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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. NYCFC II: Final Score 1-1 as OCB Claims an Unlikely Point

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2 years ago

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Orlando City B (2-4-3, 11 points) took an early lead but faltered and had to settle for a 1-1 draw against NYCFC II (5-3-3, 19 points) at Osceola County Stadium. Jack Lynn gave OCB the lead in the 14th minute, but John Denis equalized in the 62nd minute for NYCFC II. With the game ending in a draw, it went to penalties. Mauro Bravo’s shot off the crossbar was the difference in the shootout as NYCFC II took the extra point.

OCB Head Coach Martin Perelman only made two changes from the team that lost 5-3 to FC Cincinnati 2 last weekend. Alex Freeman is away with the U-19 U.S. Men’s National Team in Spain and Wilfredo Rivera is with the Puerto Rico senior national team as they begin their 2022-2023 Concacaf Nations League campaign. Owen Van Marter started for Freeman at left back and Nick Taylor took the place of Rivera.

OCB came out strong in this game, creating most of the early chances. However, NYCFC II worked its way into the game late in the first half, taking control of some poor passing by OCB. The visitors continued their dominance into the second half, eventually finding an equalizer.

The Young Lions can count themselves fortunate to come away with a point in this game as they were thoroughly outplayed in the latter stages of the first half and all through the second half. It’s probably fair that NYCFC II won the penalty shootout 5-3 and took home the extra point as the visitors were the better team in this one.

The first good chance of the game came in the third minute through an NYCFC II corner kick. Stephen Turnbull sent the ball towards the back post where it met the head of El Mahdi Youssoufi. The attacker got his head to the ball, but sent it just wide.

OCB broke the other way and almost had a chance of its own. Taylor was a consistent first-half threat on the right and sent a dangerous ball into the box for Lynn. However, NYCFC II goalkeeper Alex Rando beat the OCB striker to the ball.

In the sixth minute, Lynn found Taylor making a run down the right. The midfielder carried the ball towards the end line as Lynn made a run towards goal. It appeared as though Taylor would get his cross in, but Piero Elias blocked it out of play. The ensuing corner was to the near post, but NYCFC II intercepted and an offside ended the attack.

Moises Tablante nearly had an opportunity in the eighth minute as he darted down the left. He got into the NYCFC II box, but was tripped up and the visitors headed the other way on the counter attack. Youssoufi found Denis on the left side, but his shot was high and wide right of the target.

The ensuing goal kick was taken short to Andrew Forth, but the defender immediately gave it back to NYCFC II. The bad turnover in his own third allowed Turnbull to get a shot off, but it was right at Javier Otero.

The Young Lions came very close in the 10th minute when Lynn found Tablante making a run near the top of the box. The midfielder cut inside to lose his defender and shot on goal, but his shot was just over the crossbar and out for a goal kick.

Four minutes later, OCB broke through. Victor Yan won a free kick from about 35 yards out, which was taken by Taylor. The free kick was behind the NYCFC II back line, where Lynn was making a run. His first touch was a shot past Rando and in for the game’s first goal.

“That’s actually something we worked on yesterday in training,” Lynn said about his goal. “I knew that if I timed my run right, I’d be wide open on the near post. And once the ball came to me, I had plenty of time to just pick out a corner.”

This is the third straight game in which Lynn has scored. He previously had a hat trick against Inter Miami II on May 21 and a brace last weekend against FC Cincinnati 2. He now has six goals in his last three games. His eight goals on the season leads MLS NEXT Pro.

“I think he’s doing a great job,” Perelman said about Lynn’s scoring streak. “He’s working so hard for that.”

“I think my teammates have put me in really good positions to score,” Lynn said about his lead-leading goal tally. “And I think the coaching staff’s worked with me on refining some of my movements that have helped me get open too. And I think ultimately when I get chances, I’m a good enough player that I’m going to score the goals.”

Despite having the lead, the Young Lions didn’t let up. In the 18th minute, Tablante found Taylor to the right of goal. The midfielder attempted to curl the ball around Rando and inside the far post, but just missed.

Two minutes later, Elias got his head to a cross sent to the back post. However, the header was right at Otero, who made the easy stop.

OCB went the other way, looking to double the lead. Lynn found Tablante to his left on the counter attack and the attacker sent the ball across goal in what was likely a cross rather than a pass. However, the ball veered toward the far corner, forcing Rando to dive and tip the ball out of play for a corner kick.

The ensuing corner by Taylor was partially cleared away, but only to Ignacio Galvan at the top of the box. The outside back shot toward the low far corner, forcing Rando to get down and make a quality save, knocking the ball out of play.

After a pair of good chances by the Young Lions, Owen Van Marter took a shot from the top of the box that sailed out of play, allowing NYCFC II to finally clear.

OCB thought it had a penalty in the 27th minute when a long ball for Lynn saw the striker get tripped up in the NYCFC II box. Lynn threw his arms into the air, claiming a penalty, but the referee determined that it wasn’t a foul.

