MELBOURNE, Fla. (July 8, 2016) – Coming off Sunday’s 1-1 draw against the Charlotte Independence, Orlando City B (6-6-4, 22 points) begins its two-game road trip when it visits the defending United Soccer League (USL) champion Rochester Rhinos (7-4-4, 25 points) on Sunday, July 10. Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m. ET at Sahlen’s Stadium. The match will be streamed live at www.OrlandoCitySC.com/Live.
“It will be a tough game. They’re a good side, they’ve got a good home record. Obviously [they’re] the defending champions. We’ve watched their last few games and they’ve been on a good run so it’ll be a tough game for us,” OCB Head Coach Anthony Pulis said. “The guys have trained well this week. They’ve looked bright and we’re thoroughly looking forward to the game.”
This is the second meeting of the season between these two teams. In their first encounter, the Lions defeated the Rhinos 2-1 on May 22. Hadji Barry scored both goals for OCB in the 41st and 57th minutes. Steevan Dos Santos brought Rochester within one with a penalty kick in the 86th minute. OCB has gone 3-1-2 since then and has lost just once in its last eight games.
In its last match, OCB drew the Charlotte Independence 1-1 on July 2. Caleb Calvert opened the scoring in the 24th minute before Zach Hayden found Michael Cox for the equalizer in the 47th minute.
Cox’s goal extended his team lead to six goals, while Barry, a 2016 MLS SuperDraft first-round pick, has four goals and two assists in seven games. Goalkeeper Mark Ridgers is third in the USL with 51 saves.
Rochester is coming off a 2-1 win against FC Cincinnati on Wednesday. Michael Garzi scored the first goal for Rochester off a rebound in the 34th minute before Dos Santos scored the winning goal on a penalty kick in the 65th minute after he was tackled from behind
Christian Volesky leads the Rhinos with five goals, while Dos Santos has three goals and two assists in 11 games.
OCB faces a short turnaround as it travels to Charleston to face the Battery on Wednesday, July 13, for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. The Lions return to Titan Soccer Complex on Sunday, July 24, to host the Wilmington Hammerheads. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
