Orlando City B continues to bolster its roster in preparation for the 2017 season. This time, the team adds four new players: midfielders Paul Clowes, Austin Martz and Jordan Schweitzer and forward Ben Polk. The club announced the additions on Tuesday.
Clowes spent most of the 2016 season with the Charlotte Independence. The former Orlando City U-23 player scored four goals in 86 appearances in four years at Clemson University. He was selected to the All-ACC First Team, the College Cup All-Tournament Team and was named ACC Midfielder of the Year.
“Paul is a very efficient distributor of the ball,” Pulis said, per the release. “He understands his role within the team very well and has excellent leadership qualities.”
Martz is coming off a quality season with the Wilmington Hammerheads in which he posted four goals and two assists in 26 games. The 24-year-old played for Pembroke Athleta FC in its first-ever season in the Maltese Premier League in the 2015-16 season.
“Austin is a very quick and dynamic wide midfielder who is excellent in one-on-one situations,” Pulis said. “He will give us a different attacking outlet and will certainly be a threat to the opposition’s back-line.”
Schweitzer is coming off his first professional season. He played for the Seattle Sounders FC 2 last season. There, he tallied four goals and two assists in 22 games. In college, he played for the University of Denver, making 70 starts and earning All-Summit League First Team honors three times.
“Jordan had a great year in Seattle, and we fought off a lot of competition to land him,” Pulis said. “He’s a strong, competitive player who has a great range of passing.”
Polk played for Portland Timbers 2 last season. In 25 games in 2016, he scored one goal. In 2015, Polk recorded 12 goals and five assists for Syracuse University. He was selected by the Portland Timbers with the 20th-overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.
“Ben has a fantastic work ethic and presses really well, which will be important to us,” Pulis said. “He is a very good finisher and has genuine potential to be a big player for us this year.”
OCB will play the 2017 season in the new soccer-specific stadium in downtown Orlando, the club announced on Nov. 29.
