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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 2-0 as Miami Hands OCB Its First Loss of the Season

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2 years ago

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Orlando City B (1-1-1, 5 points) traveled south for its first road game of the season against Inter Miami II (2-0-1, 7 points). One goal in each half by Miami saw OCB fall for the first time this season, with the hosts winning 2-0. Emerson Rodriguez and Shanyder Borgelin scored the goals.

Martin Perelman only made one change from the starting lineup that drew 2-2 with NYCFC II last weekend. The only change to the team was the addition of the highly touted center back Quembol Guadalupe. The teenager replaced David Boccuzzo, who started the first two games of the season.

The lineup once again featured five first-team players in Alex Freeman, Thomas Williams, Joey DeZart, Wilfredo Rivera, and Jack Lynn. Williams, DeZart, and Lynn were all on the bench for Orlando City’s 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire Saturday afternoon but didn’t get into the game for the senior side. All three made it to Fort Lauderdale and were in Perelman’s starting lineup.

Inter Miami II was the better team early and late in the game, while OCB dominated the middle portion of the contest. In the end, it was a lack of finishing the doomed the Young Lions, as Miami was more clinical in front of goal.

Miami got the first chance of the game in the sixth minute. OCB defender Brandon Hackenberg did well defensively to win a throw-in on the left. However, the ensuing throw was to Diego Pareja and the midfielder’s bad touch ended up with Edison Azcona. It seemed as though Azcona would give the hosts the early lead, but his shot was right at Javier Otero.

OCB gave Miami another chance with some poor possession in the 12th minute. A Williams foul gave Miami a free kick, from which the Young Lions gained control. However, they quickly gave it away again at the top of their own box. Fortunately, the hosts weren’t able to do anything with it.

Miami finally converted on a chance in the 17th minute. A poor pass by Nick Taylor gave Miami the ball near midfield. Romeo Beckham ended up with the ball, playing it to Bryce Duke in the middle of the field. The newly signed player from LAFC darted up an empty midfield, eventually finding Rodriguez open on the left. Poor tracking by Freeman allowed the attacker to get behind the OCB defense and play the ball past Otero and inside the far post for the opening goal.

The Young Lions had few opportunities in the opening minutes but got more into the game around the 26th minute. That’s when Rivera got OCB its second shot of the game and its first shot on target. Unfortunately, the shot was right at CJ dos Santos, who made the easy save.

In the 31st minute, the visitors got another chance through Erick Gunera. The defender came on for Hackenberg in a surprise substitution in the 19th minute and took his first chance on goal from distance. It initially appeared to be heading wide but curved toward goal and forced dos Santos to block it away.

OCB came close to an equalizer again in the 39th minute when Taylor’s low cross was searching for Lynn near goal. However, the cross was blocked by Ethan Hardin and Miami was able to clear.

After OCB had taken control of the game, Miami finally got a decent chance in the 44th minute. Quick play between forwards Rodriguez and Borgelin nearly resulted in the former doubling the lead. However, he wasn’t able to reach the return pass as it went out of play for a goal kick.

Late in the first half, the rivalry started to show as things got a bit feisty. It started when Williams knocked Beckham to the ground with his shoulder after Beckham appeared to have gone over the end line. It continued three minutes into injury time when Freeman was successful in a fair challenge from behind on Rodriguez.

The first-half goal scorer wasn’t happy with the challenge and immediately took down Freeman, receiving a yellow card. The second foul resulted in pushing and shoving as Rivera and Moises Tablante came to their teammate’s defense. Eventually things settled down and the game reached halftime.

Despite trailing 1-0, OCB actually had the better of the first half. The Young Lions led in possession (53.6%-46.4%), shots (5-2), passes (192-170), passing accuracy (80.2%-72.3%), corners (3-1), and successful crosses (4-1). The main reason for the score was that Miami put both shots on target and OCB only put two of their five first half chances on frame.

Similar to the first half, Miami got out to a quick second half start. Less than a minute in, Borgelin took a shot on target from outside the box. However, Otero was there to make the stop.

In the 52nd minute, OCB got its first good chance of the second half when Rivera’s cross found the head of Williams. The Homegrown center back attempted to flick the ball towards the far post but it went harmlessly out of play.

