Teal Bunbury and Nashville SC are keen to make home advantage count for the remainder of the season as they welcome Orlando City SC to GEODIS Park this weekend.
Nashville have not played on home soil since July 19, playing their last three games on the road, losing all three against San Diego FC, St. Louis City SC and New York City FC.
Their latest result saw them fail to hold on to a one-goal lead as strikes from Andres Perea and Alonso Martinez sealed an important victory for playoff-chasing NYCFC.
Nashville’s run of form has seen them drop to third in the Eastern Conference, five points behind leaders FC Cincinnati and four adrift of second-placed Philadelphia Union.
But with a return to GEODIS Park coming up, Bunbury revealed his team-mates are doing everything in their power to make their home pitch a fortress for the rest of the season.
“It’s been a while since we have played at home,” Bunbury said. “We’re looking forward to being in front of our fans because that is something that we have certainly missed.
“We missed that excitement around us. It motivates us. This league is hard to get results in on the road, so it is nice to be back home. We are extra motivated to deliver.
“We dubbed this GEODIS Park ‘the castle’ and we want to continue making it a fortress and make it hard for teams, and what better team to play against now than Orlando.
“They are in a good place, doing well in the Leagues Cup. It’s always a little battle between us, but the guys are ready. We’ve had a few great days of training.”
Set for Saturday pic.twitter.com/AiJ7OnH8Y6
â€" Nashville SC (@NashvilleSC) August 21, 2025
Only the New York Red Bulls and Charlotte FC (both 10) have more home wins than Nashville this season, though Orlando know a win will take them above their opponents.
But the Lions come into the clash in fantastic form, having put together a run of four consecutive league wins, which included a 4-1 thrashing of Inter Miami earlier this month.
They also booked their place in the Leagues Cup semi-finals in midweek after beating Toluca 6-5 on penalties following a goalless draw in normal time.
Orlando boss Oscar Pareja was thrilled to see his side progress to the final four, but revealed the difficulties of juggling their MLS commitments with their Leagues Cup duties.
“The game played here in LA caused some problems with travelling, coming from the south coast and crossing the country,” Pareja said.
“Our purpose with the group, and I think the boys did great, is that we didn’t have that conflict. We didn’t want to have that excuse. It was hard as well for Toluca travelling here.
“It was not the case that we were thinking of. It was a competition that was neutral for both teams.
“We tried to measure some minutes for the boys that have had a lot of volume in the last few games and travelling.
“Hopefully we can recover soon because we have an important game on Saturday as well. Now thinking about that semi-final and trying to measure it with how we can rotate.
“The good thing is that it is easy when you get results to do that, and it is much, much better.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nashville â€" Jacob Shaffelburg
Shaffelburg’s goal on Sunday was the first by a Nashville player other than Hany Mukhtar or Sam Surridge since May 14 when Patrick Yazbek scored against the Red Bulls.
It ended a run of 19 straight goals (excluding own goals) in league play scored by Surridge (12) or Mukhtar (seven), and the Canadian will be keen to make his mark again here.
Orlando City â€" Martin Ojeda
Ojeda set an Orlando club record with his 13th assist of the season in the Lions’ win over Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, surpassing the mark set by Mauricio Pereyra in 2023.
He has also contributed to a goal in 11 straight regular-season matches, and he will be key for Pareja’s side if they are to beat their Eastern Conference rivals.
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
Nashville snapped a five-match losing streak against Orlando City in all competitions with a 3-2 victory in the fifth round of this year’s US Open Cup. The Lions have never lost a regular-season away match against the Coyotes (W2 D3), though.
But Nashville come into the game in need of a win. Indeed, they have lost three straight matches for the first time this season after having suffered just five defeats in their first 27 matches in all competitions in 2025. All three losses came on the road as the Coyotes remain unbeaten in 11 straight at home in all competitions (W9 D2).
Orlando, meanwhile, have won four straight regular-season matches, scoring a total of 12 goals in those wins. Their only longer winning streaks in league play were a six-match winning run to begin the 2017 season and a five-match run in 2015.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Nashville â€" 35%
Draw â€" 26%
Orlando City â€" 39.1%