Sometimes it’s hard for a pride of lions to take down a rhinoceros. But it’s certainly not impossible.
Anthony Pulis and his OCB side will be looking to do that on Wednesday night, when they face off against the Rochester Rhinos on Wednesday night at Orlando City Stadium. The Lions are coming off a 2-1 win over the weekend against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and they will be looking to continue that momentum against Rochester.
“Rochester is going to be a difficult game,” Pulis said. “Historically, they are always a team that is there. I have to give credit to Bob Lilley because every year he seems to put together a really organized team that is defensively sound, dangerous on the break, and I don’t think Wednesday night is going to be different. I think it’s a really, really big game for us.”
OCB and Rochester are currently tied for points. A victory for the Lions would put them solidly ahead of Rochester in the rankings, potentially launching them as high as third place in the Eastern Conference. A win on Wednesday night could be huge.
“They are a good team,” Hadji Barry said after training this week. “They won the league two years back. We know how they play, we know how they are, and Anthony is going to make sure we’re prepared for that.”
The game will be a quick-turnaround for the USL side. They earned a road victory against Pittsburgh on Saturday night, and while they will certainly be happy to return to their stadium, they know that they will need to be smart to earn a victory here. The players have done everything they can to mentally and physically prepare themselves for this task-- and they’re ready to face their challenge.
“Take care of our bodies,” Barry said. “We’re doing everything we can to rest well and prepare for Rochester.”
