With the flipping of the calendar to July, we are now into the second half of the year, and all across the United States the temperatures are in orange and red as summer time is here. My parents and brother are in New Hampshire, where the summers are usually milder than those here in central Florida, but the temperatures up north have everyone breaking out their record collections to play “Heat Wave” by Martha and the Vandellas, and not just because the pop culture preferences in the Granite State tend to run, oh, a few decades behind those in the rest of the country (I’ve spent many summers in New Hampshire).

On the more contemporary front, the British band Glass Animals released the Billboard chart-topping “Heat Waves” in 2020, with opening lyrics of “sometimes all I think about is you, late nights in the middle of June.” I do not think they were referring to soccer teams in Orlando in that song, but these lyrics often fit for me as it relates to our three professional squads, and on late nights in more months than just June.

Orlando City is back in training but still weeks away from its next match, but the Pride are (finally) back on Friday, and of course, Orlando City B (OCB) and MLS NEXT Pro listened closely to Rihanna and adhered to her request to not stop the music, continuing its season throughout the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

OCB had been on its own heat wave through the end of May and those late nights in the middle of June, but in recent weeks it hit a cold snap, losing to Philadelphia Union II in regulation and then Columbus Crew 2 in penalties. With OCB’s hot and cold performances, plus the recent return of HBO’s House of the Dragon reminding everyone of the incredible writing in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire book series, I thought it would be a good time to look at some heatmaps for the Young Lions, using data from American Soccer Analysis (ASA).

As a quick reminder, ASA uses the following categorizations to create an overall “goals added” per player per game, with some actions adding value and others removing value, with every action throughout the game being assigned a value. The full explanation can be found here, but at a high level, here are the category breakdowns:

• Shooting: Shots
• Receiving: Receptions
• Passing: Passes
• Dribbling: Carries, Take-Ons, Miscontrols, Dispossessions
• Interrupting: Tackles, Interceptions, Blocks, Clearances, Recoveries, Contested Headers
• Fouling: Fouls Committed, Fouls Received

For the heatmap below, I only included field players who have played at least 250 minutes this season, including stoppage time. The players are listed at the position assigned to them by ASA, and the column “Qualified Players” is the count of MLS NEXT Pro players who have played at least 250 minutes at that specific position. The percentages indicate where each player ranks in that category at their position, meaning that center back Landon Okonski’s 92% in the shooting category indicates that his shooting performance this season ranks better than 92% of the 118 center backs who have played at least 250 minutes. Red is good, blue is not. Hopefully no Crips read this article.

CB = center back, FB = fullback, DM = defensive midfielder, W = winger, AM = attacking midfielder, ST = striker; CM is also a possible position but ASA did not assign any OCB players to the central midfielder position.

We do not want to exclude the goalkeepers, so the chart below is a similar one with goalkeeping metrics instead of field player metrics. For this heatmap, there are 73 qualified goalkeepers (I used 195 minutes played as the qualification cutoff, in order to include OCB’s Luca Maxim):

Unsurprisingly for a team that ranks near the top of the league in goals scored and near the bottom in goals allowed, the OCB players playing offensive positions tend to have more items in red (reminder that red is good) than the defenders.

OCB’s players in particular are very good dribblers as compared to others who play the same position, with Harvey Sarajian ranked as the number one dribbler across all 103 wingers (and actually also across all 539 players as a whole), and as a team, OCB ranks number one in the league in ASA’s dribbling metric.

Anyone who has watched OCB play is well aware of this, as while the Young Lions have many excellent dribblers, they turn the ball over often on the dribble by attempting to take on one too many defenders. Still, the team ranks first in dribbling and second in shooting, with Justin Ellis and Ignacio Gómez ranking first and second at their respective positions (Ellis was having a tremendous overall season in MLS NEXT Pro, but we will have to wait and see how he is used after Antoine Griezmann is inserted in the Orlando City lineup to see if the club keeps him solely at the senior level).