Miami responded by doubling the lead in the 55th minute. It started when Borgelin attempted a shot inside the box but Williams did well to close him down and block it out for a corner. The ensuing Beckham ball was to the back post, where Borgelin had beaten Freeman. The 20-year-old Haitian international got his head to the cross, putting it past Otero and Miami went up 2-0.

Now down a pair, the Young Lions tried to respond quickly to get back into the game. In the 57th minute, a Rivera free kick found the foot of Freeman sprinting towards goal. The center back got his foot to the ball but it was blocked wide.

Miami was unable to clear the ensuing corner kick as the ball bounced around the box. Williams got in position to put his head to the ball, but dos Santos came charging out, punching the ball and Williams in the process. Despite Williams having been in position well before dos Santos arrived, the referee immediately called the center back for the foul, finally allowing Miami to clear.

After scoring a brace in the team’s first game and assisting a goal in the second, it appeared as though Lynn would be OCB’s best chance to get on the board. In the 61st minute, a Miami turnover gave Lynn an opportunity on goal but his shot was just off target.

Four minutes later, Pareja found Lynn’s head in the box. The striker put his header towards the bottom corner but dos Santos was able to get down and make a quality save to maintain the two-goal advantage.

Miami nearly put the game away with a three-goal lead in the 68th minute. First, second-half substitute Dairon Reyes had a shot at point-blank range but Otero made a fantastic save. The rebound went to Braxton Taghvai-Najib, who had his own chance, but Otero made another incredible save, keeping the game at 2-0.

As time wound down, it looked more likely that Miami would score a third than OCB would get its first. In the 71st minute, Beckham found Taghvai-Najib but his header was high. Two minutes later, Reyes took a shot from distance, but he too was off target. In the 84th minute, Borgelin shielded the ball from two defenders and appeared to be pulled down in the box. But the referee waved play on and OCB was able to clear.

Just as it seemed there was no way back, OCB had two excellent chances in the 86th minute. In a scene similar to Otero’s double save earlier in the half, dos Santos came up with two huge stops. 

First, Brian Lopez took a shot from the top of the six, which dos Santos was able to knock away. The rebound went to fellow substitute Ian Silva, who took his own shot on goal. Despite having gone down to the ground, dos Santos made another spectacular save, keeping the Miami clean sheet.

As the game drew closer to stoppage time, it was clear that Miami was going to come away with all three points. The players grew more tired, resulting in some clumsy challenges and a pair of shots on goal by Beckham that went well high of the target. In the end, Miami came away with a 2-0 win, handing OCB its first loss of the season.

While OCB lost 2-0, the game was statistically much closer than the final score. The Young Lions had more possession (50.8%-49.2%), corners (7-6), crosses (9-8), passes (358-351), and better passing accuracy (79%-78.1%). However, Inter Miami II had more shots (13-11) and shots on target (7-5), which was the difference in the game.

The loss sees OCB fall to third in the Central Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference, placing the Young Lions out of the playoff places, albeit only after three matches. Meanwhile, Inter Miami II moves up to first place in the Eastern Conference on seven points.

Having suffered its first loss of the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro season, OCB will continue its first road trip Friday night when the team faces Columbus Crew 2 at Historic Crew Stadium. The Young Lions will then return home in a doubleheader with the first team at Exploria Stadium against New England Revolution II.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. New York Red Bulls II: Final Score 3-1 as OCB Claims First Home Win of 2024

OCB uses two early goals to beat New York Red Bulls II.

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3 days ago

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May 8, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City B (3-2-3, 13 points) won its first home game of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season, 3-1 tonight over New York Red Bulls II (4-2-3, 17 points) at Osceola County Stadium. Shak Mohammed and Yutaro Tsukada both scored inside the first six minutes to give the Young Lions an early 2-0 lead, and Tsukada scored his second in the 34th minute. A second-half penalty by Ibrahim Kasule got one back for the visitors, but they couldn’t find any more.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made two changes to the team that drew Chattanooga FC 1-1 away on Saturday. Carlos Mercado replaced Javier Otero in goal, while Alex Freeman returned to the starting lineup, sending Zakaria Taifi to the bench. The back line in front of Mercado was Manuel Cocca, Thomas Williams, Nabi Kibunguchy, and Freeman. Imanol Almaguer and Colin Guske were the defensive midfielders behind Wilfredo Rivera, Jhon Solis, and Tsukada. Mohammed started up top for the fifth consecutive game.