Following the no-call for Lynn, NYCFC II created multiple chances the other way. In the 28th minute, Denis found Jack Beer who fired on goal. But the shot was blocked. NYCFC II retained possession and Turnbull found Youssoufi, but his shot was saved by a diving Otero.

OCB was unable to completely clear the danger as Elias found space for a shot in the 31st minute. However, Otero was again there to make the stop, finally allowing OCB to clear.

The Young Lions were looking outside most of the first half, either for Taylor on the right or Tablante on the left. In the 41st minute, a long ball for Taylor nearly connected, but it was just a bit too far and Rando beat the midfielder to the ball.

OCB quickly won it back and sent it out left for Tablante. After a few dribbles, the third-year OCB midfielder played it across for Lynn, but it was too close to Rando and the goalkeeper made the grab.

Back the other way, NYCFC II created a couple of late chances as the game neared halftime. In the 43rd minute, Julian Gomez got his head to a Turnbull cross, but Otero did well to jump up over everyone in the box and make the catch.

Two minutes later, the visitors had their best chance of the first half. Denis found Beer to the left of goal and the midfielder shot on goal. The ball got past Otero’s outstretched hand but bounced off the crossbar.

OCB had one more chance to double its lead a minute into first-half stoppage time. Taylor sent a long cross for Tablante, who was making a run down the left, but it was too far and went out of play.

While the Young Lions had the best of the early minutes in the game, NYCFC II controlled most of the first half. The visitors had more possession (60%-40%), shots (10-6), shots on target (5-3), and crosses (9-5), as well as better passing accuracy (86.3%-72.5%). However, OCB benefited from Otero’s play in goal and NYCFC II’s lack of finishing, taking a 1-0 lead into the break.

As the second half started, it was as if OCB had remained in the locker room. NYCFC II got off to the better start and didn’t let up. In the first minute of the second period of play, Youssoufi found Gomez in the box, but the shot was right at Otero.

In the 48th minute, Brandon Hackenberg tripped Beer feet outside the box, resulting in Hackenberg being booked. Denis took the free kick but hit it right into the wall.

After OCB thought it should’ve had a penalty in the first half, NYCFC II had its own shout for one in the 52nd minute. An apparent kick to the back of the leg saw the attacker go down. The visiting team swarmed the referee, but his mind wasn’t going to change and OCB was awarded a goal kick.

As happened too frequently in this game, OCB was unable to hold onto the ball, giving it back to the opposition before the Young Lions could reach midfield. As a result, Elias had the opportunity to send a dangerous cross through the box just a minute after the penalty shout. Fortunately for OCB, nobody in orange was there.

In the 60th minute, Erick Gunera fouled Youssoufi in a scenario very similar to the foul earlier in the half. OCB argued the call, resulting in Victor Yan being booked, but the referee stood by his original decision.

Again, Denis took the free kick from a very dangerous position. However, while the first set piece was from the right, this one was from the left. Denis used his right foot to curl the ball around the OCB wall and inside the far post, beyond the outstretched arms of Otero to make it 1-1.

NYCFC II seemed emboldened by the equalizer, continuing to pressure the OCB back line. In the 64th minute, a quick buildup created a cross into the box. There were orange jerseys there, but Forth did well to block it away.

OCB quickly broke out on a counter attack the other way. Galvan found Lynn near the six-yard box and the striker fired on goal, but it was just wide left.

The Young Lions created another chance in the 71st minute when quick passing at the top of the box saw Tablante receive the ball on the left. He took a quick shot but the defender was able to get into position, blocking it out behind the goal.

The visitors nearly took their first lead of the night in the 77th minute when Youssoufi found Denis near the penalty spot. He attempted to beat Otero to the bottom left corner, but the OCB goalkeeper did an excellent job of getting down to make a diving one-handed save.

The corner by Diego Rossi found the head of Youssoufi in the box. He attempted to redirect it into the lower left corner but missed just wide.

OCB should’ve had an opportunity in the 85th minute when it broke out after Beer’s shot from outside the box was blocked. Lynn and Tablante played a quick one-two, resulting in the latter receiving the ball in the final third. However, he was unable to beat the final defender and it was blocked away.

Both teams had a late chance to claim the win before time ran out. In the 90th minute, Stevo Bednarsky took a shot from outside the box, but it was well high and wide.

On the other end, Bravo found Lynn near goal and the striker got his head to the ball, looking for his second goal of the night. But Rando did well to make the save and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

NYCFC II dominated the second half. The visitors out-shot the Young Lions 9-2 and put more shots on goal (5-1) in the second 45 minutes. The visitors ended the game with more possession (57.2%-42.8%), shots (19-8), shots on goal (10-4), corners (7-5), crosses (16-9), and passing accuracy (83.5%-73%).

