Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 2-0 as OCB Tops Rival to Stay Perfect

Two first-half goals lifted OCB to a 2-0 home win over Inter Miami II.

Published

2 years ago

April 9, 2023

Sean Rollins

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

KISSIMMEE – Orlando City B (3-0-0, 9 points) continued its winning ways as the Young Lions defeated Inter Miami II (1-2-0, 3 points) 2-0 at Osceola County Stadium. It was the Favian Loyola show, as the 17-year-old forward assisted Jack Lynn’s opening goal and scored one for himself just before halftime. With the win, OCB became the first team in MLS NEXT Pro to earn nine points this season and continued its best start ever.

OCB Head Coach Martin Perelman made one change to the team that beat Huntsville City FC 2-1 last weekend. Loyola entered the lineup in place of Cristofer Acuna, who started on the bench. The Young Lions lined up with Javier Otero in goal in front of a back line of Franco Perez, Nabi Kibunguchi, Abdi Salim, and Alex Freeman. Imanol Almaguer, Cristian Medina, Juninho, and Jhon Solis were in the midfield with Lynn and Loyola up top.

Ready to take on Miami 👊#OCB x #VamosOrlando pic.twitter.com/M3iseQi7ki
— Orlando City B (@OrlandoCityB) April 9, 2023

Just as they did in the first two games of the season, the Young Lions got off to a fast start. In the first minute, Joseph Convers turned the ball over to Solis in the OCB third. It went to Lynn, who quickly spun and shot, but his attempt was just wide.

Two minutes later, the Young Lions won a corner. The low ball by Loyola nearly snuck through the box to a purple foot, but was cleared. The ball flicked up and the OCB players wanted a handball, but referee Gary Gutierrez waved for the teams to play on.

OCB opened the scoring in the fourth minute and it was Loyola again creating the opportunity. Receiving the ball out wide from Solis, Loyola sent a good cross in for Lynn. Israel Boatwright was marking the striker, but allowed him to get goal side and head the cross past Miami goalkeeper CJ dos Santos to give the Young Lions the early lead.

Lynn heads it in from close range! 🎯

1-0 @OrlandoCityB pic.twitter.com/0Vhuz8AUls
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) April 9, 2023

The team has scored inside the first five minutes in each of its first three games. The Young Lions scored in the fourth minute against Philadelphia Union II to start the season and in the third minute against Huntsville City last weekend.

“We are always trying to start the first and second halves with a high level of activation,” Perelman said about the team’s early goals. “We look for the goal there and we are finding that so we are enjoying that.”

The first chance for Miami came in the eighth minute when Jake LaCava dribbled into the OCB box. His shot was blocked by Kibunguchi and appeared to go out for a corner kick. But Gutierrez awarded OCB a goal kick to the dismay of the Miami players.

Following their opening goal against Huntsville last weekend, OCB fell into a shell, desperately defending its 1-0 lead. This game was more like the Philadelphia clash the prior week, when OCB remained on the attack. The Young Lions had several chances in the following minutes to break out through passes by Perez, but his pass attempts were off target.

After an ill-advised shot by Boatwright that went well over the goal, OCB had a good attack building in the 16th minute when Solis made a lovely turn and found Perez out wide to his left. However, the assistant referee judged that Perez was offside, ending the attack.

In the 23rd minute, Freeman got his first attempt on goal, a week after netting a brace. It was a good run by the right back to get into the box, but his shot was just wide of the far post.

A minute later, Perez found Solis for an attempt at the top of the box. The attacker took a first-time shot, but hit it over the crossbar.

In the 25th minute, Edison Azcona fouled Freeman outside the Miami box. The Young Lions attempted a short free kick for Lynn, but he swung and missed on his shot attempt. Fortunately, it went to Perez coming in behind him. Perez took a shot but missed the target.

A minute later, Miami had a chance when Perez tripped Lucas Meek just outside of the box. The set piece by Azcona was sent into the box and Freeman was the first to it, heading it out. Otero handled the ensuing corner, catching the ball before a Miami player could get to it.

Freeman had his second chance of the game in the 37th minute when a good ball wide by Juninho was headed back across the box by Salim. It found the foot of Freeman, but he didn’t make good contact and his shot was right at dos Santos.

The Young Lions found the back of the net for the second time in the 39th minute when Solis was tripped just outside of the Miami box. Solis stepped over the free kick and Loyola sent the ball in. Freeman was charging in and headed it past dos Santos, but his run was a bit too early and he was ruled offside.

