Match Storylines: Fire welcome Orlando City SC as league play resumes

The Fire resume league play this weekend with a matchup against Eastern Conference foe Orlando City SC Sunday afternoon. Match coverage begins with kickoff at 3 p.m. CT on UniMas. The Fire will be looking to make a late push into the conference playoff hunt after their exit from the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament, and can begin that process by extending their home unbeaten run to 10 matches Sunday. Here are five storylines to keep an eye on as the Fire host the Lions this weekend:

On the rebound
With three combined 3-1 defeats in the last week among the two of them, both of these teams will be looking to right their respective ships when the ball is put into play on Sunday afternoon. Orlando fell to a resurgent Seattle Sounders side at home last Sunday, while the Fire have returned to Chicago after Tuesday's loss in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal. With a third of the season left to play, both teams are on the outside looking in in relation to the Eastern Conference playoff race. 

Orlando City sits in seventh place -- just below the red line -- level on points with New England but one victory behind them in the win column. The Fire currently sit eight points out of sixth place, but have as many as three games in hand on the Eastern Conference opponents as their focus returns to league play.

New faces and different places
Sunday’s matchup provides the latest look at the in-progress development that both of these sides are undergoing. Fire forward Luis Solignac -- who was acquired from Colorado last week -- could feature in an advanced attacking role on Sunday. It remains to be seen how head coach Veljko Paunovic will lay out his lineup, but Solignac’s presence alone could allow Michael de Leeuw to slide back into the hybrid No. 9/10 role that he prefers.

On the other side, Orlando City announced the hiring of head coach Jason Kreis on July 20 as a replacement to Adrian Heath, previously the only manager the club had known. In his first two games in charge, Kreis wasted no time in shaking up his team’s deployment. One-time U.S. national teamer Brek Shea has been moved further up the field from the left back spot, where he’s been a regular since returning to MLS. Additionally, recent acquisition Matias Perez Garcia – brought in during a trade with San Jose for Darwin Ceren prior to the closure of the league’s summer transfer window -- figures to get a look in midfield.

Fury road
Sunday afternoon’s tilt will be one featuring two sides that have struggled away from their respective home stadiums this season. Orlando have won just once outside Camping World Stadium in 2016, a 1-0 victory at Yankee Stadium over New York City FC back on March 18. Their overall record away from home entering this weekend stands at 1-5-4.

The Fire, on the other hand, will certainly welcome the opportunity to host. Dating back to mid-April, the Men In Red have been riding a nine-match unbeaten streak in games played within the confines of Toyota Park. Paunovic will certainly be looking to rebound from their last home match -- a 2-2 draw with the New York Red Bulls -- that, according to the head coach, felt like a loss.

Late-match magic
Whether it’s Orlando or Chicago doing the scoring, expect an interesting second half on Sunday afternoon for a couple of reasons. First, however you want to chalk it up, one thing Orlando City has going for them is their ability to find goals late in the game. Among all teams in the league, the Lions have scored more goals between minutes 60-90 than any other. For perspective, their 21 goals in that 30-minute timeframe tops second-place Portland’s total of 19, and is well high of the league average of 12.25.

There are two sides to every coin, though. The Lions have also allowed the most goals league-wide that same window of minutes 60-90 with 17 through this point in 2016. Their 1.77 goals allowed per game on average is also the highest total in the league for the category. Given these numbers, expect a ball or two to find net on Sunday as full time approaches.

Sharing the wealth
Sunday’s match marks the third time that Brazilian midfielder Kaka has visited Toyota Park in MLS or U.S. Open Cup play. The former Real Madrid and AC Milan man, who has yet to score against the Fire, has been a key figure in the team’s chance creation and transition from defense to attack throughout both his career and the 2016 season. As a team, Orlando City's 36 assists marks the league’s fifth-highest total at this point in the season. Kaka has registered assists of his own in back-to-back games, and his seven helpers overall is the fifth-highest total in the league. Next to him on the league-leaders list is teammate Kevin Molino, who has seven helpers to his credit as well.