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Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Player Grades and Man of the Match

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Orlando City remained unbeaten on the road this season after winning 2-0 against the Columbus Crew. Rodrigo Schlegel scored in the first half and Ercan Kara added another in the second, as the Lions held on for a shutout victory. It was a strong defensive performance from the team as a whole as the Lions covered for one another and applied constant pressure.

Here’s how I saw the individual performances of each Lion on the pitch.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — His first save didn’t come until the second half and it was an awkward one as he had to quickly drop and parry a low shot from distance from sharpshooter Lucas Zelarayan that took a deflection through traffic. His other two saves weren’t too difficult as he collected a weak header from Gyasi Zardes and saved another low effort from Zelarayan that was going out regardless. He was accurate on eight of a whopping 17 long balls, as the Lions were content with heaving the ball up the field late in the match and he also completed 61% of his 23 passes. The Peruvian should buy his defenders whatever airline food they desire on the trip back home as he only had to face three shots on target for his fifth clean sheet of the year.

D, Joao Moutinho, 6.5 — It was another busy night defensively for Moutinho. The left back led the team with seven tackles and had three interceptions and four clearances as well. There were times where he had to defend on his back foot after a nice through ball from the opposition or a quick restart, but he did well tracking back and not making it easy for the Crew in the final third. His 78 touches were the most by a Lion — as were his four unstable touches — and he had 46 passes at a 76% success rate. His lone cross was unsuccessful and only one of his six long balls found its target. As the game plan shifted after Orlando’s second goal, Moutinho hung back to ensure numbers defensively and did well to stop Columbus.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7.5 (MotM) — His positioning was excellent throughout the match, both offensively and defensively. He scored his first professional goal by hustling to get right in front of goal during a recycled set piece and not making a meal of a deceptively simple tap-in. On defense, Schlegel was adept at being in the right place at the right time to clog passing lanes and put out fires when Crew players had chances to shoot. He led the team with five interceptions and added three tackles, four clearances, and two blocks for one of his strongest defensive performances as a Lion. He had 21 passes at a 71% success rate and was successful on one of his five long balls. His yellow card was for a professional foul to slow down a surging Zelarayan on a counter. Schlegel is our Man of the Match for giving Orlando a lead on the road and doing everything he could on defense to keep it.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — Jansson had three clearances and blocked a shot as he played his part in Orlando’s clean sheet. The statistics won’t show how the Crew often had to work around him as he applied pressure any time they neared the box. The Beefy Swede had two shots, sending a header off target and having an attempt from range blocked. He connected on two of his three long balls and completed a strong 84% of his 26 passes. As usual, he was a force in the air and won three of his five aerial duels.

D, Kyle Smith, 6.5 — In his first start of the season, Smith gave the Lions some defensive fortitude at right back. He was just as solid defending at the start of the match as he was near its end, making safe decisions to clear out the danger. Smith had four clearances and a tackle and did well lending help to his center backs to make sure Crew players didn’t have much room to work with. He was accurate on just one of his three crosses and only one of his eight long balls, but he did have a key pass to set up a shot for Facundo Torres and had a shot that went high and wide of goal. Smith had 32 passes at a subpar 65% success rate but did enough on defense to keep Pedro Santos fairly quiet and help Orlando secure the win.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 7 — The Uruguayan had to deal with Lucas Zelarayan’s bag of tricks throughout the night and proved up to the task. He’s learning how to ride the edge of fouling without being carded while winning fouls and frustrating opponents. Araujo played every minute of the match and helped defensively with two tackles, two interceptions, a clearance, and a blocked shot. His best moment of the match came late in the 79th minute as he matched Gyasi Zardes stride for stride down the field to eventually win a goal kick. Araujo had 37 passes at a solid 84% success rate and was accurate on one of his three long balls. He just turned 21 this month but has performed at a consistent level in his first year with Orlando.

