Revolution II Preview: 9/15 @ Orlando City B
Revolution II Preview: 9/15 @ Orlando City B
Revs II hit the road in search of their first win since June 14th and their first win on the road in 2024.
Revolution II hit the road yet again on Sunday as they search for three points following back-to-back draws and shootout victories at home. Catch up on everything you need to know ahead of Sunday’s match.
Date: Sunday, September 15th
Opponent: Orlando City B
Time: 5:00 PM ET
Venue: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmie, Florida
Broadcast: mlsnextpro.com
Weather: It appears there will be a tropical feel inside Osceola Heritage Park as the temperature sits at 87° at kickoff with 63% humidity. Temps will remain in the mid-80s throughout the night while humidity steadily rises into the mid and high 70s.
New England Revolution II:
It’s been a whirlwind of a couple of months for Richie Williams’ side as they arrive in Florida amidst an 11-game winless run that’s seen them go 0-8-3 with two shootout victories while being outscored 23 to 14 in that span.
Despite the record since their last win on June 14, the tide has started to turn in Revolution II’s favor the past two outings after securing four points thanks to a 1-1 draw and 4-2 shootout victory over Chicago Fire II while notching a 2-2 draw and 6-5 shootout victory over Toronto FC II.
While turning in the right direction is good, it came way too late for Revs II as they saw their 2024 playoff aspirations disappear one year after nearly securing a spot in the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro Cup Final.
With four games left on the calendar, Richie Willams said he’ll use the rest of the season to continue giving young prospects crucial minutes at the pro level.
“Some players in which we see that potential to possibly move to the first team,” he said. “We’re going to keep giving those opportunities to players these last four games and give them as much experience as they can.”
On the bright side, we should hopefully see names like Olger Escobar, Alex Monis, and Colby Quiñones return to the squad after the trio spent time with their respective national teams.
Orlando City B:
Martin Perelman and his OCB squad come into Sunday’s meeting looking for three points to climb up the table. Orlando sits in sixth place in the East with 40 points on a 9-7-9 record and four shootout victories. A win over Revs II could see Orlando rise to as high as third place, while a loss could see them drop as low as eighth, depending on results in other matches.
The month of September has treated OCB well so far, as they’ve won both matches so far. September 1 saw them hold Huntsville off to secure a 2-1 win at home before securing a dominant 4-1 victory over Crown Legacy on September 8th.
Orlando’s success in 2024 has come from midfielder Shakur Mohammed, defender Alex Freeman, and forward Yutaro Tsukada. Mohammed holds a firm grip on Orlando’s Golden Boot title with 11 goals in 23 appearances. Freeman and Tsukada have six goals and seven assists over 23 and 19 appearances, respectively.
OCB comes into the match toward the top of several statistical categories. They are tied for sixth in goals scored per match with 1.9, tied for sixth in shots on target per match with 5.3, rank ninth in big chances with 61, tied for eighth in interceptions per match with 10.6, tied for eighth in clearances per match with 16.6, tied for ninth in saves per match with 3.4, and rank fifth for least fouls per match with 10.8.
Previous Meetings:
Sunday will mark the eighth all-time meeting between New England and Orlando. Revolution II holds a firm historical advantage with a 4-1-2 record against OCB.
Their first-ever meeting on August 7, 2020, saw Wilfredo Rivera and Kenji Tanaka combine to secure their only win over Revs II following a 2-0 victory.
September 26, 2020, saw Revs II secure their first win over Orlando after Justin Rennicks’ 46th-minute goal propelled New England to a 1-0 victory.
After OCB went on hiatus for the 2021 season, both sides met again for their first MLS NEXT Pro meeting on April 24, 2022. Neither side found the net in regulation as things ended in a scoreless draw. Orlando secured the additional point following a 4-3 shootout victory.
June 11, 2022, saw goals from Noel Buck and Marcos Dias hold off Orlando as Revs II secured a 2-1 victory. Goals from Malcolm Fry and Italo propelled Revs II to a 2-0 shutout victory on September 2, 2022.
August 9, 2023, was a back-and-forth affair that saw an own goal from Orlando plus goals from Peyton Miller, Jordan Adebayo-Smith, Jack Panayotou, and Joshua Bolma as Revs II secured a 5-4 victory.
Their most recent meeting came on September 7, 2023, when both sides walked away with a point following a 1-1 draw. Revs II secured the additional point following a 3-2 shootout victory.