Orlando City B
 | |||
| Full name | Orlando City B | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) |
Lions OCB | ||
| Founded | June 30, 2015 | ||
| Stadium |
Orlando City Stadium Orlando, Florida | ||
| Capacity | 3,500 | ||
| Owner | Orlando City SC | ||
| Head Coach | Anthony Pulis | ||
| League | USL | ||
| 2016 |
8th, Eastern Conference Playoffs: Conference Quarterfinals | ||
| Website | Club home page | ||
|
| |||
Orlando City B (or OCB for short) is a United Soccer League (USL) club that began play in 2016. Owned by Orlando City SC based in Orlando, Florida, OCB plays its home games at the Orlando City Stadium.
History
On June 30, 2015, Orlando City SC announced that they would operate a USL club starting in 2016[1] in the Central Florida area. The team would be their USL affiliate, and Orlando City and Louisville City (their USL affiliate club for 2015) had negotiated a "long-term formal partnership" to replace their affiliation arrangement.[2]
Orlando City also announced that Anthony Pulis would coach the new team. Pulis was a player for Orlando City SC's USL club from 2011–14 and is the son of Tony Pulis, currently the manager of English Premier League side West Bromwich Albion F.C.[2] On August 11, 2015, Arizona United announced that Rob Valentino would retire from playing[3] and that he would be an assistant coach for Orlando's new USL team.[4]
On October 15, 2015, the club was officially introduced as Orlando City B, with home games to be played in Melbourne at the Titan Soccer Complex on the campus of EFSC campus.[5] In addition, OCB announced its first three player signings (pending USSF approval); defenders Mikey Ambrose and Kyle Callan-McFadden and midfielder Tony Rocha.[6] On December 17, Lewis Neal was signed to Orlando City B to provide leadership and an experienced presence on the team.[7]
On August 12, 2016, in a game against New York Red Bulls II, Orlando City B participated in the first competitive match in North America to employ Video Assistant Referee technology.[8]
Location
Tim Holt, Orlando's vice president of development, said that they would be looking for a stadium in Central Florida in order to facilitate the training of emerging players with the MLS team. Holt was the president of USL until May 2015.[1] Eastern Florida State College's stadium was visited by team personnel as a possible location.[9]
On August 21, 2015, the VP for athletics at Eastern Florida State College claimed in a pitch to the Brevard County Tourist Development Council's Sports Commission that the college's Titan Soccer Complex and a stadium in Deland are among the finalists to host games for the USL team.[10] Said plan was approved and the Titan Sports Complex at ECSC will be OCB's official home venue for the 2016 season.[5][6]
Year-by-year
- As of October 17, 2016
| Year | USL Regular season | Position | Playoffs | U.S. Open Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | GF | GA | Pts | Conf. | Overall | |||
| 2016 | 30 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 35 | 49 | 35 | 8th | 19th | Conference Quarterfinals | Not eligible (MLS Reserve Team) |
Head Coaches
- Includes USL Regular season, USL Play-offs and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup
| Coach | Nationality | Start | End | Games | Win | Loss | Draw | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Pulis |  Wales |
June 30, 2015 | Present | 31 | 9 | 14 | 8 | 29.03 |
First team roster
- As of November, 2016
| No. | Position | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Defender | Neal, LewisLewis Neal |  England
|
| 42 | Defender | Ellis-Hayden, ZachZach Ellis-Hayden |  Canada
|
| 43 | Forward | da Silva, PierrePierre da Silva |  United States
|
| 51 | Forward | Cox, MichaelMichael Cox | Canada
|
| 70 | Goalkeeper | Fenlason, JakeJake Fenlason | United States
|
| — | Defender | Carroll, ZachZach Carroll | United States
|
| — | Defender | Timbó, FernandoFernando Timbó |  Brazil
|
| — | Midfielder | Thomsen, ScottScott Thomsen | United States |
References
- 1 2 Tenorio, Paul (June 30, 2015), Orlando City to own, operate USL franchise in 2016, Orlando Sentinel, retrieved July 31, 2015.
- 1 2 Orlando City SC announce plans to field USL team in 2016, ending Louisville affiliation, MLSsoccer.com, June 30, 2015, retrieved July 31, 2015.
- ↑ Rob Valentino To Retire and Coach With Orlando City SC USL Club, August 11, 2015.
- ↑ Tenorio, Paul (August 11, 2015), Former Orlando City defender Rob Valentino named assistant coach of USL team, Orlando Sentinel.
- 1 2 "USL Welcomes Back Orlando City SC for 2016". United Soccer League. October 15, 2015. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- 1 2 Orlando City Announces Orlando City B, Signs Defenders Mikey Ambrose, Kyle Callan-McFadden, Midfielder Tony Rocha, October 15, 2015
- ↑ http://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/2015/12/17/lewis-neal-re-joins-orlando-city-family-extended-role
- ↑ Borg, Simon (12 August 2016). "MLS, USL receive IFAB approval for live video assistant referee experiments". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ↑ Malone, Giles (July 1, 2015), Eastern Florida State Could Be Home To Orlando City Soccer Minor League Team, retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ↑ Berman, Dave (August 21, 2015), "Melbourne could get soccer team with Orlando City ties", Florida Today, Gannett Company.
