Fort Lauderdale CF will host New England Revolution II on Saturday, April 10, to kick off the 2021 USL League One season. The match at DRV PNK Stadium, the first of 28 regular season games for Fort Lauderdale in 2021, is set to get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN+.
“I think everybody within Fort Lauderdale CF is excited to start the season. We’ve been training for a while now and I think everybody wants to get that first game in and get the season started and be as competitive as we can be on Saturday,“ said Head Coach Darren Powell, who took over the position ahead of the 2021 League One campaign. “It’s our first game, it’s New England’s first game and I think everyone has had a long offseason and is looking forward to that competitive battle against an opponent. Both teams will be fighting to earn those three points on Saturday.”
Fort Lauderdale heads into its second USL League season after a fruitful debut campaign for several players in 2020. Youngsters Edison Azcona, Ian Fray and Felipe Valencia, all of whom were registered from the Inter Miami CF Academy, and goalkeeper Dylan Castanheira earned First Team contracts with Inter Miami following their stellar performances in 2020.
New England Revolution II, the USL affiliate of MLS’ New England Revolution, will also be partaking in its second USL League One Season. In 2020, the team finished in ninth place in the regular season table, having put together an overall record of five wins, three draws and eight losses. Last season, Revolution II was led by midfielder Nicolas Firmino, who tallied three goals and two assists, and forward Justin Rennicks, who registered three goals and one assist.
Saturday’s matchup will be the second meeting between Fort Lauderdale and Revolution II, as both sides previously faced each other in a 2020 regular season fixture at Gillette Stadium.
Inter Miami Loanees
Inter Miami First Team players George Acosta and Edison Azcona have been loaned to Fort Lauderdale CF for the match and will be part of the squad for the season opener.
Acosta, 21, signed for Inter Miami in Sept. 2019, becoming the first Miami native to do so. He has made several appearances for the U.S. Youth National Teams, including competing in the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup in India, where he made two appearances and scored one goal.
Azcona, 17, spent the 2020 season with Fort Lauderdale CF as a player registered from the Inter Miami CF Academy before signing a Homegrown contract with the First Team. He earned USL League One All-League Second Team honors and was a finalist for the League One Young Player of the Year award.
