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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Chicago Fire II: Final Score 4-3 as OCB Erase Two-Goal Deficit to Win Seven-Goal Thriller

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4 years ago

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Orlando City B (4-8-3, 17 points) came back from a 3-1 deficit to beat Chicago Fire II (4-8-4, 17 points) in a 4-3 thriller at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL. The hosts took a 3-1 lead early in the second half through a Victor Bezerra hat trick, but a Favian Loyola brace brought the Young Lions back and Neicer Acosta’s 90th-minute goal was the difference in the game. OCB leading scorer Jack Lynn also scored for the Young Lions.

OCB Head Coach Martin Perelman made three changes to the lineup that lost 3-1 to Inter Miami II last weekend. Goalkeeper Javier Otero started the game as Adam Grinwis, who started the previous three OCB games, was with the first team in Atlanta. Ignacio Galvan also re-entered the starting lineup for Nick Taylor, who started on the bench. Moises Tablante, who had started every game until tonight, was suspended for this one due to yellow card accumulation. He was replaced by Wilfredo Rivera, who got his first start since May 29 against FC Cincinnati 2.

The Young Lions got off to the better start, creating a corner kick in the third minute. After a couple of headers kept the ball near Chicago’s 18-yard box, it fell to Victor Yan just outside the penalty area. The midfielder took a shot on goal but it was right at Mihajlo Miskovic, who made the save.

In the sixth minute, Ryan Quintos pulled back Yan and was booked for the professional foul. The free kick was taken by Acosta, who sent the ball in for Lynn, making a run to the near post. The striker got his head to the ball, but sent it just wide.

Five minutes later, Galvan sent a pass from the left to Lynn inside the box. The forward turned, looking for enough space to get a shot off, but was unable to, and Chicago cleared it away.

Chicago didn’t get its first shot of the night until the 15th minute, when Josh Penn fired from just outside of the box. However, the shot was right at Otero, who had no trouble gathering it.

OCB finally broke through in the 19th minute through its leading scorer. Charlie Ostrem fouled Joey DeZart just outside the box, creating a free kick from about 18 yards away. Lynn stepped up and sent a dart into the far corner for the opening goal.

It was Lynn’s 12th goal of the year. In addition to pulling him to within one of the league lead, the goal also saw the striker set a new OCB single-season record, passing Michael Cox, who scored 11 goals during the 2016 USL season.

The hosts got their own chance from a similar spot, just a little bit further out, when Andrew Forth fouled Penn off the kickoff. However, Penn’s free kick was right into the OCB wall.

Chicago had another opportunity in the 22nd minute, when Forth was called for a controversial foul. He went up for a header while Penn didn’t jump. Rather than calling Penn for undercutting Forth, referee Rebecca Pagan called the foul on Forth. The free kick was sent into the box for Ostrem, but he couldn’t turn it on goal and it went out for a goal kick.

The Young Lions lost their veteran presence in the midfield in the 31st minute when DeZart went down. The OCB players surrounded the midfielder as he received attention. Eventually, he limped off the field and was replaced by Alejandro Granados.

Just after the sub, Chicago found the equalizer. Quintos sent a great ball to the far side of the box for Ostrem. It looked like the pass might’ve been too far, but Ostrem caught up to it and sent it back in front of goal. Bezerra was left alone and got on the end of the pass, putting it past Otero to make it 1-1. 

Chicago continued to attack following the goal and had a chance to take the lead in the 37th minute. Penn did well to sidestep two OCB defenders and create enough space for a shot. But Otero did well to get down and make the stop, keeping the score at 1-1.

Just two minutes later, Chicago took the lead in a bizarre and controversial situation. After making a stop, Otero punted the ball down field. However, assistant referee Eric Wood raised his flag and told Pagan that Otero held onto the ball for more than six seconds. It’s a violation rarely called, despite nearly every goalkeeper holding onto the ball for that long multiple times per game.

As a result, Chicago had an indirect free kick just inside the box. Penn tapped the ball to Bezerra, allowing the latter to shoot. The low, strong shot went past Otero and into the far corner, giving Chicago the 2-1 lead and Bezerra his second goal of the night.

