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Orlando City B

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

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9 years ago

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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.

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.

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.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Atlanta United 2: Final Score 2-2 as Young Lions Claim Extra Point in Penalties

OCB led in the second half but conceded an equalizer before claiming the extra point in the penalty shootout.

Published

3 days ago

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March 16, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City B (1-0-1, 5 points) played to a 2-2 draw against Atlanta United 2 (0-1-1, 1 point) tonight at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. Luke Brennan gave Atlanta the lead in the 30th minute before Justin Ellis equalized just before halftime. Shak Mohammed gave the Lions their first lead in the 56th minute and Ronan Wynne equalized for the visitors in the 78th minute. The Young Lions then took the extra point by winning the penalty shootout, 4-1.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made two changes from the team that won 2-1 over Columbus Crew 2 last Sunday night. First-team backup goalkeeper Javier Otero got his first start of the season, replacing Carlos Mercado. Thalles got his first start for OCB, replacing Dyson Clapier.

The back line in front of Otero was Tahir Reid-Brown, Thomas Williams, Jackson Platts, and Zakaria Taifi. Dylan Judelson and Colin Guske were the defensive midfielders behind Mohammed, Ellis, and Jhon Solis. Thalles started alone up top.

Atlanta had the first attempt at goal in the sixth minute when former Lion Moises Tablante found Brennan near the top of the box. Reid-Brown was in front of him and the midfielder shot, but Judelson flew in to block the attempt out for a corner kick.

The ensuing set piece was knocked out for a second corner and the second attempt was caught by Otero, ending the threat.

It looked like OCB would have its first chance in the eighth minute when Taifi sent a dangerous low ball across the box. Three players in purple were making runs, with Solis closest to it. However, nobody could get to the end of the pass as it went all the way through.

The Young Lions’ first shot came in the 10th minute when Thalles knocked the ball off a defender, giving OCB its first corner kick. Solis’ set piece went through the box where it ended up with Taifi. The defender fired from outside the box, but the shot was right at Atlanta goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert.

Atlanta nearly had a chance in the 25th minute when Brennan sent a dangerous ball into the six for Rodrigo Neri. Williams was on the attacker, putting enough of his body on him to keep Neri from getting onto it.

A minute later, Mohammed was called for a foul on Brennan just outside the box and to the right of goal. The short set piece between Cooper Sanchez and Tablante resulted in a Brennan shot from distance, but Platts was in position to block it.

The visitors finally got their goal in the 30th minute after a pair of clearances. Ryan Carmichael sent a long cross to the back of the six-yard box where Salvatore Mazzaferro headed it towards goal. The ball went past Otero and Brennan ran onto it to knock it in, giving Atlanta a well-deserved 1-0 lead.

The Young Lions had their best first-half opportunity in the 40th minute when Taifi was sent long on the right behind the back line. The defender dribbled into the box as Hibbert came off his line, making a good save.

On the other end, a short corner kick resulted in Tablante sending a ball into the box. Mazzaferro got his head to the ball, flicking it towards the far post, but sent it wide.

The Young Lions got their equalizer in the 44th minute when Ellis received a throw-in and played a quick give-and-go with Solis to beat three defenders. The forward’s first touch after receiving the ball back from Solis was past Hibbert and off the far post to even the game at 1-1.

Atlanta was the better team in the first 45 minutes with the advantage in shots (10-4), crosses (7-0), corner kicks (6-1), and passing accuracy (87%-79.3%). However, OCB put three of its four shots on target while Atlanta only put one of 10 on frame.

Atlanta got off to an aggressive start to the second half and nearly scored in the 46th minute. While OCB attempted to clear an Atlanta corner kick, Solis got caught playing with the ball in his own box. Neri came in from behind and shoved Solis to the ground, taking possession. The attacker tried to beat Otero to his near post, but hit the outside of the net.

The Young Lions got their first second-half attempt in the 55th minute when Ellis found Reid-Brown near the top of the box. The left back cut inside to lose his defender and shot, but Wynne got in the way, blocking it out for a corner kick.

The ensuing set piece by Taifi sailed beyond the back post where Mohammed came flying in to volley the ball past Hibbert, giving his team a 2-1 lead.

“We’ve been training for me to make the run to the second post and I happened to be there. And unbelievable delivery by Taifi and I was there to meet it,” Mohammed said. “So it’s good. It’s a good connection and hopefully many more to come.”

“Very participative, very active, very aggressive with a lot of desire,” Goldberg said about the goal scorers. “And that’s what we want. Sometimes the ball will go in. Sometimes it won’t. But the more we try to do it, it’s going to be better.”

Tablante tried to find an equalizer against his old team in the 61st minute. He ran into a defender but kept possession. A touch inside allowed him to shoot between Reid-Brown and Judelson, but he sent his shot over the crossbar.

