Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 2-0 as Miami Hands OCB Its First Loss of the Season

Published

3 years ago

April 10, 2022

Orlando City B (1-1-1, 5 points) traveled south for its first road game of the season against Inter Miami II (2-0-1, 7 points). One goal in each half by Miami saw OCB fall for the first time this season, with the hosts winning 2-0. Emerson Rodriguez and Shanyder Borgelin scored the goals.

Martin Perelman only made one change from the starting lineup that drew 2-2 with NYCFC II last weekend. The only change to the team was the addition of the highly touted center back Quembol Guadalupe. The teenager replaced David Boccuzzo, who started the first two games of the season.

The lineup once again featured five first-team players in Alex Freeman, Thomas Williams, Joey DeZart, Wilfredo Rivera, and Jack Lynn. Williams, DeZart, and Lynn were all on the bench for Orlando City’s 1-0 win over the Chicago Fire Saturday afternoon but didn’t get into the game for the senior side. All three made it to Fort Lauderdale and were in Perelman’s starting lineup.

Today’s XI 😈 #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/jYUBnQ87ik

— Orlando City B (@OrlandoCityB) April 10, 2022

Inter Miami II was the better team early and late in the game, while OCB dominated the middle portion of the contest. In the end, it was a lack of finishing the doomed the Young Lions, as Miami was more clinical in front of goal.

Miami got the first chance of the game in the sixth minute. OCB defender Brandon Hackenberg did well defensively to win a throw-in on the left. However, the ensuing throw was to Diego Pareja and the midfielder’s bad touch ended up with Edison Azcona. It seemed as though Azcona would give the hosts the early lead, but his shot was right at Javier Otero.

OCB gave Miami another chance with some poor possession in the 12th minute. A Williams foul gave Miami a free kick, from which the Young Lions gained control. However, they quickly gave it away again at the top of their own box. Fortunately, the hosts weren’t able to do anything with it.

Miami finally converted on a chance in the 17th minute. A poor pass by Nick Taylor gave Miami the ball near midfield. Romeo Beckham ended up with the ball, playing it to Bryce Duke in the middle of the field. The newly signed player from LAFC darted up an empty midfield, eventually finding Rodriguez open on the left. Poor tracking by Freeman allowed the attacker to get behind the OCB defense and play the ball past Otero and inside the far post for the opening goal.

Romeo Beckham ➡️ Bryce Duke ➡️ Emerson Rodríguez.

1-0 @Intermiamicfii. pic.twitter.com/C8J4uWxeoe

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) April 10, 2022

The Young Lions had few opportunities in the opening minutes but got more into the game around the 26th minute. That’s when Rivera got OCB its second shot of the game and its first shot on target. Unfortunately, the shot was right at CJ dos Santos, who made the easy save.

In the 31st minute, the visitors got another chance through Erick Gunera. The defender came on for Hackenberg in a surprise substitution in the 19th minute and took his first chance on goal from distance. It initially appeared to be heading wide but curved toward goal and forced dos Santos to block it away.

OCB came close to an equalizer again in the 39th minute when Taylor’s low cross was searching for Lynn near goal. However, the cross was blocked by Ethan Hardin and Miami was able to clear.

After OCB had taken control of the game, Miami finally got a decent chance in the 44th minute. Quick play between forwards Rodriguez and Borgelin nearly resulted in the former doubling the lead. However, he wasn’t able to reach the return pass as it went out of play for a goal kick.

Late in the first half, the rivalry started to show as things got a bit feisty. It started when Williams knocked Beckham to the ground with his shoulder after Beckham appeared to have gone over the end line. It continued three minutes into injury time when Freeman was successful in a fair challenge from behind on Rodriguez.

The first-half goal scorer wasn’t happy with the challenge and immediately took down Freeman, receiving a yellow card. The second foul resulted in pushing and shoving as Rivera and Moises Tablante came to their teammate’s defense. Eventually things settled down and the game reached halftime.

Despite trailing 1-0, OCB actually had the better of the first half. The Young Lions led in possession (53.6%-46.4%), shots (5-2), passes (192-170), passing accuracy (80.2%-72.3%), corners (3-1), and successful crosses (4-1). The main reason for the score was that Miami put both shots on target and OCB only put two of their five first half chances on frame.