On the negative side, the defenders show far more blue than red, especially in the final column of overall goals added, where most of the center backs rank in the bottom 20% and the fullbacks rank in the bottom 33%. The team’s primary goalkeeper, Tristan Himes, is just above the bottom 10% of goalkeepers in his overall goals added performance, and according to ASA’s measures, he has performed significantly worse than OCB’s other two goalkeepers. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that Juan Rojas started the most recent game against Columbus, but Himes will need to perform better if he wants to keep his spot and if the team is going to make a run in the back half of the season.

MLS NEXT Pro is a developmental league, so there are always questions about whether players are being fairly ranked based on if they are making their own playing decisions or if the club is asking them, or the team as a whole, to play a certain way or to try something different to see how they perform. That said, the cream usually rises to the top, and the heatmaps above reveal that the best performances by OCB players this year have been from Ellis, Sarajian, Gómez, and Dylan Judelson, all of whom rank in the top 11% at their respective positions.

The first three players have all played for the senior team this season, with Ellis carving out a starting role, and Judelson is only 18, yet already has appeared eight times for the Canadian U-20 team, including starting and playing the full 90 minutes in its most recent match against Portugal’s U-20 team (Canada was savagely beaten 6-1, but still). Justin Hylton (18), Gustavo Caraballo (17), and Jacob Ramirez (16) also have performed in the top 20% for their respective positions at relatively young ages, and Dominik Baczewski (18) is in the top 30%.

With busy months ahead at the senior level, some of these high performing young players may get a chance to see some minutes for Orlando City, and we will see if they can step up their games from MLS NEXT Pro to the big show.

These players are all young and playing in the south, so hopefully they can take their inspiration from southern rap icon Juvenile and create future heatmaps that look 400 Degreez.

Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City B (7-4-5, 29 points) let a late lead get away, drawing 2-2 with Columbus Crew 2 (9-4-4, 34 points) tonight at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. The visitors took the lead in the 37th minute through Johann Chirinos before Justin Hylton scored a second-half brace. But an 89th-minute equalizer by Kevin Gbamble and two balls off the woodwork in the penalty shootout saw OCB drop two points at home.

OCB Head Coach Eddie Wilding made five changes to the team that lost 2-1 to Philadelphia Union II on June 21. Juan Rojas, Titus Sandy, Jr., Clovis Archange, Gustavo Caraballo, and Harvey Sarajian entered the lineup, replacing Tristan Himes, Landon Okonski, Albright Chikamso, Ignacio Gomez, and Hylton.

Rojas started in goal behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Archange, Sandy, and Parker Amoo-Mensah. Issah Haruna, Dylan Judelson, Matthew Belgodere, and Gustavo Caraballo were the midfielders behind Pedro Leao and Sarajian.

Lightning in the area put the game into a weather delay that lasted nearly two hours. While the game was scheduled to start at 7 p.m., the kickoff finally occurred at 8:56 p.m.

The Young Lions began the game on the attack, creating the first chance inside the first minute. After forcing a turnover with the high press, Belgodere found Caraballo on the right side of the field. The midfielder’s first touch was a volley to Sarajian near the penalty spot. Unfortunately, Sarajian couldn’t put the ball on target, sending it wide.

A long ball over the midfield stripe in the fifth minute was touched on for Caraballo on the right. The attacker made a long run to the box, dribbling across the top of the 18 before firing on goal. The shot was directed inside the far post, forcing Stanislav Lapkes to dive to his right to tip it wide. Rhein’s ensuing set piece was cleared away and OCB was unable to get a second chance during the attack.

The visitors had their first chance in the 11th minute when Brent Adu-Gyamfi made a run from the right into the OCB box. His low cross was blocked, creating a chaotic scene in front of the goal as the Young Lions were unable to clear. Eventually, Gbamble was able to get a shot off, but Rojas was there to block it.