MF, Junior Urso, 6.5 — The Bear recorded his second assist of the year after the ball pinged off him in the box to Schlegel. Whether he intended to pass or shoot doesn’t matter too much as he put the ball in a threatening position from a cross zipped into the box by Torres. While Pereyra stirred the offense, Urso kept things stable across the field with 50 passes at a great 88% success rate. His one cross may have been unsuccessful, but all four of his long balls found their mark. Urso chipped in on defense with three tackles, three clearances, and a block.

MF, Benji Michel, 6 — Michel didn’t make too much noise on offense, playing nearly every minute of the match without registering a shot or key pass. But his speed allowed him to race up and down the wing to help swarm opposing players on defense and win corners on offense. He sat back more as Orlando aimed to see out the match in the second half and did well defending Columbus’ crosses, finishing with four clearances. The Homegrown Player also chipped in with two tackles and an interception while winning two of his three aerial duels. Michel completed 76% of his 21 passes and was unsuccessful on his one attempted cross and his one long ball. Orlando’s other creative players stepping up and a solid defensive effort from Michel takes some of the sting out of a fairly lackluster offensive performance.

MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6.5 — Pereyra led the Lions with 53 passes, completing them at an impressive 85% success rate to keep Orlando’s offense fluid against the Crew. He did well on Orlando’s second goal, sneaking into an open area near the top of the box after a pass and then getting the ball to Kara to set up a give-and-go with Facundo Torres. Pereyra was accurate on two of his seven crosses, connected on three of his five long balls, and also had a key pass. From start to finish, he hustled on defense and had four interceptions and two tackles. The 32-year-old may not have been the fastest player on the pitch, but he proved his value late in the match by making smart and composed passes to give Orlando some time to breathe before the next onslaught of Columbus attacking.

MF, Facundo Torres, 7.5 — Torres played a critical role in both of Orlando’s goals. His cross following a set piece was dangerous and led to Schlegel’s goal and he assisted on Kara’s goal after a series of tight passes. His defensive pressure was also great, as he chased down Crew players and finished the game with three tackles after 70 minutes of action. Torres may have only been accurate on one of his four attempted crosses, but most were still dangerous balls that dipped into the center of goal for good chances and he had two key passes. Neither of his long balls found their target and he had 32 passes at a 78% success rate. He also had two shots, putting one on target that Room saved while sending the other into the stands. El Cuervo loves to play with the ball at his feet and flew all over the field to make himself an outlet for passes and find open spaces to infiltrate the Crew’s defense. This match was a testament to how well Torres is gelling with his teammates in his first year in MLS.

F, Ercan Kara , 7 — Kara’s goal was a work of art, working alongside Pereyra and Torres to give himself a small window to shoot and bury the ball past Room. It was his only shot of the match and he made it count from a tight angle while the ball was bouncing. Kara had an otherwise quiet night as he played 69 minutes and had just eight passes, completing five for a 63% success rate. That being said, he helped out with Orlando’s press and had a key pass of his own. He’s scored in two consecutive matches and may continue to do so if the players around him keep generating great service. Kara’s finishing touch and killer instinct was the difference between a 2-0 win and a struggle to grind out a 1-0 win on the road.

Substitutes

F, Tesho Akindele (69’), 5.5 — The Canadian striker came on for Kara and used his height to make three clearances. He also had a pair of tackles to help limit the Crew’s chances and won two of his three aerial duels. Three unstable touches aren’t what you want from a substitute when trying to see out a win, but Akindele did well off the ball as he drifted into open spaces for passes and added pressure. He had 17 touches and completed six of his seven passes.

MF, Andres Perea (70’), 5.5 — It was off the bench and into the fire for Perea, who picked up a yellow card just a minute after coming on the field on a needless foul against Pedro Santos, who had his back to goal on the wing. He settled in a bit after that, making nine touches and completing all seven of his passes. Perea gave the Lions some fresh legs, nice passes, and a block.

MF, Sebas Mendez (88’), N/A — We didn’t see enough from Mendez to grade him as he only had four touches and four passes at a 75% completion rate. His inclusion late in the match gave Orlando some more defensive presence and stability in the center of the field.