In the 64th minute, Dominik Chong-Qui fired from the corner of the box, forcing Otero to block the ball over the crossbar at his near post. Tablante took the ensuing corner kick, but Otero was there to catch it.

Goldberg made his first two changes of the game during the next stoppage. Gustavo Caraballo and Clapier came into the game for Thalles and Judelson.

Otero was called into action in the 72nd minute when Braden Dunham’s shot from outside the box was deflected. Otero had to adjust to block the attempt, sending it wide. However, Neri was following up. Otero quickly jumped up to block that attempt as well, sending it out of play.

“Outstanding,” Goldberg said about Otero’s performance in goal. “I’m really happy for him. That he could take the chance properly for the team and for himself. And he did an outstanding job.”

Caraballo tried to double the OCB lead in the 73rd minute. The first-team midfielder took the ball to the end line before cutting back, creating space from Mazzaferro and Dunham. He was aiming for the far post, but the shot traveled wide.

The visitors found their equalizer in the 78th minute through a set piece. Guske was unable to clear Nykolas Sessock’s free kick near the top corner of the box, enabling Neri to head it back into the middle of the six-yard box. Wynne and Williams were tussling as they approached the ball, but the Atlanta attacker beat the first-team center back, evening the game at 2-2.

Goldberg was forced into another substitution in the 84th minute when Ellis went down injured. The forward received some attention before eventually being replaced by Zinedine Rodriguez.

Atlanta substitute Adyn Torres tried to be the hero in the 87th minute when he received the ball about 25 yards from goal. The attacker took a touch before firing a shot from long distance. Otero felt it was close enough to jump, but the attempt continued rising and went over the crossbar.

Torres’ attempt was the final chance for either team, as the 90 minutes ended in a 2-2 draw. Atlanta controlled the game in nearly every statistical category. Despite being on the road, the visitors had the advantage in shots (19-9), shots on target (6-5), crosses (11-2), and corner kicks (10-3). They also had better passing accuracy (85.8%-76.1%).

“I agree it was tough. We didn’t find ourselves very comfortable in the first half, and that put us there a little uncomfortable in the game,” Goldberg said. “We scored a goal in a very good moment of the match. It was at the end of the first half. And in the second half we were a little bit better. We’ve got a lot of things to work on to get better. But the good news is at least we got those two points and that’s something to look on.”

“I think on the balance of the game, it was a fair point that we got. We got the two points at home and we’re still undefeated at home,” Mohammed added. “So that’s big. It’s good to start the season that way. Two games and undefeated. So it was good. There’s still a lot of ways for us to improve and we’re going to do that. It’s just the second game of the season. So we’re looking forward to the season and it’s good that we started this way.”

Per MLS NEXT Pro rules, the teams had to shoot penalties to see who would get the extra point.

The Young Lions were perfect in the shootout, with goals by Guske, Solis, Platts, and Clapier. Carmichael hit the post on the first Atlanta attempt and Otero saved Mazzaferro’s shot on the second. Neri scored the third to keep the game alive before Clapier ended it.

OCB ends the two-game season-opening homestand with five points. The Young Lions will have to wait 10 days before they take the field again, taking on Crown Legacy FC in North Carolina on March 26.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Columbus Crew 2: Final Score 2-1 as Young Lions Win Season Opener

OCB opened its 2025 season with a victory, scoring twice before holding on for dear life in the second half.

Published

1 week ago

on

March 9, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City B (1-0-0, 3 points) opened its 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season with a 2-1 win over Columbus Crew 2 (0-1-0, 0 points) tonight at Osceola County Stadium. Newcomer Dyson Clapier gave the Young Lions the lead in the 10th minute and Zakaria Taifi doubled the advantage just after the break. Crew 2 dominated possession after that and pulled a goal back late through Keesean Ferdinand, but it wasn’t enough, as OCB took all three points.

The first starting lineup of the season for the Young Lions consisted of Carlos Mercado in goal behind a back line of Tahir Reid-Brown, Thomas Williams, Jackson Platts, and Taifi. Dylan Judelson and Colin Guske were the defensive midfielders behind Clapier, Jhon Solis, and Shak Mohammed, with Justin Ellis up top.

OCB got off to an attacking start, trying to send Taifi down the right multiple times. But it was a Crew 2 throw-in that opened the scoring. In the 10th minute, Chase Adams received the throw and played a soft pass to Ferdinand in the Columbus box. Ellis jumped on the play, tipping the ball off of Ferdinand’s foot to Clapier, whose first touch was a rocket past Luke Pruter for the opening goal.

Columbus had its first decent attack in the 14th minute when Owen Presthus made a long run down the right. He sent a hard cross through the box looking for Tristan Brown, but it went all the way through.

