Orlando City B
Orlando City B vs. Philadelphia Union II: Final Score 3-0 as OCB Suffers First Home Loss
OCB falls 3-0 to Philadelphia Union II for its first home loss in 2023.
Orlando City B (7-6-2, 24 points) lost 3-0 to Philadelphia Union II (5-8-3, 20 points) on a long night at Osceola County Stadium. OCB dominated most of the game, but a brace in the first half by Chris Donovan and a late goal by David Vazquez handed the Young Lions their first home loss this season.
OCB Head Coach Martin Perelman made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 to Chicago Fire II nearly two weeks ago. Goalkeeper Javier Otero and midfielder Juninho returned to OCB’s lineup after two games with the first team, and Thomas Williams started after a game out as well. They replaced Dominic Pereira, Zakaria Taifi, and Alejandro Granados, all of whom began this game on the bench.
The back line in front of Otero was Alex Freeman, Nabi Kibunguchy, Williams, and Franco Perez. Imanol Almaguer, Cristian Medina, and Juninho were in the midfield, with Shak Mohammed, Jack Lynn, and Jhon Solis up front.
The score wasn’t indicative of the performance in this game. OCB dominated the possession and chances, but didn’t put many of its shots on target. Philadelphia used a high press to cause distress for the Young Lions’ back line, forcing them into multiple mistakes that turned out to be the difference in the game.
The first chance for either team came in the fourth minute when Perez sent a dangerous cross to the top of the six-yard box. Mohammed got to the pass and attempted a first-touch shot, but it was blocked.
OCB got its second opportunity in the ninth minute from a great run by Juninho. The captain split two defenders to get inside the six and shot from a tight angle, but Union II goalkeeper Andrew Rick did well to get down and block it with his foot.
The Young Lions nearly had a third chance in the 10th minute when Lynn made a run down the left and sent a cross into the box. Mohammed was darting towards the near post, attempting to get on the end of the pass, but it was cleared away by Juan Castillo right before he could reach it.
A minute later, the visitors took the lead. Castillo received the ball near the left sideline and lifted it long behind the OCB defense. Donovan beat Williams to the ball and entered OCB’s six-yard box. Before he reached the end line, Donovan placed the ball past the sprawling Otero and into the far corner to give Philadelphia an early 1-0 lead.
In the 17th minute, OCB forced Rick into another good save when Mohammed sent a low cross towards the top of the six-yard box. Lynn redirected the ball towards goal, but Rick made a save similar to his ninth-minute stop on Juninho, getting down to kick it away.
On the other end, it was a mistake by OCB that allowed Philadelphia to double its lead. Medina received the ball back from Williams with only Otero behind him. Donovan put pressure on the midfielder, forcing him into a turnover. Otero came out in an attempt to cut down Donovan’s angle, but he easily scored his second goal of the game and put his team up 2-0.
The high temperatures in Kissimmee resulted in a 29th-minute hydration break for the players. Out of the break, Perelman made the first change of the game. Williams came out and was replaced by Granados, a surprising change since the latter is usually an attacking player.
In the 33rd minute, Perez sent a cross towards the top of the box that was left to run through. It ended up with Solis just outside of the box and the forward’s shot was heading towards the right post. It beat Rick, but bounced off the woodwork.
OCB nearly got a goal back again in the 39th minute when Mohammed made a nifty run towards the end line and sent a low cross in for Lynn. The striker got his foot to the ball before the defender, but flicked it over the crossbar.
Less than a minute later, OCB nearly gave up a third goal on another mistake in its own third. Kibunguchy was nonchalant with the ball in his own box as Jeremy Rafanello put pressure on the center back. Rafanello couldn’t get a shot off, but it went back to Carlos Rojas just outside of the box. The midfielder was aiming for the corner, but sent the ball wide.
As the game headed towards halftime and OCB searched for its first goal, the referee called the players off the field as lightning was in the area, sending the game into a weather delay. After an hour and 40 minutes, the game resumed.
The game restarted with a short free kick by Philadelphia. It resulted in a shot from a narrow angle, enabling Otero to make an easy save. Following that chance, OCB went on the attack and created multiple chances.
In the 42nd minute, Juninho received the ball outside of the box and took a long shot, but it was deflected out of play. Two minutes later, Perez found Lynn at the near post. The striker attempted to turn the ball on target, but it too was blocked.
The final chance of the first half for either team came in the final minute of stoppage time. Juninho found Solis on the opposite side of the box and the forward had plenty of space for a shot. But he took too long, allowing Brandan Craig to move over and block the attempt.
OCB dominated the first half in every way but the scoreline. The Young Lions had more possession (70.4%-29.6%), shots (15-4), shots on target (4-2), corners (9-0), and crosses (11-5). But Rick made a couple of good saves and OCB made some defensive mistakes, resulting in a 2-0 deficit at the break.
The first chance of the second half came from Philadelphia, as C.J. Olney dribbled across the box. He was kept outside of the 18 by the OCB defense and eventually turned to shoot on target, but wasn’t able to get much on it and the ball rolled to the feet of Otero.
