Orlando

PREVIEW: Orlando City Returns Home to Face Atlanta United

Published

5 years ago

September 4, 2020

Orlando City SC captain Luis Nani. Photo: Orlando City SC.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) – Source: Orlando City Soccer Club // Orlando City SC (4-2-3, 15 points) returns to The City Beautiful to face Atlanta United FC (3-4-1, 10 points) on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Exploria Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. ET.

The match will be nationally televised on FOX and FOX Deportes while being transmitted on 96.9 The Game in English and Acción 97.9FM, 810AM in Spanish. The game will be open to a limited number of fans, with tickets available here.

“Atlanta has very good players, especially the ones who are part of their attack. It is a team who offensively is very aggressive and they have been in the last few years with a model of the game that is very clear,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “We controlled it very well in Atlanta. It was a great game defensively for us and I would like to keep doing that. It was amazing and we were very happy, but this is a different story that needs to be written. We will be ready.”

The Lions return to Orlando after acquiring four points from a two-game road trip, three of which came in a 3-1 win at Atlanta this past Saturday. Their most recent fixture resulted in a 1-1 draw at Nashville SC on Wednesday, with Benji Michel scoring the lone goal for the Lions in that match. The Homegrown ripped a shot from outside the area in the 17th minute for his first finish of the regular-season, but Nashville would go on to score in the 47th to level the two sides for good off the foot of Randall Leal.

Chris Mueller leads the Lions with six goals this season, sitting at second in MLS behind only LAFC’s Diego Rossi. Mueller also sits tied for the team-lead in assists with Mauricio Pereyra, each with three to their credit.

Atlanta enters Saturday’s match after battling to a scoreless draw on Wednesday against 2020 expansion side Inter Miami CF at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The shutout served as the second for The Five Stripes of the season.

Pity Martínez, Ezequiel Barco and Emerson Hyndman sit tied for a team-high two goals apiece for Atlanta this season. Barco and Martínez also sit tied for the team lead in assists with two each.

Following Saturday’s match, the Lions will close out their Phase 1 Continuation of Play schedule on Saturday, Sept. 12, hosting Inter Miami CF for the first time at Exploria Stadium. A limited number of tickets for that contest are available here.

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Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

6 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.