The Young Lions started the game as the aggressors, jumping on their opponents and taking an early two-goal lead. Mercado didn’t have much to do in goal during the first 45 minutes and only faced a couple of dangerous situations in the second half. Both teams had some bad giveaways that could’ve been devastating, but neither were able to take advantage. While New York threatened to score a second late, the Young Lions were never in danger of losing the lead.

OCB got off to the best possible start by striking just over 90 seconds after kickoff. It started with Tsukada in his own half, making a long run that included a give-and-go with Rivera. Tsukada fired from the top of the box, but hit the left post. The ball bounced right to Mohammed, who controlled it and shot with his second touch. New York goalkeeper Aidan Stokes got a hand to it, but it wasn’t enough as the striker gave the hosts the early 1-0 lead. It was his second straight match with a goal.

“Especially the first 10 minutes, we conceded the early goal the last few games,” Tsukada said about the quick start. “So we’ve been talking about the first 10 minutes to be more aggressive to get the first goal.”

It didn’t take OCB long to double its advantage, doing so in the sixth minute. Guske sent a long ball from his own half that found Tsukada at the top of the New York box. Dylan Sullivan was on the rookie, but gave up defending when he saw Stokes near the top of the box. Tsukada dribbled around the goalkeeper, making it an easy finish and giving the Young Lions a commanding 2-0 lead inside 10 minutes.

“I was trying to get in behind because I haven’t been scoring the last five games. So I was trying to score,” Tsukada said about his goal. “And then getting behind was important for me.”

The visitors had their first opportunity in the eighth minute when Omar Valencia sent a cross into the OCB box. It was headed out by Cocca, but only to Steven Sserwadda outside of the box. The midfielder sent the bouncing ball towards goal, but missed wide of the target.

New York had a second attempt in the 10th minute when Guske won the ball from Rafael Mosquera, but immediately lost possession. Frank Ssebufu quickly shot for the far post but missed wide.

In the 16th minute, Mohammed nearly scored his second of the night when Rivera forced Juan Gutierrez into a turnover by pressing him. The ball bounced right to Mohammed who only had Stokes in front of the goal. However, the striker slipped while attempting to shoot, sending the ball into the outside of the net.

Red Bulls II almost had a chance in the 21st minute when a poor tackle attempt by Kibunguchy enabled Mohammed Sofo to enter the box. Fortunately, Kibunguchy recovered well, catching up to the attacker and clearing the ball out of play. It took four consecutive corner kicks, but the final one went all the way through the box, enabling the Young Lions to clear the danger.

On the other end, OCB should’ve had a third goal when Solis dribbled to the end line and found Tsukada in the middle of the box. However, the midfielder took too many touches, enabling the New York defense to recover and win possession. Making matters worse, Tsukada had Mohammed open but couldn’t find him.

The Young Lions got their third goal in the 34th minute from a set piece. It started when Tsukada made a long run down the left and was pushed over by Bento Estrela, earning him a yellow card. Tsukada took the free kick, which deflected off a defender, catching Stokes going the wrong way and giving OCB a 3-0 lead.

Tsukada’s second of the night was an important goal, coming after a number of defensive third turnovers threatened to allow New York back into the match.

The Young Lions then created another set piece near the New York box in the 39th minute when Rivera cut back and won a foul from Gutierrez. Cocca and Tsukada stood over the ball with Cocca taking the set piece. However, his free kick was well over the target and never caused any concern for Stokes.

In the 43rd minute, Omar Valencia sent a cross towards the back post that met the head of Ssebufu, jumping over Williams. The header was over the crossbar, but New York won the goal kick back with its press and created another chance for Ssebufu. The midfielder’s second shot was further off target, missing wide.

In the final minute of first-half injury time, Sullivan’s ball into the box was cleared out by Kibugnuchy but only to Mosquera. The forward used some nifty footwork to cut back and lose Guske before getting off a shot. However, Williams got his body in the way and blocked the attempt, enabling the Young Lions to take a 3-0 lead into halftime.

