FC Cincinnati 2 and Orlando City B will square off at TQL Stadium on Sunday, October 6, at 1 p.m. ET as part of MLS NEXT Pro’s Decision Day schedule to close out the regular season. Both sides have secured a place in the MLSNP postseason, but final conference standings are up for grabs.
The club will host ‘Soccer Sunday’ at TQL Stadium with a prematch season celebration taking place at 11 a.m. ET on the East Plaza. The morning will feature a number of family friendly activities and a meet and greet with FC Cincinnati players and Gary the Lion. The match will also feature a halftime teddy bear toss benefiting Toys for Tots. Tickets start at just $5 and are still available for purchase here.
Every MLSNP Decision Day match will air on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and can be streamed here.
FC CINCINNATI 2 vs ORLANDO CITY B – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2024 – 1 P.M. ET – TQL STADIUM
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FC CINCINNATI 2 NOTES
MLS NEXT PRO DECISION DAY – The 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Regular Season wraps up Sunday afternoon with 28 of the league’s 29 teams in action across the country. FC Cincinnati 2 and Orlando City B, along with six other Eastern Conference matchups, will kick off at 1 p.m. ET. The Orange and Blue have already booked their ticket to the postseason, but final table standings are up for grabs.
EASTERN CONFERENCE CROWN – The Orange and Blue enter the weekend just one point behind Philadelphia Union II who currently hold the top spot in the east. The two sides have jostled for Eastern Conference supremacy for nearly four months with the Conference Title on the line Sunday.
The Orange and Blue will need some help from Chicago Fire FC II, as three points for Philadelphia would keep Cincinnati second. If Union II earn a regulation time draw against Fire II, FCC 2 would need all three points to jump to the top.
However, in the event of a Union II loss, the Orange and Blue can take the top spot in the Eastern Conference with two or more points against Orlando.
No matter the result at TQL Stadium, or other Eastern Conference results, FC Cincinnati 2 are guaranteed a top two finish in the conference.
WELCOME BACK TO TQL STADIUM – Sunday’s match will mark the third time FC Cincinnati 2 will play a home match at TQL Stadium. The Orange and Blue are unbeaten in the venue, where they earned two points against Columbus Crew 2 in 2022, and three points against New York City FC II in 2023.
The Orange and Blue have scored five goals in those two matches with current Cincinnati winger Jesus Castellano having scored and assisted in the last match at TQL Stadium.
SCOUTING ORLANDO CITY B (11-7-9, 46 PTS., 3RD IN EASTERN CONFERENCE)
Orlando City B enter the final weekend of the MLS NEXT Pro regular season as one of the league’s most in-form clubs. Orlando have won seven of nine since the start of August and have put together four-consecutive wins. The Lions clinched a postseason spot on September 23 against Chicago Fire FC II and currently sit third in the Eastern Conference but will need to earn points to avoid dropping out of the top four.
OCB were named MLS NEXT Pro’s Team of the Month after winning all four matches in September. The Lions scored 11 goals while conceding just two over that span as defender Alexander Freeman, who was also named MLS NEXT Pro Player of the Month, has been a key contributor in the attacking and defensive third. Freeman has scored in four of his last five appearances, including a brace against Crown Legacy FC, and played ninety minutes in Orlando’s two straight shutouts performances.
Shakur Mohammed has led the attack out of midfield for OCB this season, scoring 11 goals in 25 appearances, but has only found the back of the net once in his last five starts. Jack Lynn, 2023’s MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot winner, has made just six appearances this season but has started in four straight and scored goals in each of his last three appearances.
Carlos Mercado is OCB’s first-choice keeper, starting 18 of 27 matches for the Lions this season. Mercado has stared in three of the club’s five season shutouts and has made 72 saves on the year, the fifth most in MLSNP.