At the half, Chicago had more possession (55.1%-44.9%) and crosses (10-6). While OCB had one more shot in the first 45 minutes (10-9), Chicago put more shots on goal (4-3) and took a 2-1 lead into the break.

It didn’t take long for Chicago to extend its lead. Just four minutes after the start of the second half, Bezerra finished off his hat trick. Sergio Oregel sent a ball into the box where Bezerra was surrounded by defenders. Bezerra brought the ball down with his thigh, turned Thomas Williams with his second touch, and put it into the far corner to give his team a 3-1 lead.

In the 51st minute, OCB nearly got one back through Yan. The midfielder carried the ball to the top of the box and took aim on goal. The ball was headed for the bottom right corner, but Miskovic did well to get down and make the save.

In the 59th minute, Perelman made a substitution that changed the game, replacing Rivera with Loyola. The 17-year-old midfielder put a charge into the Young Lions to start their comeback.

Chicago continued its attack after the substitution, when a Matteo Kidd backheel set up Oregel, but the shot was off target. A minute later, Chicago had a breakaway in which Diego Alvarado found Penn in the box. Penn took the ball around Otero and shot but hit the outside of the post.

In the 63rd minute, Otero stepped up to keep his team in the game. Alvarado found enough space to take a shot, but Otero blocked it away. Unfortunately, he blocked it right in front of goal and Alvarado was there to take another shot. Otero did well to get back to his feet and made another save, but this time he caught it.

Those two saves proved crucial as OCB found a goal seven minutes later. A nice one-two by Yan and Lynn set up Yan with space in front of goal. But Miskovic came out and blocked the shot. The rebound went right to Loyola, who put it in to cut the deficit to one.

It was the first goal for the 17-year-old in his third professional game out of the Orlando City academy.

Chicago went on the attack following the goal, looking to regain its two-goal advantage. Taylor, who had come on for Williams in the 50th minute, fouled Andre Reynolds, resulting in a free kick. Missael Rodriguez, who had come on for Bezerra right after the goal, shot from the set piece but Otero was there to make the stop.

A minute later, Penn found space to the left of the goal. After being played in by Kidd, Penn shot, but Otero was there again to make the save.

Granados nearly scored the equalizer in the 77th minute when he sent a shot towards the far side of the goal. It appeared to be on target, but Miskovic did well to dive and get his fingertips to the ball, curling it around the post.

Most of OCB’s corner kicks are short and that nearly cost the team in the 80th minute. The short corner was won by Chicago and the hosts went the other way on a counter attack. Just after entering the OCB half of the field, an excellent defensive effort knocked the ball out of play. It was brought back as Erick Gunera was booked for tugging on the jersey, but the slide saved a potential breakaway.

In the 83rd minute, the Young Lions found the equalizer. Loyola took a shot from outside the box that was saved by Miskovic. But OCB won the clearance and went back into the Chicago third. Lynn, who set up Loyola’s previous chance, sent the teenager forward. Loyola took the ball to the top of the box and cut inside to lose his defender. He quickly shot with his left foot, beating Miskovic this time and evening that game at 3-3.

Despite coming back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game, the Young Lions were energized to find a winner. They nearly did in the 86th minute when Granados took a shot from the left side of the box. It was headed into the corner, but Miskovic laid out to make the stop.

Chicago went the other way and Penn found substitute Miguel Flores in the box. Flores took a shot but Forth was able to get in front of him and make a big block.

The hosts thought they might’ve had the lead in the 89th minute, when a cross into the box was dropped by Otero, who reached over three attackers. However, a foul was called on Rodriguez and OCB was able to clear the danger.

The Young Lions quickly broke the other way, creating a three-on-three situation. Acosta found Loyola to his right with nobody between him and the goalkeeper. The shot was right at Miskovic, who used his leg to block the ball away. However, it went right to Acosta, whose second touch was a chip over Miskovic and into the goal, giving OCB a late 4-3 lead.

It was a remarkable comeback by OCB but there were still seven minutes of injury time to be played — plenty of time for Chicago to find another equalizer. Two minutes into added time, Kidd’s cross found the head of Quintos in front of goal but it was right at Otero.

Two minutes later, Penn sent a cross into the box that wasn’t controlled. However, it fell to the foot of Flores, who sent the shot over the crossbar.