Chirinos played a lovely ball through the OCB back line for Oneal Taylor making a run behind Rhein in the 13th minute. The attacker had space for a shot, but he let the ball get too far in front of him. As a result, his shot went well wide, causing no concern for Rojas.

A Judelson turnover in his own third resulted in a chance for Columbus in the 18th minute. Crew 2 worked the ball around to the right, resulting in a dangerous pass across the six-yard box by Chirinos. Zachary Zengue was there to touch it in, but he couldn’t get a solid foot on it, allowing the ball to continue rolling through.

Two minutes later, Sandy knocked the ball off of Gbamble’s foot, but it went right to Taylor just inside the box. This time, the attacker put his shot on target, sending it straight at Rojas.

OCB was unable to get the ball out of its own third, allowing Columbus to retain possession. Prince Forfor sent a cross into the box that Sandy cleared over the end line for a corner kick. Zengue played the ensuing set piece short to Taylor, who gave it right back. Sarajian blocked his shot. Zengue retook possession and fired a second shot that Rojas blocked wide.

An excellent ball forward for Gbamble in the 26th minute sent the attacker deep into the OCB half of the field. He dribbled inside to create some space from Sandy before taking a shot toward the near post. However, Sandy was able to get a piece of the ball, deflecting it wide for a corner kick. The set piece was short to Chirinos, but Amoo-Mensah blocked his first cross, then knocked a second cross out of play. The second set piece found Issac Heffess at the near post, but the center back sent his header attempt wide.

Chirinos intercepted a poor pass by Caraballo for Judelson in the 32nd minute. The midfielder’s second touch was a pass to Zengue, who was even with the back line. The striker tried to beat Rojas to his near post but sent the attempt just wide.

Crew 2’s high press caused problems for OCB in the 37th minute, resulting in the game’s first goal. Rojas played the ball to Haruna at the top of the box and the midfielder immediately lost possession to Chirinos. The Columbus midfielder took a shot toward the near post that took a deflection off Archange and rolled softly into the goal.

Johann creates chaos and gets the goal 💪 pic.twitter.com/3DijeCDHyM

— Columbus Crew 2 (@ColumbusCrew2) June 29, 2026

Haruna turned the ball over again in his own half in the 42nd minute, creating a chance for Columbus to double its lead. Chirinos quickly played it forward to Taylor, who shot from distance. However, this attempt was well over the target.

A Caraballo turnover in his own third in the second minute of stoppage time created one final first-half chance for Crew 2. Forfor dribbled around Caraballo and Amoo-Mensah before lifting a cross towards goal. Fortunately, it landed on top of the net, ending the first 45 minutes.

The visitors dominated the first half with more shots (12-2), shots on target (4-1), and corner kicks (3-1). OCB had slightly better passing accuracy (88.7%-88.2%) and kept the game close, only trailing by one at the break despite repeatedly turning the ball over in its own half.

Wilding made a halftime change. Leao, who went down after a tough challenge late in the first half, was replaced by Hylton.

It didn’t take long for the substitute to get involved. In the 46th minute, he dribbled through Rui Aoki before sending the ball across the field for Caraballo. The young attacker carried the ball to the top corner of the box before sending the ball into Lapkes’ arms.

Crew 2 created its first second-half chance in the 49th minute when Moses Nyeman found Zengue near the top of the OCB box. After a couple of touches, the striker sent a hard, low shot toward the near post that went just wide.

An OCB turnover in the final third was cleared long and nearly resulted in a second goal for Columbus. Zengue got behind Archange, controlling the ball and entering the OCB box. He sent his attempt past Rojas and nearly snuck it inside the near post, but it hit the outside of the net instead.

Judelson turned the ball over to Gbamble off the restart, creating a chance for the visitors. Gbmable played the ball to Chirinos at the top of the box and the midfielder’s shot went wide.