However, the Lions were able to keep NYCFC II off the board following the equalizer, securing a point. But MLS NEXT Pro rules state that games ending in a draw must go to a penalty shootout to see who gets the extra point. It was OCB’s third penalty shootout this season and the second against NYCFC II at Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions were previously 2-0, with the other shootout win coming against New England Revolution II at Exploria Stadium.

“I think we did good the first half,” Perelman said after the game. “I mean, we could’ve won that half 4-0. We knew New York. We did the situation plan well. We created the situations. But we didn’t score. They played well, they’re a good team. We knew that there was a part of the game that they would take control of the ball. A set piece for them and then penalties is penalties. It was a tough game.”

“I think in the first half (we) executed our strategy pretty well,” Lynn added. “We were just unable to finish off a lot of the transition moments that we created with our pressure. And ultimately we got a goal. We’re up 1-0 at half and I think we would’ve been fine with just a 1-0 win. But they scored on a set piece and that’s always tough to take.”

The shootout went back and forth, with each of the first six shooters converting. While Otero was strong in previous shootouts, the OCB goalkeeper was sent the wrong way on every attempt in this one.

The deciding moment came in the fourth shot when 88th-minute substitute Bravo stepped up. One of the newer additions to the team, Bravo shot hard down the middle but the ball slammed off the crossbar.

Beer stepped up to take the fifth penalty for NYCFC II with a chance to end the game. As Otero dove to his left, Beer calmly played the ball right down the middle and the visitors claimed the extra point.

Despite losing the shootout, a point is more than the Young Lions deserved in this game. There were times where they looked good going forward, but they made too many mistakes, especially in the second half.

Without some heroics by their goalkeeper and some poor finishing by the opposition, they probably should’ve lost by multiple goals. However, they move their overall record to 2-4-3 on the season and 1-1-3 at home.

After a three-game homestand that saw the Young Lions go 1-1-1, OCB will now head out on a four-game road trip, lasting through the beginning of July. It starts next Saturday when the Young Lions face New England Revolution II at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Chicago Fire FC II: Final Score 1-1 (5-4) as Young Lions Eliminated in Penalties

The teams that finished fourth and fifth in the Eastern Conference drew 1-1 and needed spot kicks to determine who advanced.

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1 month ago

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October 20, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B

With both teams finishing 11-8-9 this season, the only difference between the 2024 Orlando City B and Chicago Fire FC II regular seasons was that the Fire went 5-4 in their penalty shootouts, while the Young Lions went 4-5 in theirs. That one extra point gave Chicago home-field advantage in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals for the matchup between the teams.

As a result, the two sides met at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL, where they battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw through 90 minutes and extra time, before the hosts won a penalty shootout — 5-4, naturally — to send OCB home.

The Young Lions could have claimed their first-ever postseason victory thanks to a goal by Jack Lynn in the first half, but a massive mistake allowed David Poreba to equalize just before halftime.

The Fire’s lone goal should never have happened. Leading by a goal on the road — and already in first-half stoppage time — OCB center back Nabi Kibunguchy made an ill-advised decision to take a rare foray up the field, where he turned the ball over, leading to the transition goal that ultimately forced extra time and penalties.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg fielded a strong lineup, with Carlos Mercado in goal behind a back line of Luca Petrasso, Thomas Williams, Kibunguchy, and Alex Freeman. Imanol Almaguer and Colin Guske started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Yutaro Tsukada, Jhon Solis, and Shak Mohammed, with Lynn up top.

The first half was nearly all Chicago, as the Young Lions struggled to connect passes and break through the Fire’s pressure. The few times OCB got forward, the play broke down due to poor passes or heavy touches.

The first half chance fell Chicago’s way in the sixth minute on a cross in from the right. Luka Prpa did well to get his head on it but Freeman did enough defensively to prevent a clean header. Prpa’s effort sailed over the bar. Two minutes later, Kibunguchy did well to block a shot by Christian Koffi, deflecting it out for a corner. Mercado misplayed a high cross in on the set piece, but the heavy service sailed beyond everyone and bounced out for a goal kick.

The Fire put together a string of corner kicks in the middle of the opening half but OCB dealt with them, eventually using one of them to get forward in transition. The clearance of a corner kick led to a long ball forward for Tsukada. After a wayward touch, Tsukada tracked the ball down, patiently waited for support, and then sent a beautiful pass to Lynn as he was reaching the last defender. That put the striker in behind and he calmly chipped Fire keeper Jeffrey Gal to give OCB a 1-0 lead against the run of play in the 24th minute.

The goal was Lynn’s first-ever professional postseason strike and just OCB’s second playoff goal ever. It was also OCB’s first shot attempt of the match.

Seconds after the goal, Mercado got run into by Poreba after scooping up a deflected cross. The OCB goalkeeper needed several minutes of treatment before continuing. Poreba was booked for the unnecessary foul.

The goal allowed OCB to finally settle into the game more. The Young Lions started to see more of the ball, and even had some brief spells of possession in the attacking third. Freeman sent Mohammed down the right side of the box in the 34th minute, but the winger’s centering pass was deflected by a defender and dribbled in for Gal to collect it.