It looked like OCB had a penalty in the 18th minute when Taifi did well to control a long pass and was taken down at the edge of the box. The referee initially pointed to the spot but ended up changing it to a free kick just outside of the 18, which was the correct decision.

Solis hit the free kick into the wall, and the ball bounced back to Taifi, who had been standing over it as well. His first touch was another shot, but it too was blocked.

A minute later, Solis found Taifi on the right and the defender sent a dangerous cross into the box. Clapier ran onto it and tried to turn it on goal with his first touch. However, he mishit the ball, ending the threat.

The visitors finally got their first shot of the game in the 27th minute when Austin Su  sent a hard, low shot towards goal. Fortunately, he sent it straight to Mercado, who had no trouble collecting it.

The Young Lions created a good buildup in the 37th minute when Ellis received the ball near midfield and sent it down the left for Reid-Brown. The left back found Clapier in the middle, who laid it back for Ellis making the trailing run. The striker’s first touch was a shot, but he didn’t hit it well, and it skipped wide.

It looked like Crew 2 might find an equalizer in the second minute of first-half stoppage time when Presthus sent Brent Adu-Gyamfi behind the back line and into the OCB box. His second touch was a shot, but Mercado did well to get down and block it, making a vital save.

After 45 minutes, OCB had more shots (5-4). However, Crew 2 had the advantage in attempts on target (2-1), corner kicks (2-0), crosses (5-2), and passing accuracy (89.2%-84.7%).

OCB made one change at halftime as Brazilian forward Thalles made his debut in purple, coming in for Clapier.

It didn’t take long for Thalles to get involved, as he nearly scored inside the first minute of the second half. The Brazilian was sent into the Crew 2 box and it looked like he had an open chance, but 15-year-old center back Gianmarco Di Noto came in from behind to knock it away.

The Young Lions went on another attack in the 48th minute, doubling their lead. Solis sent a long ball across the field to Taifi, who was making a run on the right. The right back chested the ball down and recontrolled it after the defender tried to tap it away. His third touch was a strong shot inside the near post, giving his team a 2-0 lead.

“I scored and I didn’t even see anything. All I did was point to my parents,” Taifi said. “My dad was working all day and he came from like two hours away to come. And I just wanted to give them all the thanks for the goal. And it feels amazing to win the game from that.”

“We talked a lot during the week about bringing out their individual best,” OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg said about Clapier’s and Taifi’s goals. “About everything. Technically, tactically. So this is the stuff we need. They have that ambition, that desire, and that helped them with the goals.”

Crew 2 nearly pulled one back in the 54th minute when Brown received the ball on the left side of the box. The midfielder tried to hit it into the roof of the net, but hit the woodwork.

Four minutes later, the Young Lions had trouble clearing the ball and Nicolas Rincon stuck his leg out to send the ball towards goal. Mercado did very well to dive to his left and make a one-handed save. The OCB starting goalkeeper was down briefly but was able to continue.

Solis tried to make it 3-0 in the 60th minute when Crew 2 goalkeeper Luke Pruter came well off his line. The ball was cleared before it reached the goal line, but only to Thalles not far away. The Brazilian attempted a bicycle kick, sending it wide.

Reid-Brown made a good run down the left in the 70th minute before cutting it back and finding Ellis at the top of the box. The striker took a touch inside before taking a hard right-footed shot. However, Su got in front of the attempt, blocking it wide.

As the ensuing corner kick was sent into the box, the referee called a foul on OCB. As a result, the Young Lions didn’t even get a chance from the set piece.

Goldberg made his second change in the 83rd minute as Clovis Archange came on for Reid-Brown.

A Taifi corner in the 85th minute found a head near the back post and was past Pruter, but cleared off the line. The follow-up attempt was right at Pruter, who made the save to end the threat.

The visitors finally got a goal back in the 88th minute when some quick passing sent Anthony Alaouieh down the left. The midfielder sent his pass back and diagonally through the box to a wide open Ferdinand, as the entire OCB defense had shifted to the other side. With nobody closing him down, it was an easy goal for the defender, sending the ball inside the far post.

The Young Lions immediately went the other way, looking to increase their lead back to two goals. Solis took a shot in the 89th minute from just outside the box that forced Pruter to dive and knock it wide.

The ensuing corner kick found Platts, who put his attempt on goal. But it was cleared off the line. The clearance went to Solis near the top of the box and the midfielder sent the follow-up attempt high and wide.

Crew 2 had another chance in the first minute of stoppage time when Guske was unable to clear a Columbus throw-in and Su took possession. The midfielder carried the ball to the end line and played it to the top of the six-yard box where Ferdinand was waiting. However, Mercado did well to get down to collect it.

Both teams attacked in the six minutes of second-half stoppage time, but the missed opportunity by Su was the final chance and OCB held on for the 2-1 win.

