April 11. 2019
Barça Residency Academy Alumni Austin Amer started in his professional debut with Orlando City B on Friday, April 5, 2019 in their second match of the 2019 ULS League One season. Amer started and played 49 minutes in his professional debut where Orlando City B fell 2-0 to Toronto FC II.
Orlando City B, looking to rebound from a 3-1 loss in their season opener had a strong first half and entered the interval tied 0-0 with visiting Toronto FC II.
In the 46th minute, Orlando City’s Emmanuel Hagan who was cautioned in the 36th minute was sent off after receiving a second yellow card. Down a man, Orlando City B conceded a goal just two minutes after the infraction.
“Sometimes a team without experience will have these things happen because they have too much passion to play this sport,” OCB Head Coach Fernando Jose De Argila Irurita said after the game. “They don’t have the experience to control emotions.”
With four minutes remaining in the match, Toronto put the game away with their second goal of the night, defeating Orlando City B 2-0.
“Any pre-game nervousness quickly disappeared as the game started out at a very fast pace,” said Amer. “I think the biggest thing to get adjusted to is the speed of play, it’s much faster than academy play.”
“We are still trying to come together as a very young team, we should continue to improve.”
Amer and Orlando City B will take the field in their third game of the season on Sunday, April 14 as they host Tormenta FC at Montverde Academy at 5:30 p.m. ET
