Orlando City SC (13-0-3, 42 points) is set to face the Wilmington Hammerheads (5-1-6, 21 points) tonight at ESPN Wide World of Sports.
The Lions are currently riding two club records for an unbeaten streak (16) and winning streak (7). Kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. with great seats still available. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.OrlandoCitySC.com or by calling 855-ORL-CITY. The match will also be live-streamed via YouTube.com/OrlandoCitySC.
Orlando and the Hammerheads were scheduled for a midweek fixture last week in North Carolina, but the match was rescheduled due to inclement weather, stemming from Hurricane Arthur.
The Lions are past the halfway point of their final season as members of USL PRO and are sitting comfortably at the top of the league standings. City has had an impressive 2014 campaign, managing to go 16 games without suffering defeat.
Striker Corey Hertzog has regained form as of late, finding the back of net four times during his last five games as well as posting his first brace that led to USL PRO Player of the Week honors. After spending the majority of the 2014 season in first place for league goals scored, Midfielder Kevin Molino (pictured below) was finally usurped last weekend by Dayton’s Aaron Schoenfeld, who bagged a hat-trick to move one goal ahead of the Trinidadian.
The race for the golden boot award will be close, as Molino remains in good goal-scoring form. The Club’s first ever MLS signing provided the first goal for City in last Sunday’s I-4 Derby clash against the Rowdies, followed by Darwin Ceren, who scored his first goal for the Lions since February, and Corey Hertzog added to the final tally.
City’s defense also remains in-tact, anchored by Goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo. In the previous two matches, Gallardo has kept the opposition at bay, recording back-to-back clean-sheets while leading the league in the goals allowed average category with a career low 0.666.
The game will also be the first chance for Lions fans to see 22-year-old Forward Giuseppe Gentile who has signed for the remainder of the 2014 USL PRO season.
The Hammerheads are currently tied for the second most draws in the league, one behind the second-place Richmond Kickers, including four consecutive draws during the month of June.
Wilmington’s Samuel Ochoa has been involved in slightly less than half of the team’s 20 goals through the first 12 games of the season. The forward leads the club in assists with five, and is also tied for first in goals (4) and shots (15).
For more information, including tickets to Saturday’s match or future Orlando City SC home games, visit www.OrlandoCitySC.com