75'
FCC make another pair of subs, Teenage Hadebe and Ender Echenique come off. Ademar Chávez and Will Kuisel (FC Cincinnati Acadmey) come on.
71'
Big change for Orlando here, think I saw at least an exchange of four guys coming on/coming off.
Those subs come after a very dangerous sequence where Roman Celentano has to make two saves, and a third effort bangs off the underside of the crossbar and out.
FCC have a great look just after the change, Teenage Hadebe, Ender Echenique and Kévin Denkey combine to get a good cross through the box, but it's ruled the recipiant (Evander) got his hand on it while trying to control the cross so it is going the other way.
64'
Pavel Bucha slides a little too late and catches the Orlando defender. That's the second yellow card of the game for FCC.
60'
First sub of the game comes precisely at the hour mark. Gio Marioni (FC Cincinnati 2) comes on and Kyle Smith comes off.
56'
Tom Barlow tries to swim move through the Orlando defense while dribbling but just catches a little too much of the defender a little to high. He goes into the book for FCC's first yellow of the day.
53'
Oh boy...
Goal for Orlando. 3-1.
A too slow pass back to Roman Celentano from Sami Gidi causes some chaos as Celentano slips and is dispossed far from net. Orlando puts it in from distance to capitalize.
Three very sloppy passes leads to three goals for Orlando.
50'
Goal for Orlando... 2-1
Not an ideal handful of minutes as turnovers give Orlando space and numbers in the FCC end that they don't miss on. Both goals leave Roman Celentano essentially alone with the goal scorer.
Self inflicted wounds? Kinda. But the game has gone from FCC very much in control, to completely the other way.
49'
Goal for Orlando.
46'
We are back in action here as the teams have switched sides of the field, but nothing else. No subs (from what I can tell, can't speak for Orlando with confidence) at the break.
Good to note here that Bryan Ramirez will not be featuring in this game today, he travelled to Ecuador early this week to finalize the final steps of his visa. That process will assure that he can play in the first game of the Concacaf Champions Cup, and could only be completed after the visa was approved, which was last week. He is set to return to the team tomorrow.
Halftime
There is no added time for this preseason half as the ref blows his whistle and we are headed to the break with a 1-0 scoreline.
Both sides had chances, FCC finished one of theirs and probably had more. But Orlando had oppertunities, and credit to Celentano/the defense, they dealt with it well.
We will take a short break now before kicking off the final 45 minutes of preseason match action!
44'
Ender Echenique is hauled down, that's another booking for Orlando.
Meanwhile, on the opening part of that play, Evander pulled down a hot shot clearance from Celentano by playing the ball off his chest, and then proceeding to dribble it off his foot ten times without it letting it touch the ground. Like a point guard dribbling out of traffic to reset the offence.
Fancy stuff!
38'
The back and forth pace has picked up again. FC Cincinnati start it by Denkey and Barlow connecting on a run up the field. Denkey brings the ball down, turns, and feeds a running Barlow who then centers it back to Denkey. But the shot is blocked.
Orlando spring forward off of that and forces a save from Roman Celentano on a pass into the box that the Orlando attacker (#13) seems to just tip. Celentano is all over it though.
A second seqence forces Celentano to make a sort of Volleyball bump save away on a low burner of a shot, and the FCC counter is halted when Kévin Denkey is fouled.
Yellow card comes out again for that foul, that's the second of the game for Orlando.
32'
Gilbero Flores gets stepped on defending a pass and the referee pulls out his cards for the first time today to put the Orlando player in the book.
Flores needs a moment to get up, but he does and shakes it off.
27'
Orlando have upped the press since the goal, but never fear, Teenage Hadebe is here.
With Orlando pinning in FCC and the high press making it difficult to clear the danger, Teenage Hadebe creates some breathing room with a Bicycle kick clearance that could double for an NFL Punt.
It breaks the pressure and opens the field up...and also marks his first of those of the year.
21' EVANDER GOAL! 1-0
Evander gets his name on the scoresheet for the first time this preseason and Kévin Denkey earns his first assist of on the goal as well.
Denkey picks off a weak pass between the defenders and finds the keeper in no mans land. His touch takes him around the keeper but at a bad angle, so Denkey finds the centering pass to Evander in the middle who puts it home with authority!