The visitors had a second chance in the 51st minute, when Quinn Sullivan attempted a cross into the box from the right. But he sent it too close to Otero, who came out to claim it.
The first second-half chance for OCB came in the 52nd minute when Almaguer received the ball well outside of the box. The midfielder took an ambitious shot from long distance, but got under it and it sailed over the target.
Tempers flared between the teams in the 56th minute when Perez tackled Hugo Le Guennec as he attempted to dribble out of the back. It was right by the Philadelphia bench and the players didn’t take too kindly to the challenge. Perez was booked for the foul and Anton Sorenson was booked on the bench for the pushing and shoving that ensued.
In the 63rd minute, Philadelphia broke the other way through Stefan Stojanovic, who came on five minutes earlier. The substitute had space for a shot at the top of the box, but sent the ball high and wide of the target.
Freeman had a couple of chances starting in the 65th minute, when he made a long run towards the end line. He should’ve gotten a shot off, but ran out of room and dribbled out of bounds.
Two minutes later, Freeman entered the box and made a nice cut to lose his defender. It looked like he could’ve gone for the far post, but went for the near one instead. Unfortunately, he missed the target entirely.
In the 73rd minute, Lynn played a short pass from the left to the top of the six-yard box for Mohammed, but Rojas cleared it away. The ensuing short corner ended up with Juninho at the top of the box and the OCB captain shot, but sent it wide. The Young Lions appealed for a corner kick, but referee Amiel Aleman decided it went directly out of play.
Perelman made two more changes in the 81st minute, bringing on two first team attackers. Wilfredo Rivera and Favian Loyola entered the game for Mohammed and Almaguer. They were the final two changes for the Young Lions.
Philadelphia scored a third that put the game away in the 86th minute. An OCB throw went to Medina, but the midfielder took his time reaching the ball, allowing Stojanovic to take control. Kibunguchy was left in an impossible situation of taking Stojanovic or David Vazquez, the only other player around. As Kibunguchy stepped up, Stojanovic played it across for Vazquez. The substitute drew Otero off his line and slid it past him into the corner to make it 3-0.
Union II had the final chance of the game a minute into second-half stoppage time when Medina fouled Vazquez just outside of the OCB box. Craig and Castillo stood over the ball, with Craig taking the set piece. The ball was headed near the top corner, but Otero did well to make a diving stop. The ball fell right in front of the goal line, but the goalkeeper reacted quickly to knock it away.
At full time, OCB had more possession (70.3%-29.7%), shots (22-17), corners (12-3), and crosses (13-11). Philadelphia put more shots on target (8-5), which ended up being a difference in this game.
“It was sad for us because I think that we really did a great game,” Perelman said about the performance. “We controlled them completely with the situations. They brought a couple of first team players, so when we made two mistakes, we paid with a goal. And then we couldn’t score with the situations we created. We created more than 15.”
The loss is OCB’s first at home this season as it moved to 5-1-2 at Osceola County Stadium. It’s OCB’s second consecutive defeat and its third in four games as the team slides down the MLS NEXT Pro standings. The Young Lions are still in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and have a game in hand on some of the teams around them.
It’s a short break for the Young Lions as they take the field again Sunday night in Kentucky, taking on FC Cincinnati 2.
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.
The 2025 MLS NEXT Pro schedule was released 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.
Orlando City B’s 2025 Schedule
- Sunday, March 9 — vs. Columbus Crew 2, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, March 16 — vs. Atlanta United 2, 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 26 — at Crown Legacy FC, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, April 5 — at Chattanooga FC, 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 9 — vs. New England Revolution II, 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 15 — vs. Inter Miami II (at IMG Academy in Bradenton), 7 p.m.
- Sunday, April 27 — vs. New York Red Bulls II, 7 p.m.
- Friday, May 2 — at Chicago Fire FC II, 8 p.m.
- Saturday, May 17 — vs. Inter Miami II, 7 p.m.
- Friday, May 23 — at Atlanta United 2, 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, June 1 — vs. Chattanooga FC, 7 p.m.
- Friday, June 6 — at Huntsville City FC, 8 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 11 — at Carolina Core FC, 7:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, June 25 — vs. Toronto FC, 7 p.m.
- Monday, June 30 — at Philadelphia Union II, 3 p.m.
- Sunday, July 6 — at Crown Legacy FC, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, July 13 — vs. Carolina Core FC, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, July 20 — at New England Revolution II, 3 p.m.
- Friday, July 25 — at Huntsville City FC, 8 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 3 — vs. New York City FC II, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 9 — vs. Chattanooga FC, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 17 — at Columbus Crew 2, 3 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 23 — vs. Atlanta United 2, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 31 — vs. Crown Legacy FC, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Sept. 14 — at Inter Miami II, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Sept. 21 — vs. Huntsville City FC, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 27 — at Carolina Core FC, 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 5 — vs. FC Cincinnati 2, 1 p.m.
Orlando City B
Orlando City B Signs Goalkeeper Tristan Himes
The 24-year-old former academy goalkeeper returns to the club after a four-year collegiate career.