D, Thomas Williams (91’), N/A — The Homegrown Player made his MLS debut, coming on late to fortify Orlando’s defense (but mostly to waste time). There wasn’t enough to grade him on as he didn’t have any touches, but it’s nice to see him get some minutes. With Antonio Carlos injured, we may see more of him in the future late in matches.


That’s how I saw each individual performance in Orlando City’s 2-0 win on the road against the Columbus Crew. It was a strong defensive effort across the board from the Lions and the offense seems to be finding its footing as well.

Be sure to vote in the poll below for your Man of the Match.

Polling Closed

PlayerVotes
Rodrigo Schlegel56
Facundo Torres20
Ercan Kara5
Junior Urso0
Other (let us know in the comments)0

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

The Lions look to bounce back from a tough loss to Toronto against league favorites FC Cincinnati.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Welcome to your match thread for a Saturday night matchup between Orlando City (2-4-3, 9 points) and FC Cincinnati (5-2-3, 18 points) at Inter&Co Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+). It’s the first of two scheduled meetings between the teams this season with the Lions scheduled to make the return trip to Ohio on Oct. 5.

Here’s what you need to know for the match.

History

Orlando City leads the all-time series, 4-2-3, with a 2-1-1 mark at home. The teams last met on Sept. 2, 2023, with the Lions claiming a 1-0 win on enemy soil, becoming the first road team to beat FC Cincinnati all season. Facundo Torres scored the game’s only goal. Orlando had to hold on down a man late when Wilder Cartagena was sent off. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in Orlando on March 4, 2023 in the most recent meeting in Central Florida.

The Lions fell 1-0 at TQL Stadium on June 24, 2022. A second-half goal from Brenner represented all the offense, but it could have been worse for Orlando City as Pedro Gallese made eight saves in the match. The first meeting of 2022 took place in Orlando on March 12, with FC Cincinnati notching its first win in the all-time series, 2-1 at Exploria Stadium. The Lions were more in control but were wasteful, despite dominating the stat sheet. The visitors got a brace from Brandon Vazquez to offset Junior Urso’s goal in the 42nd minute.

The final meeting of 2021 was on Oct. 16 in Cincinnati, when Orlando City got its first road victory in the series, 1-0 on Urso’s goal in the 13th minute. Tesho Akindele should have scored a second off the crossbar late in the game, but the play was never reviewed, despite video evidence that the ball was completely across the line.

On Aug. 7, 2021, the match in Cincinnati ended up in a 1-1 draw. Nani’s strike rescued a point after Brenner had opened the scoring for the hosts just before halftime, taking advantage of an obviously injured Uri Rosell, who subbed off moments later. The first of the three meetings in 2021 came on May 21 in Orlando, with the Lions posting a 3-0 win. Akindele scored in the first minute and Nani and Urso each added a goal.

In Orlando’s first trip to the banks of the Ohio River, the match ended in a 1-1 draw at Nippert Stadium on Sept. 29, 2019. Benji Michel’s goal in stoppage time rescued a point for the Lions after Allan Cruz had given the hosts a lead. The draw officially eliminated Orlando City from playoff contention that year, but realistically the Lions had been out of it for a while.

The first ever meeting between the two sides took place on May 19, 2019, when the Lions pummeled the expansion side, 5-1. Both Nani and Akindele bagged braces in the match and Dom Dwyer added a goal as well.

Overview

The Lions are coming off a 2-1 stunning late defeat at home to Toronto FC one week ago. Orlando City led much of the match on Duncan McGuire’s strike but couldn’t find a second and the visitors turned it around with two late headers from the 87th minute on. That was Orlando’s first loss since March 17. The Lions are just 1-2-2 at home this season.

Cincinnati is coming off a 2-1 home win over the Colorado Rapids and has won its last two matches, including its most recent away game at Atlanta, 2-1 on April 20. The Ohio side is 3-1-1 away from home on the season.

