For the sixth straight season, Orlando City is gearing up for another playoff run. That six-year streak is the longest active streak in Major League Soccer, but the Lions are not satisfied with just making it to the postseason. Expectations are high, and Orlando has a tough road ahead.

Last season, Orlando reached the Eastern Conference Final but lost to the New York Red Bulls 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium. If the Lions want to make a run at winning a first-ever MLS Cup, they will need to do so on the road, after finishing in ninth place in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando faces a do-or-die Wild Card matchup against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. at SeatGeek Stadium. The winner will advance to a first-round, best-of-three series against Supporters’ Shield winners Philadelphia Union, while the loser will have to head home and regroup for 2026.

“I think it’s important also not to put yourself under pressure, because it’s a do-or-die game or a playoff. I think we have to see that this is a game like every game. A normal game,” Orlando forward Marco Pasalic said. “So this is the key, most important, to be concentrated, fully prepared, and give everything on the pitch. And you know how football is at the end, the goals win. So we have to score goals and win the game.”

The Lions scored a club-record 63 goals this season, led by Martin Ojeda’s emergence as a surefire attacking threat. The Argentine  scored 16 goals, more than the 11 he scored in his first two seasons in purple combined.

Pasalic has also been sensational for Orlando, scoring 12 goals in his debut season in MLS after joining in January from Croatian side HNK Rijeka. The former Borussia Dortmund player has unlocked the right side of Orlando’s attack, especially when working together with young defender Alex Freeman.

This attacking threat will be challenged against a Chicago defense led by American goalkeeper Chris Brady. He has helped keep Chicago unbeaten in its past five matches, a stark contrast to Orlando’s one win in five games to end the season. The Fire conceded 60 goals on the year, showing that they are not unshakable, and the Lions will need to take advantage of that.

Orlando has struggled uncharacteristically in defense this season. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese has been a stalwart between the sticks for the Lions since joining in 2020, but he was responsible for several key mistakes that caused Orlando to drop crucial points this season. At his best, Gallese is one of the best goalkeepers in MLS, but at age 35, he is showing signs of wear that could come back to bite Orlando.

The Lions will need captain Robin Jansson back at full strength if they want to stifle Chicago’s red-hot attack, which scored 68 goals this season, a mark only beaten by Inter Miami’s 81 goals. Orlando’s defense was shambolic in a 4-2 defeat to Toronto FC on Decision Day, showing how much the Swede’s presence is missed. Even if Jansson is not at 100%, he will likely do everything he can to play.

Philip Zinckernagel (15 goals, 12 assists) had a goal and two assists from his place on the wing against the Lions when the two sides met in late May, a game Chicago won 3-1. Hugo Cuypers (17G, 2A) leads the line, scoring the other two goals in that defeat for the Lions. Brian Guitierez (9G, 3A) is another threat to watch out for, capable of adding goals from his position deeper in the midfield.

Head coach Oscar Pareja’s message to his team is to stay positive and focus on playing their own game. Despite the disappointing end to the season, the team’s general vibe is positive heading into this matchup. They need to move past the defeat and, as Pareja likes to say, be the protagonists of their own story against a team determined to stop them.

“They know that we have to revalue and redo every single game regarding the results. We have to just move on,” Pareja said about the team’s mentality. “It’s something that we started in this team, and that probably is the result of us being Orlando City. We have been protagonists in every form, and it’s not going to be different.”