After 45 minutes, New York had more shots (8-7), corners (5-2), and crosses (6-2) than the hosts, but OCB had more shots on target (3-2) and better passing accuracy (89.8%-85.7%). Most importantly, all of OCB’s shots on frame went in as the Young Lions took a three-goal lead into the break.

Goldberg made two changes at halftime, one defensive and one offensive. Abdi Salim replaced Williams at center back and Justin Elliis replaced Rivera in the attack.

Red Bulls II created the first chance of the second half in the 51st minute when Kasule drew a foul just outside of the OCB box. Three attackers stood over the ball, but it was Sofo who took the set piece. However, he sent it directly into the wall, enabling OCB to clear.

The visitors found their first goal of the night in the 55th minute when Sofo dribbled across the box. Guske charged in with an ill-advised challenge from behind, taking down the attacker. Referee Russell Miller immediately pointed to the spot, awarding New York a penalty.

Kasule stepped up to take the penalty, doing so with confidence. As Mercado dove to his right, Kasule put the spot kick into the opposite top corner. It was an excellent penalty that Mercado couldn’t have reached even if he had guessed correctly. As a result, the OCB lead was cut to 3-1.

In the 63rd minute, Tsukada attempted to take on a double team consisting of Sullivan and Sserwadda after receiving a long ball by Cocca. Sullivan defended the midfielder well, winning the ball and tapping it to Sserwadda. However, Cocca quickly won it back and took a shot towards the far post. There was no way Stokes was going to reach the attempt, but the shot missed just wide.

The Young Lions felt they should’ve had a penalty in the 65th minute when Tsukada received a long ball forward from Guske. He played it inside for the oncoming Mohammed, who slipped while attempting to send his first touch inside the far post. The ball bounced off of Gutierrez and the OCB players thought it was a hand ball, but Miller determined otherwise.

Sofo attempted an ambitious shot in the 69th minute that would’ve been the goal of the season. It started when Sserwadda chipped the ball into the box for Kasule. The New York goal scorer found Sofo in the middle and the attacker turned and volleyed the ball. However, he wasn’t able to get over it, sending the attempt over the target.

Tsukada made an excellent run into the New York box in the 71st minute and nearly scored a fantastic goal. He had one man to beat, but Aidan O’Connor stood tall and made the stop as the last defender. Almaguer took control of the clearance and found Tsukada, again defended by O’Connor. The midfielder went down and OCB felt a penalty should have been called, but Miller only told Tsukada to get up.

Shortly after the play, Goldberg made his third change of the game as Favian Loyola replaced Solis.

New York nearly cut the deficit to one in the 74th minute when quick passing saw Tanner Rosborough with the ball on the right. The second-half substitute sent a low cross that went just past the sliding Salim and found Sofo right in front of goal. Mercado hadn’t been challenged much in this game, but stood his ground and blocked the shot.

OCB’s fourth substitution came in the 77th minute during the second-half hydration break, with Diego Pareja entering the game for Guske.

In the 80th minute, a mistake in the OCB box nearly resulted in a second goal for New York. It began with an innocuous free kick by Cocca back to Mercado. The goalkeeper sent a short pass forward to Almaguer, but the OCB captain couldn’t control it. Rosborough got to the ball first and played it over for Sofo, who took a shot. Fortunately, Mercado was there to make the stop.

An 81st-minute free kick in OCB’s own half nearly ended in a fourth goal when Almaguer played it forward for Freeman and the defender sent Loyola down the right. The substitute made a perfect pass between two defenders to Mohammed, sending the forward into the box. Mohammed attempted to guide the ball inside the far post with his first touch, but missed wide.

Freeman had a chance in the 84th minute when Loyola, after a give-and-go with Mohammed, played the ball into the middle of the field for Ellis. Rather than taking it himself, Ellis laid it off for Freeman making an overlapping run. The right back attempted a shot from a tight angle, but missed wide of the far post.

On the field for less than 10 minutes, Pareja went down in the 85th minute and required attention. Instead of going down a man while trying to keep the lead, per MLS NEXT Pro rules for lengthy injuries, Goldberg made his final substitution, replacing Pareja with Taifi.

