Orlando City B vs. Richmond Kickers: Preview and How to Watch

Orlando City B (1-7-3, 6 points) takes the field again tonight in a makeup game against the Richmond Kickers (6-3-2, 20 points). The Young Lions will be looking to break a four-game losing streak, their longest of the season.

This game was supposed to be played on Sept. 19 but a member of the OCB organization tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the two teams agreed to postpone the game until tonight.

OCB has been going through its toughest stretch of the 2020 USL League One season. Prior to their current four-game losing streak, the Young Lions had only lost consecutive games once, falling 4-1 to FC Tucson Aug. 18 and 3-1 to Forward Madison Aug. 23. While they only have claimed one win this season, they’ve had three draws and were threatening to climb up the standings.

The biggest issue for OCB this season has been on the attacking end. The 2-0 loss to Greenville Triumph SC Friday night was only the team’s fifth time conceding more than one goal in 11 games. The problem is that the Young Lions have only scored more than once on one occasion, a 2-0 win over a 10-man New England Revolution II Aug. 7.

Offensively, the Young Lions have been kept off the scoresheet over the past four and a half games. The last goal was a 30th-minute strike by Jose Quintero against North Texas SC on Sept. 3. That’s 420 minutes without a player in purple scoring.

Their task won’t get any easier as they face a good Richmond Kickers team this evening on the road. The Kickers currently sit third in the league with 20 points, just two behind Union Omaha for the final postseason spot.

While the Kickers have been good this season, they’re coming off their worst result of the season, a 4-0 drubbing by New England Revolution II. It was a unique result that included a penalty conversion by the Revs and two own goals by the Kickers. Having lost that badly to one of the league’s developmental sides, you can expect the hosts to come out with a point to prove in this game.

The team’s goal scoring has largely come from its 26-year-old Argentinian striker Emiliano Terzaghi. In his debut season with the Kickers, he’s tallied nine goals in 11 games. One of the primary creators for the team offensively this season has been a former Lion. Ryley Kraft, who played with OCB in 2017, has scored twice this year and assisted four times, leading the team.

The defense for the Young Lions has been good this season so keeping Terzaghi and Kraft in check is a greater possibility than scoring against Akira Fitzgerald. The Richmond number one has made 32 saves this season, ranking him fifth in the league, and has recorded three clean sheets. The Kickers have only conceded multiple goals in four of their 11 games this season, and have only conceded more than twice on two occasions. Their 15 goals conceded this year ties them for fifth fewest in the league.

Given the team’s weakness up front, it will be a difficult task for the Young Lions to claim points against the Kickers tonight. If they don’t, it will be the team’s fifth straight loss. They’ll try to avoid that when they kick off at City Stadium.

Most Recent Lineups

Richmond Kickers

Akira Fitzgerald, Wahab Ackwei, Scott Thomsen, Kyle Venter, Ivan Magalhaes, Victor Falck, David Diosa, Ryley Kraft, Mutaya Mwape, Luke Pavone, Emiliano Terzaghi.

Orlando City B

Austin Aviza, Mateo Rodas, Daniel Rosario, Franklin Carabali, Thomas Williams, Raul Aguilera, Owen Guske, Juan Pablo Monticelli, Moises Tablante, Julian Kennedy, Wilfredo Rivera.

How to Watch

The 6:30 p.m. kickoff from City Stadium in Richmond, VA can be streamed on ESPN+ domestically or on YouTube internationally. For rapid reaction and live updates, follow @ManeLandSean on Twitter.

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