Orlando City B

OCB Falls at Louisville City 4-1, Still Looking for First Win

Published

9 years ago

April 9, 2016

LOUISVILLE, KY — Three games into the inaugural season for Orlando City B, and the reserve side is still looking for its first win. Home side Louisville City (2-1-0, 6 points) dominated the match for long stretches over OCB (0-2-1, 1 point) and came away with the 4-1 victory at a cold Louisville Slugger Field before an announced crowd of over 5,000.

"We obviously started well," OCB Head Coach Anthony Pulis said after the game. "Got a good goal early on. From then on in I thought we got beat by the better team. I thought Louisville were better in every department, on the ball, of the ball. I just said to our guys (in the locker room) I think that was a good learning experience for us."

Despite the poor result of the match, OCB started off on the front foot. After failing to score a goal last week, the club didn’t wait very long to get on the board in this one. In the sixth minute of play, starting striker Michael Cox got on the end of a slick Richie Laryea back heel that caught the Louisville City defense off guard. Cox’s first-time left-footed finish bested a rooted Scott Goodwin and found the upper-corner to give the Young Lions the early 1-0 lead.

That’s a team goal right there. OCB on top on the road with the early goal from Cox.

: https://t.co/17RktqAjqO pic.twitter.com/vWdXu3ATVW

— Orlando City B (@OrlandoCityB) April 9, 2016

After the game, Pulis was pleased with the assist and the overall performance of Richie Laryea. "Richie showed flashes tonight. It's probably taken him a little bit of time to find his feet. It's always difficult for guys coming out of college to adjust to the professional game. Richie's got ability."

On the other end of the pass was Michael Cox who became the first striker this season to score for the team, and Pulis wasn't shy about giving praise about the other Canadian striker that wears Orlando purple. "We were really pleased with Michael Cox tonight. Michael's someone who we like, who we think highly of. He's had an injury… given the start tonight and I thought he was really good for sixty minutes."

For their part, Louisville City answered in kind. The next several minutes saw Louisville win lots of possession and attempt to get several crosses into the box from out wide. After 21 minutes of pressure, Louisville equalized in the 26th minute. Kadeem Dacres switched sides from his usual position on the right wing and got in a low cross that ex-LA Galaxy striker Chandler Hoffman slid in and flipped over Mark Ridgers head for the equalizer.

The rest of the half saw Orlando and Louisville go back and forth, with Louisville getting most of the possession and chances. Orlando was limited to counter opportunities, and nearly took the lead off of a creative free kick opportunity that was reminiscent of a USA free kick against Belgium in the 2014 World Cup.

30′ Well drawn up set piece from OCB, but Louisville is able to break it up.

: https://t.co/17RktqAjqO pic.twitter.com/ZpNv2BR8V0

— Orlando City B (@OrlandoCityB) April 10, 2016

OCB fought and clawed its way for the rest of the half and went into the break level at 1-1, though that would change nearly immediately after the second half starting whistle. Louisville City won a free kick around thirty yards out and towards the right wing inside the first minute of the second stanza. Louisville midfielder Paul del Piccolo swung in a terrific ball that found the head of Andrew Lubahn to put Louisville into a quick second half 2-1 lead. Lubahn's header was contested but found the back of the net anyway.

Orlando City’s reserve side struggled for long stretches in the second half to build any kind of chance, and Louisville eventually took advantage to add the lead in the 65th minute. Louisville Man of the Match, Kadeem Dacres, got the ball in several yards of space at the top of the box and unleashed a left-footed effort that gave Ridgers just about zero chance to make a save. Louisville was the better team up to that point and the 3-1 score reflected that.

Richie Laryea had an excellent chance to answer nearly immediately after the goal when he got free behind the Louisville backline on the left side of Louisville's attacking box. His right-footed curler saw Louisville keeper Scott Goodwin make a spectacular flying save to maintain Louisville's 3-1 advantage. The save was worthy of USL Save of the Week.

"At 3-1 we had a good twenty minute spell," Pulis said. "Richie had a decent effort that Goodwin ended up saving well and on another day that goes in, it's 3-2 and all of the sudden the momentum's with us."

Louisville continued to put pressure on the OCB goal and made a bad scoreline worse for the visitors. In the 91st minute Louisville substitute Illija Illic slipped in behind the OCB backline and found himself one on one with Ridgers. Illic slipped the simple finish past Ridgers to put the home side into a three goal lead, on a goal that exposed OCB's center back pairing. The 4-1 scoreline would be the final.

When asked about the play of his backline, Pulis saw room for improvement. "There's obviously areas where they were a little bit naive in their decision making. But look, they're young players and they're gonna learn from this experience. You don't want to concede four goals. I'm very critical of them defensively and I feel like all four goals could've been stopped.

"To be fair to Louisville they took (their goals) well. But it's an area where we have to look at for sure."