While Crew 2 had much more possession in the second half, it was OCB that created most of the chances. The Young Lions ended up with more shots (15-12), shots on target (7-5), and corner kicks (7-2). Meanwhile, the visitors had the advantage in crosses (8-3) and passing accuracy (89.6%-83%).

“Of course, first of all, very happy for the guys that we could get a win. It’s not easy to start off and starting off always like this is positive,” Goldberg said about the game. “The things we propose ourselves to do this match, we did. So we’re happy about that.”

“I feel like it was a great team performance. We really held it down,” Taifi said. “Had a little lapse of concentration at the end, but it doesn’t matter. We got the three points. So, it feels great to start with a win. Let’s go!”

The Young Lions continue their streak of season-opening wins, which dates back to the start of MLS NEXT Pro in 2022, making it four in a row. That matches the streak of four straight campaigns in which they opened the season with losses, dating back to the team’s inaugural season in 2016.

OCB will continue its season-opening homestand next Sunday night when the Young Lions host rival Atlanta United 2 at Osceola County Stadium.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B Signs Two More Players Ahead of 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Season

OCB has signed teenage midfielder Noah Levis and Algerian center back Noham Abdellaoui to one-year deals.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

March 5, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City B continues to build its 2025 MLS NEXT Pro roster, adding two more players to the squad. The club announced the signing of midfielder Noah Levis and defender Noham Abdellaoui to MLS NEXT Pro contracts this afternoon. Both deals are through the 2025 season with club options for 2026.

“Noah is an exciting young player that already brings a wealth of experience from Finland and Portugal,” Orlando City Vice President of Soccer Operations and Technical Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “He brings a lot of energy to the group both on and off the pitch and brings a ton of upside for us in having so much experience at his young age and still being at a point where he can develop his game further here in Orlando with us. We’re excited to have him here and look forward to starting the 2025 season.”

The Boston native joins OCB after playing in Greece, Finland, and Portugal. He initially joined the academy of Portuguese first-division side G.D. Estoril Praia before moving to Greece. He played for the Olympiacos academy and joined the AEK Athens academy in January 2022.

The 18-year-old midfielder moved to Finland in February 2024, joining Finnish second division side Mikkelin Palloilijat. He made 25 appearances for the side last year, recording two assists. The teenager has also appeared for the Finnish youth national team, making two friendly appearances for the U-17 side.

There were rumors back in December that the Lions would sign Levis to an MLS NEXT Pro deal. This announcement makes it official that the dual national has joined the club.

Abdellaoui, a 20-year-old Algerian, joins OCB after spending time in the youth setups of several European clubs, including French side Saint-Etienne and Italian Serie A sides U.S. Lecce and Genoa CFC. The center back has made 50 appearances at the academy level, scoring three goals and adding an assist for those clubs. Additionally, he won the Italian Primavera Championship with Lecce Primavera in the 2022-2023 season.

“Noham comes to us from some great academies in Europe that have a proven track record of developing great players — Genoa and Saint-Étienne — and we’re happy to have him with us now,” Moreira said in the club’s press release. “We’re expecting him to bring both leadership and experience to the group, despite his young age, and he’ll also provide great depth for us at his position.”

Abdellaoui has represented Algeria at the U-18 level internationally, appearing twice in international friendlies.

What It Means for Orlando City B

Levis is a central midfielder with some time playing on the right. He probably won’t start in the middle because that’s Jhon Solis’ spot, who appeared for the first team during preseason.

Favian Loyola and Shak Mohammed played on the right for OCB last season and both are still with the club. So one of those will probably be in that position to start the 2025 campaign, although Loyola has dealt with a thigh injury that has kept him on the availability report the first two weeks of the MLS season. However, Yutaro Tsukada was on the left last year and is out for the season with a knee injury. So there are opportunities for players to get into the team.

It’s still unknown what the full OCB roster will look like when the Young Lions take the field Sunday night at Osceola County Stadium. But Levis will probably be available off the bench for the Young Lions. Regardless, there will be chances for him to play this season and see if he’s a possibility for the first team in the future.

As for Abdellaoui, he has more of an opportunity to slide into the starting lineup. The primary center back pairing for OCB last season was Nabi Kibunguchy and Thomas Williams. While Williams remains with the club as a Homegrown, Kibunguchy’s contract ended following the 2024 season.

If Abdellaoui wants to start for the Young Lions this season, he’ll likely be competing with another Homegrown in Tahir Reid-Brown. While the 18-year-old didn’t get as much playing time as Williams last year, it’s expected he’ll see more this season.

An injury has kept Orlando City captain Robin Jansson out of the first two MLS games, forcing Williams to join the bench. With the Lions playing Saturday night in New York and the younger version at home Sunday night, Abdellaoui could make his debut if Williams stays with the senior team.

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