KISSIMMEE — Argentine midfielder Martín Ojeda returned to full training with Orlando City SC this week after missing 10 matches and is eyeing Saturday’s first-ever meeting with expansion side San Diego FC at Inter.co Stadium.

Ojeda made his comeback this past weekend in a 3-3 draw at Minnesota United’s Allianz Field, his first appearance in more than a month. Speaking at Orlando Health Training Ground at Osceola Heritage Park on Thursday, the Designated Player said the layoff — his first significant injury in five or six years — gave him a new perspective.

“Well, I felt very good. Honestly, I really missed being with my teammates on the field, being with them and stepping back onto a field again,” Ojeda said. “I’m happy about that, happy to be back and present again. So now the idea is to continue recovering well, to be 100% so that I can be there with Martín [Perelman], his coaching staff, and my teammates.”

Ojeda said the month and a week away from the squad forced him to reckon with what he had taken for granted. “You learn to value the moment much more. You learn to value every training session because, when you’re training on your own and you’re not available to your teammates, you feel uncomfortable,” he said. “You value being healthy more. It’s like everything in life. When you feel good, you live life almost on autopilot, so to speak. However, when you or someone close to you goes through an illness or something like that, you value the moment much more and become more conscious of what you’re experiencing.”

Now in his second week back with the full group, Ojeda said he is rebuilding match fitness. “This is my second week training with the team, and little by little I’m getting accustomed to it and getting back the rhythm I lost during a month,” he said. “I’m not someone who usually has these kinds of things happen to me, but I’m strong and ready to come back.”

Saturday’s match marks the first time Orlando City will face San Diego FC in league play — the first such occasion since the Lions hosted St. Louis CITY SC in 2023. San Diego, a 2025 expansion club, opened the season with a 10-match winless run but have won five of their last six in all competitions. Orlando, meanwhile, let a two-goal lead slip in the final 20 minutes at Minnesota before Tyrese Spicer’s stoppage-time equalizer salvaged a point.

Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman dismissed any notion that San Diego’s cross-country travel would factor into his preparation. “For us, it’s about preparing the game. That’s for us. That’s their problem, not ours,” Perelman said. “Playing at home, we always want to win, even more at home. It’s our house, it’s our people, our family.”

Perelman acknowledged the parallels between the two clubs’ turbulent seasons. “We know the season they’ve had. Things were quite complicated for them at the beginning, and then they settled in, but those are processes that are characteristic of this league,” he said. “In that sense, our season has been similar as well, and here we are. I think it’s going to be a good match. We respect and analyze all of our opponents. We did the same with San Diego, and we prepared for our match. We’re focused on that.”

Kickoff at Inter.co Stadium is set for Saturday.