Red Bulls II had a great chance at a second in the 88th minute when a ball across the box was just missed by Kasule and ended up with Juan Mina. The substitute sent the ball back across, which Mercado blocked with his leg. However, it only went to Rosborough right in front of goal. He tried to turn and put a shot inside the post, but missed wide.

The fourth official showed seven minutes of stoppage time and New York continued its attack. In the third minute, Sserwadda found Curtis Ofori at the top of the OCB box. The first touch by Ofori was a shot towards goal that sailed just over the crossbar. That was the last chance for the visitors as the Young Lions held on for the 3-1 win.

New York created more chances than OCB, ending the game with more shots (19-12) and shots on target (5-4). The Red Bulls also had more corners (6-4) and crosses (15-7). Meanwhile, the Young Lions had better passing accuracy (88.4%-85.5%).

The game was won on two early goals, a reversal from what OCB has been dealing with this season. The Young Lions have conceded inside the first 11 minutes in four of their first seven games and inside the first 10 minutes in their last two. Rather than being put on the back foot early, they put the opposition in that position tonight, something Goldberg was happy about.

“It was good to hit the first punch today. So finally we were able to overcome that,” Goldberg said about scoring early. “We were getting scored on in the first minutes, now we were able to reverse that. So that’s a really good point. It feels really good, mainly for them, because they had the attitude that we’ve been talking about. They did it by themselves. It was them. They are the protagonists. They are the ones responsible for the things. For the good things. So, very happy for that.”

The win is OCB’s first at home this season (1-2-0). That includes the game against Inter Miami II at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, which was officially a home game. The three goals equals the most the Young Lions have scored in a game this season, with the other being their 3-2 win away to Atlanta United 2 on March 16 in the season opener.

OCB is off this weekend before hitting the road with another weekday matchup. This one will be an afternoon affair at Columbus Crew 2 Wednesday, May 15 at noon.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Toronto FC II: Final Score 2-1 as OCB Drops First True Home Game of 2024

Toronto FC II scored two goals off rebounds as OCB drops its first game at Osceola County Stadium this season.

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2 weeks ago

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April 28, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City B (2-2-2, 9 points) fell 2-1 to Toronto FC II (2-2-1, 7 points) in the Young Lions’ first game at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee this season. While Wilfredo Rivera netted OCB’s lone goal of the game, Toronto scored twice when Charlie Sharp and Jesus Batiz reacted quicker than the Young Lions defense, putting in rebounds.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made one change to the team that beat Crown Legacy FC 2-0 away on April 19, as Nabi Kibunguchy returned to the starting lineup in place of Abdi Salim. The back four in front of Javier Otero were Manuel Cocca, Thomas Williams, Kibunguchy, and Alex Freeman. Imanol Alamguer and Colin Guske made up the defensive midfield behind Yutaro Tsukada, Jhon Solis, and Rivera with Shak Mohammed up top.

The home side was the better team throughout much of the game, but its inability to get shots on frame had a major impact on the result. The Young Lions missed the target on all five first-half chances and only put two on target in the second half. The other significant impact on the game was the team’s late reactions to rebounds after Otero saves. Both Toronto goals came from blocked shots where defensive players were caught flat-footed, enabling the visitors to score.

The first chance of the game for the Young Lions came in the sixth minute when Almaguer chipped the ball over the Toronto defense for Tsukada running behind. The rookie got his foot to the ball with a soft shot towards goal, but Antony Curic got in front and blocked the attempt.

The visitors took the lead in the ninth minute. Sharp cut inside to enter the box before dropping the ball back to Markus Cimermancic, who shot on goal. Otero did well to get down and block the attempt, but Sharp reacted quicker than Guske, getting to it first. The forward touched the rebound into the far corner to give Toronto a 1-0 lead.

In the 15th minute, Cocca sent a cross into the Toronto box from the left. It got through multiple players before Freeman and Batiz slid in trying to win the ball. They collided at the top of the six, enabling Toronto goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario to jump on it.

Rivera took OCB’s second shot in the 17th minute after receiving the ball from Freeman. The attacker attempted an ambitious and ill-advised shot from long distance with Batiz right in front of him. The Toronto midfielder blocked the attempt with ease and ended the threat.

