Orlando City B vs. Philadelphia Union II: Final Score 6-1 as OCB is Blown Out By Union II

Orlando City B (6-12-5, 25 points) was blown out by Philadelphia Union II (10-9-4, 37 points) 6-1 at Subaru Park in the penultimate game of the season. First-half braces by Chris Donovan and Quinn Sullivan put the game out of reach by halftime and Jose Riasco, Paxten Aaronson added second-half goals. OCB did get a consolation goal by Favian Loyola.

OCB Head Coach Martin Perelman made five changes to the team that lost 2-0 to New England Revolution II last weekend. Adam Grinwis, Andrew Forth, Nick Taylor, and Jack Lynn returned to the starting lineup while Jared Romero made his first appearance for the team. Javier Otero and Mikey Halliday weren’t in the team and Brandon Hackenberg, Victor Yan, and Moises Tablante started on the bench.

The Young Lions started with a back line of Ignacio Galvan, Thomas Williams, Andrew Forth, and Tahir Reid-Brown in front of Grinwis. Alejandro Granados, Romero, Alex Freeman, and Nick Taylor were in the midfield with Lynn and Loyola up top.

OCB was eliminated from playoff contention Monday with the loss in New England. From the opening kickoff, the Young Lions played like a team with nothing to play for. There were several giveaways in the back and a complete lack of urgency throughout the game. It was as if the team had given up before the game even started.

As has happened many times this year, OCB started this game on the back foot, with Union II consistently on the attack. In the first three minutes, Aaronson got a pair of shots off, but both were right at Grinwis who made easy saves.

In the seventh minute, it was a mistake by Grinwis that opened the scoring. A long ball by Philadelphia was easily collected by Williams in his own half. The center back played a simple ball back to Grinwis to switch to the other side of the field. However, Donovan pressured the goalkeeper, who was nonchalant with the ball. By the time Grinwis was ready to send the ball up field, Donovan was right in front of him. The clearance bounced off the forward, over the head of Grinwis, and into the goal to give the hosts an early 1-0 lead.

Union II had another opportunity in the 16th minute, albeit from a long distance. A poor clearance attempt by Williams went right to Jesus Bueno, who quickly shot on goal. It appeared to be headed towards the low far corner, but Grinwis did well to get down and make the stop.

A minute later, Aaronson took his third shot of the game. While the first two were right at Grinwis, he tried to bend this one around the goalkeeper and just inside the far post. But he wasn’t able to get around it enough and the ball rolled harmlessly out of play.

Union II doubled their lead in the 22nd minute. It started in the back when Williams miscontrolled the ball, allowing it to go right to Donovan. The forward found himself with the ball and only Grinwis between him and the goal. Dribbling into the box, Donovan slipped it past the goalkeeper for his second of the game.

OCB quickly turned the kickoff back over to Philadelphia and Donovan went the other way. The forward, already on a brace, dribbled down the left. It looked like he was searching for a shot but instead played it across to Sullivan, who was darting in from the right. The midfielder took the shot well, putting it past Grinwis to make it 3-0.

In the 25th minute, Philadelphia scored its third goal in four minutes. Another turnover by OCB off the kickoff saw Union II quickly move the other way. Nathan Harriel carried the ball down the right and played it to Sullivan. The midfielder put it past Grinwis from a difficult angle for his second goal of the game and Philadelphia took a commanding 4-0 lead after just 25 minutes.

OCB got its first chance of the game in the 29th minute through Lynn. The team’s leading scorer dribbled into the box and was able to slip the ball behind Union II goalkeeper Brooks Thompson. The ball rolled slowly towards the Philadelphia goal but Brandon Craig slid in and cleared it away.

Down 4-0 and struggling defensively, the Young Lions made a change in the 33rd minute. Reid-Brown came out of the game and was replaced by Theo Franca as OCB went to three in the back.

Philadelphia almost made it five in the 40th minute with a free kick. Williams fouled Donovan about 25 yards away from goal, allowing Union II captain Craig to take a shot at goal. Craig was aiming for the near post and the ball nearly beat Grinwis but the defender just missed wide.

Already with a commanding lead, Philadelphia continued to search for a fifth before halftime. In the 45th minute, the hosts nearly had a chance when Grinwis was unable to control the ball. The goalkeeper spilled it right in front of him, but there were multiple defenders in the area and it was cleared away.

Shortly after that chance, Philadelphia nearly scored on another free kick. Romero fouled Anthony Sorenson just outside of the box, creating a set piece opportunity for the hosts. Jeremy Rafanello stepped up to take this one and nearly put it inside the near post but it skimmed the outside of the woodwork and went out of play.

The teams shared possession (50%-50%) in the first half but Philadelphia dominated the first 45 minutes. The hosts had more shots (13-1), shots on goal (8-1), corners (4-0), and crosses (7-3). While Philadelphia scored four first-half goals, OCB only had one somewhat dangerous attack in the opening period of play.

OCB made two changes at halftime, looking to find a spark in the second half. Usual starters Tablante and Yan came on for the Young Lions, replacing Williams and Lynn. However, the substitutions didn’t seem to matter, as Philadelphia started the second half as it ended the first half, scoring inside the first 30 seconds.

Another turnover allowed Union II to break towards the OCB goal and create a pair of chances less than a minute into the second half. Donovan carried the ball down the right and sent a pass across the box for Aaronson waiting at the far post. After going to the ground on the ball across the box, Grinwis did well to get up and block Aaronson’s shot. But it went right to Maike Villero who put the ball towards goal. Riasco was the one to get the final touch, putting it in and giving the hosts a 5-0 lead.

In the 55th minute, Villero sent a nice ball into the box for Riasco. The midfielder had OCB captain Forth beat and the center back took him down. Referee Sergii Demianchuk didn’t hesitate to point to the spot, giving Philadelphia a penalty. Grinwis guessed the right way on the penalty, but Aaronson put it under the goalkeeper to give Union II a 6-0 lead.

Villero almost had a goal for himself in the 61st minute off of a free kick. The halftime substitute was aiming for the far post and the ball appeared to be on target, but Grinwis did well to keep it out. Aaronson ended up with the ball and sent it in for Riasco who fired on goal but Grinwis made another nice save to keep the deficit at six.

In the 60th minute, Nelson Pierre came on for Donovan, who constantly caused problems for OCB during the first hour. It didn’t take long for Pierre to get a mention as he nearly scored in the 65th minute. He took a shot from distance that beat Grinwis but bounced off of the inside of the left post. The ball rolled right along the goal line and bounced off the right post, somehow staying out and allowing Grinwis to grab it.

It didn’t make a difference down 6-0, but OCB got one back in the 69th minute. Loyola attempted a long shot from well outside of the box. The shot shouldn’t have troubled Thompson but it took a deflection and sailed over the goalkeeper’s head, making the score 6-1.

As time wound down, the game opened up and the teams were able to find space for odd-numbered attacks. However, there were only two shots in the final 20 minutes of the game. Both of those shots were for Philadelphia and both were well off target.

As you would expect from a 6-1 result, it was a dominant performance by Philadelphia. OCB had more possession (50.9%-49.1%), but Union II had more shots (28-3), shots on target (13-2), corners (6-1), and crosses (12-7).

The 6-1 defeat equals the worst loss in the five-season history of OCB. The Young Lions also lost 6-1 on June 19 against Columbus Crew 2 in Ohio.

OCB is in ninth in the Eastern Conference of MLS NEXT Pro and in fourth in the five-team Central Division. The Young Lions will return home next Sunday to finish the season against Toronto FC II at Osceola County Stadium.