Orlando City announced this afternoon that the club has signed former academy goalkeeper Tristan Himes to an MLS NEXT Pro contract to play with the club’s reserve side, Orlando City B. The 24-year-old returns to the club following the conclusion of his collegiate career.
“This is an exciting first step for us this year on the path to achieving our goals for 2025 and beyond,” Orlando City Vice President of Soccer Operations and Technical Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “Tristan is a player that is homegrown, that we’ve seen develop in our academy here in Orlando, and a bright young player. He’s someone whose path took him to play and get more experience in college and now we’re excited to bring him back home to Central Florida.”
The DeBary native attended the University of South Carolina after his time in the Orlando City Academy, making seven appearances in two seasons. He conceded 13 goals in 546 minutes while making 22 saves. He stopped 62.9% of his shots faced for the Gamecocks, recording one shutout and an assist. The goalkeeper played 543 minutes during his freshman season but only three minutes during his sophomore campaign, coming off the bench on Oct. 1, 2022, against West Virginia.
Himes transferred to Coastal Carolina University for his junior season but was forced to sit out all of 2023 due to injury. He returned for his senior campaign, making 10 appearances and playing 855 minutes while conceding 20 goals and making 35 saves. He finished his time with the Chanticleers completing two shutouts while recording a 2.11 goals-against average and stopping 63.6% of his 122 shots faced.
Despite coming through the Orlando City Academy, the goalkeeper was eligible for the 2025 MLS SuperDraft but wasn’t selected. The signing is the first in a string of expected deals as the club looks to rebuild its MLS NEXT Pro roster. Following the 2024 season, the contracts of six of the 10 players on MLS NEXT Pro deals expired.
Himes’ signing could see him replace Carlos Mercado, who started the majority of OCB’s games in 2024. The goalkeeper eventually signed a first-team deal late in the season, but his option was declined by the club. Depending on the recovery of first-team backup goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar, Himes could start for the Young Lions or will play behind Homegrown product Javier Otero.
Orlando City B
Orlando City B Announces Roster Status Following 2024 MLS NEXT Pro Season
Only three OCB players are still under MLS NEXT Pro contracts for the 2025 season.
Orlando City B announced the roster status of its players following the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season. Most of the team was made up of players on first-team and academy contracts, so little of the squad will change. However, the club has updated the status of players on MLS NEXT Pro deals.
Of the 10 players on MLS NEXT Pro contracts in 2024, six saw their deals expire at the end of the year. Those players include forwards Wilfredo Rivera and Yeiler Valencia; midfielders Imanol Almaguer and Diego Pareja; and defenders Manuel Cocca and Nabi Kibunguchy.
“First, I want to start by thanking all of the players who are leaving us at the end of this year. Their hard work and dedication has continued to push this club even further forward, and we are grateful for all they’ve done,” Orlando City SC Vice President of Soccer Operations and Technical Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “This was another year of progress for Orlando City B with the team qualifying for the playoffs for the second-straight year, and we saw a lot of growth among the players, especially in their own individual development, which is our ultimate goal. Heading into 2025, we have high goals for OCB and are excited to reset and begin the work to reach the next steps in this project.”
While the majority of the players are out of contract, three are still under MLS NEXT Pro deals for 2025. Those players are midfielders Gustavo Caraballo and Jhon Solis and defender Zakaria Taifi.
Additionally, the club announced earlier today that Colin Guske — who was also on an MLS NEXT Pro deal — has signed a Homegrown Player contract with the first team. He’ll likely be a regular with OCB next season.
What It Means for Orlando City B
While the contracts have expired on six players, that doesn’t mean their time in Orlando is over. Rivera was on a first-team Homegrown contract in 2023 and the club didn’t pick up his option. He was subsequently signed to OCB for the 2024 season. He’s only 21 years old and has signed short-term deals with the first team, so he could still return next season.
Rivera is one of the more likely players out of contract to return in 2025. Perhaps the least likely to return is Kibunguchy, who will be 27 when the 2025 season starts. Almaguer took over the captaincy in 2024 after the departure of Juninho, and the club could keep him around for his leadership qualities. However, OCB could also make the same decision it did after 2023 and hand off the armband to someone else, possibly Solis.
Regardless of the decisions made on these players, the 2025 OCB roster will be made up primarily of players on first-team contracts and academy players. The youngest probably won’t be signed to professional contracts, allowing them to maintain their college eligibility. As a result, the majority of the roster will return and we’ll see new up-and-coming talent next season.
Post-2024 Orlando City B Player Contract Statuses
(Current club players in italics)
- Imangol Almaguer — Out of Contract
- Gustavo Caraballo — Under Contract
- Manuel Cocca — Out of Contract
- Colin Guske — Signed to First Team
- Nabi Kibunguchy — Out of Contract
- Diego Pareja — Out of Contract
- Wilfredo Rivera — Out of Contract
- Jhon Solis — Under Contract
- Zakaria Taifi — Under Contract
- Yeiler Valencia — Out of Contract
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Orlando City B Announces Schedule for 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Season
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