Toronto had another opportunity in the 28th minute when Guske went down from a challenge by Sharp while receiving a pass from Kibunguchy. The ball rolled to Charlie Stanland, who sent it forward for Sharp. Looking for his second goal of the game, Sharp took a long-distance shot past Williams that forced Otero to make a diving block.

The Young Lions were given a good opportunity in the 31st minute when Stanland went up and over Tsukada for a high bouncing ball. Referee Brad Jensen blew for a foul, giving OCB a free kick about 30 yards out and directly in front of goal. Tsukada and Rivera stood over the ball, with Tsukada taking the set piece. It was a dipping shot, but it went just over the crossbar.

In the 37th minute, Solis found Almaguer near the penalty spot. Facing the sideline, Almaguer turned in an attempt to get over the ball and send it on goal. Unfortunately, he was unable to put it on target, sending the shot well over the target.

Cocca’s cross in the 41st minute was blocked out of play by Curic, giving OCB the first corner kick of the game. The ensuing set piece by Cocca was to the near post, where Freeman beat Ythallo and got a soft touch towards goal. It was behind De Rosario, but Adam Pearlman was there to clear it away.

At halftime, OCB had the advantage in shots (5-4), corners (1-0), crosses (5-1), and passing accuracy (87.3%-79.4%). But while Toronto was able to put three attempts on target, OCB didn’t have any on frame, and the visitors scored the lone goal in the first 45 minutes.

OCB came out of halftime flying, in search of an equalizer. In the 48th minute, Tsukada found Rivera to his right. The attacker shot on goal, but it was deflected into the arms of De Rosario. Seconds later, Cocca sent a dangerous cross into the box, looking for Tsukada. It was a little behind the midfielder and he couldn’t control it, enabling Toronto to clear.

In the 49th minute, Tsukada was the one to send a hard cross across the face of goal. However, nobody in purple was making a run into the six-yard box and it was cleared away.

The Young Lions finally converted in the 50th minute, a goal that was well deserved. Cocca’s ball into the box was headed away by Batiz, but only to Rivera nearby. The former first-team Homegrown Player controlled the ball with his thigh before volleying it past De Rosario to even the game at 1-1.

“I don’t know. I just saw it coming out, took a touch with my thigh, and tried to put it in the back of the net,” Rivera said about his goal. “And it worked.”

“I think he’s having a really great personality,” Goldberg said about the goal scorer. “He’s becoming really strong for us and we are happy for him.”

Toronto had its first sustained attack of the half in the 58th minute, when Ythallo’s shot headed towards the far post. Otero did well to dive to his left, tipping the ball out of play for a corner kick.

While the first two set pieces were headed out by Mohammed and Cocca, the third one stayed in play. The ball was headed in and out of the box before Mark Fisher volleyed it towards goal. However, the shot was wide, enabling the Young Lions to end the threat.

Goldberg made his first substitution of the game in the 63rd minute and it was a like-for-like change as Tahir Reid-Brown came into the game for Cocca at left back.

OCB should’ve taken the lead in the 69th minute when Rivera took the ball away from Ythallo, Toronto’s last defender. Rivera dribbled in on De Rosario and shot towards the near post with his left foot, sending the attempt wide. The Toronto goalkeeper had his near post covered, so Rivera probably should’ve opened up and gone for the far post. Regardless, the game remained tied at 1-1.

Toronto went straight down field from the goal kick and created a chance. Batiz lifted the ball across the box to Fisher on the far side. The attacker headed the ball back across goal, but nobody in white could get on the end of it. He had time to control the ball and shoot, but OCB was able to clear instead.

OCB made two more changes in the 77th minute and, again, they were like-for-like changes. Forwards Rivera and Mohammed were replaced by Justin Ellis and Favian Loyola.

One of the two most recent substitutes got involved quickly as Ellis found Tsukada just outside of the box. The midfielder turned and shot on goal, but De Rosario was there to collect it.

In the 83rd minute, Williams fouled Fisher outside of the box, giving Toronto a free kick. Julian Altobelli and Batiz stood over the free kick as OCB set up a two-man wall. Batiz’s shot was blocked by Solis but went right back to him. His second shot was towards the near post, but rolled just wide.