Nyeman lifted the ball to the left for Forfor in the 53rd minute. The attacker dribbled toward the end line before sending the ball on goal from a tight angle. Rojas was forced to block it over the end line for a Columbus corner kick. The Crew played the ensuing short corner to Chirinos approaching the top of the OCB box. The midfielder sent a hard shot on target that forced Rojas to block it away and end the threat.

OCB quickly went the other way and nearly scored an equalizer. Belgodere made a run down the left to get onto a long, cross-field ball. After controlling the ball and taking a touch inside, he backheeled the ball to Hylton at the top of the box. The halftime substitute unleashed a shot that appeared to be heading over the bar. But he kept it down, sending his attempt off the post.

The Young Lions created another chance in the 55th minute when Hylton passed into the path of Caraballo’s overlapping run on the right. The attacker sent the ball to the top of the six for Sarajian, but his attempt was wide of the near post.

Sarajian went down in the 61st minute and required attention, giving Wilding a chance to make three changes. Caleb Trombino, Gomez, and Logan Tsopanoglou came into the game for Judelson, Caraballo, and Sarajian.

Gomez made his presence felt in the 66th minute when he sent a low, hard shot toward goal. Lapkes blocked the attempt, but knocked the rebound into the worst possible spot right in front of the goal. Hylton was trailing the play and knocked it in to even the game at 1-1.

Justin crashes the net 💥 pic.twitter.com/llTcKr7WUW

— Orlando City B (@OrlandoCityB) June 29, 2026

Wilding made his fifth and final change at the center back position in the 71st minute, replacing Archange with Chikamso.

Trombino passed to Tsopanoglou just outside the box in the 73rd minute, shielding his defender and Belgodere on the left. The midfielder dribbled to the end line before finding Tsopanoglou at the top of the six. The substitute’s shot was on target, forcing Lapkes into a diving one-handed save. However, it fell right to Hylton, who scored his second goal of the night and gave his team a 2-1 lead.

Hylton nets the rebound for his second of the night! 💫

2-1 @OrlandoCityB pic.twitter.com/tFqI1kIeSQ

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 29, 2026

Zengue played the ball wide right for Adu-Gyamfi in the 80th minute, continuing his run and receiving it back. His shot was on target and forced Rojas to block the attempt. As the ball went straight up in the air, Gbamble was in position to head it in. But Rojas pushed the ball wide, allowing Rhein to clear.

Crew 2 created a chance in the 83rd minute when Alex Gimple received a pass and turned his defender before finding Zengue near the top of the OCB box. The forward immediately continued the ball wide right for Adu-Gyamfi who shot, forcing Rojas to dive and tip the ball wide.

Christopher Rogers lifted the ball long for Gimple in the 84th minute, putting the second-half substitute in a position for a shot. The attempt was wide of the near post, though Rojas appeared to have it covered.

Zach Lloyd pushed forward from his center back position in the 87th minute, playing a give-and-go with Gimple before sending a shot wide of the near post.

Amoo-Mensah took the ball to his own corner flag in the 89th minute, looking to waste time rather than clearing it when he had the chance. That turned out to be a mistake when he lost possession. Quick passing by Columbus resulted in an unmarked Gbamble receiving the ball with space about eight yards out. The attacker passed the ball into the empty goal to even the game at 2-2.

Gbamblé ties it up for @ColumbusCrew2! 💪 pic.twitter.com/KXEBNUHlMK

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 29, 2026

Having conceded the late lead, OCB now had to go on the attack. Haruna passed to Belgodere on the left and the midfielder took his defender one-on-one before sending a shot over the target.

The final chance came in the third minute of stoppage time when Rhein threw the ball in right to the Crew’s Jamil Danjaji. The substitute found Zengue making a run into the box, but Rojas did well to come out and block the ball out of play. Crew 2 was unable to create anything from the ensuing corner kick and the game ended 2-2.

