It all comes down to the final few weeks of the USL season. Orlando City B, currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Six points currently separate fifth place and ninth place with only three matches to go, making this year’s playoff race incredibly tight.
Out of the final three matches for OCB, the final two are at home against New York Red Bulls II, who are in ninth place and just out of the playoffs, and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, who sit in fourth. With only the final eight making the playoffs for USL, each game for the young Lions will be crucial for them to make the playoffs.
Before the team looks too far ahead, however, they must look to their next game, away in Richmond against the Kickers. With that game being the final away game of the regular season, all the focus must be on getting a result away from home first and foremost, before they look to lock up a playoff spot at home.
“Our full focus is on the next game,” Captain Lewis Neal said after Saturday’s match. “I know it’s a cliche. Every coach, player, manager always says it. Our focus is just now on Richmond. Obviously Richmond are a very good team. They came here and turned us over a couple of weeks back. We’ve won at their place once already this season and that was a really tough game to and we know we’re gonna be in for a really tough game against Richmond there. Like I say, all our focus will be on that game and once we’ve dealt with that game, we’ll obviously concentrate on the next two.”
OCB’s match against Richmond will kick off on Sunday, October 1 at 7:30. The game will be live streamed on Youtube.
