Orlando

Orlando City Beats Kansas City 2-1 to Set Club Record Seven-Game Unbeaten Streak

Published

5 years ago

September 23, 2020

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Source: Orlando City SC // Orlando City SC (7-2-4, 25 points) battled to a 2-1 victory over Western Conference side Sporting Kansas City (6-5-2, 20 points) on Wednesday night at Children’s Mercy Park. With the win, the Lions extended their unbeaten run to seven-consecutive matches, passing the previous Club-record of six set in 2018.

Tesho Akindele and Benji Michel found the back of the net for the Lions in the match, just two minutes apart from one another in the 36th and 38th minutes, respectively. Akindele’s finish served as his second of the MLS regular season, while Benji Michel netted his fourth goal in the Lions’ last five matches in the contest.

Head Coach Oscar Pareja:
“We’re very proud of the three points. The reason for the happiness that we have is that I think tonight we beat one of the best teams in the West. We know how hard it is to come here and beat Kansas [City] and get points. The first half just gave us a lot of optimism about winning the points and the game. Second half, Kansas City came out strong and I think it’s one of the things that we like the most. The effort that we had in order to have that presence in these last games…[the players] deserve it and I’m very happy for them.”

Scoring Recap:

36’ Tesho Akindele (Ruan) – ORL 1, KC 0
The Lions took the lead with Ruan slotting a through ball in behind the Kansas City defense to the feet of a running Tesho Akindele, who took the angle and hit it first time into the near post for the finish.

38’ Benji Michel (Nani) – ORL 2, KC 0
City doubled its advantage just two minutes later, this time with Nani lofting a ball in behind for Benji Michel, who beat the offside trap and took a pair of touches before poking it into the back of the net.

53’ Johnny Russell (Gerso) – ORL 2, KC 1
Kansas City halved the deficit shortly after the halftime break, with Gerso whipping in a cross to the far post that found the head of Johnny Russell for the finish.

Match Notes:

With the win, the Lions set a Club record at seven-consecutive matches unbeaten, surpassing the previous mark of six set from March 31 to May 6 of the 2018 season.
Tesho Akindele scored his second goal of the regular season and his third across all competitions in the match.
Benji Michel net his fourth finish for the Lions in the 38th minute, all of which have come in City’s last five games.
Nani recorded his fourth assist of the year in the match and his 14th since joining the Club prior to the 2019 season, tying former Lion Yoshi Yotún for third in Club history.
Ruan recorded his second assist of the season.
Robin Jansson registered his 40th appearance for City, while Benji Michel tallied his 30th for the Club.
Head Coach Oscar Pareja made five changes to his starting lineup from the Lions’ last match with Kyle Smith, Rodrigo Schlegel, Benji Michel, Andrés Perea and Tesho Akindele appearing in his XI on Wednesday.

Next Match: The Lions continue on the road, traveling to face FC Dallas on Sunday, Sept. 27 at Toyota Stadium in a match that will serve as Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s first visit to his former club.

Teams	1	2	F
Sporting Kansas City	0	1	1
Orlando City SC	2	0	2

Scoring Summary:
ORL – Tesho Akindele (Ruan) 36’
ORL – Benji Michel (Nani) 38’
KC – Johnny Russell (Gerso) 53’Misconduct Summary:
ORL – Rodrigo Schlegel (Yellow Card) 9’
KC – Matt Besler (Yellow Card) 24’
KC – Khiry Shelton (Yellow Card) 51’
ORL – Mauricio Pereyra (Yellow Card) 77’
ORL – Andrés Perea (Yellow Card) 78’
KC – Gadi Kinda (Yellow Card) 85’Lineups/Substitutions:Orlando City SC – GK Pedro Gallese; D Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Ruan; M Benji Michel (Chris Mueller 71’), Sebastián Méndez (Mauricio Pereyra 63’), Júnior Urso, Andrés Perea; F Tesho Akindele (Daryl Dike 71’), Nani © (Alex De John 79’)

Substitutes Not Used: GK Brian Rowe; D Kamal Miller; M Jordan Bender, Joey DeZart, Robinho

Sporting Kansas City – GK Tim Melia; D Amadou Dia, Matt Besler © (Winston Reid 46’), Roberto Puncec, Graham Zusi; M Felipe Hernandez (Alan Pulido 65’), Ilie Sánchez, Gadi Kinda; F Gerso (Erik Hurtado 88’), Khiry Shelton, Johnny Russell

Substitutes Not Used: GK John Pulskamp; D Andreu Fontàs, Graham Smith, Jaylin Lindsey; M Cameron Duke, Wan Kuzian

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Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

7 months ago

March 9, 2025

Mike Brodsky

Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

NFL

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Published

12 months ago

October 30, 2024

Mike Brodsky

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Former UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.

Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.

Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:

Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview

Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com and www.FloridaSportsChannel.com for more.

Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

2 years ago

March 10, 2024

Mike Brodsky

Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.