FC Cincinnati is basically good at everything but has not found as much success in the attack so far this season, although Luciano Acosta paces the club with four goals and five assists in 2024. Yuya Kubo has been pressed into service as a forward this season and has responded with three goals in 10 matches. Corey Baird has joined the team this season and although he hasn’t completely settled in yet, he’s got a goal and two assists.

The defense, however, which was already good last season, has been bolstered even more. The team has only conceded nine goals and that has largely to do with the arrivals of center back Miles Robinson and fullback DeAndre Yedlin. The two USMNT defenders join Matt Miazga and others in forming a sizable and nearly impenetrable wall in frong of goal. Scoring hasn’t been easy all season for Orlando City, but it may prove even more difficult tonight.

“Cincinnati has a model that is very concrete,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said ahead of the match. “We know it, we have played them last year. Coach hasn’t changed much; we don’t see many changes on their squad or the way they do (things). We’re conscious on what we need to do well. It’s always a good match against them. They have done a good job in the past year, and we have done it too, so we’ll see.”

The Lions will be without forward Ramiro Enrique (ankle) and Homegrown fullback Tahir Reid-Brown (thigh), while center back David Brekalo (thigh) is listed as questionable. FC Cincinnati will be without Aaron Boupendza (jaw) and may still be without defender Nick Hagglund (leg).

Match Content


Projected Lineups

Orlando City (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Pedro Gallese.

Defenders: Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

Defensive Midfielders: Cesar Araujo, Wilder Cartagena.

Attacking Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda.

Forward: Duncan McGuire.

FC Cincinnati (3-4-1-2)

Goalkeeper: Alec Kann.

Defenders: Ian Murphy, Matt Miazga, Miles Robinson.

Midfielders/wingbacks: Luca Orellano, Pavel Bucha, Obinna Nwobodo, DeAndre Yedlin.

Attacking Midfielder: Luciano Acosta.

Forwards: Yuya Kubo, Corey Baird.

Referees

REF: Ismail Elfath.
AR1: Corey Parker.
AR2: Kyle Atkins.
4TH: Alyssa Nichols.
VAR: Younes Marrakchi.
AVAR: Fabio Tovar.


How to Watch

Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV/Streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

Radio: Real Radio 104.1 FM (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish).

Twitter: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow along at @TheManeLand, as well as Orlando City’s official Twitter feed (@OrlandoCitySC).


Enjoy the match. Go City!

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Opinion

Predicting Orlando City’s May Results

Take a peek into the crystal ball as we predict this month’s fixtures.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After earning four points in the month of April across three matches with a 1-1-1 record, Orlando City looks to calm the storm and gain meaningful results against several squads above them on the table and a few of the Eastern Conference’s best. The Lions will play six matches in the month of May, and before action kicks off later tonight at home against FC Cincinnati, I wanted to put my psychic abilities to the test to try to predict the teams results over a very full month.

Saturday, May 4 — vs. FC Cincinnati

The most important part of a bad loss is not allowing it to beat you twice and that is exactly what the Lions will look to avoid as they attempt to shake off the gut-wrenching, last-minute loss to Toronto FC from the end of April when they host FC Cincinnati. Last year’s Supporters’ Shield winners are riding a two-game winning streak into the match after dispatching the Colorado Rapids 2-1 in their most recent outing. Cincinnati is a different squad than the one that won the shield a year ago, with USMNT striker Brandon Vazquez playing in Mexico and acquisitions like Miles Robinson and DeAndre Yedlin joining the squad this year. Luckily, Orlando’s offense has awakened and in the month of April the Lions scored multiple goals in two out of their three matches. Cincinnati will be without the services of Aaron Boupendza due to a broken jaw and I like this match to be high scoring but level.

Prediction: Orlando City 2-2 FC Cincinnati.


Saturday, May 11 — at Philadelphia Union

The Union have found themselves in a bit of a post-Concacaf Champions Cup haze, much like Orlando has, with only four points separating the squads through nine matches. Subaru Park, a previously impossible site to win at for road teams, was finally cracked by Orlando City last year, and the Union have already lost in front of their home crowd once this year, thanks to Real Salt Lake. The first road test of the month for the Lions will test the team’s ability to play in a hostile environment and a win could go a long way towards the climb up the table. Orlando will still have to deal with Andre Blake, Jack Elliot, and Daniel Gazdag, but this version of the Union feels slightly less menacing than in years past.

