Orlando City B (0-1-0, 0 points) fell to Huntsville City FC (1-0-0, 3 points) at Osceola County Stadium tonight in the team’s 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season opener. Shak Mohammed netted a brace for the visitors, with the other goal coming from Jordan Knight. Harvey Sarajian scored the lone goal for the Young Lions, the first of his professional career.

The starting lineup for Manuel Goldberg’s side featured some familiar names, and some fans likely don’t know. Javier Otero was the starting goalkeeper and wore the armband behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Nicolas Lasheras, Titus Sandy, Jr., and Zakaria Taifi. Issah Haruna and Caleb Trombino were the defensive midfielders behind Sarajian, Justin Ellis, and Gustavo Caraballo, with Pedro Leao up top.

OCB will feel this was a game that got away. The Young Lions had multiple opportunities to score, including a sitter for Sarajian in the first half. But, in the end, it was defensive mistakes that decided the result. Miscommunication between Otero and Lasheras led to the first goal, and Otero was lobbed after coming out of his box, resulting in the third goal. Those three plays were the difference between three points and no points.

The first chance of the game was for the visitors when Sarajian tripped Chris Applewhite near the OCB box. Angel Iniguez took the set piece, finding Nick Pariano making a near-post run. However, the midfielder’s touch was wide of the post, keeping the game scoreless.

The Young Lions’ inability to clear the ball in the 11th minute gave former Lion Shak Mohammed his first chance. The attacker fired from outside the box, but Lasheras got in the way. Otero unsuccessfully tried to keep it from leaving the field, leading to the game’s first corner kick.

Mohammed took the set piece, but sent it too close to Otero, who made the catch.

Huntsville tried to play the ball out of the back in the 12th minute, but OCB’s pressure created a turnover. Sarajian found Leao, who backheeled the ball for Haruna. The 2026 MLS SuperDraft pick took the team’s first shot of the season from outside the box, sending his attempt straight to Will Mackay.

The Young Lions had another chance in the 15th minute when Caraballo brought a long ball down well and sent Taifi down the right. Gabriel Alonso took the right back down with a late challenge, earning the game’s first yellow card. Caraballo took the set piece from near the top corner of the box, but his shot was over the crossbar.

Alonso made a good run himself in the 18th minute, dribbling into the OCB third and near the top of the box. Running into traffic, he laid the ball off for Iniguez, who took a couple of touches to the side before sending his low shot wide of the far post.

A minute later, Trombino found Leao at the top of the box and the forward immediately sent it wide for Taifi. It went off a defender but straight to Taifi, whose first shot was on target and tipped wide by Mackay.

It looked like OCB might take the lead in the 28th minute when Leao was sent down the right in transition. Sarajian was making a run down the middle with nobody picking him up. Leao found his teammate and it looked like an easy tap-in, but Sarajian sent the attempt over the crossbar.

The ball was immediately sent down the field by Huntsville and it looked like OCB would handle it easily. But Lasheras and Otero just looked at each other, expecting the other to take it. Meanwhile, Mohammed took possession and passed it into the empty net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

In the 32nd minute, Knight won the ball from Caraballo near midfield and went the other way. Lasheras slid in to tackle it away, but was unable to do so. While the ball got too far away from Knight, Maximus Ekk backheeled the ball to Knight who beat Otero, placing the ball inside the near post and giving his team a 2-0 lead.

The assist 🪄
The finish 🎯

Knight doubles the lead for @HuntCityFC! pic.twitter.com/R0CiDTTkiq

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) March 3, 2026

Taifi sent a great ball to the back post for Sarajian in the 37th minute, but Malachi Molina got his head to it first, knocking it out of play. Taifi took the set piece and it found Sarajian’s head at the far post. The midfielder headed it straight down where Mackay made the stop.

Two minutes later, Mohammed tried to create his second goal of the game when he made a long run into the OCB box. The attacker found enough space for a shot, sending his attempt into Otero’s arms.

In the 44th minute, Lasheras intercepted a long pass out of the back by Huntsville City. His touch let the ball get away, but Taifi was there to take possession. After a brief touch forward, the right back took a hard, low shot from distance that skipped just wide of the far post.

Huntsville had a good chance to make it 3-0 in the first minute of first-half stoppage time when Iniguez sent Ekk down the right. The attacker got behind Sandy and took a shot from a tight angle, but Otero got down to make the stop.

