ORLANDO, Fla. – Feb. 17, 2016 – Orlando City B defeated Toronto FC 1-0 on Wednesday afternoon at the ChampionsGate Sports Complex, with both sides utilizing a combination of Major League Soccer (MLS) and United Soccer League (USL) players.
Lining up the team that Orlando City SC head coach Adrian Heath used for his last 20 minutes of the friendly against New York Red Bulls earlier in the day, which included a mixture between MLS and USL players, with the exception of youngster Pierre Da Silva entering for Kevin Molino, OCB head coach Anthony Pulis was able to provide some of his promising talents an invaluable opportunity to face top MLS players – including 2015 MLS MVP Sebastian Giovinco and United States Men’s National Team players Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore.
Despite the experience and age difference, the OCB players showcased a dominant performance, taking the lead in the sixth minute when Da Silva scored with a clever left-footed finish inside the box.
City would then go on and protect its goal effectively for the remainder of the half and the second 45, when Pulis introduced a different side exclusively comprised by OCB players – keeping a clean sheet and recording its third preseason victory in the same amount of matches disputed.
“It was a good exercise for us. Obviously the first group was a mix, probably half and half of our OCB players and a few of the first team boys mixed in and we were pleased with the performance,” said Pulis “On the whole, everybody has come through unscathed, we moved the ball well, we were probably the better team first half. Second half was exactly what we expected it to be, we had a lot of younger boys out there, some Academy players and our focus today was more on the defensive shape and our organization and for the most part, we were pleased with that.”
Scoring Summary:
ORL – Pierre Da Silva 6’
Lineups/Substitutions:
Orlando City SC – First Half: GK Earl Edwards Jr., D Kevin Alston, Aurélien Collin, Tommy Redding, Mikey Ambrose, M Servando Carrasco, Andrew Ribeiro, Pierre Da Silva, Tony Rocha, F Pedro Ribeiro
Second Half: GK Mark Ridgers, D Zach Ellis-Hayden, Craig Nitti, Kyle McFadden, Tyler Turner, M Raul Aguilera, Jonathan Mendoza, William Eyang, Trialist, Trialist, F Michael Cox
Toronto FC: GK Clint Irwin, D Brandon Morrow, Drew Moor, Damien Perquis, Marco Delgado, M Jonathan Osorio, Michael Bradley, Ryan Johnson, F Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore, Tsubasa Endoh
Second Half: GK Roberts, D Lovitz, Zavaleta, Hagglund, Charpie, M Chapman, Cheyrou, Mannella, F Babouli, Gomez, Hamilton
