The Boys in Gold will hit the road Monday to take on Orlando City SC in the First Round of the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs in a Best of Three series. This is the first year MLS has used this new Best of Three series format for Round One, which will see Nashville SC play Game One on Monday at 6 p.m. CT in Orlando.
This meeting between the Boys in Gold and Orlando City SC will mark the third time these teams have met this season, with Nashville SC winning the first meeting thanks to goals from Fafà Picault and Hany Mukhtar and dropping the second. The Boys in Gold have faced off against Orlando 10 times through all competitions, holding an all-time record of 3W-5D-2L.
Date: Monday, October 30, 2023
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Exploria Stadium (Orlando, FL)
Radio: 104.5 The Zone and the 104.5 The Zone App
Prepped and Ready – After a long, busy regular season filled with exciting matches and tournament runs, the Boys in Gold have now had time to rest up and prepare for the first match in the first round of the MLS Playoffs.
“I do think the window of time we’ve had between the last league game and the first playoff game has been a very helpful one in terms of preparation, gives everyone a bit of time to recover, regroup and most importantly to recalibrate their minds,” said Head Coach Gary Smith. “It’s a different phase of the season with a different attitude and certainly a differently look to this playoff than in the past.”
“Different playoff format, probably been discussed quite a bit but our preparation stays the same heading into any game that we play,” said Captain Walker Zimmerman. “We’ve had a lot of pretty good matches against Orlando over the past couple years. There’s a lot of history and intensity there in those games but I think it’s going to be a really good match.”
Familiar Foe – Since coming into the league, Nashville SC has faced Orlando City SC more than any other team in MLS. Smith and the Boys in Gold will look to play this to their advantage in the first game of the Best of Three series.
“I think it does really help, especially since we have multiple players that have been part of a lot of those games in the past against Orlando. We’ve built up a competitive environment against them and it should be a good game,” said Gary Smith.
The Boys in Gold will return home for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday, November 7 at 8 p.m. CT. Secure your spot for the first MLS Cup Playoffs match ever at GEODIS Park now by clicking here.
