WASHINGTON – Orlando City SC (13-7-9, 48 points) earned a point on the road after a 1-1 draw against D.C. United (5-15-10, 25 points) at Audi Field on Saturday night.
Jackson Hopkins put the home side ahead in the 33rd minute after receiving a diagonal ball in the box and turning into space to fire home a shot. Alex Freeman, who recently returned from international duty with the U.S. Men’s National Team, scored the equalizer eight minutes into the second half, heading in a rebound from Marco Pașalić’s long-ranged effort.
Orlando City, currently sixth in the Eastern Conference, returns home next weekend to host a key matchup against fourth-placed Nashville SC (15-10-5, 50 points) with just five regular season games remaining. The top four teams in each conference earn homefield advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 Series in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Match Notes:
- Defender Alex Freeman scored his fifth goal of the season, the fifth-most on the team.
- Defender Rodrigo Schlegel made his 175th appearance across all competitions for the Lions and his 150th start.
- Due to a red card picked up in the match against Nashville SC, forward Luis Muriel missed the match against D.C. United serving his suspension.
- Head Coach Oscar Pareja made four changes to the Starting XI after the side’s last match against the LA Galaxy, with David Brekalo, Joran Gerbet, Robin Jansson and Duncan McGuire returning to the starting lineup.
Goal Highlights:
33’ Jackson Hopkins (Conner Antley, João Peglow) – DC 1, ORL 0
53’ Alex Freeman – ORL 1, DC 1
Next Match: Orlando City will next return home to host Nashville SC at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 20. That match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