Two minutes later, the Young Lions finally broke through. It started when Mohammed drove down the left and his low cross was blocked out for a corner kick. OCB intercepted the set piece and went the other way. Ellis took possession and sent a beautiful ball for Caraballo, who split two defenders before sending it to Sarajian all alone. Molina came sliding in, but Sarajian used a nice touch to avoid the defender, putting it under Mackay’s arm and cutting the deficit in half.

Sarajian cuts it onto his right and slots it home! 🧊

2-1 @OrlandoCityB pic.twitter.com/wB3KWuMUrE

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) March 3, 2026

That was the last good chance for either team as OCB entered the break down 2-1. Huntsville had the edge in shots (9-7), shots on target (4-3), and passing percentage (87%-80.3%) in the first 45 minutes. OCB had more corner kicks (4-3) and both teams attempted four crosses.

Things got a little feisty in the 49th minute when Taifi and Knight got tangled up. Knight grabbed Taifi’s arm and Taifi threw him down. As a result, both players were booked. The ensuing set piece by Caraballo ended up with Ellis on the far side. The attacker sent a curling cross into the box, but Sandy was unable to get over the ball, allowing Mackay to make an easy catch.

On the other end, Alonso found Knight near the top corner of the box. The forward took a shot that continued to sail high and wide, giving little concern to Otero.

In the 52nd minute, Haruna received a pass near the top of the Huntsville box and continued it to the right for Caraballo. The youngest signing in Orlando City’s MLS history fired on target, forcing Mackay into a save with his foot.

Huntsville had a great chance to extend its lead back to two goals in the 53rd minute when Molina made a run to the end line and crossed the ball. Lasheras got in front of the attempt, but it was deemed to go off his arm. Elvis Osmanovic immediately pointed to the spot, awarding the visitors a penalty. After winning the penalty, Molina stepped up to the spot. Otero guessed correctly, diving to his left and blocking the attempt out of play.

Leao nearly equalized for the Young Lions in the 58th minute after making a long run and firing from outside the box. It was a rocket shot and appeared to be heading inside the near post, but the ball was just wide.

Four minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead. Otero came outside of his box to clear the ball, but sent it right to Mohammed. The former OCB leading goal scorer sent the ball over Otero and into the goal to make it 3-1.

Shakur Mohammed from a long way out! 😱 pic.twitter.com/4KEM61baDQ

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) March 3, 2026

Goldberg made his first two changes of the game in the 70th minute. Dominik Baczewski and Matthew Belgodere came on for Trombino and Caraballo.

OCB had a good chance to cut the deficit back to one when Ellis was fouled by Jayvin Van Deventer near the top of the Huntsville box. Taifi’s free kick was into the wall, but OCB kept possession. Baczewski collected the ball and played it back for Sarajian, who quickly found Ellis at the top of the box. The Orlando City Homegrown product fired a shot that sailed just over the crossbar.

In the 78th minute, Baczewski played a beautiful ball forward for Taifi behind the Huntsville back line. The right back did well to bring it down with his chest and sent his shot toward the far post. Unfortunately, it went just wide.

Goldberg made his third change in the 80th minute as Jaylen Yearwood came into the game for Haruna.

Huntsville nearly scored a fourth in the 90th minute when Iniguez fired from long distance. The ball appeared to be heading just under the crossbar, so Otero was forced to tip it over for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece was cleared by Rhein, but only to Alonso. With space, Alonso took a shot from distance that traveled wide of the near post.

Despite OCB chasing a two-goal deficit, it was Huntsville creating the chances. The visitors had another opportunity in the first minute of stoppage time when Iniguez cut inside before firing a shot for the far post. However, the ball sailed wide.

The final chance of the game came in the dying seconds when Belgodere found Taifi in the box. The right back got his head to the ball and put it on frame, but Mackay made a great save, tipping it over the crossbar.

Leao got his head to the ensuing corner kick, but he couldn’t get much on it. Molina cleared the ball and Huntsville was able to see out the 3-1 win.

At full time, both teams had 17 shots and Huntsville put one more on frame (7-6). While OCB had more crosses (8-5), Huntsville held the advantage in corner kicks (8-7) and passing accuracy (85.6%-82.5%).

The loss ends a four-season streak in which the Young Lions won their season opener. The last time they fell in their first contest was in 2020 when they lost 2-0 to South Georgia Tormenta FC away from home.

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The boys in purple have just under a week to shake this one off before they take the field again. They’ll host Chicago Fire FC II Sunday night as they look for their first points of the season.

