Orlando City B at Lansing Ignite: Preview and How to Watch

After a four-game point streak, Orlando City B (3-7-3, 12 points) has lost its last two games. The team looks to put an end to the losing skid tonight as it travels to Michigan for the first time to face Lansing Ignite FC (4-4-5, 17 points).

OCB appeared to turn a corner with a four-game point streak earlier this season, winning three of those four games. On June 12, the team conceded two goals in the final three minutes of the first half against FC Tucson, resulting in a 2-1 loss. The Young Lions then traveled to Georgia last weekend where they fell to South Georgia Tormenta FC, 2-0.

The pair of losses has dropped OCB back into ninth in the 10-team USL League One. Despite the brief slip-up, the team still sits just five points behind Lansing for the fourth and final playoff position in the league.

Tonight, OCB will look to get back on the right track as it travels to Michigan for the first time in club history. It’s been an up and down year so far for Lansing, which will be playing this game on a short week after defeating Toronto FC II at home Wednesday night.

Lansing has scored 15 goals from 133 shots for a 15% conversion rate so far this season. Similar to last week’s opponent, Lansing isn’t a team that shoots very often, ranking seventh in the league in shots taken. However, unlike last week’s opponent, Lansing struggles at times defensively.

Lansing currently sits in second in goals conceded with 18, only trailing OCB’s 22. They’ve also had discipline issues, something else that has plagued OCB this year. Lansing’s 170 fouls conceded is currently fourth in the league, 25 behind OCB’s league-leading 195. While only 19 were yellow cards, Lansing has seen the most red cards in the league this season, with three.

Offensively, the team is led by Ricky Lopez-Espin and Nick Moon, each of whom have three goals. While these two have led the team in goals, Steeve Saint-Duc is the play-maker in the lineup, creating a team-leading 14 chances.

Lansing has used all three goalkeepers this season in multiple games, with Stefan Cleveland making six appearances, Michael Kirk making four appearances, and Kyle Ihn making three appearances. Recently, the starting job has been in the hands of Cleveland, who has completed all three of the team’s clean sheets. This season, Cleveland has conceded six times in six games.

After the first three games, OCB Head Coach Fernando Jose De Argila Irurita found his go-to lineup and has largely stayed with most of those 11 players. He made a few changes against Forward Madison FC and FC Tucson, but returned to most of his primary lineup last weekend.

There will be at least one change this weekend and it’s a big one. In the final moments last week, Leonardo Simas was issued his fifth yellow card of the season, resulting in a one-game suspension. The defender will likely be replaced with Jordan Hill, who started the first two games before Simas made his debut.

Most Recent Lineups

Orlando City B (6/15 at South Georgia Tormenta FC)

Juliano Chade; Randy Mendoza, Matheus Silva, Nathan Simeon, Leonardo Simas; Austin Amer, Serginho; Thiago Souza, Rafael Santos, Ates Diouf; William Bagrou.

Lansing Ignite FC (6/19 vs Toronto FC II)

Stefan Cleveland; Grant Stoneman, Brandon Fricke, Kevin Coiffic; Marshall Hollingsworth, Xavier Gomez, Ivo Cerda, Nick Moon; Robinson Moshobane, Ricky Lopez-Espin, Steeve Saint-Duc.

How to Watch

The 7 p.m. kickoff from Lansing, MI can be streamed on ESPN+ domestically and internationally on YouTube. For rapid reaction and live updates, follow @ManeLandSean on Twitter, as we’ll be live tweeting the Orlando Pride on @TheManeLand account.

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