Six minutes into added time, it looked like Chicago had a breakaway in the box, but Gunera made a last-ditch slide and got enough of the ball to knock it away. The Chicago players appealed for a penalty, but Pagan said no.

In the eighth minute of injury time, A cross to the back post was headed back in front of goal, but Otero was right there to catch it. That was the last touch of the game as Pagan’s whistle blew and the Young Lions came away with the 4-3 win.

In the end, Chicago had more possession (53-7%-46.3%), shots (25-21), and crosses (23-10). But the teams had the same number of shots on goal (12-12) and corners (6-6). Most importantly, Otero was able to make nine saves while Miskovic only made eight.

The win ends a two-game losing streak that dates back to OCB’s 3-1 win over FC Cincinnati 2 on June 25 in Northern Kentucky. It’s only the fourth win for the Young Lions this year and their second away from Osceola County Stadium.

OCB will look to build on this comeback performance next Sunday night when they return home to face Philadelphia Union 2 at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Carolina Core FC: Final Score 2-2 (6-5) as Young Lions Squander Two-Goal Lead

OCB coughed up a two-goal, second-half lead to draw Carolina Core but earned a second point in the penalty shootout.

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2 days ago

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April 19, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Justin Glatt

Orlando City B (2-2-2, 10 points) returned home tonight, drawing 2-2 with Carolina Core FC (0-3-3, 3 points) at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. Gustavo Caraballo converted from the spot and Pedro Leao scored an excellent goal to give the Young Lions a 2-0 lead at the break. But a beautiful shot by David Diaz and a mistake by Tristan Himes that allowed Nolan Evers to score saw the game end in a 2-2 draw.

While the Young Lions should have earned all three points, they won the penalty shootout 6-5 to claim two points from the contest.

OCB Head Coach Eddie Wilding made two changes from the team that lost 3-1 to Chattanooga FC on April 11. Titus Sandy, Jr. and Leao entered the starting lineup for Jaylen Yearwood and Harvey Sarajian.

The back line in front of Himes in goal was Bernardo Rhein, Sandy, Landon Okonski, and Parker Amoo-Mensah. Issah Haruna and Dylan Judelson were in the defensive midfield behind Matthew Balgodere, Dominik Baczewski, and Caraballo, with Leao up top.

OCB was the better team in the first half and nearly had a three-goal lead at the break if not for a quality save by Carolina goalkeeper Nick Holliday. But a poor three-minute period in the second half allowed the visitors to score twice, evening the game. The Young Lions were unable to convert on a late breakaway without getting a shot off, and the game ended in a draw.

The first attack came in the third minute when Thomas Raimbault sent a dangerous cross into the OCB box that found Arnaud Tattevin’s head. The header popped into the air with an attacker charging in, but Himes did well to come out and claim it. A minute later, Jesus Ibarra and Tattevin combined to send Jair Caiza behind Okonski on the left. The left back had space for a shot, but hit the outside of the net.

OCB had its first chance in the sixth minute when Caraballo made a good move to get behind Caiza and into the Carolina box. Caiza slid in with a desperate attempt to win the ball, making contact with Caraballo, who went down. Referee Abou Diaye pointed to the spot, awarding the Young Lions a penalty.

Caraballo stepped up to take the spot kick himself. As Holliday dove to his left, Caraballo sent the ball the opposite direction to give OCB the early 1-0 lead.

In the 13th minute, Caiza sent a cross towards the OCB box that Caraballo deflected out for a corner kick. The first attempt was cleared out of play by Amoo-Mensah, giving Carolina a second chance. This one was headed towards the penalty spot, where Tattevin attempted a volley that went wide of the far post.

The Young Lions took their second shot in the 24th minute when Sandy played the ball squarely to Rhein about 30 yards from the goal. Rather than sending a cross into the box, Rhein fired from long distance, sending his attempt well high and wide of the target.

In the 32nd minute, Caraballo lifted a ball into the box that the defense headed away. It looked like the attack was over, but Judelson slid in with an excellent tackle on Ibarra to win it back. Sandy quickly played it to Amoo-Mensah, who tapped it forward for Baczewski. The midfielder’s pass was through Ricardo Montenegro for Leao, who spun to beat Santiago Yepes before sending his shot past Holliday, giving the Young Lions a 2-0 lead.