Just a minute later, OCB put it in again and this time it counted. Juninho found Loyola, who made a good run past multiple Miami defenders. With enough space for a shot inside the box, Loyola placed it past dos Santos and into the corner, giving the Young Lions a 2-0 lead.

Loyola goes on a silky run and doubles the lead for @OrlandoCityB! 💫 pic.twitter.com/ELlmN88HmL
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) April 9, 2023

“The first thing that comes to my mind is go forward,” Loyola said after the game. “And I feel like once I get that ball in the pocket, the first thing I think about is going forward and scoring a goal. I’ve always kept that since the academy, since I was young, and since I’ve been in this club.”

In the 42nd minute, a Freeman foul on Azcona provided a free kick chance for the latter just outside of the OCB box. He was aiming for the top left corner and didn’t miss by much, causing Otero to attempt a diving stop. The OCB goalkeeper may have had it covered, but it went just over the crossbar anyway.

The final attempt of the first half came from Miami in the 45th minute. A good cross by Azcona almost found the head of David Ruiz, but it was inches too high, allowing OCB to take a two-goal lead into the break.

After 45 minutes of action, Miami had more possession (55.4%-44.6%) and passing accuracy (79.7%-74.1%), but OCB had more shots (9-3), shots on goal (3-0), corners (4-1), and crosses (6-5).

While OCB started the first half better, it was Miami that came out strong in the second period. LaCava dribbled the ball into the box in the 46th minute and got a shot off, but a good tackle by Perez cleared it out for a corner kick.

Four minutes later, LaCava had another chance as he dribbled the ball into the box. He got his shot off this time, but it skipped just wide of the far post.

In the 51st minute, Miami had a golden chance to get a goal back. A short goal kick was pressured and won back by Miami. Freeman attempted to win it back from Meek, but took him down in the process. Gutierrez didn’t hesitate to point to the spot, giving the visitors a penalty.

Azcona stepped up to take the kick and sent it towards the bottom right corner of the goal. But Otero guessed correctly and dove to his left, catching the ball without allowing a rebound.

The game settled down considerably after the penalty stop. In the 59th minute, Boatwright’s cross found Azcona in the box. The attacker took a shot on goal, but it was blocked away.

OCB made its first change of the game in the 63rd minute, bringing off the game’s hero, Loyola, after a goal and an assist. He was replaced by Shak Mohammed.

After recording nine first-half shots, the first second-half shot for the Young Lions came in the 66th minute. A cross from a corner kick found Salim, who redirected it towards goal, but the shot was over the crossbar.

Attempting to see out the game. Perelman made three defensive-minded changes in the 74th minute, replacing Freeman, Lynn, and Solis with Tahir Reid-Brown, Cristofer Acuna, and Zakaria Taifi.

OCB had a chance at a third goal in the 77th minute when a Taifi cross found the head of Kibunguchy in front of goal. The header was on target, but right at dos Santos.

As the game wound down, OCB set up defensively and Miami remained on the attack, looking to get back into the game. A minute into stoppage time, the visitors had a chance when Dairon Reyes’ cross found the head of Lawson Sunderland in the box. The midfielder sent the header toward goal, but missed to the right.

The fourth official added five minutes to the second half and that nearly gave Miami enough time to end the shutout. Three minutes into stoppage time, Azcona found enough space to take a shot from the center of the box. Despite having little to do since the penalty, Otero had one more big save in him, sending it over the bar to secure the clean sheet.

In the end, OCB had less possession (55.9%-44.1%) and passing accuracy (81.3%-77.7%), but made more of its opportunities. The Young Lions ended the game with more shots (12-9) and shots on goal (4-2). Additionally, both teams ended the game with eight corner kicks and Miami had three more crosses (13-10).

OCB had conceded after going up 2-0 in both of its first two games, however, the Young Lions were able to keep their South Florida rivals off the scoresheet, earning their first clean sheet of the season.

“It was a derby and we played like that. I’m proud of our players,” Perelman said about the performance. “I think that they defend our jersey in the way we want. They played again with heart. They were with the high level of activation again from the beginning to find the goal. They were smart. I really enjoy watching them play.”

“It’s amazing,” Loyola added about beating their in-state rivals. “Like I said, Florida is purple, it will always be purple, and it will stay that way for a long time.”

The Young Lions will carry their three-game winning streak on the road next weekend when they face another rival in Atlanta United 2.

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.