The last time the Crew played on Orlando City SC’s home field at Inter&Co Stadium (formerly Exploria Stadium), they punched their ticket to the MLS Cup Eastern Conference final with goals from Cucho Hernandez and Christan Ramirez in overtime.

In Saturday’s game, Columbus will be without one of the goal scorers from that 2-0 November victory. For the third match in a row, Hernandez is being sidelined due to a back injury.

Nov 25, 2023; Orlando, Florida, USA; Columbus Crew forward Christian Ramirez (right) celebrates scoring a goal against Orlando City with forward Cucho Hernández (left) during the first half of extra time in a MLS Cup Eastern Conference Semifinal match at Exploria Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

During Hernandez’s absence, Ramirez has had two of his best performances since the 2023 MLS Cup playoffs.

Ramirez made his first start since returning from a grade two hamstring strain on May 15 against CF Montreal and recorded his first goal contribution with an assist on Diego Rossi’s tally. He followed that up against the Chicago Fire with a goal of his own.



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