The visitors almost got one back in the 39th minute when Tattevin played Raimbault behind the OCB back line. The attacker was free on goal, but Himes did well to come off his line and block the attempt. The ball bounced out off Tattevin for a goal kick, ending the threat.

OCB nearly had a third in the 43rd minute when Belgodere reached the end line and sent a great cross to the top of the six-yard box where Leao was making a run. The striker got his header on target, but he hit the shot too central, where Holliday still had to make a good reaction save — which he did — to keep it 2-0.

The ensuing corner kick found Baczewski’s head as the midfielder made a near post run, but his attempt was wide.

Carolina led most of the statistical categories in the first half, including corner kicks (3-1), crosses (4-2), and passing accuracy (87.2%-86.2%). However, while both teams attempted six shots, OCB put more on target (3-2) and converted on two of those chances to take a 2-0 halftime lead.

The Young Lions created the first chance of the second half in the 56th minute when Caraballo played the ball through Sandy to Belgodere on the left side. Holliday blocked the midfielder’s shot to the near post. It fell right to Judelson just outside the six-yard box, but Evers blocked the defensive midfielder’s attempt, allowing Holliday to collect it.

Holliday tried to halt his throw out of the back, sending it towards the end line instead. Caiza ran it down and cleared the ball, but OCB retained possession. Leao received it near the top of the Carolina box and fired from 25 yards out, but it was right to Holliday.

In the 66th minute, Caiza dribbled into the box and shot, but Okonski blocked it. Carolina kept possession, resulting in a cross that found Tattevin’s head. However, the header attempt went wide of the right post.

Diaz made a run forward in the 70th minute, weaving through multiple defenders. He briefly lost possession before getting it right back and was able to get a shot off, but Himes did well to come out and block the attempt.

The Young Lions made their first two changes in the 71st minute, replacing Judelson and Leao with Caleb Trombino and Brady Kendall.

Carolina continued on the attack and it paid off as the visitors scored two quick goals. The first came in the 72nd minute from a seemingly innocuous throw-in. Diaz received a short pass before dribbling past Trombino and sending a curling shot beyond the reach of Himes and inside the far post to cut OCB’s lead in half.

In the 75th minute, Raimbault sent a free kick into the box that Himes tipped out of play. The goalkeeper looked to have secured the ensuing corner kick, but he spilled it in his own six-yard box. Evers quickly knocked it in to even the game at 2-2.

Wilding made two more changes in the 80th minute, replacing Amoo-Mensah and Caraballo with Yearwood and Nicolas Bobea Torres.

Belgodere tried to find a winner in the 87th minute when he lost his defender on the left and fired towards the near post. But Holliday had it covered and made the easy save.

OCB’s final change came in the 88th minute when Toryn Penders made his professional debut, replacing Baczewski.

Himes’ long throw out of the back in the first minute of second-half stoppage time nearly resulted in the winning goal. It was too far ahead of Rhein, but he sped past Nelson Martinez to win the ball. The left back was in on goal and had space to shoot on either side of Holliday, but the defender crossed it into traffic to his right instead. That allowed the retreating defenders to clear the ball, ending a golden opportunity for a late winner without so much as a shot.

The clearance stayed in the Carolina third and was controlled by Trombino. The second-half substitute found Bobea Torres near the top of the box, but his shot was blocked.

The Young Lions kept possession and worked the ball to the right, where Penders took possession. The young attacker dribbled into the box and fired for the near post, hitting the outside of the net.

That was the final chance for either team as the game ended in a 2-2 draw. At full time, OCB had more shots (15-12), with both teams putting six on target. OCB also had better passing accuracy (86.1%-84.8%) while Carolina ended the game with more crosses (9-3) and corner kicks (6-3).

Per MLS NEXT Pro rules, each team earned a point and the game went to penalties to see which side would get a second.

The shootout featured some excellent penalties, as the first five shooters for each team converted, sending the shootout into extras. OCB’s first five shooters were all second-half substitutes, with Penders, Yearwood, Trombino, Kendall, and Bobea Torres scoring, only to see Carolina Core level each time through Tim Zeegers, Yepes, Caiza, Anthony Sumo Jr., and Mohamed Diakite.