In the spirit of Sunday’s Daytona 500, just a short drive down I-4 from my location here in Oviedo, let me also say “start your engines” to the 2026 MLS season, as we are now finally just one week away from Orlando City’s season opener on Feb. 21. The final preseason game is today, and you can expect a lot of coverage on our site and on The Mane Land PawedCast next week in advance of Red Bull New York, a.k.a. the New York Red Bulls, a.k.a. the team that used to be called the MetroStars, coming to Inter&Co Stadium to get the season started.

Orlando City B’s season will start a few weeks later, on March 2. Just like with the senior club, we do not yet have a full and final roster for the Young Lions, but we can celebrate Valentine’s Day today by looking at a few OCB players who deserve some love this year, as they have overperformed their age level and, if they stay with the club, will be pushing for minutes with Orlando City as early as this season.

In early January our Sean Rollins wrote about four OCB players who might make their Orlando City debuts this season, and here in mid-February I still agree with his thought that Tahir Reid-Brown is the OCB player most likely to make his senior debut, as Orlando City has not signed any new outside backs, so the depth chart, even with some experimentation with Iván Angulo moving the to back line, remains thin on both the right and left.

That depth chart is especially thin due to the departure of former OCB standout Alex Freeman, who was transferred to Villarreal in Spain a few weeks ago, so while Óscar Pareja may go with a back line using veterans Adrián Marín on the left and Angulo on the right to start the season, Zakaria Taifi will be battling with Angulo to fill Freeman’s shoes on the right. If Taifi is able to wrest away the starting position from Angulo, then he would be closely following Freeman’s path, as when Freeman moved up to the senior team in 2025 it was Taifi who took over at right back with OCB. Now, with Freeman departing Orlando City to wear Villarreal yellow, Taifi is again in line to replace him, wearing Orlando City’s new yellow gold ‘Sunken Treasure’ kit (at least when away from home).

Freeman and Taifi both played with OCB for three seasons, primarily at right back, and going into this year they had ranked third (Freeman) and 14th (Taifi) in minutes played in that club’s history. Taifi is almost exactly one year younger than Freeman, and while he was solid for OCB and made nine appearances for the senior club in 2025, he did not play as many minutes or perform as well as Freeman did while in MLS NEXT Pro (all data from fotmob.com, because the MLS NEXT Pro website, for some reason, does not have any data for the 2022 season):

Season	Age on July 1	Minutes Played	Avg. FotMob Rating
Alex Freeman: 2022	17.9	1,392	6.98
Alex Freeman: 2023	18.9	1,944	7.02
Alex Freeman: 2024	19.9	2,332	7.64
Zakaria Taifi: 2023	17.7	1,122	6.58
Zakaria Taifi: 2024	18.7	513	6.48
Zakaria Taifi: 2025	19.7	1,326	6.84

A player’s FotMob rating is not the be-all, end-all of ranking methodology, but to the site’s credit, FotMob tracks thousands of games and uses the same formula to create its rankings, so you can easily compare the ratings of two players at the same position in the same league. In the comparison above, Freeman’s final OCB season outperformed Taifi’s by a wide margin. Freeman finished as the top-ranked fullback that season, while Taifi finished 33rd in 2025, though in fairness to Taifi, he often dressed for Orlando City and probably practiced with the first team a lot as well, so he may not have had been able to develop the same chemistry with the OCB team in 2025 that Freeman did in 2024.

While Taifi may not have the same trajectory as Freeman, he still ranked 33rd among fullbacks, and among the 32 who ranked ahead of him 25 were at least one year older, including more than 10 who were at least three years older. Age and performance level are huge in “minor” leagues like MLS NEXT Pro, the NBA G League, and Minor League Baseball, and during the last four years the top 25 players in FotMob Rating each year have an average age of 21.9 with an average rating of 7.58. Taifi is still two years younger than those players, and while 6.84 is a bit shy of 7.58, he would be expected to improve during each of the next two years. If he were to improve by only 3% each year, for example, he would go from 6.84 to 7.26, which would have put him sixth among MLS NEXT Pro fullbacks.

I do not think he will be in MLS NEXT Pro for two more years, or maybe even that frequently this season, and two other players who also are knocking on the door of a permanent move to the senior Lions are midfielder Colin Guske and attacker Justin Ellis. I wrote about Ellis in July of 2025, and while he cooled off a little bit in the second half of the season, he still ended up as the third-ranked attacking midfielder in MLS NEXT Pro, finishing only behind players who are two and six years older than he is (18, turning 19 in May).

