Derby Day: Everything you need to know for Orlando City vs. Inter Miami
— Last year’s trip to Fort Lauderdale was the first time in the 10-game history of the Florida Derby (or El Clasico del Sol, if you prefer) where the final margin was larger than one goal. The Lions will be out for revenge after Miami clinched a trip to the 2022 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs against them with a 4-1 win last October 5.
— Orlando’s lone win in four trips to DRV PNK Stadium came in June of 2021, when Nani assisted Chris Mueller’s equalizer and scored an outside-the-box winner to lead the Lions to a 2-1 comeback victory. Inter Miami has never won in Orlando.
— Miami made one of the bigger splashes of the offseason when they signed former Landon Donovan MLS MVP Josef Martínez, one of the most iconic villains in Orlando City history. Josef scored eight goals in 10 appearances against the Lions as a member of Atlanta United, winning the MVP and the Golden Boot in the Five Stripes’ MLS Cup-winning 2018 season. Martínez has eased off his record-breaking pace since a 2020 ACL tear, though, scoring a more modest but still impressive 24 goals in 60 games since the injury.
— The Herons also feature former Lion Kamal Miller, whom they acquired along with $1.3 million in General Allocation Money from Montréal in exchange for Bryce Duke and Ariel Lassiter. Miller played for Orlando City from 2019-20 after being taken out of Syracuse near the top of the second round in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. Miller spent the last two years with Montréal and played for his native Canada at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