After OCB’s sixth shooter, Sandy, put the ball under Holliday’s arm to make it 6-5, Dyllan John hit the right post. As a result, the Young Lions took two points from the game.

A win would have seen OCB jump into a tie with Atlanta United 2 for fourth in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Young Lions sit in eighth, tied for sixth in points with Chattanooga and New England Revolution II. OCB has a game in hand on four of the teams ahead in the conference standings.

The Young Lions will look to regroup and get Wilding his first victory as they head out on the road, facing Chicago Fire FC II a week from today.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B Off to Strong Start to 2026 Season

The Young Lions are getting results early in the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro campaign.

Published

4 weeks ago

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March 26, 2026

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Image of the OCB squad before the team's game March 8, 2026 vs. Chicago Fire II.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Justin Glatt

I think it is important that I open with an apology, because a week ago I wrote about how Orlando City needed to improve its league-worst defense, and then the Lions went to Nashville and somehow were unable to improve upon a 3.00 goals-against average. After the 5-0 shellacking in Tennessee Orlando City’s goals-against average now sits at 3.40, with 17 goals allowed through five games. That is somehow not the worst five-game run during any individual season in club history, as the 2018 Lions matched the year by allowing 18 goals during a five-game stretch during their nine-game losing streak (those were fun times), but allowing 17 goals in a five-game stretch is the kind of start to a season that makes a (drinking-age) fan want to pour themselves a stiff drink.

Or the whole bottle.

Speaking of drinking, if you have not been watching Orlando City B this year, you have been missing out on some epic “drunk OCB” matches, including the most recent game on Sunday (a 4-4 Junior Tropic Thunder match against Inter Miami II) about which our The Mane Land PawedCast host Michael Citro said that “there has never been a drunker OCB game than this (one).” Drunk games, in this context, just means matches where crazy things happen with no rhyme or reason, and you never know what is going to happen next.

The Young Lions are off to a start full of both drunk games and positive results, as unlike the senior team, they have earned more points than games played and have an offense that looks like it is among the best in the league.

Metric*MLS NEXT Pro Avg.OCBMLS NEXT Pro Rank
Points Earned1.52.0T-6
Shots13.519.81
Shots on Target5.28.81
Big Chances Created2.44.51
Goals1.72.55

*All metrics are on a per-game basis

Part of the reason these games might be so “drunk” is that OCB is both scoring and allowing 2.5 goals per game, so the Young Lions and their opponents are taking shots all game long, creating the possibilities for wild comebacks and last-gasp goals. The main reason though is that OCB’s offense is stacked, with five top quality players to fill the attacking spots at the top of its standard 4-2-3-1 lineup.

OCB has generally gone with Gustavo Caraballo, Harvey Sarajian, and Yutaro Tsukada out on the wings, Justin Ellis as the center attacking midfielder and Pedro Leão as striker, though Leão did not play in one game and Logan Tsopanoglou got the start in his absence. Tsukada has been above average when he played, but the standouts have been Caraballo, Ellis, Leão, and Sarajian.

MetricCaraballoEllisLeão Sarajian
Current Age17181921
Goal Contributions (G+A)4525
Key Passes812511
FotMob Rating (out of 10)7.648.017.448.33
Goal Contributions Rank85285
Key Passes Rank142513
FotMob Rating Rank3914714

The counting numbers in the table are a little misleading for Leão, as he has played one fewer game than the others, and Caraballo, who despite appearing in all four OCB games, has played fewer minutes than the other three. However, even with fewer minutes played, both Caraballo and Leão are already contributing to OCB’s excellent offense, especially Caraballo, whose goal contributions per 90 minutes ranks fifth, while Ellis and Sarajian rank 15th and 16th, respectively.

The current age of each player is also noted in the table above, and Caraballo, Ellis, and Leão are all younger than 20.9, which is the average age of the top 25 players in MLS NEXT Pro FotMob ratings through four games. According to transfermarkt.com, OCB has used the fifth-youngest set of players through the first four games, and with young players always come ups and downs and the propensity for games to bounce around all over the place like a ball on a roulette wheel, like in the comebacks from multiple goals down against Carolina Core and Inter Miami II.

