Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 1-0 as OCB Tops In-State Rival for Second Time This Year

Orlando City B beat its in-state rivals, Inter Miami II, 1-0 tonight at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Alex Freeman set up Jack Lynn in the 57th minute for the game’s only goal, leading OCB (5-3-2, 18 points) to its second win over Miami (3-6-1, 10 points) this season.

OCB Head Coach Martin Perelman made three changes to the team that drew 2-2 against Atlanta United 2 last weekend. Shak Mohammed made his first start and Thomas Williams his second of the 2023 season. Lynn also entered the starting lineup after netting a brace off the bench against Atlanta. They replaced Favian Loyola, Cristofer Acuna, and Abdi Salim, who left the game injured in the ninth minute Friday night. Loyola and Acuna started this game on the bench.

Javier Otero started in goal behind a back line of Moises Tablante, Nabi Kibunguchy, Williams, and Freeman. Imanol Almaguer, Cristian Medina, and Juninho were in the midfield, with Mohammed, Lynn, and Jhon Solis up top.

Inter Miami II had the majority of possession in this game, but was unable to create many good opportunities. While much of the Herons’ possession was in the midfield, OCB had more possession in the opposing box. As a result, the Young Lions created more chances in dangerous spaces over the 90 minutes.

Miami nearly had the first chance of the game in the second minute when Noah Allen made a good run down the left and sent the ball in for Lorenzo D’Agostini. The forward was at the top of the OCB six-yard box, but Williams was able to beat him to the ball and clear it away.

The Young Lions got their first chance a minute later when Tablante forced a turnover near midfield. Tapping it to Solis, Tablante continued his run into the Miami half. Solis sent the left back behind the Miami defense, but Tablante’s shot was from a tough angle and CJ dos Santos made the stop.

The hosts had a golden opportunity to open the scoring off a Miami free kick in the ninth minute. Allen lifted the ball into the OCB box, where three Miami players were left wide open. It landed on the head of Lucas Meek, but his header was nowhere near the target, enabling the Young Lions to avoid conceding early, despite the terrible defending. It was a miss that Miami and Meek will regret.

OCB had its second chance in the 14th minute when a short corner to Medina created a cross into the box. The midfielder’s ball found the head of Freeman charging in at the near post, but the header was wide.

A minute later, the Young Lions had a great chance to open the scoring when Tablante received the ball on the left. He found Mohammed open right in front of goal and the first-team attacker’s first touch was on target. Unfortunately, it was right at dos Santos, who made his second save of the game.

Miami appeared to have a good chance in the 21st minute when Medina turned the ball over to D’Agostini near the top of the OCB box. The forward immediately found Braxton Taghvai-Najb, but his shot was blocked by Williams.

The hosts had another chance in the 24th minute, when quick passing allowed Taghvai-Najb to set up Meek with space entering the box. The midfielder found a gap in the OCB defense and shot on goal, but Otero was there to make the stop.

In the 29th minute, Juninho made a strong run into the Miami box, shielding any opposing players who stepped up. He made his way past five defenders to shoot near the penalty spot, but dos Santos got down to block the attempt.

Trying to work the ball out of the back, Medina turned the ball over on his own side of the field for the second time in the 32nd minute. D’Agostini won it from Medina and received it back from Abel Caputo at the top of the box. However, his shot was right to Otero, who made the easy stop.

The Young Lions had a three-on-three counterattack in the 36th minute that should’ve resulted in a better opportunity. As Mohammed dribbled down the middle of the field, he had Freeman to his right and Lynn to his left, but decided to shoot on goal himself from the top of the box. The attempt was right to dos Santos, who had no trouble collecting it.

OCB got the final chance of the half in the 45th minute, when Medina took a short corner to Tablante. The left back attempted a long shot from well outside of the MIami box, but it was right into the arms of dos Santos. Referee Alexandra Billeter blew the whistle before dos Santos could send it forward, ending the first period of play.

Miami had more first-half possession (56.9%-43.1%), but OCB had more shots (12-5) and shots on target (6-2). The hosts also had more crosses (8-4) and passing accuracy (89.2%-88.8%) while the Young Lions had more corners (3-1).

Inter Miami II had the first chance of the second half in the 48th minute when halftime substitute Cameron Johnson took the ball to the top of the box. Williams forced him inside, where he found enough space to shoot from distance, but Kibunguchy blocked it into the arms of Otero.

OCB almost had its own chance a minute later when Freeman sent a cross into the six-yard box where Lynn was sprinting in. The striker slid towards goal, but Freeman’s cross was too close to dos Santos.

In the 57th minute, the Young Lions broke the deadlock. Quick passing by Almaguer and Juninho sent Freeman down the right. Freeman sent an almost identical low cross with Lynn again entering the box. This time Lynn’s slide allowed him to reach the ball before dos Santos, tapping it in for the game’s opening goal.

After netting a brace last weekend against Atlanta, Lynn rewarded Perelman’s decision to put him in the starting lineup. He now has three goals in his last two games and leads the team with five goals on the season.

Perelman made his first change of the game in the 63rd minute, bringing in Zakaria Taifi for Mohammed. Taifi took over at left back, moving Tablante forward into a more attacking role. 

In the 65th minute, OCB had a chance when Solis sent a cross into the box for Lynn. Unfortunately, it was a bit behind the striker, who still got his head to the ball but sent it wide.

Two minutes later, Miami had a good opportunity when Almaguer fouled Taghvai-Najb just outside of the OCB box. The forward went directly for goal, but sent it just wide of the near post. Immediately after the attempt, OCB made its second change, bringing on Tahir Reid-Brown for Tablante.

Meek used some slick dribbling ability to beat two defenders in the 75th minute and get into the OCB box, but it was blocked out for a corner kick by Almaguer. The ensuing corner was headed down into the middle of the box, but nobody in pink was there and OCB was able to clear.

Three minutes later, Meek beat a pair of defenders on the left again. This time he was able to get his pass off, finding second-half substitute Ricardo Montenegro near the penalty spot. Montenegro got a shot off, but Otero got down to make the stop.

Following the save, both teams made a pair of substitutions. OCB brought on Acuna and Wilfredo Rivera for Juninho and Lynn.

With time winding down, OCB put 10 players behind the ball defensively and Miami pushed forward, looking for an equalizer. They had a chance in the 85th minute when Miles Perkovich found space for a shot in the box, but Kibunguchy got in front of it to maintain the 1-0 lead.

Despite Miami needing a goal, OCB had a lot of possession in the closing minutes. In past games, the Young Lions were unable to hold onto possession late, giving the opponents last-minute opportunities. But tonight they were able to maintain control and use up quite a bit of the clock.

Things got a bit feisty in second-half stoppage time as Farid Sar-Sar and Rivera had a scuffle. That created an extra minute and Miami nearly took advantage. In the fourth minute of added time, Sar-Sar’s cross found the head of Lawson Sunderland near the far post. The midfielder’s header was heading just under the crossbar, but Otero made a huge save, tipping it over the goal. Billeter called a foul on Miami during the ensuing corner and blew the final whistle seconds later.

Inter Miami II ended the game with more possession (57.1%-42.9%), shots (14-13), crosses (15-10), and passing accuracy (89%-86.9%). OCB had more shots on target (7-5), corners (5-4), and the all-important goal.

The win marks the second time this season that OCB has claimed points away from Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions also beat Philadelphia Union II in Pennsylvania in the opening game of the season. The three points move the team up to fourth in the Eastern Conference of MLS NEXT Pro.

It will be a short break for the Young Lions as they’ll return home on Monday night to face New York Red Bulls II at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee.