By Favian Renkel
Orlando City wraps up Phase One of the 2025 Leagues Cup on August 6, hosting Liga MX’s Club Necaxa at Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. local time, with live streaming available on Apple TV.
HEAD TO HEAD
- 1st ever meeting
- Record at Leagues Cup: Orlando (5-4), Tijuana (1-5)
LAST FIVE GAMES
- Orlando City
- 3 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Loss
- Lost to Pumas in penalties in their first match, but bounced back with a 3-1 win over Atlas in their second game.
- Necaxa
- 2 Wins, 2 Draws, 1 Loss
- Started off the tournament with an impressive 3-1 over Atlanta, but lost to Inter Miami in penalties on game 2.
MAIN STORYLINES
- Both of these teams sit just outside of the top 4 in their respective tables (Necaxa 6th, Orlando 7th) so they will need a win and to score as many goals as possible for those goal differential points.
- Orlando City is currently on a streak of 18 games scoring a goal across all competition
- Tomás Badaloni has been a revelation for Necaxa this tournament with three goals. He's one of four players to score at least through 2 games.
KEY FACTORS
- Orlando City
- Martin Ojeda Ojeda has registered a goal or assist in each of Orlando’s last 12 games.
- Will Orlando City score first? Orlando have opened the scoring in each of their last four home matches.
- Will Óscar Pareja choose a different striker to start out of their three options, Luis Muriel, Duncan McGuire and Ramon Enrique?
- Necaxa
- Can Tomas Badaloni do it again and get on the scoresheet for the third game in a row?
- Can Pavel Perez show up in a big game? He already has two goals in Liga MX this season but none in Leagues Cup.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Orlando City finds itself in a position few anticipated. After collecting four points from their first two matches, the Lions remain in the hunt for one of the final quarterfinal spots. Their path is simple: win in regulation and score as many goals as possible.
Club Necaxa faces a similar scenario. The Mexican side is coming off a tough loss to Inter Miami CF — a match in which Lionel Messi exited early due to injury and Miami played nearly the entire game with 10 men. That missed opportunity now forces Necaxa into a must-win situation.
Orlando currently sits on four points, alongside Minnesota United, LA Galaxy, Columbus Crew, FC Cincinnati, and New York Red Bulls. Among that group, only Minnesota and LA Galaxy boast a superior goal differential, placing Orlando in a competitive yet urgent position. A strong attacking performance could be decisive.
Home-field advantage works in the Lions’ favor, but the scheduling doesn’t. With other tied teams playing later, Orlando won’t have the benefit of knowing exactly how many goals they’ll need. As a result, Oscar Pareja’s squad must assume the worst and adopt an aggressive game plan from the outset. Fans can expect an attack-minded lineup focused on scoring early and often.
There is, however, an alternate path to qualification. If Orlando wins in regulation and one of Inter Miami, Columbus Crew, Seattle Sounders, or Portland Timbers loses their final match, the Lions would reach seven points and likely advance without relying on goal differential.
Necaxa’s qualification scenario mirrors Orlando’s: a regulation win likely puts them through. A draw, however, would leave them needing help — relying on teams like Juárez, Mazatlán, Toluca, and Pumas UNAM to drop points in their respective finales.
With so much at stake, this is essentially a knockout game — with a twist: both teams must not only win but do so with authority, or risk elimination.