Omari Glasgow blasted a shot wide of the left post after an OCB turnover in its own defensive half, as no one closed him down about 25 yards out.

Mohammed sent a weak shot right at Gal in the 37th minute. OCB then couldn’t pay off a couple of set pieces. Solis had an excellent opportunity to double the lead in the 44th minute, working his way into the top of the area on the right. He blasted a shot with his left foot, but sent it right at Gal, who caught it and hung on. That missed opportunity was costly, as it allowed the Fire to pull level moments later.

Chicago pulled even just before the break on a play that shouldn’t happen in a pickup game, let alone in the playoffs. Kibunguchy decided to go wandering forward in possession and then got himself into traffic. That allowed the Fire to dispossess him from behind and break forward in transition with numbers. The ball ended up on the left with Koffi, who centered it MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot winner Poreba, who blasted his first touch past Mercado to make it 1-1 in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.

It was an inexcusable error for a veteran defender to make and gave the Fire a goal on their first shot to hit the target.

The Young Lions got forward quickly after the restart and won a free kick near the right sideline. A player was knocked down after the delivery into the box while the ball was pinging around amongst the bodies, but the referee wasn’t interested in making a call and the Fire broke the other way. Guske ended up with the ball in his own end with plenty of space to pass back to Mercado. Instead, he seemed to think the ball might go out for a goal kick, but the young midfielder was dispossessed and compounded the problem by committing a foul, giving the hosts a dangerous free kick.

Prpa played the set piece short to Koffi in the box. Koffi quickly blasted a shot that hit the woodwork and bounced out, nearly giving his team the lead at the death of the first half. A few seconds later, the whistle for halftime blew.

At the break, Chicago had the advantage in shots (7-4), corners (6-0), and possession (56%-44%). OCB passed slightly more accurately (88.3%-87.7%) and put more shots on target (3-1).

Chicago resumed its possession dominance out of the break and fashioned a great chance in the 49th minute. Koffi had the ball on the left and sent a good ball across to Glasgow at the back post. Glasgow, who shook free from an inattentive Petrasso, blasted a shot on the volley but sent it wide of the right post.

Freeman got into the box moments later but tried to play through two defenders with an open Mohammed to his left. His first shot was blocked and the fullback’s second effort was deflected out for OCB’s first corner of the match, but the young Lions could do nothing with it.

Guske toe poked an off-line pass back to Almaguer in the 54th minute, giving the midfielder a look at goal. Almaguer blasted the shot but Jean Diouf blocked it in front. A few minutes later, a promising attack started by Petrasso ended up with a cross to Mohammed, who turned down an open shooting opportunity to try to force a pass to a well-covered Lynn. The ball was knocked away but only to Freeman, who won a corner. Kibunguchy got a head to the high service but got well under it in the 58th minute.

Chicago created some nervy moments for the OCB defense just past the hour mark as a couple of fortuitous bounces led to a shot from a bad angle that went wide and a dangerous cross that was eventually cleared. Second-half sub Wilfredo Rivera then was fouled from behind in midfield without a call, allowing the Fire to break in transition, where they won a corner. The initial set piece cross was cleared but Diego Konincks got his head to the recycled cross, flicking it well wide of the left post in the 67th minute.

Freeman won another corner in the 71st minute with a shot from a tight angle that may have been going wide, but Gal made sure. On the set piece, Gal absolutely robbed Lynn on a header in front, getting across to knock it onto the roof of the net.

The game opened up after that and each team was forced to make huge saves. The ensuing corner was cleared and Chicago broke in transition. The Fire had numbers and took a shot from the right inside the box that seemed to change directions, but Mercado made a vital save to keep the game tied.

The Fire won a corner in the 74th minute and generated two chances from close range, including a diving header by Konincks, but the OCB defense cleared both shots off the line at the near post.

A minute later, OCB broke down the left on a good play to spring Petrasso. The Young Lions had favorable numbers but Petrasso had no path to get the ball to Lynn. Instead, he cut inside onto his right foot and sent a shot on target that hit Gal’s foot and trickled wide of the left post. Gal didn’t know much about the save, looking for the shot to to to his left, but it was an important one in the 75th minute.

The Young Lions again did nothing with their corner, allowing Chicago to counter. Glasgow had space outside the area and fired wide.

In the 83rd minute, Koffi got forward on the left, cut inside, and sent a good shot toward the near post. Mercado was able to make the save.

Favian Loyola got free for a shot in the first minute of stoppage time but blasted his shot right at Gal. Two minutes later, Tahir Reid-Brown had a chance from outside the area but it was blocked by the defense.

OCB could do nothing with a couple of late set pieces, and the game headed to 30 minutes of extra time.

Chicago had the advantage in shots (18-14), passing accuracy (86.9%-84.1%) and corners (9-8). The Young Lions put more shots on target through the 90 minutes plus injury time (8-5).