At full time, Crew 2 had the advantage in shots (24-11), shots on target (10-6), corner kicks (4-1), and passing accuracy (89%-88.1%). But it was OCB that let the late lead get away, dropping points at home.

Per MLS NEXT Pro rules, games tied after 90 minutes go to a penalty shootout to see which team earns a second point.

The shootout started with some excellent penalties. Hylton, Tsopanoglou, and Trombino converted for OCB while Chirinos, Adu-Gyamfi, and Zengue converted for Columbus.

In the fourth round, Gomez sent Lapkes the wrong way but hit the right post. Immanuel Ewing then stepped up and converted to give his team the 4-3 lead heading into the final round.

Rhein calmly put his penalty away and shushed Lapkes. But the visitors still had an opportunity to end it. Nicolas Rincon didn’t appear to be the most confident penalty taker and Rojas guessed correctly, diving to his right to make the stop and keeping his team in it.

Unfortunately, Chikamso was too confident with OCB’s sixth attempt as the shootout entered sudden death. The center back attempted a panenka but hit the crossbar, the second time OCB hit the woodwork in the shootout. Danjaji then stepped up and placed his attempt in the top corner, giving the visitors two points on the night.

It’s a disappointing result for the Young Lions, who were seconds away from claiming all three points. But they remain in fifth in the Eastern Conference with 29 points, two behind third place and three behind Crown Legacy FC for second.

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Having ended this two-game homestand, the Young Lions will now head out on the road as they face Crown Legacy FC next Sunday at 7 p.m.

Orlando City B (7-4-4, 28 points) had more chances than its opposition but fell 2-1 to Philadelphia Union II (6-7-2, 21 points) tonight at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. Second-half goals by Eddy Davis and Theo Reed gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. Bernardo Rhein got one back in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough as the Young Lions fell for the first time in over a month.

OCB Head Coach Eddie Wilding made three changes to the team that beat Huntsville City FC 2-1 in Alabama. Landon Okonski, Dylan Judelson, and Pedro Leao entered the starting lineup, replacing Titus Sandy, Jr., Caleb Trombino, and Harvey Sarajian, with the latter not dressed for tonight’s match.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Tristan Himes was made up of Rhein, Albright Chikamso, Okonski, and Parker Amoo-Mensah. Ignacio Gomez and Judelson were the defensive midfielders behind Issah Haruna, Justin Hylton, and Matthew Belgodere with Leao up top.

OCB dominated this game in almost every way but the scoreline. The Young Lions put double-digit shots on target, but most were into Pierce Holbrook’s chest. The Union II goalkeeper barely had to move to make his 10 saves and secure an important win away from home.

The first chance of the game came in the fourth minute when Davis dribbled to the end line and Okonski blocked his cross out of play. The defense cleared the ensuing corner kick but only to Davis at the top of the box. The attacker took a shot this time, sending his attempt over the target.

The Young Lions created their first chance in the eighth minute when Jordan Griffin deflected Gomez’s shot from the top of the box over the end line for a corner kick. Philadelphia cleared the ensuing set piece and OCB was unable to threaten Holbrook.

Hylton created the first shot on target by either team in the 11th minute. The attempt from the top of the box went through multiple defenders, forcing Holbrook to dive to his right and tip the ball wide of the post. The corner kick found Gomez at the far post and the midfielder had time to control the ball before shooting, but Lennon Harrington deflected his shot over the top of the goal.

OCB played the second corner short to Amoo-Mensah, who found Haruna outside the box. The midfielder took a shot from distance but Giovanny Sequera blocked it. OCB kept possession, resulting in a good ball to the back post for Leao, but the striker couldn’t get on the end of it.

Belgodere made a good run to the end line in the 17th minute before playing it to Hylton inside the box. The attacker sent a low shot toward the far post that rolled just wide.

