Orlando City B
Orlando City B vs Pittsburgh Riverhounds: Match Preview and How to Watch
After a pair of tough losses in Canada, Orlando City B (5-6-5, 20 points) has grabbed four points out of its last two games and will look to add to that tonight when the young Lions face the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (5-7-4, 19 points). The young Lions currently sit in 10th position in the USL’s Eastern Conference, tied with three teams. They will look to jump back over the red line into a playoff position while separating from the Riverhounds, who sit one spot behind in the standings.
Gaining three points was made more difficult this week when the USL announced Wednesday that star midfielder Pierre Da Silva will be suspended for three games for violent conduct in the closing minutes of the team’s 1-1 draw with FC Cincinnati last weekend. The incident occurred in the 86th minute when Da Silva lost the ball along the touchline to Kadeem Darces. In an attempt to win the ball back, Da Silva kicked out at Darces’ right leg and the midfielder went down in agony. The result of the play was a sending off for Da Silva and a three-game ban. He will also miss the team’s July 13th game against the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the July 29th game against the Charleston Battery.
Tonight’s game will also mark the return of a former Lion. Corey Hertzog played for Orlando City’s senior team in 2014, the club’s last in the USL. The striker made 24 total appearances for the Lions, 22 in the league, and two in the U.S. Open Cup, tallying six goals and three assists.
The Riverhounds are coming into this game on the heels of a 3-1 loss to the Charlotte Independence and have only won one in their last seven games. The first time these two teams faced off this year was on June 3 when the young Lions traveled to Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh. Second half goals by Zach Ellis-Hayden — his first with OCB — and Hadji Barry saw the Lions come back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to defeat the hosts, 2-1.
Last season, these two teams faced off twice. An early season meeting saw OCB defeat the Riverhounds, 2-1, in Pittsburgh — OCB’s first win — and a late season game saw the Riverhounds achieve revenge by beating the Lions, 2-0 in Melbourne.
Most Recent Lineups
Orlando City B (July 1 vs FC Cincinnati): Earl Edwards, Jr.; Zach Ellis-Hayden,Seb Hines, Conor Donovan, Fernando Timbo; Paul Clowes, Austin Martz; Jordan Schweitzer, Danny Deakin, Pierre Da Silva; Albert Dikwa.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds (July 4 vs Charlotte Independence): Macklin Robinson; Shannon Gomez, Jamal Jack, Tobi Adewole, Gale Agbossoumonde; Michael Green, Kevin Kerr, Victor Souto, Marshall Hollingsworth; Corey Hertzog, Romeo Parkes.
How to Watch
The 7:30 p.m. kickoff can be streamed from the official USL Youtube page. For live updates, follow @themaneland on Twitter.