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Orlando City travels to Chicago to face Fire

After a disappointing 2-0 loss to the Columbus Crew on Saturday, Orlando City is looking to turn things around and play a winnable game away from home against Chicago.

Orlando City (4-6-4, 16 points) will face Chicago Fire (2-8-5, 11 points) on Wednesday at Soldier Field (MLS Season Pass, 8:30 a.m.).

“We concede a lot of goals and I feel like we always say 'next game, next game', but I think we also need to take a bit of responsibility,” said midfielder Dagur Dan Thórhallsson about the team's difficulties. “It's up to us to turn things around, up to us as a team, and I think we need to try very hard if we want to achieve anything this year.”

Columbus Crew midfielder Alexandru Maţan (20) goes past Orlando City midfielder Dagur Thorhallsson (right) during the second half of an MLS soccer game May 25 in Orlando. (John Raoux/Associated Press)

The good news for the Lions is that they have done very well against Chicago in recent years. Orlando City has four wins and one draw in their last five games against Chicago. The Lions are also unbeaten in their last four away games and have put in great performances in several away games.

They face a team in Chicago that is evolving and can still pose a challenge despite their lackluster form. Their more direct style of play can be difficult to overcome and Orlando City have struggled to get past their opponents at times this season.

“I also see a team that is changing things. Their structure in the last game was changed. We are adapting to those things. I think basically if we have that optimism and think about our team, we can get our result,” said Lions coach Oscar Pareja. “They are probably more direct than Columbus and they have good players. We have to be very skillful to penetrate and not let up. That's what we asked of our players.”

Rising Lions host MLS defending champion Columbus

Orlando hopes to have captain Robin Jansson back in the starting lineup after recovering from an ankle injury. His presence was sorely missed against Columbus, and his leadership on the field has been key to holding the Lions' defense together in tough situations this season.

Mikey Halliday (right knee), Duncan McGuire (right shoulder) and Tahir Reid-Brown (left thigh) are not available for the Lions.

Next game

  • Orlando City vs Chicago Fire: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Soldier Field (MLS Season Pass)

Anna Harden

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