Those backs and forths are what our The Mane Land team refers to as the “drunk OCB” games, and when you combine the crazy types of games with players of precocious skill and potential, the games are definitely worth watching. The senior Lions are inevitably going to start playing better, but for now the best men’s team to watch in Orlando is OCB. Just like Orlando City, OCB is off this weekend, but several current and former Young Lions will be with their youth national teams during the international break — another sign of the solid pipeline of talent that is ready to flow into the first team.

Tahir Reid-Brown and Colin Guske have already played more than 140 minutes for Orlando City this season, and Zakaria Taifi (64), Tsukada (18), and Leão (6) also have all seen the field. The senior team’s bench is generally made up of at least three or four players who primarily play with OCB, and even with the acquisition of Antoine Griezmann crowding the list of attacking players, Caraballo and Ellis will likely play some minutes with the first team this season.

Go ahead and (Makers) mark your calendars for OCB’s next game on April 11 and prepare to settle in for a happy hour and a half of soccer that may not be of the same top shelf quality as an MLS game but never fails to entertain.

Vamos Orlando…City B!

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 4-4 (4-2) as OCB Completes Improbable Comeback

OCB came back from a three-goal deficit to draw Inter Miami II at Inter&Co Stadium, then took the extra point in the shootout.

Published

1 month ago

on

March 22, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Justin Glatt

Orlando City B (2-1-1, 8 points) played to an enthralling draw tonight against Inter Miami II (0-2-2, 2 points) at Inter&Co Stadium. The visitors took a commanding 2-0 lead inside five minutes and had a 4-1 lead shortly after halftime. But OCB came storming back to even the game 4-4 in stoppage time. The Young Lions then won the penalty shootout to claim the extra point.

OCB interim coach Julian Vergara made four changes from the team that defeated Carolina Core 3-2 on March 14. Tristan Himes, Tahir Reid-Brown, Yutaro Tsukada, and Pedro Leao returned from the first team, replacing Juan Rojas, Nicholas Lasheras, Gustavo Caraballo, and Logan Tsopanoglou.

The back line in front of Himes in goal was Bernardo Rhein, Reid-Brown, Titus Sandy, Jr., and Jaylen Yearwood. Dylan Judelson and Dominik Baczewski were in the defensive midfield behind Tsukada, Justin Ellis, and Harvey Sarajian with Leao up top.

This was a game of missed opportunities for OCB. Both teams had several bad giveaways, but Miami was able to turn those into goals. Meanwhile, OCB struggled to find the back of the net. The Young Lions put themselves in a three-goal hole before they came storming back to tie it up, but they’ll wonder what could’ve been if they’d converted some of the golden opportunities in the both halves, including three shots with the goalkeeper out of the net that didn’t go in.

The visitors struck early when a heavy touch by Yearwood on a Miami throw-in allowed Naej Desravins to reach it first. The midfielder played it wide for Preston Plambeck, who guided the ball around Himes and inside the far post to give Miami an early 1-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for the team in pink to double its advantage and it came from an OCB attack. In the fifth minute, Sarajian outran the Miami defense to reach a long Judelson pass. After a brief hesitation, his shot was too close to Max Ponikarovsky, who made the save with his left hand.

Miami immediately broke the other way with Plambeck sending a long ball forward for Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida. Reid-Brown got in front of the attacker, but Zeltzer-Zubida created enough space for a shot. The midfielder sent a curling ball over Himes and inside the far post to make 2-0 just five minutes into the game.

The Young Lions finally got their second shot of the game in the 16th minute when Tsukada made a run down the left and sent a cross to the near post for Leao. The Brazilian beat his defender to it and flicked the ball on target, but Ponikarovsky was there to catch it.

On the other end, the Herons felt they should’ve had a penalty when Theo Vorenkamp found Diego Rey in the OCB box. Himes came out to collect but missed the ball. Rey went down with contact and threw his arms up, appealing for a penalty. However, referee Aleja Calume decided it wasn’t enough to point to the spot.

The Young Lions nearly took advantage of a Miami mistake in the 23rd minute when Leao intercepted a poor pass from Desravins to Samuel Basabe. The striker used his body to shield Basabe and get into the box, but Ponikarovsky came off his line to take the ball off of Leao’s foot, ensuring he couldn’t get a shot off.

