Orlando City SC News Release - www.orlandocitysc.com
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
ORLANDO, Fla. - For the second consecutive season Orlando City SC is set to face MLS side the Colorado Rapids in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The only differences this year are that the match will take place in the fourth round rather than the third, and it will be played at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in the rocky mountain state. The match is set for 9 p.m. ET tonight.
City is off to its best start in franchise history as the Lions have gone unbeaten in its first 14 matches (11-0-3) in the club’s final USL PRO campaign. Orlando’s first MLS signing, Kevin Molino, has been leading Lions, with the Trinidadian already securing nine goals and 23 points.
The Lions made history during the 2013 Open Cup when OCSC hosted the Rapids at the Florida Citrus Bowl and produced a 3-1 win, securing its first win against an MLS club in the Open Cup. Head Coach Adrian Heath’s squad carried that momentum throughout the tournament as City went on to defeat Sporting Kansas City in the next round before falling to the Chicago Fire in the quarterfinals - marking the club’s longest run in the tournament.
With a prearranged schedule, Colorado enters the fray in fourth round after receiving a bye through the first three rounds. Orlando, on the other hand, has looked sharp in its opening two matches, defeating both the Ocala Stampede and the Tampa Bay Rowdies quite comfortably.
Colorado currently sits in third place in MLS’ western conference with a record of 6-5-4 through the team’s first 15 games of the 2014 campaign. Forwards Deshorn Brown and Vicente Sanchez lead the Rapids with five goals apiece, but Sanchez has only played sparingly, appearing in five games. Although a native of Jamaica, Brown played collegiately at nearby UCF before the Colorado franchise drafted the striker with the sixth overall pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft.