The Boys in Gold were honestly lucky to even get into the playoffs after ending the campaign on such a poor note, grabbing a mere two wins in 10 outings since losing to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the Leagues Cup final in August. Reigning Golden Boot winner Hany Mukhtar is the one Nashville typically relies on to produce the goods in the final third and although he had 15 goals and nine assists, the German hit a cold spell over the last month. He hasn’t scored since September 23rd, failing to find the back of the net in six consecutive matches. To put his importance into perspective, the squad won just one of those games.
Gary Smith’s outfit finished with a 13-11-10 record in the regular season for 49 points, scoring only 39 goals in 34 fixtures. Their backline stayed solid, however, conceding only 32 times. That’s a big reason they managed to sneak into the playoffs without going through the Wild Card. In Nashville’s most recent game, they lost 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls. Like most teams, the Boys in Gold weren’t great on the road this term, compiling a 4-7-6 record compared to 9-4-4 at home.
Losing Tuesday away wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it does put Nashville in a win-or-go-home situation next week. Smith’s men do know what it takes to beat Orlando though, snatching a convincing three points with a 2-0 win earlier in 23′. There is no question Mukhtar has to show up if they’re going to get to the next round. He is undoubtedly their talisman.
The playoffs are a whole different beast, but it’s tough to look past Orlando’s form. I expect them to take a 1-0 lead in the series on Tuesday. Lock in the moneyline here.
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