The pace of the game slowed in extra time, with both teams seeming to tire but also fearing making a mistake. After a couple of speculative balls into the box from both teams, the first good look of the extra session fell to Guske on the left. The OCB midfielder tried an inside-out shot but sent it just wide of the left post and into the outside netting in the 97th minute.

The best chance of the first half of extra time fell to Chicago after a poor giveaway in the OCB end gave the Fire a transition chance. Koffi cut inside from the left onto his right foot and the Chicago winger sent a blast off the outside of the left post in the 102nd minute.

That was it for the scoring opportunities in the first 15 minutes of extra time.

After the restart, the Young Lions survived a scramble in the 111th minute after another defensive zone turnover. Chicago sent a dangerous cross through the area but OCB was able to clear.

Yeiler Valencia won a free kick near the right corner of the box in the 112th minute, giving OCB an opportunity. Loyola went for goal with a left-footed blast, but he missed the target completely. OCB was similarly wasteful with another set piece in the 116th minute. Opting to go for goal from 30 yards out, Rivera sent a bouncer on target but with little pace on it, the shot didn’t trouble Gal, who made an easy save.

Neither side mustered much more than that in the second half of extra time, and the match went to penalties to determine who advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

OCB shot first and Freeman was the first to step to the spot. David Poreba answered for Chicago, blasting it into the right bottom corner. Valencia also used a stutter-step approach and sent Gal the wrong way, restoring OCB’s advantage. However, Harold Osorio leveled the shootout again, making it 2-2 after two rounds.

Rivera pushed OCB back out in front with another goal. Mercado then guessed correctly on Peter Soudan’s attempt, but it got under his diving effort at the post to make it 3-3. Reid-Brown made it four out of four for OCB, but 16-year-old Vitaliy Hlyut held his nerve and answered, essentially sending the spot kicks to sudden death.

Loyola’s stutter-step approach turned out to be one too many for the Young Lions, who nearly all tried some kind of tricky runup rather than using precision, as his jump-stop-kick attempt hit the right post. Diouf scored to give Chicago a perfect shootout and a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

OCB had its chances, and could have won this match, but Gal made some big saves and the Young Lions made a critical error at a key point in the game to give the hosts some help.

That concludes OCB’s 2024 season. It was a good second half, but the team had been one of the league’s best clubs down the stretch, so a quick playoff exit is no doubt going to sting for a while.

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Orlando City B

Alex Freeman Looks Ready to Make the Jump to MLS

An analysis of Alex Freeman’s 2024 season and what it could mean for him next year.

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1 month ago

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October 17, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Among the major men’s sports leagues in the United States, soccer is unique in that the best league in our country is not the best league in the world. This fact makes the entry process into MLS different than what most of us are accustomed to from following other sports, where every youth and adult player in our country and around the world is working towards playing in the NFL, NHL, NBA, or MLB. When it comes to soccer, however, players mostly have a dream of playing in one of the leading European leagues, which makes looking at players on affiliated teams like Orlando City B a little different than looking at players in minor leagues like the NBA’s G League, minor league baseball or any of the minor league hockey leagues.

That said, while reaching MLS may not be the longterm goal of some, or even all, of OCB’s players, for most, their immediate short-term goal will be to be first-team players for Orlando City. And by players, I mean players who play, and not just players who are on the first-team roster. One player who has already slightly kicked the door open on this goal is Alex Freeman, the right back who made brief cameo appearances in 2023 and this season for Orlando City but has played the majority of his minutes during the last two seasons for OCB.

Here is a table of Freeman’s stats from 2023 and 2024, using data from the MLS NEXT Pro website as well as fotmob.com:

I want to start by reiterating that Freeman primarily plays right back, because that number 17 in the goal contributions column for OCB in 2024 just jumps off the page, and even more so when you think about the position he plays. He is averaging 0.69 goal contributions per 90 minutes for OCB this season, and here is the complete list of every Orlando City defensive player who has ever averaged at least 0.70 in a season at the MLS level: (null set).

Cue Simon & Garfunkel playing “The Sound of Silence.” Or maybe don’t actually play it, because then it would not actually be silent, but think of the song as a metaphor. I majored in mathematics, not English; no Orlando City defender has ever averaged at least 0.70 goal contributions per 90 minutes. Let’s move on.

That silence would also have existed had I changed the value to 0.60, 0.50, or 0.40, and it is not until I looked for Orlando City defenders averaging more than 0.30 goal contributions per 90 minutes in a season that names like Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, Ruan, and Scott Sutter finally showed up. The are good players, beloved by Orlando City fans, but approximately one goal contribution per every three games is not an elite attacking player. Freeman’s 0.69, however, is more akin to someone like…2024 Facundo Torres, who in fact is averaging nearly exactly that in MLS play this season (14 goals + 6 assists across 2,552 minutes = 0.71). A right back who contributes to goals like Torres? That sounds like someone who needs an entourage. Now, would that be something you might be interested in?

Yes. Hi, I’m Andrew, and I am quite interested.