Goldberg made another change in the 87th minute. Tsukada, who was dangerous for much of the game on the left side, was replaced by Yeiler Valencia, who made his OCB debut.

While OCB had been the better team throughout the second half, it was Toronto that found the late goal. In the 89th minute, Andrei Dumtru found Altobelli inside the box. The midfielder cut inside to beat Williams and attempted a curling shot towards the far post. Otero made a diving save, knocking it wide. However, in a play eerily similar to Toronto’s first goal, Batiz beat Freeman to the loose ball and put it into the roof of the net, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead.

Immediately after the goal, Goldberg made his final substitution of the game, replacing Guske with Diego Pareja.

Five minutes into stoppage time, Toronto had a good chance to put the game away through Altobelli on the left. Otero did well to get down and block the first shot, but the ball circulated around and ended up back with Altobelli. He shot a second time towards the far post, but Otero made another good stop to keep it a one-goal game.

OCB quickly sent the ball the other away, looking to create a final chance as the clock ticked past six minutes of stoppage time. But a late foul was the final action and the final whistle secured the Young Lions’ 2-1 loss.

At full time, Toronto had more shots (15-9), shots on target (7-2), and corner kicks (5-1). OCB had the edge in crosses (8-6) and passing accuracy (87.1%-82.2%), but the team’s struggles finishing and poor reaction time to Otero saves cost the Young Lions dearly.

“Unfortunately, we got surprised with an early goal, which is something that we are trying to avoid. So that’s really something to work on, to act more than what we react,” Goldberg said about the game. “But after that, the group reacted really well. That makes us very happy. Of course, we are not comfortable with the result, but there’s still a long way to go for us.”

“I thought we came out pretty slow. Obviously, they got the goal in the first couple minutes, but I think we bounced back pretty well,” Rivera added. “Obviously it was a tough result. Obviously our first game at home as well, so it was a bad one for us.”

OCB remains on a four-game unbeaten run away from home, but is now 0-2-0 in the state of Florida. While the first of those two games was at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, it was considered the team’s first home game of the season.

The Young Lions will head back out on the road, which has been a friendlier environment for them, as they face Chattanooga FC Saturday evening.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City Signs Academy Midfielder Colin Guske to MLS NEXT Pro Contract

The 17-year-old OCSC academy midfielder signs a one-year MLS NEXT Pro deal.

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2 weeks ago

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April 24, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City announced this afternoon that the club has signed academy product Colin Guske to an MLS NEXT Pro contract with its reserve side, Orlando City B. The deal is for one year, running through the 2024 season.

“Colin is another talented young player coming from our development pathway in the way that we envisioned at the beginning of this project,” Orlando City Vice President of Soccer Operations and Technical Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “Colin is also another player who benefited from the full integration between our academy, OCB, and first teams inside our training facilities, and took advantage of the time he had in preseason training camp with the first team to sharpen his tools and show us that he’s ready for that next step along the development pathway. Despite his age, Colin shows a lot of personality on and off the field and we truly believe his future with us will be bright.”

The 17-year-old St. Johns, FL native joined the club’s academy in 2020 and made his debut for OCB in the season opener against Atlanta United. He made an immediate impact for the club’s second team, scoring in the 49th minute, which ended up being the game-winning goal.

So far this season, Guske has made four appearances (all starts), playing 360 minutes, and scoring a goal. He’s played each game in the defensive midfield alongside team captain Imanol Almaguer.

Guske joins his two older brothers in going through the Orlando City academy and playing with OCB. However, Colin is the only Guske brother to sign a professional contract with the club as the others were on academy deals, enabling them to play in college. Owen, the oldest of the three, played with OCB during the 2020 USL League One season and is currently playing at Jacksonville University. Liam played with OCB during the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro season and is currently playing at Seton Hall University.

The young midfielder is the second academy product the club has signed to an MLS NEXT Pro contract this year after 18-year-old defender Zakaria Taifi was inked to a second-team contract on March 12. The move is a logical step for both players in their progression through the club’s development system, which they hope results in a Homegrown Player contract with the first team.

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