A poor Okonski pass in the 20th minute resulted in the first booking of the game. Rafael Uzcategui headed the ball to the top of the box, where Sal Olivas was waiting. Okonski slid in with a tackle, winning the ball but taking Olivas out in the process. Referee Benjamin Meyer awarded Philadelphia a free kick and booked Okonski. The ensuing set piece by Davis flew wide of the far post, ending the threat.

Belgodere made another good run down the left in the 25th minute before lifting a cross to Leao, making a near-post run. The striker got his head to the ball, but it was a bit too high for the Brazilian to put it on target.

In the 35th minute, Belgodere tried to make something happen when he dribbled inside. He eventually found enough space for a shot, sending his attempt over the goal.

Haruna intercepted Griffin’s poor pass out of the back in the 39th minute, and the midfielder dribbled to the top of the box before unleashing a shot that Uzcategui blocked. Leao ran onto the loose ball and tried to lift it over Holbrook, but the goalkeeper got a hand up to block the attempt on OCB’s best chance of the first half.

A minute later, Judelson found Hylton with a long pass out of the back. Hylton’s defender gave him plenty of space to dribble to the top of the box, where he took a shot. However, he again sent it straight to Holbrook, causing little trouble for the goalkeeper.

Haruna found Leao near the top of the Philadelphia box in the 42nd minute. Harrington blocked Leao’s first shot, but it came right back to him. Finn Sundstrom deflected his second shot just wide. The Young Lions were unable to create anything from the ensuing corner kick, ending the attack.

Belgodere created another chance for himself in the 44th minute with a good run down the left. He took a shot for the near post, but Holbrook had it covered, blocking the shot and collecting the ball.

On the other end, Rhein fouled Willyam Ferreira in the 45th minute, creating a set piece for the visitors. Griffin took the free kick, but Judelson deflected it wide. Philadelphia couldn’t get anything from the ensuing corner kick, allowing OCB to escape.

That was the last good chance of the half as the game entered the break scoreless. After 45 minutes, OCB had the edge in shots (17-4), shots on target (6-0), and passing accuracy (86%-70.6%). Meanwhile, both teams won four corner kicks.

Philadelphia was the more attacking team early in the second half. Shortly after the restart, Judelson fouled Oscar Benitez, resulting in a free kick near midfield. Halftime substitute Andrew Craig tried to catch Himes off his line from his own side of the field, sending the attempt wide.

Rhein blocked Sequera’s shot out of play in the 52nd minute for a Philadelphia corner kick. The short set piece ended up with Kellan LeBlanc making a run down the end line. The attacker either shot or crossed, putting it off the near post.

OCB players felt they should’ve had a penalty in the 55th minute when Belgodere dribbled into the box from the left and went down after contact from Benitez from behind. However, Meyer didn’t see it as enough contact to award a penalty.

Philadelphia quickly went the other way and created the game’s first goal. Ferreira turned forward Isaiah Mendoza’s outlet pass and sent it to Davis on the right. The attacker took Chikamso one-on-one, taking a touch inside to find enough space for a shot. It was an excellent attempt that curled around the diving Himes and inside the far post to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

Eddy Davis picks out the bottom corner to put @PhilaUnionII in front 🎯 pic.twitter.com/g5uMFKmZL5

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 22, 2026

The Young Lions quickly went on the attack, trying to find an equalizer. In the 60th minute, Belgodere made a good run into the box and fired a shot that was blocked. It went to Rhein on the other side, but Union II blocked his shot as well.

Philadelphia nearly scored a second in the 63rd minute when Sequera sent a quality cross to the far post for Olivas. The attacker got his head to the ball and headed it down past Himes. However, it bounced off the crossbar, allowing OCB to keep the game within one goal.

The visitors headed away Belgodere’s cross for Gomez in the 64th minute and broke on the counterattack. Olivas drove down the left and dribbled to the corner of the OCB box before finding Tyler Gladstone. The second-half substitute’s second touch was a shot that skipped just wide of the far post.