Now, I know the level and the style of play is not the same in MLS NEXT Pro as it is in MLS, but it is also not so different either. MLS teams average about 1.53 goals scored per game, and MLS NEXT Pro teams average about 1.73 goals scored, so the average MLS NEXT Pro team scores around 13% more goals per game than the average MLS team. That is more, but not substantially more. OCB averaged 1.89 goals per game this season and Orlando City is averaging 1.67 goals per game with one game remaining, so OCB is averaging…wait for it…13% more goals per game than its MLS counterpart. Scoring is slightly up in MLS NEXT Pro as compared to MLS, but when taking this back to look at Freeman’s goal contributions per 90 minutes it is not like he is playing in a league or on a team that has dramatically more scoring.

Freeman himself was quoted after the Young Lions’ last match as saying, “It’s good that I’m able to go forward and I think I’m more clinical now. I’m able to go score goals and I’m feeling really good.” He had been asked specifically about his recent run of goal-scoring form, but the clinical part also applies to his passing ability and the improvements he has made there as well.

Going back to the data I showed earlier, Freeman has also improved his passing completion percentage from 76% to 79% to 86% during the past three seasons, and considering how much attacking he has been doing this season, it is not like he is just standing in the back and completing safe passes to other defensive players to jack that percentage up.

In fact, only 33% of his completed passes were short passes, so therefore, two out of every three passes completed were medium or long passes. And with an overall completion rate of 86%, that means he was indeed as clinical as he said, since it takes technique, skill, and precision to complete such a high percentage of medium and long passes. It’s almost like someone in his family may have passed on a thing or 86 about how to complete a pass.

The final item from Freeman’s statistics that might have jumped out was his “FotMob rating,” and the corresponding MLS NEXT Pro Rank. Freeman is now up to third in this rating, across all players in MLS NEXT Pro. FotMob.com has a rating system that grades out players in dozens of leagues and thousands of matches every week, and that system (out of 10) has Freeman averaging a score of 7.66 for the season. MLS NEXT Pro has been around for three seasons and 901 players have played enough minutes to earn a season-long FotMob grade. Freeman’s 7.66 is tied for the 17th best mark in the past three seasons, which puts his 2024 season in the 98% percentile of all MLS NEXT Pro seasons in this metric.

What makes this even more impressive is that Freeman just turned 20 in August. MLS NEXT Pro is primarily a league of young players, but of the 16 seasons that generated a FotMob rating better than Freeman’s, none were played by a player who was in his teens for most of the season and half were played by players 22 or older. Freeman is also alone among the top players as a defensive player, as nearly every other top rated player is an attacking midfielder or striker.

Most rating systems are biased (excluding The Mane Land’s player grading system, which has zero biases or flaws and is the very model of a modern major rating system) towards attacking players, since offensive plays are generally more discretely quantifiable than defensive plays, and so some of Freeman’s standing as the only defender rated highly on a data-based rating system can be explained by the fact that the model rewards attacking defenders more than center backs. However, on the qualitative side, Freeman’s coach Manuel Goldberg was quoted after the last game as saying “The key for (Freeman’s) success this season is the defensive part he is doing. Although he is contributing a lot in the offensive part, he is doing a big, big, big and important job in the defensive part, so we are happy for that for him.”

Mannie Fresh never mentioned “defensive play real big” on his list of items that were, surprise surprise, real big on his creatively named 2004 song “Real Big,” but if Goldberg were recording a 2024 remix, I feel like a line about Freeman’s defensive contributions may be included since he emphasized them as not big; not big, big; but big, big, big. He did not define whether big, big, big is defined as three big or big cubed, which hurts my feelings as a mathematician, but either way it is clear that Freeman’s play on the offensive side is not the only thing that has caught notice of his coach, and that he is contributing on both offense and defense.

With only three seasons worth of MLS NEXT Pro history, it is hard to use past seasons as concrete precedent for what an elite season could lead to, but in looking at 2022’s top 10 MLS NEXT Pro performers in FotMob rating, we can see that half of the players went on to play 500+ MLS minutes in the each of the next two seasons after their strong performance that year. The other five are split between three who are still in MLS NEXT Pro (light blue, third tier of soccer in the U.S.), one who moved to the USL Championship (light purple, second tier of soccer in the U.S.), and John Denis, who sadly has had to step away from soccer due to a cancer diagnosis.

At only 20 years old, and with three seasons of year over year improvement in MLS NEXT Pro, call-ups to the U.S. U-19 and U-23 national teams, and a few brief appearances already for Orlando City, I believe that Freeman is the best prospect the Lions have ever developed. The outside back depth chart ahead of him includes primary starters Thórhallsson and Rafael Santos, with Kyle Smith as a versatile player who can play on either side. Santos and Smith have contracts that expire at the end of the season, with Smith out of contract and the club holding two option years on Santos. While it would not surprise me if both are back next season, I think they and Thórhallsson are going to be pushed very hard for minutes by Freeman, and it could even result in one of the players changing positions, since all four have versatile skill sets and are comfortable attacking and defending. I am very bullish on Freeman, and I think he will approach 1,000 minutes played for Orlando City in 2025 across all competitions.

