USL PRO News Release
Thursday, September 5, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. – The 2013 USL PRO Championship will be decided this Saturday night as No. 2-seed Orlando City hosts the No. 5-seed Charlotte Eagles at the Florida Citrus Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be watched live on USLNation.com, the league’s free online streaming platform, with a crowd of more than 10,000 expected to be on hand to see a champion crowned.
The Lions and Eagles have taken different routes to the championship game, with Orlando hosting for the third time this postseason. The Lions, who claimed the championship in 2011 against the Harrisburg City Islanders, took a 5-0 victory against Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals before holding off the defending champion Charleston Battery, 3-2, in last weekend’s semifinals.
Charlotte has found its success on the road. The Eagles advanced from the quarterfinals with a 3-1 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders, and then recorded one of the surprises of the season as they defeated the regular-season champion Richmond Kickers 2-1 at City Stadium in the semifinals.
Orlando’s squad has been boosted by the return of co-Golden Boot winner Dom Dwyer for Saturday’s game. Dwyer began the season with the Lions on loan from their MLS partner Sporting Kansas City, and scored 15 goals in 13 games. After his strong start, Dwyer returned to Kansas City and has since recorded his first goals in MLS and the CONCACAF Champions League. He will join an attack that has seen Dennis Chin record two goals and two assists in the postseason so far to lead the Lions to the final.
Charlotte is aiming for another piece of history as it visits Orlando to try and claim the club’s third USL championship. After earning the club’s first postseason victory against Richmond last week, the Eagles will try to win for the first time against the Lions. Orlando has gone 4-0-2 all-time against Charlotte, with the two teams playing to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting this season on April 23, and the Lions edging out a 1-0 win in the final game of the regular season for both teams on August 17.
For live updates from the USL PRO Championship Game, follow the league on Twitter (@USLPRO), Facebook (www.facebook.com/USLPRO), or watch the game live on UNATION (www.uslnation.com).