Orlando City B vs North Texas SC: Preview and How to Watch

Orlando City B (3-16-4, 13 points) will play its final home game of the 2019 USL League One season tonight as the league leaders, North Texas SC (13-5-5, 14 points), pay a visit to Montverde Academy.

OCB will take the field tonight looking for its fourth win of the season and fourth at home. The Young Lions will also be looking to break a seven-game losing streak. Seeing how the team has only claimed one point on the road this season, this could be the team’s last chance to break the streak before the end of the season.

It will be a difficult task tonight as the Young Lions welcome the top team in the league. North Texas SC will be looking to inch closer to securing one of the league’s four playoff spots and the number one seed in the postseason. Tonight’s visitors are currently five points ahead of the second place team, Lansing Ignite FC.

FC Dallas’ developmental team has been an offensive force this season, leading the league in goals with 41. Ronaldo Damus leads the league in goals this year with 11 and Ricardo Pepi sits in second with nine, despite being signed by the first team on June 21. Arturo Rodriguez currently leads the league in assists with eight this season.

North Texas has also been solid on defense in 2019. While the team sits in the middle of the league with 27 goals conceded, goalkeeper Carlos Avilez is tied with South Georgia Tormenta’s Pablo Jara for second in clean sheets, with nine.

This will be the third time that these two teams have met this season but the first in Central Florida. Their first meeting was on April 27 at Toyota Stadium. In the best game that OCB had played to that point, it was a self-inflicted wound that doomed the Young Lions. A 42nd-minute corner kick was redirected by Matheus Silva past Juliano Chade into his own net for the game’s only goal.

When the two reunited on May 11 in the same location, it appeared as though OCB might come away with a result. The Young Lions opened the scoring just after the half when William Bagrou netted the opening goal. However, it wasn’t to be as North Texas soon took control. Tanner Tessmann equalized in the 69th minute and Johan Gomez gave the hosts the lead in the 77th. North Texas then pulled away with goals by Rodriguez in the 86th minute and Damus in the 88th minute. The 4-1 loss was OCB’s worst of the season.

OCB will look to claim its first points of the season against North Texas tonight, as well as its first overall point since July 10 and first win since June 7.

Most Recent Lineups

Orlando City B (8/24 at FC Tucson)

Juliano Chade; Randy Mendoza, Matheus Silva, Brandon John, Leonardo Simas; Ates Diouf; Koby Osei-Wusu, Austin Amer, Lucas Ontivero, Tresor Mbuyu; William Bagrou.

North Texas SC (9/1 vs Toronto FC II)

Jimmy Maurer; John Nelson, Callum Montgomery, Brecc Evans, Bryan Reynolds; Alfusainey Jatta; Arturo Rodriguez, Jacori Hayes, David Rodriguez, Richard Danso; Ronaldo Damus.

How to Watch

The 7:30 p.m. kickoff from Montverde Academy can be streamed on ESPN+ domestically or internationally on YouTube. For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @TheManeLand on Twitter.

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