Similar to the first half, Miami got out to a quick second half start. Less than a minute in, Borgelin took a shot on target from outside the box. However, Otero was there to make the stop.

In the 52nd minute, OCB got its first good chance of the second half when Rivera’s cross found the head of Williams. The Homegrown center back attempted to flick the ball towards the far post but it went harmlessly out of play.

Miami responded by doubling the lead in the 55th minute. It started when Borgelin attempted a shot inside the box but Williams did well to close him down and block it out for a corner. The ensuing Beckham ball was to the back post, where Borgelin had beaten Freeman. The 20-year-old Haitian international got his head to the cross, putting it past Otero and Miami went up 2-0.

Borgelin with the header and it's 2-0 @Intermiamicfii. pic.twitter.com/VsNZqeWGCa

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) April 10, 2022

Now down a pair, the Young Lions tried to respond quickly to get back into the game. In the 57th minute, a Rivera free kick found the foot of Freeman sprinting towards goal. The center back got his foot to the ball but it was blocked wide.

Miami was unable to clear the ensuing corner kick as the ball bounced around the box. Williams got in position to put his head to the ball, but dos Santos came charging out, punching the ball and Williams in the process. Despite Williams having been in position well before dos Santos arrived, the referee immediately called the center back for the foul, finally allowing Miami to clear.

After scoring a brace in the team’s first game and assisting a goal in the second, it appeared as though Lynn would be OCB’s best chance to get on the board. In the 61st minute, a Miami turnover gave Lynn an opportunity on goal but his shot was just off target.

Four minutes later, Pareja found Lynn’s head in the box. The striker put his header towards the bottom corner but dos Santos was able to get down and make a quality save to maintain the two-goal advantage.

Miami nearly put the game away with a three-goal lead in the 68th minute. First, second-half substitute Dairon Reyes had a shot at point-blank range but Otero made a fantastic save. The rebound went to Braxton Taghvai-Najib, who had his own chance, but Otero made another incredible save, keeping the game at 2-0.

As time wound down, it looked more likely that Miami would score a third than OCB would get its first. In the 71st minute, Beckham found Taghvai-Najib but his header was high. Two minutes later, Reyes took a shot from distance, but he too was off target. In the 84th minute, Borgelin shielded the ball from two defenders and appeared to be pulled down in the box. But the referee waved play on and OCB was able to clear.

Just as it seemed there was no way back, OCB had two excellent chances in the 86th minute. In a scene similar to Otero’s double save earlier in the half, dos Santos came up with two huge stops.

First, Brian Lopez took a shot from the top of the six, which dos Santos was able to knock away. The rebound went to fellow substitute Ian Silva, who took his own shot on goal. Despite having gone down to the ground, dos Santos made another spectacular save, keeping the Miami clean sheet.

As the game drew closer to stoppage time, it was clear that Miami was going to come away with all three points. The players grew more tired, resulting in some clumsy challenges and a pair of shots on goal by Beckham that went well high of the target. In the end, Miami came away with a 2-0 win, handing OCB its first loss of the season.

While OCB lost 2-0, the game was statistically much closer than the final score. The Young Lions had more possession (50.8%-49.2%), corners (7-6), crosses (9-8), passes (358-351), and better passing accuracy (79%-78.1%). However, Inter Miami II had more shots (13-11) and shots on target (7-5), which was the difference in the game.

The loss sees OCB fall to third in the Central Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference, placing the Young Lions out of the playoff places, albeit only after three matches. Meanwhile, Inter Miami II moves up to first place in the Eastern Conference on seven points.

Having suffered its first loss of the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro season, OCB will continue its first road trip Friday night when the team faces Columbus Crew 2 at Historic Crew Stadium. The Young Lions will then return home in a doubleheader with the first team at Exploria Stadium against New England Revolution II.

Orlando City B

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

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

Published

1 week ago

February 13, 2025

Michael Citro

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

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

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

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

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

What It Means for OCB

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

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

Orlando City B

Orlando City Signs Goalkeeper Carlos Mercado to a New Contract

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

Published

3 weeks ago

January 30, 2025

Sean Rollins

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What It Means for Orlando City

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

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

Orlando City B

Orlando City B Announces Schedule for 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Season

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

Published

4 weeks ago

January 27, 2025

Michael Citro

Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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