By Official Florida FC
Orlando City will host Charlotte FC to kick off the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.
The Lions qualified for the postseason for the fifth straight year.
Orlando City (15-12-7, 52 points) was the best of the rest in the Eastern Conference, finishing fourth behind this year’s Supporter’s Shield winners Inter Miami; 2023 MLS Cup champion and 2024 Leagues Cup winner Columbus Crew as well as 2023 Supporter’s Shield winners Cincinnati FC. Orlando City’s season started auspiciously, but since moving Facu Torres to the No. 10 role, the Lions have roared.
Torres scored a club-high 14 goals in the MLS regular season. His stats are marginally better than 2023, but his impact is far higher. Orlando City is 9-0-3 in matches where Torres has scored this season.
Charlotte will take solace that one of those draws was a 2-2 draw in North Carolina in June.
Orlando and Charlotte have been evenly matched since Charlotte joined MLS in 2022. Orlando has three wins, two draws and a pair of losses to their Southern rival over the last three seasons. Charlotte ended Orlando’s run as national champion last year when it eliminated the Lions from the U.S. Open Cup.
Charlotte has not lost since its 2-0 setback at Inter&Co. Stadium on Sept. 18. Torres and Duncan McGuire scored in that one. At the time, few could have envisioned that Charlotte would earn 13 of a possible 15 points down the stretch to secure a postseason berth.
MLS is in the second year of its convoluted playoff format where nine teams from each conference qualify, a play a Best-of-three series is used in the first round. The conference semifinals, conference final and MLS Cup are all one-off, single elimination contests at the home of the higher seed.
Orlando City will host both Game 1 on Sunday, Oct. 27. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. The series heads to Charlotte for Game 2 on Friday, Nov. 1.
Barring something unforeseen, Orlando City would travel to South Florida to face Inter Miami in a conference semifinal if it can eliminate Charlotte.