19'
Another good look as Pavel Bucha finds Kyle Smith alone out wide with space and Smith sends a cross through the box with some pace. Maybe too pacey though as none of Evander, Tom Barlow or Kévin Denkey can get to it.
14'
Evander's free kick is sent away from danger in the box by Orlando, but it's out for a FCC corner.
The first corner is sent away again for another corner on the other side, and that second attempt connects in the box for a shot (I think from Miles Robinson but I'll need to ask who actually got the contact) but it's just wide of the net.
Orlando plays quickly on the restart goal kick, and sends a shot wide from outside the box.
Absoutle frenetic pace right now up and down the field.
11'
One of those Orlando counters connects and leads to a really good chance, but Roman Celentano rushes to the far side, gets big, and makes a great kick save.
Gilberto Flores clears it from the box and FCC are back on the offensive. Kyle Smith wins a free kick on the right side outside the Orlando box, and Evander is over it now...
8'
Not sure sloppy is the right word for it but both sides have been somewhat off a touch on their touch. Orlando has played a really high line early, so FCC has looked to beat it long in behind, but those long passes have come off as often as they haven't, giving possesion away. But Orlando has been equally challanged in their passing, launching balls back up the field on the counter to no one...or least not someone who knew they were supposed to be there.
Ultimately it's led to FCC having more control over this opening few minutes, and being more dangerous, but not getting the final look they want.
Best look for either came on a ball up the side to Tom Barlow, who centered it to Kévin Denkey, but he gets tangled up in the box and can't get the shot off.
Kickoff 1'
We are underway here in St. Pete! It's a cool afternoon with a blue sky overhead, not a breeze to be felt though.
Orlando kick things off to open the game. They are attacking from my right to left.
Lineups are in! - 3:54 p.m. - about 6 minutes to kickoff
Went 3/5 in avoiding sprinklers this preseason, which would get me into the baseball hall of fame, but doesn't do much for the blogging. But I succsessfuly protected my laptop with my rain coat and hat.
Here is the opening XI for todays frinedly with Orlando City.
Tom Barlow
Pavel Bucha
Roman Celentano
Kévin Denkey
Ender Echenique
Evander
Gilberto Flores
Sami Gidi
Teenage Hadebe
Miles Robinson
Kyle Smith
It looks like FCC will be again wearing their Orange and Blue Legacy Kits, while Orlando is set to wear their light purple threads.
Welcome back for a final time this year - 3:50 p.m. - about 10 minutes to kickoff
Welcome back to the Live Blog! We have come to the end of the preseason friendly calendar today as FC Cincinnati are set to take on Orlando City SC today in the final match before competitive games begin next week. I am Staff Writer Carter Chapley, and I’m once again stationed pitchside, but this time we have travelled to Waters Park (the training home of the Tampa Bay Rowdies) in St. Petersburg, Florida, for this 4 p.m. kickoff.
Lineups are due any moment now, so when they are shared, I will be sure to provide them. What we do know now, though, is what we will be playing. Today's match will be a standard 90-minute affair with two 45-minute halves.
I will be updating as frequently as I can, so refresh this page to stay current. That said, and I ask that this consideration apply on multiple fronts, remember that these preseason games take place far outside the typical viewing experience. Today I am again sitting at field level, with no clock, no replay and trying to track the game all while typing furiously.
I have encountered internet outages, equipment malfunctions, sprinkler attacks, bird strikes, computers overheating in the Florida sun, and even being knocked over by the ball in play. Anything can happen, last year when FC Cincinnati played here at Waters Park, we even saw an Alligator in the marsh behind the nets (don’t worry, there is a big fence). That’s part of the fun, but that can also impact updates.
With that in mind, every effort will be made to ensure accuracy. Sometimes initial viewings create confusion, but I have extra eyes to help set me straight. If corrections are needed, they will be made promptly. The same goes for typos. They happen, they don’t happen on purpose and can be embarrassing. But I'm constantly editing, and I appreciate your patience while I sort that out. As Stephen King says, “To write is human, to edit is divine.”
This Live Blog will end once full time is called. For all postgame information, check back on FCCincinnati.com for future articles, or follow me on Twitter at @CarterChapley.
Alright, let’s get down to business! Kickoff is close at hand! Let's close preseason action down with a bang! So check back in and thank you again for reading!