In the 34th minute, Tsukada had the ball taken off him but the heavy touch went right to Rhein. The left back quickly played it to Leao at the top of the box and, after controlling it, the forward put a shot on target. Unfortunately, it was a weak attempt that caused no trouble for Ponikarovsky.

As Miami attempted to play the ball out of the back, OCB took possession of a poor pass. Ellis played the ball wide left for Tsukada, who found Leao making a run into the box. The Brazilian tried to guide the ball inside the far post but put it wide.

A minute later, Miami again failed to play the ball out of the back, giving it away to Judelson. The midfielder quickly sent it forward for Ellis, who found Leao entering the box. The Brazilian’s first touch was past Ponikarovsky, cutting the deficit in half.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. In the 38th minute, Sandy played an inaccurate long ball by Miami back to Himes. The goalkeeper sent a short pass to Reid-Brown on his left, but the defender misplayed it, allowing Alejandro Flores to take possession. He played the ball across the box where Rey flicked it on for Plambeck. The forward put it in to make it 3-1.

In the 42nd minute, Rhein received a long switch on the left. He sent a beautiful ball to the top of the six that fell to Leao, who was looking for a brace. The Brazilian redirected it on target but sent it right to Ponikarovsky. Two minutes later, Rhein had a similar chance for himself. Ellis backheeled the ball to Sarajian on the left and the midfielder sent a cross to the penalty spot, where Rhein was making a run. The young defender’s first touch was a shot that went right into Ponikarovsky’s arms.

In the 44th minute, Judelson sent a long ball left for Sarajian. Ponikarovsky came off his line to clear the ball, but his defender got to it first. Trying to play it out for a throw-in, he knocked the ball off Sarajian. The ball went to Leao with the goalkeeper getting there first. But he couldn’t control it and Ellis took possession. With the goalkeeper out of the play, Ellis shot. Unfortunately, Tyler Hall got in front of the goal to block it. Ellis then beat his defender for another chance, but he again sent it right at Hall, who kept it out of the net.

OCB created more chances than Miami in the first 45 minutes, ending the half with more shots (9-6), shots on target (7-3), and corner kicks (3-1). But Miami had better passing accuracy (82.2%-74.9%). The difference between the teams was that Miami made the Young Lions pay for their mistakes in the back and OCB struggled to do so.

Miami was forced into an unusual substitution at halftime. Ponikarovsky was taken off in a concussion change, replaced in goal by Alex Padilla.

OCB started the second half the way it ended the first half, giving the ball away in its own end. A weak pass by Reid-Brown was taken by Rey, who fired on target. Himes was there to make the stop.

In the 49th minute, Miami scored a fourth when Zeltzer-Zubida took possession of the ball near midfield. The attacker made a long run down the right, getting behind the OCB back line and playing the ball past Himes to make it 4-1.

Judelson took a strong shot in the 53rd minute that forced Padilla to tip it over the crossbar. The ensuing corner was headed out, but Sarajian was there to take possession. The midfielder made a nice move to the end line and played a good ball in front of goal, where Ellis was behind the back line to tap it in and make it a 4-2 game.

Tsukada tried to get another one back in the 53rd minute when he dribbled across the top of the Miami box and fired an off-balance shot after some contact. It wasn’t clear if the attempt was on target, but Padilla dove to collect it anyway. That was Tsukada’s final touch as Vergara made his first two changes in the 57th minute, replacing Tsukada and Yearwood with Parker Amoo-Mensah and Caraballo.

Play restarted with a free kick for OCB that Caraballo played short to Ellis. After taking a couple of touches forward, Ellis fired a shot that was caught by Padilla.

In the 60th minute, Caraballo put a strong shot towards goal that Padilla palmed away. A poor clearance allowed OCB to keep possession in the Miami half, which ended up with Sarajian on the left. He played it to Rhein, who made an overlapping run before sending Ellis into the six-yard box. There was a collision before the ball went wide and a foul was called on Ellis.

OCB got back into the game in the 68th minute with some quick passing at the top of the Miami box. Rhein, Leao, and Ellis combined to get the ball to Carabllo who did well to finish past Padilla, cutting the deficit to 4-3.

