Orlando City v Charleston Battery at Citrus Bowl Tonight
Tonight sees the final home stretch of matches for the Orlando City Lions. Just three matches remain in the USL PRO regular season and the Lions have already booked their place in the play offs, but seeding in the packed American Division remains up for grabs. A win in tonight’s match will bring Orlando within one point of guaranteeing a top 2 finish and playing the divisional semifinals at home.
Tonight’s opponents are American Division rivals Charleston Battery and both teams are familiar with each other, having played each other twice in the last two months. City won the first meeting, a June 21st U.S. Open Cup match, 1-0 from a Rob Valentino header. The Battery then returned the favor in league play on July 9th, taking advantage of a tired Lions side playing their second match in 24 hours. The 1-0 loss to Charleston was just the third in league play for Orlando.
Both squads are fighting for playoff positioning as Orlando City sits at the top of both the American Division and USL PRO with 42 points, but holds just a three point lead over second place Wilmington. Charleston currently holds the fourth and final playoff spot in the American Division, but Charlotte is just three points behind with a game in hand and Orlando could deal a severe blow to Charleston’s playoff chances with a victory.
The Lions then follow up tonight’s clash with Charleston with another game against the same opponents on Saturday evening. A combined four points from the games (one win, one draw) will guarantee Orlando City at least the #2 seed in the American Division and a home playoff game in the first round, the divisional semifinals. If Orlando City wins both matches, they will clinch the top seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, including the USL PRO Championship Game.
One player who won’t be playing is Matt Luzunaris who was on loan from Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes as they have recalled the forward as injuries to key players have forced their hand. The former UCF Knight had three matches left on his loan, as he was not eligible for the USL PRO playoffs. Luzunaris scored two goals in his three appearances with Orlando City, including the game-tying goal on July 16 against Rochester that sparked the Lions to a key league victory.
Tickets are still on sale for tonight’s game and start at just $12. Please direct all questions regarding tickets to the Orlando City ticket office (855-ORL-CITY).
Kickoff for Wednesday’s match at the Citrus Bowl is set for 7:30 pm.
Proposed Line-up (unofficial):
GK: Miguel Gallardo
DF: Mechack Jerome, Demar Stewart, Kieron Bernard, Jack Traynor
MF: Jamie Watson, Yordany Alvarez, Luke Boden, Lewis Neal
FW: Kevin Molino, Max Griffin
Subs:
Sean Kelley, Luke Boden, Justin Fojo, Charlie Campbell, Dennis Chin, Devorn Jorsling