His season-ending FotMob rating of 7.43 was the fourth highest of any Young Lion during OCB’s four-season history, and if we applied that same 3% growth for his next three seasons (taking him to 21 years old), he would see his rating go all the way up to 8.12, which would match Jacen Russell-Rowe (then of Columbus Crew 2, now of Toulouse in France) for the highest rating in league history. Ellis also continues to get called up to play with the U.S. Youth National Teams, so while I think in the beginning of 2025 he will be behind quite a few attacking players on Orlando City’s senior roster — and therefore playing frequently with OCB — by the second half of the season he may well force his way into consideration for minutes at the MLS level, especially if he keeps improving like he has recently.

The other 2025 OCB standout who is worthy of your love and attention is Guske, who, like Taifi, often was on the bench during MLS games last season, especially after Joran Gerbet went down with a season ending injury. The young midfielder did not rack up a lot of minutes during the regular season, but in the playoff game he was the one who got the call to come off the bench for the final 15 minutes with Orlando City desperately trying to make a comeback.

Guske just turned 19 at the end of January, yet he already has two seasons as a starter under his belt with OCB and has already played more than 40 games and 3,500 minutes at the MLS NEXT Pro level. The story is similar for the Jacksonville native as it was for Taifi and Ellis — a young player who performed well (a combined 6.90 FotMob rating during his two seasons) at an age that is a few years younger than the average age of a player in MLS NEXT Pro.

Like Ellis, but not Taifi, however, is that Guske plays at a position that is now quite deep at the senior level, as the Lions acquired Braian Ojeda and Luis Otávio in the off-season, and Wilder Cartagena returned from injury as well. Those three, plus Eduard Atuesta, are all likely ahead of Guske on the depth chart at the moment. Gerbet may be able to return from injury later in the season, adding another player into the mix, so even though Guske also has played well enough to get called up to play for U.S. youth teams recently, he is likely going to be blocked from MLS minutes initially.

The jury is out on Otávio, as he has yet to play, but as an MLS U22 Initiative player, he probably will get a serious look at whether he is ready to play and stay mostly with the senior team. Heine Gikling Bruseth also was signed as an MLS U22 Initiative player and he never saw the field, so it is not guaranteed that Otávio is ahead of Guske on the depth chart, but all the other established players likely are, so Guske will probably mostly be with OCB to start this season with increased responsibility to run the team from the central midfield. I think Guske will see some time this year with Orlando City, especially if there are injuries, but this will be a big year for him with OCB and then he will aggressively compete for minutes next season.

That brings me to the last OCB player who deserves your love and attention, and that is Gustavo Caraballo, one of the biggest wild cards on Orlando City’s roster. Caraballo is only 17 years old (he will turn 18 in August), but last season he played in six games for the Lions and scored two goals, while also playing more than 1,000 minutes for OCB (7.04 FotMob rating) and leading Orlando City’s academy team to a win at the U-18 Generation Adidas Cup. He also scored a goal in the MLS NEXT All-Star Game, played for the Venezuela in the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and was called up to camp with the senior Venezuela team in the fall. Sounds just about like what I had accomplished by the time I turned 18.

Caraballo primarily played out on the right last season, but with Marco Pašalić ahead of him, it is unlikely he has a path into the starting lineup on the right wing. Pašalić rarely played full matches last season, however, so there are minutes to be filled behind him. The Venezuelan may be much younger than everyone else on the roster, but he is preternaturally gifted and is clearly one of the most exciting young players to ever play for the Lions.

I am interested to see if he is permanently with Orlando City this season or if they think he still needs time with OCB, but I expect that he will mostly be with the senior Lions. And, if the rumors are true that Pašalić has teams interested in him in Europe, the Croatian may depart after the World Cup, leaving a spot on the right up for grabs. Not every young player with talent can be called (insert club name here)’s Lamine Yamal, but Caraballo fits that bill on many levels.

Last season’s OCB season did go as well as anyone hoped, but that was not due to a lack of talent on the roster. One year later, many of its top players are back and pushing to move up to Orlando City, and even those who start the season with OCB I am sure will be playing with that metaphorical chip on their shoulder to show that they belong on the field at Inter&Co Stadium.

As you celebrate your Valentine’s Day weekend, make sure to give some love to OCB by taking a look at the Young Lions’ schedule and finding a game or two that you can attend or watch from home. When you see the skill level of some of the young players in the Orlando City pipeline you will be glad you made the time, and who knows…you might find a new favorite Va-lion-tine.

Vamos Orlando!

The 2026 MLS NEXT Pro schedule was released today, telling us where, when, and who Orlando City B will play in the team’s fifth year in the league. The addition of Connecticut United FC sees the league expand to 30 teams, with 27 MLS reserve sides and three independent clubs.

