MELBOURNE, Fla. (April 14, 2016) – After its first road match of the season, Orlando City B (0-2-1, 1 point) returns home to host the Harrisburg City Islanders (0-2-0, 0 points) on Saturday at the Titan Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
The contest between Orlando and Harrisburg will be streamed online at www.OrlandoCitySC.com/LIVE.
“It’s going to be a tough game, whenever we have played Harrisburg over the years they have always made it difficult. They’ve got a set way of playing, Bill [Becher] has been in charge there for a number of years and he always has them well-organized and well-drilled. They are hardworking and they fight until the very end,” said OCB Head Coach Anthony Pulis. “I think the thing that has been clear this year is that there are no easy games in this league, and we have to approach every game the same and we have to have a good mentality, but we believe that if we can execute the game plan, then we have a decent chance of getting something out of it.”
The Lions enter the match following its first road fixture of the season, after facing Louisville City FC at Slugger Field on Saturday, April 9. This contest featured debutant Michael Cox’s first goal in purple, after clinically finishing a clever pass down the right side from Richie Laryea, who also registered his first assist with City.
The last time OCB played at home, the team showcased an overall team defensive effort, keeping a clean sheet against the Charleston Battery on April 1, despite being a man down for most of the second half. Goalkeeper Mark Ridgers had an impressive performance during his debut that earned him USL Team of the Week honors, recording six saves that resulted in City’s first point of the campaign.
Commanded by Bill Becher, who has been leading the Islanders since 2004, Harrisburg head to the Titan Soccer Complex after its previous contest was postponed due to extreme weather conditions. However, the City Islanders lost their first two fixtures of the season, falling on road games against the Richmond Kickers on March 26 and against the Charlotte Independence on April 2.
The Islanders fell just short of the playoffs last year, finishing eighth in the Eastern Conference last year, with an 11-6-11 record in 28 games.
