Orlando City returns to MLS play Saturday night, hosting the Houston Dynamo as the Lions look to replicate the home form that earned them a victory over CF Montreal earlier this season.

The Lions (1-5-1, 4 points) take on the Dynamo (2-4-0, 6 points) at Inter&Co Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

“Houston is a strong team. They have a good roster. We respect them like we respect all the opponents,” Orlando interim head coach Martín Perelman said. “We are thinking on us, working our ways, our strategies, preparing the game like always.”

Orlando enters the match following a U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 victory Wednesday. Perelman utilized a heavily rotated lineup to rest his regular starters, securing a 1-0 road win over USL League One side FC Naples behind a goal from forward Tyrese Spicer. Orlando City booked a Round of 16 matchup at the New England Revolution on April 29 with the winning result.

“There’s no better training than the competition. So that’s something we take as the best training session we can have, the competition,” Perelman added about the team’s preparation on short rest. “And then we rest, we recover, we do a lot of video sessions, some short sessions on the field. That’s it.”

Back in league play, Orlando faces a Houston squad navigating its own early-season struggles. The Dynamo sit 12th in the Western Conference table and have allowed 16 goals. For an Orlando attack trying to establish a consistent rhythm, Saturday offers a chance to capitalize on a leaky defense and gain ground in the Eastern Conference standings.

Defensively, Orlando took a necessary step forward last weekend against the Columbus Crew. After conceding 23 goals in their first six matches, the Lions delivered a significantly tighter performance, limiting Columbus to seven shots on target and 1.54 expected goals (xG). The return of captain Robin Jansson drove that effort. Keeping the veteran center-back healthy to organize the backline remains crucial for Orlando to build defensive consistency.

“Physically, this team is good. Mentally, it’s a team that’s very united more than anything. I think you can see that in the ways that we’ve improved in the last couple of games,” Orlando defender Adrian Marin said. “With games basically every three days, we have to continue competing, competing in MLS, competing in the next rounds of the cup competition that we’re in … we’re ready for the game on Saturday.”

Following Saturday’s contest, Orlando City faces a quick turnaround, remaining at Inter&Co Stadium to host Charlotte FC on Wednesday night.