The schedule remains at 28 games, with Orlando City B playing 14 at home and 14 away. OCB’s home games will once again take place at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee.

OCB will start the 2026 season with a pair of home games, facing Huntsville City FC on Monday, March 2, and Chicago Fire FC II on Sunday, March 8. The first away game of the season is slated for Saturday, March 14, when the Young Lions face Carolina Core FC in High Point, NC.

The Young Lions will also end the upcoming season with a two-game homestand. They face Toronto FC II on Sunday, Sept. 13, and Atlanta United 2 on Sunday, Sept. 20. All Decision Day games in the Eastern Conference will start at 2 p.m., and the Western Conference game times have yet to be announced.

The Young Lions will compete in the 16-team Eastern Conference as part of the Southeast Division. Connecticut joins the Northeast Division, and Chicago moves to the Southeast Division. As a result, OCB’s division will consist of Atlanta, Carolina Core FC, Chattanooga FC, Chicago, Crown Legacy FC, Huntsville City FC, and Inter Miami II.

Once again, teams will only face those from their own conference, and OCB will play each team in its division three times. The Young Lions will face Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Chicago once at home and twice away. They’ll play Carolina, Crown Legacy, Huntsville, and Miami twice at home and once away.

The longest homestand this year is only two games, scheduled to happen four times, including the opening and closing matches of the season. OCB will spend the majority of July and August on the road with two three-game road trips, separated by an Aug. 19 home game against Huntsville City. 

Unlike MLS and the NWSL, MLS NEXT Pro will play through the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That spreads the games out a little more evenly than the other leagues. The busiest month is August, when OCB will play six games. The Young Lions are scheduled to play four games in March, May, June, and July, while only playing three times each in April and September.

Unsurprisingly, the most common day of the week the Young Lions will play is Sunday (18 times). They’ll play six times on Friday, twice on Wednesday, and once each on Monday and Friday. The most common kickoff time is 7 p.m. The Young Lions will play 20 games at that time, twice each at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and once at 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m.

OCB is scheduled to play six times on the same day as either Orlando City or the Pride. On March 14, the Young Lions travel to Carolina at 3 p.m. while the senior Lions host CF Montreal at 7:30 p.m. They host Miami at 7 p.m. on May 24 — the same time the Pride face San Diego Wave FC in California. On July 18, OCB will face Chattanooga FC at 7 p.m. in Tennessee while the Pride play in Utah at 8:45 p.m. The Young Lions face Connecticut away at 7 p.m. on Aug. 1 while City plays the New York Red Bulls in New Jersey at 7:30 p.m. On Aug. 19, OCB hosts Chattanooga FC at 7 p.m., while Orlando City hosts Chicago at 7:30 p.m. Finally, on Aug. 22, the Young Lions will face Atlanta away at 7 p.m. while City hosts Real Salt Lake at 7:30 p.m.

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Orlando City B’s 2026 Schedule

• Monday, March 2 — vs Huntsville City FC, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, March 8 — vs Chicago Fire FC II, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, March 14 — at Carolina Core FC, 3 p.m.
• Sunday, March 22 — vs Inter Miami CF II, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, April 11 — at Chattanooga FC, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, April 19 — vs Carolina Core FC, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, April 26 — at Chicago Fire FC II, 4 p.m.
• Sunday, May 3 — vs Crown Legacy FC, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, May 10 — at Atlanta United 2, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, May 17 — at New England Revolution II, 2 p.m.
• Sunday, May 24 — vs Inter Miami CF II, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, June 7 — vs Carolina Core FC, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, June 13 — at Huntsville City FC, 8 p.m.
• Sunday, June 21 — vs Philadelphia Union II, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, June 28 — vs Columbus Crew 2, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, July 5 — at Crown Legacy FC, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, July 12 — at FC Cincinnati 2, 6 p.m.
• Saturday, July 18 — at Chattanooga FC, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, July 26 — vs Huntsville City FC, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 1 — at Connecticut United FC, 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 12 — at New York City FC II, 5 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 16 — at Chicago Fire FC II, 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 19 — vs Chattanooga FC, 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Aug. 22 — at Atlanta United 2, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, Aug. 30 — vs Crown Legacy FC, 7 p.m.
• Friday, Sept. 4 — at Inter Miami CF II, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 13 — vs Toronto FC II, 7 p.m.
• Sunday, Sept. 20 — vs Atlanta United 2, 2 p.m.