Orlando City SC News News Release -- www.orlandocitysoccer.com
Monday, April 21, 2014
ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando City SC (2-0-2, 8 points) will travel this week to take on F.C. Dallas Reserves on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET aiming to regain first place in the USL PRO standings. City has momentum heading into the upcoming two game road-trip, which concludes in Oklahoma City on Saturday night, as the Lions are coming off consecutive wins at home against the Rochester Rhinos and the Charleston Battery.
Orlando's match against F.C. Dallas will be the first meeting between the two sides since the 2011 campaign. In their first season in Orlando, the Lions fell to the F.C. Dallas first team on two occasions, losing 1-0 in the Walt Disney Pro Soccer Classic before suffering a 3-2 defeat in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
This year’s matchup will feature the F.C. Dallas Reserves, who previously secured a 1-0 victory against OKC Energy FC in their first match against a USL PRO club this season. Midfielder Brian Span was recalled by Dallas for the game against OKC, but has re-joined Orlando and will be eligible to play against his current MLS club on Tuesday.
Due to an agreement made between MLS and USL PRO last year, each USL squad will once again play a pair of regular season games against MLS Reserve Teams, with the results counting in each team’s respective league standings.
Following their match against F.C. Dallas Reserves, City will travel to Oklahoma City to take on the newly added USL PRO side. Coached by former Sporting Kansas City Captain Jimmy Neilsen, the Energy currently sit in fourth place in USL PRO (2-2-0, 6 points).
The match against OKC will feature familiar faces for City fans, as Sporting KC Goalkeeper Jon Kempin and Midfielder Christian Duke are currently on loan with the Oklahoma-based club. Both Kempin and Duke played a key role in Orlando’s championship winning season in 2013.
For more information, please visit OrlandoCitySC.com.