FC Cincinnati 2 lost their second home match of the season Sunday night, falling to Orlando City B 5-3 at Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium. FC Cincinnati 2 remain 11th in the Eastern Conference (4-8-3, 16 points) while Orlando City B stay fifth (8-6-2, 27 points).
The match kicked off at 8:45 p.m. ET following a one hour and forty-five-minute weather delay.
FC Cincinnati 2 and Orlando City B exchanged first half goals as defender David Garcia opened the scoring in the 30th minute. Garcia rose above the Orlando defense following a set piece situation and head home past Javier Otero for his first MLS NEXT Pro goal.
Bret Halsey tallied his fourth assist of the season and is now tied with Jordi Govea and Morgan Marshall for a team high.
Orlando’s Juninho responded in the 39th minute to bring the match level. Juninho, who scored in the reverse fixture, pushed towards goal from midfield and struck a powerful shot from the edge of the area, finding the top left corner for his second of the season.
Ryder Mills scored his third goal of the season less than a minute into the second half to restore Cincinnati’s lead. The FC Cincinnati Academy forward found the back of the net after having a go from the right side of the box with Matt Dreas picking up his first assist of the season in the process.
The MLS NEXT All-Star forward would score his second of the night eight minutes later in the 54th minute for his first career brace. Philip Horton and Isaiah Foster registered their first goal contributions for the Orange and Blue with assists on the goal.
A Cincinnati own goal in the 55th minute brought Orlando back into the match before the Lions scored three straight goals over the final 20 minutes to close out the match.
FC Cincinnati 2 are back on the road next Sunday, June 9 as they take on Chicago Fire FC II at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT) and can be streamed live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
FC CINCINNATI 2 GAME REPORT
FC Cincinnati 2 vs. Orlando City B
Date: July 2, 2023
Venue: Scudamore Field at NKU Soccer Stadium
Competition: MLS NEXT Pro regular season
Kickoff: 8:45 p.m. ET
Weather: 75 degrees, cloudy
SCORING SUMMARY: 1-2-F
CIN: 1-2-3
ORL: 1-4-5
CIN – D. Garcia (B. Halsey) 30’, R. Mills (M. Dreas) 46’, R. Mills (P. Horton, I. Foster) 54’
ORL – Juninho (S. Mohammed) 39’, M. Dreas (OG) 55’, Juninho (J. Solís) 70’, J. Lynn 72’, J. Lynn (Juninho) 75’
LINEUPS
CIN: E. Louro, I. Foster, L. Aghedo, J. Akpunonu, D. Garcia (H. Conteh, 75’), B. Halsey, S. Jimenez, D. Turcios (P. Horton, 46’), M. Dreas (M. Schenfeld, 84’), R. Mills, A. Ordoñez (J. Castellano, 46’)
Substitutes not used: H. Morse, J. Mora, N. McHenry
Head Coach: Tyrone Marshall
ORL: J. Otero, F. Pérez (T. Reid-Brown, 86’), Z. Taifi, N. Kibunguchy, A. Granados, J. Solís (F. Sanchez, 86’), C. Medina, Juninho, J. Almaguer (T. Williams, 86’), J. Lynn (C. Acuña, 78’), S. Mohammed (W. Rivera, 86’)
Substitutes not used: D. Pereira
Head Coach: Martín Perelman
STATS SUMMARY: CIN/ORL
Shots: 4 / 24
Shots on goal: 3 / 13
Saves: 8 / 0
Corner Kicks: 0 / 8
Fouls: 16 / 10
Offside: 1 / 1
Possession: 31.4 / 68.6
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
ORL – N. Kibunguchy (Yellow card) 29’
CIN – S. Jimenez (Yellow card) 43’
CIN – L. Aghedo (Yellow card) 59’
ORL – W. Rivera (Red card) 89’
OFFICIALS
Referee: Jeremy Scheer
Ast. Referees: Noah Matos, James Duling
Fourth Official: Kevin Fikar
