It was a less-than-ideal start to the USL regular season for Orlando City B head coach Anthony Pulis and his squad.

But the first-match loss could actually be a good sign. In the club’s inaugural season back in 2011, the Lions lost to the Richmond Kickers 2-0 in the season-opener, but finished the season as both regular-season and league champions.

OCB (0-1-0, 0 points) host the Charleston Battery (1-0-0, 3 points) on Friday at Titan Soccer Complex in Melbourne at 7:30 p.m.

The Battery are entering Friday’s matchup after clinching a 1-0 victory in their home-opener last week against USL expansion side FC Cincinnati.

Counting back to the club’s initial USL days, the Lions lead the head-to-head matchup with an 8-1-2 record. It doesn’t bode well for the Battery, either, as not one of their four wins have come in Orlando.

When Orlando City was originally in the USL, the team won two USL Pro Championships: one in its inaugural season with a 3-2 win by penalty kicks over the Harrisburg City Islanders, and another with a 7-4 win over the Charlotte Eagles in 2013. In the Lions’ second run to the championship, they toppled Charleston 3-2 in the semifinals. It was their second championship in three years.

Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at the Titan Soccer Complex.

Laryea loaned to OCB

Midfielder Richie Laryea will see more action in Orlando City B’s second regular-season match.

The seventh-overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft has been loaned down by the senior team to OCB ahead of its second USL match against the Battery on Friday.

Laryea started in the team’s first-ever match in USL, recording 69 minutes in a 2-1 loss to the Wilmington Hammerheads. The 21-year-old played his collegiate ball at the University of Akron, helping the Zips to an 18-3-3 regular-season record.

—

The Orlando Soccer Journal is non-profit news organization. If you’re enjoying our content, please help us fund our new website with a small one-time donation by clicking here.