KISSIMMEE, Fla. (July 16, 2023) — Orlando City B (9-7-2, 30 points) defeated its neighbors to the north, Atlanta United 2 (6-7-5, 24 points), by a 3-2 scoreline on Sunday night at Osceola County Stadium. The match saw goals from Cristofer Acuña and Wilfredo Rivera, with the latter’s serving as his first of the year for the game-winner.
The Lions were reduced to 10 men just before the halftime break when Thomas Williams was shown a second yellow card, with the Five Stripes taking the lead in the 60th minute. Orlando City B was able to answer, however, with goals from Acuña and Rivera.
OCB returns home next Sunday, set to host Chicago Fire II in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff at Osceola County Stadium.
Scoring Summary:
29’ Noah Cobb (Own Goal) — ORL 1, ATL 0
The Lions took the lead after a cross from Moises Tablante from the left side took a deflection off an Atlanta defender and trickled into the back of the net.
45’ Jackson Conway (PK) — ORL 1, ATL 1
The visitors equalized from the penalty spot, with Lions’ goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar guessing the right way, but the strike from Jackson Conway tucked into the bottom left corner of the net.
60’ Nick Firmino (Luke Brennan) — ATL 2, ORL 1
Atlanta took the lead with a cross from Luke Brennan from the right flank finding the head of Nick Firmino for the finish.
75’ Cristofer Acuña — ORL 2, ATL 2
The Lions jumped on a misplayed pass from the Atlanta United 2 defense, with Wilfredo Rivera sending a ball into the box that fell to the feet of Cristofer Acuña, who was able to gain his footing, spin around and slot his shot into the back of the net.
76’ Wilfredo Rivera — ORL 3, ATL 2
Orlando City B took the lead off another misplayed pass from Atlanta, this time with Cristofer Acuña applying the pressure and forcing a bad pass from Atlanta goalkeeper Justin Garces that fell right to the feet of Wilfredo Rivera. The Orlando City Homegrown took a touch before lifting his shot into an open net for the eventual game-winner.
Match Notes:
- Wilfredo Rivera scored his first goal of the campaign.
- Cristofer Acuña netted his third goal of the year.
- The Lions were reduced to 10 men just before halftime when Thomas Williams was shown a second yellow card.
- Head Coach Martín Perelman made five changes to his starting lineup from the Lions’ last match, with Mason Stajduhar, Moises Tablante, Thomas Williams, Zakaria Taifi and Shak Mohammed all getting the nod.