Mark Ridgers continued to play well in goal after his USL Team of the Week performance last week, ending the game with five saves including a strong one in the 82nd minute on a George Davis IV shot from around 20 yards out. Though Louisville scored four goals, three of them were certainly not his fault. The same cannot be said for the OCB back four. After a strong first half in which the OCB defense fought off several Louisville chances, the second half was a different story for the foursome. As Louisville continually mounted pressure, OCB's defense just seemed to run out of gas on a cold night.

Considering the loss, Pulis was taking away positives from this performance for his young team, and chalked it up to a learning experience. "A positive is Michael Cox's performance. Hopefully in a few month's time we can look back on this as a real good learning experience and a turning point for our season. Maybe it's a good thing that this has happened early on for some of those guys to see what the level is and the standard is that we aspire to get to."

OCB will next take the field at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday night at home against the Harrisburg City Islanders in search of its first win. Keep it locked on TML for all your OCB coverage.

Orlando City B

Orlando City B Signs Bernardo Rhein, Justin Ellis to MLS NEXT Pro Deals

OCB adds two signees ahead of the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season.

Published

1 week ago

February 13, 2025

Michael Citro

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City B announced this morning that the club has signed two Orlando City Academy players — midfielder Bernardo Rhein and forward Justin Ellis — to MLS NEXT Pro contracts. Rhein signed through 2025 with a club option for 2026, with Ellis’ deal running through 2026. Both players featured Saturday night in Orlando City’s preseason scrimmage against CF Montreal.

“Bernardo and Justin are two more great examples of young players that have shown belief and trust in the development pathway we have set up here at Orlando City,” Orlando City SC Vice President of Soccer Operations and Technical Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “By signing with OCB, Justin and Bernardo have shown trust in us, the pathway, and in Head Coach Manuel Goldberg. They both put in the work since their early academy days; took the opportunities that they were given to continue developing their skill sets; and have shown us that they’re ready to take the next step along that pathway, and we’re excited to see how they both continue to progress these next few years.”

The 17-year-old Rhein (known as Bernardo Goncalves in 2024), appeared in six matches with OCB a year ago, coming off the bench each time and playing a total of 33 minutes. The Windermere native and Brazilian national did not record a goal contribution, attempting one shot, which he put on target, and completing 81.8% of his 22 pass attempts. Rhein subbed on for the latter stages of Saturday’s preseason scrimmage against Montreal and looked good, getting himself into scoring position but firing just over the bar in the extra 30-minute sesson.

Ellis, also 17, appeared in 18 matches with OCB in 2024 (three starts), scoring two goals and putting eight of his 13 shots on target. He did not record an assist, but passed well from the forward position, logging three key passes and completing 76.7% of his total pass attempts. The Wellington native traveled with the MLS squad to Mexico for the team’s week-long camp in Cancun. On the international stage, Ellis was called up to the U-18 USMNT in September, scoring two goals in two appearances.

What It Means for OCB

This is positive news for both OCB and the Orlando City Academy. Ellis was a regular contributor last season at a young age, while Rhein got his feet wet with a few appearances at the MLS NEXT Pro level. At just 17, both have shown a lot of potential upside already. Ellis will turn 18 in May, while Rhein won’t reach his 18th birthday until Sept. 21. Both will get a chance to further their development with OCB.

While neither player will be expected to make an impact with the first team in 2025, Duncan McGuire’s injury absence may require Shak Mohammed to spend more time with the first team, meaning Ellis would be in line to get more minutes with the Young Lions in the early part of the season.

Orlando City B

Orlando City Signs Goalkeeper Carlos Mercado to a New Contract

Carlos Mercado signs a new contract to remain Orlando City’s third-choice goalkeeper.

Published

3 weeks ago

January 30, 2025

Sean Rollins

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City announced this morning that the club has signed goalkeeper Carlos Mercado to a new contract. The deal is through the 2025 season with club options for 2026 and 2027.

“Carlos did a great job for us last year with Orlando City B and continued to provide a positive work ethic and atmosphere every day in training up with the first team and showed his skill and ability to compete every chance he got,” Orlando City Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He’s part of a strong goalkeeping unit here at the club and we feel confident in the future of that entire position group moving forward.”

Mercado originally joined Orlando City prior to the 2024 season to back up Javier Otero. However, when Mason Stajduhar broke his tibia and fibula in a June 28 game against New York City FC, Otero became the primary backup to Pedro Gallese and Mercado was the starter for the Young Lions.

In his debut season in purple, Mercado started 20 games — including a playoff game in Chicago — playing 1,830 minutes. He conceded 30 goals for a goals-against average of 1.48 and saved 81 of 111 shots faced for a save percentage of 73%. He kept three clean sheets and compiled a record of 9-5-6 (W-L-D) while saving two of the four penalties he faced in regular play.

The 25-year-old signed a short-term deal following Stajduhar’s injury with his lone game on the team sheet being on the bench for a July 3 game against Toronto FC. He went on to sign a first-team contract on Sept. 20 through the 2024 season with options for 2025, 2026, and 2027. However, his 2025 option was declined following the season.

Mercado played for the FC Dallas academy in his youth, earning call-ups to the United States U-16 National Team and Mexico U-18 National Team. He played collegiately at the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio, TX, before joining San Antonio FC of the USL Championship.