Sundstrom won a long pass across the field intended for Leao in the 66th minute. Sequera took possession and dribbled near the top of the OCB box, where he fired over the top.

Wilding made his first two changes in the 69th minute, replacing Chikamso and Hylton with Sandy and Nicolas Torres.

In the 69th minute, Gomez played the ball to Haruna on the right and continued his run, receiving it back. The attacker sent a dangerous cross through the box that was a little too far in front of Leao. The Young Lions kept possession and played the ball around for Gomez on the right. This time the midfielder took the shot himself, but Craig blocked it out of play. Sundstrom headed away the ensuing set piece.

Philadelphia immediately broke the other way with LeBlanc making a long run to the top of the OCB box. He found Davis making a run behind the back line and the goal scorer had plenty of space for a shot, but he put this attempt over the target.

In the 75th minute, Olivas made a run to the top of the box before unleashing a shot that Himes blocked wide. The visitors kept possession, resulting in a cross by Sequera that Olivas couldn’t quite get his head on.

Wilding made his third substitution in the 77th minute, replacing Gomez with Brady Kendall.

Philadelphia doubled its advantage in the 81st minute when LeBlanc sent a good cross to the back post. Sandy had drifted too far from Reed, who won the header and sent it past Himes and in to give his team a 2-0 lead.

Like a good neighbor, Theo Reed is there 🎵

An insurance goal for @PhilaUnionII! pic.twitter.com/OPrZqohdzp

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 22, 2026

In the 84th minute, Judelson sent a long ball to Amoo-Mensah on the right. The defender played it back for Haruna, who fired the ball right at Holbrook on another wasted opportunity.

Amoo-Mensah found Judelson making a run into the box in the 87th minute. The defensive midfielder’s shot was blocked right back to him. Judelson sent his second attempt straight into Holbrook’s arms.

Philadelphia intercepted Okonski’s pass at the top of its own box in the 89th minute and sent the ball forward for Olivas. The forward dribbled from just inside his own half to the top of the OCB box, sending his shot over the goal.

As the game neared full time, the Young Lions searched frantically for a goal to get back into the game. In the 90th minute, Reed blocked Torres’ shot out for an OCB corner kick. OCB played the ensuing short corner to Haruna, who crossed the ball in. Belgodere volleyed it into the six, but Union II cleared it. Judelson took possession and found Torres to his right. The attacker took another shot, sending the attempt right at Holbrook again.

Belgodere used his speed to get into the Philadelphia box in the third minute of stoppage time, cutting inside to get a shot off. Benitez blocked it, but the ball went to Judelson, who immediately played it forward for Torres. Craig headed away the cross and it looked like Philadelphia would clear. However, Judelson immediately won the ball from Sundstrom and sent it into the box for Rhein. The academy product’s second touch was a hard shot from the left side that beat Holbrook to the far post, cutting the deficit in half.

Perfectly placed 🎯 pic.twitter.com/86ZC1NWU1N

— Orlando City B (@OrlandoCityB) June 22, 2026

The Young Lions had one final attempt in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Belgodere sent a cross toward the far post, where Okonski was making a run. Unfortunately, Reed got a body on the center back, ensuring he couldn’t get a clean header. It popped up, allowing Holbrook to make the easy catch.

At full time, OCB had the advantage in shots (28-16), shots on target (11-3), corner kicks (7-5), and passing accuracy (87.5%-73.9%). The difference in the game was that Holbrook made 10 saves while Himes only made one, as the Young Lions lacked the lethality theyve shown throughout the season in front of goal.

The loss ends a four-game winning streak for OCB and sees the team fall to fourth in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference. The Young Lions sit on 28 points after 15 games, tied with New York Red Bulls II, two points behind Crown Legacy FC, and four points behind conference-leading Columbus Crew 2. The teams chasing Columbus have at least one game in hand.

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The Young Lions will stay home as they host Crew 2 team on June 28 at Osceola County Stadium.