In the 79th minute, OCB failed to clear the ball, enabling Miami to take possession in the box. It ended up with Alejo Ristano, who looked like he would give Miami another two-goal lead, but Himes did well to come off his line and block the attempt.

On the other end, Caraballo was fouled by Mario Stoka, giving OCB a free kick in the opposing third. The teenager went for goal on his own, sending his shot just wide of the near post.

The Young Lions won the ball back on the goal kick, allowing Rhein to send Sarajian behind the Miami back line. He dribbled around Padilla and fired on the empty net, but his shot hit the near post.

In the 84th minute, Rey was sent through and it looked like he would have a free shot on goal. However, Sandy got in front of the shot to deflect it wide. OCB cleared the ensuing corner kick, keeping the deficit at one.

The game turned even more in the 87th minute when Padilla went off injured. Having already replaced their starting goalkeeper at halftime, the Herons put the gloves on defender Ristano. Additionally, since they had already used all three substitutions windows, the visitors would end the game with 10 men.

Vergara used his second window and third substitution in the 90th minute as OCB searched for an equalizer. Caleb Trombino, who scored the late equalizer against Carolina, replaced Judelson.

Giving the Young Lions even more motivation, the fourth official showed 13 minutes of stoppage time.

In the first minute, Ellis dribbled across the top of the Miami box before firing on goal. However, a defender got in front before it reached Ristano, deflecting it wide.

The ensuing corner went to the far side of the box where Rhein took possession. The left back fired at the near post, but Ristano blocked it wide for his first save.

Caraballo took the second corner kick and it was one to remember. The midfielder curled his set piece delivery over the outstretched arms of Ristano and inside the far post for an Olimpico, completing the comeback and tying the game at 4-4.

Playing against 10 men and an outfield player in goal, OCB continued to push for a late winner. The Young Lions thought they might have taken the lead in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Rhein sent Belgodere down the left. Caraballo was wide open to tap the ball in, but Belgodere was judged to be offside on the initial ball forward.

Ristano was forced into his second save in the seventh minute when Rhein found Ellis in the box. The attacker sent the ball wide for Belgodere, who gave it right back. Ellis spun and fired, but Ristano blocked it wide with his leg, keeping the game tied. Caraballo took the ensuing corner kick and attempted another Olimpico, but this one hit the outside netting behind the near post.

Despite being down a man, Miami had a chance for a winner in the 10th minute of stoppage time when Zeltzer-Zubida sent a long pass to Plambeck on the left side. Creating space for a shot and looking for a hat trick, Plambeck fired for the near post, forcing Himes to block it away.

A minute later, OCB had a chance when Ellis dipped his shoulder to turn on his defender before sending Sarajian into the Miami box. As the defense closed in on him, the attacker found Belgodere open to his left. The teenager’s first touch was a shot, but Rondell White got in front just in time to block the attempt.

Vergara made his final substitution in the 12th minute of stoppage time, replacing Sandy with Lasheras.

Shortly after, the final whistle blew. At full time, OCB had more shots (27-14), shots on target (17-7), and corner kicks (9-7). Miami had slightly better passing accuracy (79%-78.7%) and both teams recorded seven crosses.

Per MLS NEXT Pro rules, each team earned a point and the game went to penalties to see who would get a second.

Rey and Caraballo began the penalties with excellent finishes. After Basabe sent Himes the wrong way, Ristano nearly saved Ellis’ attempt. He got in front of the shot, but the ball slipped under him and in.

That was what OCB needed, because Himes saved Zeltzer-Zubida’s panenka and, after Sarajian made it 3-2, Joseph Convers sent his attempt over the crossbar.

Amoo-Mensah stepped up and placed his penalty well to secure the second point for the Young Lions.

This game can be considered a point lost or two points gained. OCB created more chances than Miami and could’ve come away with all three points had it converted one more. However, being down 4-1 early in the second half, the Young Lions came all the way back to pull out the draw.

In the end, while both teams will probably feel as though they should’ve come away with all three points, they’ll both be pleased to get something from the contest.

The two points moves OCB into sixth in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference with eight points from four games. They’re tied on points with New York Red Bulls II for third, two points behind New England Revolution II for second, and four points behind the league-leading Crown Legacy FC.

The Young Lions now have an extended break as they return to the field on April 11 against Chattanooga FC in Tennessee.

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