The goalkeeper made his professional debut in 2021, coming on for the final 29 minutes in a 3-0 win over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. He stayed with San Antonio FC through the 2023 season before joining OCB.

What It Means for Orlando City

As previously mentioned, Mercado’s option for 2025 was declined following the 2024 MLS season since the club already had three other goalkeepers. However, signing another goalkeeper became necessary when Orlando City traded Stajduhar to Real Salt Lake on Jan. 15, leaving the club with two under contract.

Mercado will likely continue to be the club’s third goalkeeper and is the presumed starter for Orlando City B when the MLS NEXT Pro season starts in March. He’ll have to join the first team if Gallese goes away on international duty with Peru and Otero enters the starting lineup. Barring unavailability of Gallese and Otero, it’s unlikely he’ll see any MLS action.

Orlando City B

Orlando City B Announces Schedule for 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Season

Find out where, when, and who the Young Lions of OCB will play in 2025.

Published

4 weeks ago

January 27, 2025

Michael Citro

Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

The 2025 MLS NEXT Pro schedule was r eleased this afternoon, telling us where, when, and who Orlando City B will play in the team’s fourth year in the league. The league will again feature 29 teams in 2025, with three teams set to enter the league next year. There are 27 MLS affiliated clubs in the league and two independents — Carolina Core FC and Chattanooga FC.

The schedule remains at 28 games, with Orlando City B playing 14 at home, 13 away, and one at a neutral site at IMG Academy in Bradenton. OCB home games will take place at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee again this season.

OCB will start the 2024 season with a two-game home stand, opening the season on Sunday, March 9 against Columbus Crew 2 at 7 p.m. A week later, Atlanta United 2 will visit Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions will then hit the road for the team’s first two away games starting Wednesday, March 26 at Crown Legacy FC and following with a match at Chattanooga FC on Saturday, April 5.

In addition to opening the season at home, OCB will close the regular season by hosting FC Cincinnati 2 at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 5. Last year, the Young Lions opened and closed the season on the road. All Decision Day games in the Eastern Conference will start at 1 p.m. and all Western Conference matches will kick off at 4 p.m. (ET).

OCB will compete in the 15-team Eastern Conference as part of the Southeast Division. The other teams in the division are Atlanta, Carolina Core, Chattanooga, Crown Legacy, Huntsville City, and rival Inter Miami II. The reserve version of the Tropic Thunder rivalry will play out over three meetings in 2025. The Young Lions will travel IMG Academy to face the Baby Herons on April 15, with the home match in Kissimmee coming May 17. The teams will meet again in Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 14.

MLS NEXT Pro teams will again only play opponents from their own conference, limiting travel. The Young Lions will play each team in the Southeast Division three times, including Atlanta United 2, and Chattanooga twice at home and once away, and Carolina Core, Crown Legacy, and Huntsville City once each at home and twice away. OCB will play the teams from the Northeast Division once, except Columbus and New England, which the Young Lions will face both at home and away. Orlando City B will face FC Cincinnati 2, New York City FC II, New York Red Bulls II, and Toronto FC II only at home in the regular season, while facing Chicago Fire II and Philadelphia Union II only on the road.

The busiest months for OCB this season will be June and August, when the Young Lions will play five matches. They’ll play four times in April and July, three times in March, May, and September, and once in October. The most common day the Young Lions will play is on Sunday (13 games). Additionally, they have five games on Saturday, four games each on Wednesday and Friday, and one game each on Monday and Tuesday. The most common kickoff time is 7 p.m.. The Young Lions will play 18 games with that start time, three times each at 3 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and 8 p.m., and once at 1 p.m. (Decision Day).

Once again, the postseason will include 15 games this year, concluding with the MLS NEXT Pro Cup. The higher playoff seeds will again select their opponents for the matchups in the first two rounds.

The majority of regular season games and all playoff games will again air on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. The remaining games will be streamed live on mlsnextpro.com.

As far as viewing conflicts go for Orlando City and Pride fans, there are a few overlaps in 2025. OCB plays at 7 p.m. on April 5 at Chattanooga with the MLS Lions playing at 7:30 p.m. at Philadelphia that night. On May 23, OCB plays at Atlanta United 2 at 7:30 p.m. and the Pride and Royals kick off in Utah at 9:30 p.m. just as that game is concluding. On June 25, OCB plays at home at 7 p.m. against Toronto FC II, with Orlando City at St. Louis City at 8:30 p.m. OCB’s game July 25 at Huntsville City will kick off 30 minutes after the senior side begins playing at Columbus. The Young Lions start at home on Aug. 3 against NYCFCII an hour after the Pride and Utah Royals kick off at Inter&Co Stadium. OCB and the Pride are both home on Aug. 9 as well, with the Young Lions and Chattanooga getting underway at 7 p.m. at Osceola County Stadium, just 30 minutes before the Pride and Racing Louisville battle at Inter&Co Stadium. On Aug. 23, OCB will play at 7 p.m. at home against Atlanta United 2, with the senior Lions and Nashville SC kicking off at 8:30 p.m.