As the inaugural season for Orlando City B starts to wind down, Head Coach Anthony Pulis and his players will look to make a run for the playoffs. Orlando City B is currently on a nine-game undefeated streak, and after a stellar 2-1 win against Toronto FC II this weekend, they look poised to take one of the last playoff spots in the Eastern Conference..
Orlando City B is a team that wants to win. At the start of the season, Pulis said winning was the best way to prepare his boys for MLS. “At the end of the day, it’s professional sports and it’s about winning,” Pulis said before the season opener. “I’m a great believer that part of development is teaching these players how to win.”
With a little less than two months left in the regular season, Orlando City B has racked up a total of 31 points, and are ranked 8th in the Eastern Conference. With a strong performance against Toronto FC II, their standing should continue to rise as they build on their current momentum.
“It was all about mentality and attitude,” Pulis said about the win over Toronto FC II. “They kept going right to the end.”
Orlando City B, much like Orlando City, has a tendency to score late goals. These goals are often times the difference between going home with a draw or going home with a victory. This weekend, they scored the winning goal against Toronto FC II in stoppage time, just one minute after Toronto had equalized. “We got to make it interesting, don’t we?” Pulis said after the match. “A lot of late goals.”
This week, Orlando City B was ranked 4th in the USL Power Rankings after not being ranked the previous week. After back-to-back stoppage time wins, they have proved that they are one of the strongest offenses in the league and are definitely at the top of their game. They’ll look to carry that form with them as they make a run for the playoffs.
Orlando City B’s next home match will be against the current leader of the USL Power Rankings, the Richmond Kickers. That match will be held at Titan Soccer Complex on Sunday, August 21st at 7:30pm.