Prediction: Orlando City 2-1 Philadelphia Union.


Wednesday, May 15 — vs. Inter Miami

Lionel Messi and friends on a short week after an away match…it feels like the schedulers are just doing this on purpose at this point, doesn’t it? Orlando will look to avenge its worst outing of the year to date, a 5-0 drubbing that happened in South Florida back on March 2. The key to this match will be managing emotions, as the Lions have shown in the past that they have the right players in place to frustrate Messi, but they also can get caught up in the moment. This one could be a coin flip, as both sides could potentially see heavy rotation and Miami continues to deal with several injuries to its supporting cast. Nonetheless, I think Orlando flips the script in this one and the match against the boys in pink becomes a turning point for the entire season.

Prediction: Orlando City 2-0 Inter Miami.


Saturday, May 18 — at San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose has had an abysmal start to their year and is currently tied with the New England Revolution for Wooden Spoon darlings, sitting on four points. Still, this will be Orlando’s third match in eight days, a task the team has not had to deal with since balancing both Concacaf and the MLS regular season in March. This feels like the trap game on the schedule to me, coming off of a tough midweek match against intrastate rivals and with the high-scoring juggernauts known as the Columbus Crew coming up the week after. I expect Oscar Pareja to rotate the squad for this one to try to save some miles on the legs, and that will ultimately be the team’s undoing as it has to salvage a draw late against the Quakes.

Prediction: Orlando City 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes.


Saturday, May 25 — vs. Columbus Crew

The Columbus Crew will face off against the Lions in their first matchup of the season late in the month. The reigning MLS Cup holders have been on a heater in both MLS regular-season play and in the Concacaf Champions Cup, and they are now set to face CF Pachuca on June 1 in the final match of the tournament. The timing of that match one week after this could create some interesting storylines, as the Crew — also have a midweek fixture on May 29 — look to stay fresh. As an Orlando fan, I wouldn’t hold my breath, hoping for some obscure names in the starting 11. The Crew are capable of hurting teams in a myriad of ways, and even with a week’s rest and training back in Orlando, I think the squad that knocked OCSC out of the 2023 MLS playoffs will again find a road victory as the Crew look to tune up for their championship final.

Prediction: Orlando City 0-2 Columbus Crew.


Wednesday, May 29 — vs. Chicago Fire FC

The whirlwind month ends in the Windy City, as Orlando travels to Chicago for a midweek fixture to close out the month. Chicago has had an up-and-down start to the season, much like Orlando has, and the Fire currently sit just one point ahead of the Lions on the table. Orlando took both meetings in 2023 by 3-1 final scores. I think after five other matches in the month, chemistry issues should be a thing of the past, and while road points always come as a premium in MLS, I think Orlando will keep its streak against the Fire alive by jumping on top early and then coasting to a win.

Prediction: Orlando City 3-0 Chicago Fire FC.


If things go as I have now spoken them into existence, Orlando will earn 11 points in the month of May. The month will also finish with Orlando closer to the playoff line but still on the outside looking in. My predictions are based on historical results that the squad has put in against these teams, schedule congestion of both the Lions and their opponents, and finally, the true belief that this team has the tools necessary to earn victories at the end of the day. Check back at the end of the month to see just how close I came to predicating the correct results. Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City

Intelligence Report: Orlando City vs. FC Cincinnati

Get all the inside information you need ahead of Orlando’s match with FC Cincinnati.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Another Orlando City matchday looms large this weekend, as the Lions will try to put Saturday’s thoroughly dispiriting loss behind them. They’ll have a tough task ahead of them though, as they welcome an FC Cincinnati team to town that currently sits second in the Eastern Conference.

