Orlando City and New England Prepare for MLS Regular Season Finale

Orlando City’s Final Stand: A Win for Home-Field Advantage

For a team that has been in “playoff mode” for weeks, the message from interim head coach Martín Perelman is refreshingly simple. “Now it’s one at a time. Now we focus on the next one,” Perelman said this week at Orlando Health Training Ground. Orlando City SC has already secured its place in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs, marking its seventh consecutive season reaching the postseason. But with the final match of the regular season looming, the Lions’ true challenge is not just to participate, but to dictate their own playoff destiny.

The Math of Motivation

Orlando enters Saturday’s regular-season finale against the New England Revolution in ninth place with 43 points. The stakes are crystalline: a win is the only path to moving up the Eastern Conference table. A draw or a loss would lock the Lions into ninth place and a road Wild Card match, a scenario that presents a significantly steeper uphill climb in the postseason. The top seven teams advance directly to the best-of-three Round One series, while the eighth and ninth seeds must first meet in the Wild Card round, adding an extra layer of pressure and travel.

The goal for Orlando is clear. A victory would push the Lions to 46 points. That single point could be monumental, potentially leapfrogging eighth-place Columbus Crew (44 points, at Chicago Fire FC) and drawing level with seventh-place FC Cincinnati (46 points, hosting Nashville SC). For Orlando to finish seventh, a specific combination of results is required: the Lions must win, Cincinnati must lose, and Columbus must either lose or draw. Eighth place, which would secure home-field advantage for the Wild Card match, would be locked in with an Orlando win coupled with a Columbus loss or draw. It’s a delicate dance, where Orlando’s own performance is only part of the equation.

2026 Training | Orlando City SC vs New England Revolution

“In the first 10 games, we were near the bottom of the standings, and now we’re in the playoffs, with the opportunity to finish in seventh place,” said forward Martín Ojeda. “I think that’s a credit to the hard work, and also to not being satisfied with anything, always demanding more, even when things don’t turn out the way we want.”

This is a team that understands resilience. After a difficult start, the Lions have battled through a transition period to clinch a playoff berth in the final weeks of the season. Recent results, however, are a cause for concern. Orlando is winless in its last three matches, drawing 2-2 with NYCFC and at Chicago, before suffering a heavy 0-4 defeat at Charlotte. Perelman, however, frames this not as a crisis, but as part of a season’s full body of work—a perspective the team is proud of.

Revolution Aim for Higher Seed

On the other side of the pitch stands the New England Revolution, a team in a race of its own. Sitting third in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Inter Miami CF, the Revolution have already secured their playoff position. The only question remaining is the order in which they finish. New England will need a better result than Miami on Saturday to claim the No. 2 seed. They arrive with significant momentum, having won four consecutive matches before a narrow 2-1 loss to Miami last Sunday.

It is what it is. After their 4-0 loss in Charlotte, Orlando City must beat New England on Decision Day. Full Presser: https://t.co/DD6SeCnK4P 📹 @OrlandoCitySC #orlandocitysc #orlandocity #vamosorlando #mls #CharlotteFC pic.twitter.com/HwFmbfdUAn

— https://x.com/lpo_podcast/status/2116884279808381006

Orlando knows firsthand the danger posed by the Revolution. In their previous meeting on Sept. 19 at Gillette Stadium, Ojeda converted a penalty in the 88th minute to pull the Lions level at 2-2. But New England, fueled by goals from Peyton Miller and a brace from Carles Gil, responded with two goals in stoppage time to secure a 4-2 victory. That match serves as both a warning and a motivator.

“We know they have great players, that they play very quickly and that they’re a very compact team,” Ojeda acknowledged. The key, he stressed, is to maintain focus on Orlando’s own performance. “The most important thing, even knowing what kind of opponent we’re facing, is focusing on ourselves. The most important thing is Orlando and what we do on the field.” The plan is to treat Saturday’s finale like a playoff game from the first whistle, ensuring they remain locked in for the full duration.

“Thankfully, we get to play this final at home with our fans, and I think that’s going to be very important for maintaining our energy throughout the entire game,” Ojeda added. “We need to maintain that intensity for 90, 95, 100 minutes, however long the match lasts. That’s what we’ve been training for: maintaining that intensity and staying compact defensively and offensively.”

This home-field advantage could be the decisive factor. The roar of the fans at Exploria Stadium can be a powerful catalyst, providing the energy needed to push through a tough opponent like New England. The Lions’ ability to stay connected and work together, as Ojeda described, will be tested against a Revolution side known for its quick, compact style of play.

For the Orlando City faithful, the season has always been about more than just making the playoffs. It’s about climbing, about proving the team’s mettle against the best in the league, and about giving the home supporters a team worth cheering for in the postseason. A win on Saturday doesn’t just secure a better position; it validates the journey. It shows a team that refused to be satisfied, that demanded more of itself, and that found a way to overcome a difficult start. The path forward may still depend on others, but the first step is entirely in their own hands.