Orlando City B showed improvement from its first game at Tampa Bay to last Thursday's home match against a tough Louisville City side. However, neither performance was good enough to walk away with a result, and more work was needed. A team meeting was held to discuss not only on-field issues but also questions about the team's objectives, culture, and other topics. The meeting seemed to bear fruit.
OCB Head Coach Anthony Pulis said the team put together a couple of outstanding training sessions after the meeting and the players took the pitch at Orlando City Stadium with a new-found sense of togetherness that translated into a 3-1 win over Toronto FC II. It was easily the best performance of the three this season for OCB and produced the team's first victory of 2017 and the reserve side's first win in its new home at Orlando City Stadium.
It's a shame that only a little over a thousand fans braved the menacing skies to see the game. Those who missed the match lost out on seeing standout performances by first-team loanees Hadji Barry, Richie Laryea, and Pierre Da Silva, the center back pairing of Leo Pereira and Zach Carroll, and others. Laryea completed an impressive 96.8% of his 31 passes and showed strength in holding off a Toronto defender to help set up the second goal. Da Silva, though he was sent off late in the match, did the same on the third goal and left the game with two assists. Paul Clowes, Barry, and Lewis Neal provided the goals.
We hope you enjoy these images from an entertaining match.