A match against FCC means I spoke with Justin Blair of the always excellent Cincinnati Soccer Talk. As always, Justin was very helpful in getting us all caught up on Cincy before tomorrow’s match.

The nine goals conceded by FC Cincinnati are tied for the fewest given up by any team in the league. What’s been working so well for FCC defensively so far?

Justin Blair:  In 2023, FC Cincinnati was tied for fourth in goals conceded with 39 allowed (Orlando, NYCFC, and RBNY). This season is continuing that impressive trajectory. The addition of Miles Robinson, arguably the best MLS center back, was a home run signing for FCC. Robinson joins 2023 Defensive Player of the Year Matt Miazga as the feature center back duo. But Pat Noonan’s system asks for three in the back and has been plugged with a rotation of players that have kept the defense stout. I have to mention that central defensive midfielder Obinna Nwobodo is arguably the most underrated player in all of MLS. He is an extremely skilled player that flies around and acts as a catch-all in front of the back line. 

Brandon Vazquez departed in the off-season for Monterrey. In his absence, who has Cincy turned to for goal scoring?

JB: Brandon Vazquez is a tremendous striker for FCC and has been solid for Rayados with 10 goals in 22 appearances. But his form never hit stride in 2023. He had nine goals across all MLS competitions, which was down from a career high of 18 goals in 2022. FCC had to find goals in other places last season, so they aren’t exactly in uncharted waters. So far in 2024, reigning MLS MVP Lucho Acosta has been carrying the load with four goals and five assists. Yuya Kubo, who I affectionately call FCC’s Swiss Army knife, has seen recent minutes at the forward position. Kubo’s confidence on the ball and chemistry with Acosta has seen him score three goals in a short amount of time. Surprisingly, FCC’s star Designated Player striker Aaron Boupendza has fallen in the graces of the squad and hasn’t hit consistent minutes this season.

Run me through some of the other arrivals and departures that took place during the off-season. Who are a few names to watch out for?

JB: Well FCC’s off-season was a doozy to say the least. Several departures include the previously mentioned Vazquez, along with Sanitago Arias, Yerson Mosquera (loan), Alvaro Barreal, Dominique Badji, Junior Moreno, and Ray Gaddis — all of whom played significant minutes for the orange and blue during their 2023 Supporters’ Shield season. For incoming players, GM Chris Albright brought in Robinson, Pavel Bucha, Luca Orellano, Kipp Keller, and Corey Baird during the off-season. The additions of DeAndre Yedlin and Yamil Asad have also worked their way into the matchday rotation. Every piece added has felt like an upgrade or at least a comparable replacement. This is, of course, with the exception of replacing Vazquez.

FCC (recently) announced the loan signing of target striker Kevin Kelsy from Shakhtar Donetsk. The young loanee is sure to see considerable minutes with FCC but will likely not feature in the match versus Orlando City. I would keep an eye on Orellano for FCC. The left wingback is the heir apparent to Barreal that is so critical for Cincinnati’s ability to progress the ball from the midfield into the attacking third. Orellano is clean with his touches and can serve up line-splitting through balls that are perfectly weighted.

Will any players be unavailable due to injury, suspension, etc.? What is your projected starting XI and score prediction?

JB: Unavailable players might include Yedlin (hip), goalkeeper Roman Celentano (ankle), forward Sergio Santos (leg), and center back Nick Hagglund (knee). It seems uncertain if either or all will miss minutes in the match versus Orlando but most likely to participate would be Celentano, who was a late scratch versus Colorado on Saturday. 

Starting XI (3-5-2): Roman Celentano (Alec Kann); Bret Halsey (DeAndre Yedlin), Miles Robinson, Matt Miazga, Ian Murphy, Luca Orellano; Obinna Nwobodo, Pavel Bucha, Lucho Acosta; Yuya Kubo, Corey Baird.

Score Prediction: Oscar Pareja seems to have Pat Noonan’s system figured out. FCC also struggles to find wins against Orlando City. I’m going to go with a 1-1 draw when the final whistle sounds. 


Thanks again to Justin for the great info on FCC. Vamos Orlando!

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