Before next season arrives though, there is still the matter of the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs, and Freeman and OCB will take on Chicago Fire FC II on Sunday. Playoff soccer is much more stressful than regular-season soccer, and I am looking forward to seeing how the Young Lions, and Freeman in particular, perform on the road at Chicago in their toughest test of the season. Freeman has six goals and three assists in his last six matches. Here’s to hoping that those numbers increase during the first round of the playoffs and that OCB advances through to the next round.

Vamos Orlando!

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. FC Cincinnati 2: Final Score 3-1 as Young Lions Blow Chance to Host Playoff Game

Young Lions fail in their bid to lock down a home playoff match with a poor road performance.

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2 months ago

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October 6, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B

A poor start and wasteful finishing was costly in Orlando City B’s 3-1 loss to FC Cincinnati 2 at TQL Stadium, as the Young Lions (11-8-9, 46 points) blew their opportunity to clinch a home playoff match and a chance to select their first postseason opponent. FC Cincinnati 2 (16-8-4, 54 points) clinched the Eastern Conference with the win behind a hat trick by Gerardo Valenzuela, whose third goal was a weak one but effectively ended OCB’s second-half comeback bid.

Alex Freeman continued his hot run of form with OCB’s only goal to pull his team within a goal at 2-1 early in the second half, but OCB soon gave up a soft third goal and could not climb back into the match, despite playing much better overall for the first 20 minutes or so of the second half.

With the loss, OCB handed the Southeast Division title to Inter Miami CF II and fell from third to fifth place in the Eastern Conference on Decision Day. If none of the top three teams select the Young Lions as a first-round opponent, they would travel to face fourth-place Chicago Fire FC II.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg’s lineup included Carlos Mercado in goal behind a back line of Luca Petrasso, Thomas Williams, Nabi Kibunguchy, and Freeman. Imanol Almaguer and Jeorgio Kocevski started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Yutaro Tsukada, Jhon Solis, and Shak Mohammed, with Jack Lynn up top.

Despite Orlando starting a strong lineup made largely of players on first-team contracts, FC Cincinnati dominated the game early, went up by multiple goals, and then seemed content to wait for opportunities to go forward to add to its lead. OCB put its first shot on target, but it was a wasteful high-quality opportunity, and then struggled to find any accuracy. At the other end, the Young Lions allowed far too much space at the top of the box and beyond, and didn’t mark well in their own third.

The Young Lions wasted no time in making the game more difficult. On Cincinnati’s first possession of the match, the ball cycled to Valenzuela near the left corner of the box. Kocevski was in good position to deal with the attacker but allowed Valenzeula to get clear on his preferred right foot. Valenzuela’s shot through traffic found the inside of the right post past Mercado, putting FCC 2 up 1-0 in just the second minute.

Freeman could have pulled the goal right back, getting forward up the right just a minute later. The fullback had room and time to shoot but blasted his effort straight at FC Cincinnati 2 goalkeeper Paul Walters. Freeman again shook free on the right side moments later but the defense was better positioned. The right back made a good move to free himself and dropped a ball to Kocevski just outside the top of the area, but the midfielder was slow on the ball, allowing Valenzuela to dispossess him from behind, ending the threat.

OCB won a couple of set pieces but wasn’t able to capitalize on them. In the ninth minute, Tsukada sent a good ball into the box on a free kick won by Solis. The service found Mohammed in front but his header sailed over the bar. A minute later, Freeman won a free kick on the right. The Young Lions played it quickly and Kocevski sent a curling cross behind the Cincinnati back line but it was just out of Lynn’s reach.

Valenzuela doubled the lead two minutes later. The attacker started the play by switching the ball to the right, sending Amir Daley in behind Petrasso, who was caught too far up field. Daley was alone on goal and fired, but Mercado made a huge save. The rebound found Valenzuela at the top of the area. This time, Valenzuela faked right to move Kocevski and fired in his second goal of the game with his left foot in the 11th minute, continuing the rough start to the game for the first-year pro.

Freeman again had a chance to answer a Cincinnati goal. He worked his way into the middle and then forward into the box in the 15th minute. Freeing himself for a shot with his weaker left foot, he left his shot high, as again OCB couldn’t hit the target.

Mohammed gifted FC Cincinnati 2 a scoring chance two minutes later. Taking the ball in his own end he retreated toward his own goal and then sent a wayward back pass, turning the ball over. Mercado was able to save the quick shot by pushing it off the woodwork.

OCB’s inattentiveness in its own half continued in the 23rd minute, when Stefan Chirilla was left alone in space outside the box. He attempted a shot and Mercado had to make a save. On the ensuing corner, Gael Gibert was given a free header but he missed the target.

