ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 1, 2017) - Four days after picking up a point in Charleston, Orlando City B (5-6-8, 23 points) returns home to face the Harrisburg City Islanders (6-9-5, 23 points) on Wednesday, Aug. 2. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Orlando City Stadium.
The match will be streamed online at OrlandoCitySC.com/LIVE. Tickets to all Orlando City B matches can be purchased at OrlandoCityB.com/tickets.
“It’s a huge game. We’ve stressed that to the guys that we can’t take Harrisburg lightly because they’re a good team,” Head Coach Anthony Pulis said. “They’ve got some good players. Bill Becher’s has done a really good job there, he’s put together a really good squad. They have a lot of threats so we have to make sure we’re on top of our game. It’s going to be an important one for us.”
OCB picked up its sixth clean sheet of the season in a 0-0 draw Saturday against Eastern Conference-leading Charleston Battery. OCB's strong defensive performance against one of the most dangerous attacks in the United Soccer League extended the team’s unbeaten streak to five games.
2016 MLS SuperDraft first-round picks Hadji Barry and Richie Laryea are tied with rookie Albert Dikwa for the team lead with three goals. Pierre Da Silva is tied for second in the league with six assists, while goalkeeper Earl Edwards, Jr. is sixth in the league with 51 saves.
Harrisburg City is coming off a 3-0 loss against FC Cincinnati on July 22. Paul Wilson leads the Islanders with three goals in 16 appearances and James Thomas leads the team with three assists.
This will mark the second meeting of the season between both clubs. On April 18, OCB earned a point against Harrisburg City with a stoppage-time goal from Zach Carroll. The defender received a low free kick from Da Silva and was able to send the ball to the roof of the net with a light touch in the third minute of stoppage time.
Both teams enter the match tied at 23 points, one below eighth-place New York, though OCB has a game in hand.
OCB will travel to Nippert Stadium to take on FC Cincinnati on Saturday, Aug. 5. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Lions will then head to City Stadium where they take on the Richmond Kickers before returning to Orlando City Stadium on Wednesday, Aug. 16 to face Ottawa Fury FC. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
