The visitors, meanwhile, have enjoyed an unbeaten start to their MLS campaign, winning one and drawing one of their opening two games, leaving them in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Match preview

DC United head coach Wayne Rooney during the first half against Toronto FC at Audi Field on February 25, 2023 © Reuters

When it comes to the previous campaign, that is something that DC United will want to improve upon, considering they finished bottom of the Eastern Conference.

Wayne Rooney's men have already been looking to put that right after kick-starting this season with three points against Toronto, providing themselves with the perfect platform to launch into this campaign with.

The Black-and-Red left things extremely late in securing that win though as it took a 98th-minute goal from Theodore Ku-DiPietro to defeat Toronto 3-2

However, Rooney's side suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Columbus Crew last weekend, courtesy of a brace from Lucas Zelarayan.

Those results leave DC United in ninth place in the Eastern Conference after two games played.

Orlando City SC head coach Oscar Pareja during the second half against the New York Red Bulls at Exploria Stadium on February 25, 2023 © Reuters

Oscar Pareja's Orlando City got their season off to a winning start with a 1-0 win at home to New York Red Bulls, thanks to a penalty from 17-year-old forward Facundo Torres midway through the second half.

However, they failed to follow that victory up with another win against Cincinnati, instead sharing the spoils with Chris Albright's side in a goalless stalemate.

Orlando also played out a 0-0 draw in the first leg of their last 16 CONCACAF Champions League tie with Tigres at the Estadio Universitario on Tuesday night, which saw the Lions record their third clean sheet in as many contests in 2023, setting a new club record of 270 minutes without conceding to start a campaign, surpassing the previous mark set a year ago at 192.

The Lions managed to pick up 21 points from the 17 games they played on the road last year, but scoring goals was a problem for Orlando last season with their tally of 44 being the joint-third worst in the Eastern Conference.

DC United Major League Soccer form:

Orlando City Major League Soccer form:

Orlando City form (all competitions):

Team News

DC United midfielder Mateusz Klich (43) reacts after scoring a goal against Toronto FC during the first half at Audi Field on February 25, 2023 © Reuters

The hosts will be without the services of Martin Rodriguez for the bulk of this season after he tore his ACL in his right knee, providing them with an early blow.

Yamil Asad could make his first start since rejoining the Black-and-Red, after spending the 2022 season with Universidad Catolica in the Chilean first division.

As for the visitors, Oscar Pareja will not want to make many alterations to a defence that is yet to concede this season.

Therefore, Pedro Gallese will retain his place between the sticks after he recorded his third shutout in as many contests of the campaign.

Felipe Martins made his debut for the Lions midfield against Tigres and he could push for a place in the starting XI this weekend, while Ramiro Enrique will be eager to keep his place in attack, after making his first start for the club in Mexico in midweek.

DC United possible starting lineup:
Miller; Najar, Birnbaum, Williams, Jeahze; Durkin, Canouse, Klich, Santos; Robertha, Benteke

Orlando City possible starting lineup:
Gallese; Halliday, Schlegel, Jansson, Petrasso; Pereyra, Araujo; Torres, Ojeda, Angulo; Enrique

SM words green background

We say: DC United 1-1 Orlando City

DC United had one of the worst home records in the division last season, and given the defensive stability that Orlando have shown in their opening two MLS games, we think that the spoils will be shared in an evenly-matched contest this weekend.

How to watch

You can watch DC United vs. Orlando City and every MLS match this season live on Apple TV. Click here for more details on how to subscribe.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.