The Young Lions should have pulled a goal back in the 25th minute. Freeman turned the defense inside out and got to the end line in the box. Dribbling toward goal, he picked out Tsukada alone at the far post. The left winger seemed surprised the pass got through and wasn’t able to get in front of it. He scuffed his shot anyway as he was being whistled for a handball.

Almaguer took his turn firing well over the bar in the 29th minute after working his way into the area, wasting another good opportunity. Mohammed won a couple of corners, mainly by failing to find an opening for his cutback crosses, but OCB did nothing with them and in fact was called for a foul on one of them.

Kenji Mboma Dem was left with too much space outside the area in the 31st minute and sent a shot just wide of the left post.

From then on out, OCB simply couldn’t connect in the attacking end or pay off a set piece. The half ended with Tsukada badly missing a volley shot on a recycled corner kick, and the hosts took their 2-0 lead into halftime.

The halftime stats reflected the performance on the field, as FC Cincinnati 2 held the advantage in shots (9-6) and shots on target (5-1). OCB passed a bit more accurately (90.1%-88.4%), but much of that came after the hosts started dropping deeper after going up two goals and was a product of working the ball backward and side to side rather than progressing it forward. OCB won more corners (4-1), but FCC came closer with its one attempt than anything the Young Lions did with their set pieces.

Neither side made any changes at the break and after a stop-start opening 10 minutes, things got more interesting. In those first minutes of the second period, Almaguer sent yet another shot high into the stands in the 48th minute and Mercado did well to make a save to his right, knocking a second ball off the goal frame in the match to keep it a 2-0 game.

In Freeman picked up the ball outside the area on the right in the 53rd minute and worked his way past two defenders before blasting it past Walters and in to make it 2-1.

This time it was Valencia trying to pull one back after an OCB goal rather than the other way around. The attacker fired a shot wide of the right post in the 55th minute.

OCB had a good opportunity to level the match a minute later. Freeman tried to send a cross to Tsukada at the back post but it was deflected by a defender. The ball ended up with Lynn just outside the area and the striker blasted a shot. The ball hit Malik Pinto’s arm just inches outside the area, setting up a free kick rather than a penalty. Pinto was booked for the infraction.

Petrasso and Tsukada stood over the set piece and it was the left back who fired a shot that went past the wall. Walters made a good save to keep it out and it fell to Lynn on the left, but the striker made poor contact with his shot, sending it softly back to the goalkeeper in the 58th minute.

Solis sent a gorgeous ball over the top to Freeman in the 59th minute, putting the fullback in alone on goal again. This time, however, Freeman scuffed his shot attempt and it was knocked behind by the defense for a corner before an OCB attacker could get to it near the far post. The Young Lions did nothing with the set piece, ending the threat.

Valenzuela completed his hat trick moments later off an OCB turnover. The ball ended up on the left and Valenzuela sent his shot close to Mercado, but the OCB keeper was unable to make what appeared to be a routine save. That essentially put the game away in the 63rd minute, as OCB rarely challenged the Cincinnati goal falling behind by two again.

Goldberg tried sending on fresh troops, but OCB only played more disjointed soccer in possession after the changes, repeatedly giving the ball away cheaply, hindering any attempted comeback.

Instead, it was FCC 2 that had the better chances down the stretch. Daley was left too much space again in the 73rd minute and sent a blast sizzling just over the bar. After Solis flopped to try to get a free kick call that was never likely, Chirilla came down the left and fired from a tight angle in the 77th minute, forcing Mercado to knock it out for a corner.

Petrasso tried to play a ball in to an open Kocevski in the box in the 80th minute but the midfielder’s touch let him down and he couldn’t bring it in, continuing his rough afternoon.

Mercado made another emergency save on Ben Stitz in the 86th minute.

Substitute Favian Loyola struck a shot well in the 87th minute that forced Walters into a diving save. OCB had a runner at the back post but the defense deflected it off the Young Lion and out for a goal kick.

Chirilla sent Mercado scrambling to make a good save in the 88th minute, as the keeper knocked it out for a corner. Petrasso whiffed badly on a clearance attempt on the ensuing set piece and OCB was fortunate that no Cincinnati player could make solid contact with the ball as it pinged around in the six.

The remainder of the game consisted mainly of terrible OCB turnovers between the tired legs of the starters and the lack of cohesion from the subs who came on. This was epitomized when Freeman — easily OCB’s best player on this day — sent Loyola down the right to ignite the break. The Homegrown midfielder tried to center it early for fellow sub Justin Ellis, but he put his pass at least 10 yards behind his teammate, ending the counterattack.

A few minutes later, the final whistle blew on OCB’s regular season.

FC Cincinnati 2 finished the game with the advantage in shots (20-17), shots on target (11-6), and passing accuracy (91.8%-90%), while OCB won more corners (6-4).

The Young Lions have completed the regular season and will next play in the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs against an opponent and at a date to be announced. Finishing out of the top four, it’s possible that one of the top three teams will select OCB as its opponent in the first round.

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