The New York Red Bulls (9-6-6, 33 pts.) will battle Orlando City FC in the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinals on Wednesday, July 27 at Exploria Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN+ and New York Red Bulls Radio in English and Spanish via TuneIn, the New York Red Bulls app and NewYorkRedBulls.com.Â
Get to know the matchup in Keys to the Game, presented by Honda:
Make the First Move
New York has scored first 15 times in games across all competition so far this season, including all four U.S. Open Cup matches so far.Â
They have won 12 of those games.
Scoring first has been a good omen so far this season and doing so in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal will heap the pressure on an Orlando team that has only scored twice in their last four matches.
Enter the Lion’s Den
Orlando City has made Exploria Stadium a fortress in the U.S. Open Cup.
All four of their Cup matches this season have come at home, while New York will be playing their third road match in the competition so far.
This might seem like a notable advantage for Orlando, but New York is 9-2-3 on the road this season across all competitions in 2022.
In New York’s last trip to Orlando on April 24, a Luquinhas goal in the 26th minute gave the Red Bulls a lead they wouldn’t relinquish in what ended up being a 3-0 rout.
Rest Rewarded?
With a focus on Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal match, Gerhard Struber rolled out a rotated squad against Austin FC.
Key players like Lewis Morgan, Frankie Amaya, Luquinhas and Aaron Long were held out completely, or did not play more than 45 minutes.
The extra rest could prove to be a deciding factor against an Orlando City team that had to play over 100 minutes in their July 23 matchup against Philadelphia.
