Orlando

Orlando City Invitational: Orlando City Lions Bind NYCFC with 2-1 Win

Published

6 years ago

February 16, 2019

Orlando City's Sacha Kljestan (#16) manuevers the ball for a pass against NYCFC during the Orlando City Invitational Saturday, February 16, 2018. Photo: Willie David/Florida National News.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – The Orlando City Lions hosted NYCFC in the second matchup in the inaugural Orlando City Invitational at Orlando City Stadium Saturday night. With Dom Dwyer out due to an injury, Orlando’s veteran players Kljestan, Mueller, and Johnson were on hand to carry the match. Newly signed goalie Brian Rowe was among the starting eleven.

The first match of the Invitational, in which Minnesota United FC faced New England Revolution, pushed the Lions vs. NYCFC match 20 minutes back due to New England arriving 20 minutes late.

FIRST HALF

Orlando’s Sacha Kljestan made a right pass to Tesho Akindele, who made Orlando City’s first score attempt of the game in the third minute, but got blocked off the right goal post by NYCFC’s goalie.

In the 12th minute, Orlando City’s Sebastian Mendez cross to Will Johnson, who kicked for the goal, but NYCFC’s Ben Sweat kicked the ball up and out of the way for the goalie to catch and release.

NYCFC’s Maxi Moralez scored the game’s first goal in the 29th minute, with a swift high kick that just barely made it below the crossbar. Brian Rowe’s hands weren’t quite high enough to make the block.

NYCFC managed a second goal in the 32nd minute due to holes in Orlando’s defense. Rowe barely grazed it, and the ball found the back of the net, the goal wasn’t counted due to it being offsides.

Orlando answered back in the next minute, though, with a right cross from Acosta to Tesho Akindele, who found the back of the net, tying the score at 1-1.

Orlando doubled up in the 36th minute with a coordinated effort from Mendez to Kljestan to Akindele to Mueller for the score, making the score 2-1.

SECOND HALF

In the 58th minute, NYCFC’s Lewis was issued a yellow card after wrestling with Orlando’s Chris Mueller for the ball, causing Mueller to take a tumble. Orlando City got the penalty kick, but didn’t score.

In the 66th minute, Orlando had a close call, but no score with Acosta’s sharp right cross to the box as Mueller headed it to the net, but missed off the right post.

NYCFC’s Alex Ring was issued a yellow card in the 67th minute.

In the 69th minute, NYCFC found a vulnerable opportunity for a breakaway to the goal, but Orlando’s Kamal Miller slid the ball off to the right to prevent the point.

In the 74th minute, NYCFC’s Lewis was issued a red card and ejected from the game. NYCFC then subbed James Sands for Alex Ring in the 76th minute.

In the 78th minute, Orlando’s turbo man, Ruan, went down, grabbing his hamstring. In the 79th, OCB’s Jordan Bender, the youngest player to ever play for Orlando City, was subbed in for Ruan.

In the 85th minute, NYCFC subbed in Juan Pablo Torres for Jesus Medina.

In the 89th minute, NYCFC’s Castellanos was issued a yellow card.

Orlando was able to hold the line against NYCFC to prevent them from scoring for the remainder of the game. After the one minute of added play, the final score was 2-1.

The Orlando City Invitational continues with another double-header Wednesday, February 20, 2019 at Orlando City Stadium. NYCFC will play Minnesota United at 4:30pm and Orlando City will face New England Revolution at 7:30pm.

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Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com

Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

7 days 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

5 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

1 year 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.