Orlando City SC and the Vancouver Whitecaps are set to play in an interconference match in the sides' only matchup during the Major League Soccer regular season on July 16 at 10 p.m.

The struggling Lions

OCSC's recent run of form has been anything but flattering. The last five matches have included just one win and three losses along with a draw, and the club finds itself sitting in eighth place in the Eastern Conference.

Orlando defeated Toronto FC by a score of 3-2, but the four matches following that win have been lackluster at best with Orlando being shut out for three consecutive matches.

City embarassingly lost 4-0 against FC Dallas and 2-0 against the struggling New York Red Bulls, and then clawed their way to a 0-0 draw with the Houston Dynamo.

To add insult to injury, the Lions were also knocked out of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after losing at home against North American Soccer League side Fort Lauderdale Strikers by a score of 2-1.

A new era for Orlando

Adrian Heath was fired from his managerial position at Orlando. Although the decision by the Orlando City board had its pros and cons, the OCSC faithful will imminently watch its third match without its one and only manager to date.

Bobby Murphy, former assistant coach and current interim coach, took over duties in central Florida and has since seen his team draw and lose, which is far from the start that fans had hoped for.

In an article on mlssoccer.com, Murphy was insistent that he wanted to instill a sense of normalcy the the team and to the city of Orlando.

"What we are trying to do now is restore some normalcy after a highly emotional last month or so, when we had the Pulse nightclub tragedy and there was the feeling we had a responsibility to help this community heal, then losing Adrian Winter [to family issues back in Switzerland] and finally losing a coach that so many players were close to."

Murphy will be hoping he can deliver the results that Heath failed to deliver in recent memory (Logan Bowles/USA Today)

Murphy and the Lions will be on the road for a second straight game and will be looking to grab their first win as a unit. This is a win that would be a great boost to the squad morale after the team looks to progress past the losses of Heath and Winter.

A rollercoaster of a ride in Vancouver

The last five matches for the British Columbia side have included two wins, two losses and a single draw.

Vancouver's two wins have come against the always competitive Real Salt Lake by a score of 2-0 and one of the surpise teams of the season that is the Philadelphia Union by a score of 3-2.

Vancouver also managed to pull out a 2-2 draw against another surprise team, the Colorado Rapids, but the Whitecaps walked away from that game thinking they deserved the three points after conceding a late equalizer.

However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the Whitecaps lost to an unimpressive New England Revolution 2-1 at home and 2-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The Canadian side has struggled to create much of a rhythm for much of the season and sits in sixth place in the Western Conference, which isn't promising if the team wants to challenge for the playoffs. However, the team is entering the match against Orlando after the impressive draw against Colorado and a win against RSL, so the momentum could be with Vancouver.

Techera making strides

Cristian Techera started the 2016 MLS campaign with little to show for on the statistics sheet. On loan from Argentine side River Plate last season, Techera managed to bag himself seven goals and five assists with both statistics being second-best on the team, according to FoxSports.com.

However, after making his loan move permanent, the 5-foot-2 attacker failed to make his mark on the field until his penalty kick in the closing minutes agains the Rapids on July 9.

The drought had finally ceased and Techera went on to score a goal in the following match against RSL. After an arid clearance fell to Techera, the Uruguyan struck the ball on the half-volley into the top left corner.

Below is a video of Techera's goal against Real Salt Lake.

Techera's potential turn in form looks to be for the better for Vancouver as the team goes into the match against Orlando and as the team pushes for a playoff spot.

Prediction

Orlando City has had too much change and poor results to establish any sort of confidence going into the match. Vancouver seem to be building a bit of confidence, especially with the likes of Techera having an eye for goal as of late, so it is safe to say that Vancouver has the edge. The game is in Canada, which puts the advantage in the Whitecaps' favor. When the final whistle blows, the final score will be 3-1 to Vancouver.

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About the author
Zachary Smith
• Broadcast Journalism Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Fla. • QPR and Jacksonville Armada FC Fan • Experienced in sports videography, broadcasting and writing as well as editing via Adobe Premiere • Co-Host of The Youth Academy Podcast