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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Huntsville City FC: Final Score 1-1 as Young Lions Claim Shootout Point Following Road Draw

The Young Lions are bringing five out of a possible six points home after a shootout win in Huntsville.

Published

1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B

For the second straight game, OCB fell behind but came back to get a result. The Young Lions watched Joel Sangwa open the scoring on a free header for Huntsville City FC (0-0-2, 2 points) in the first half, but battled back on a Justin Ellis goal, as OCB (1-0-1, 5 points) earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw on a rainy night at Joe W. Davis Stadium in Huntsville, AL. The Young Lions then won a wild penalty shootout to claim another point in the standings.

For the moment, that puts OCB atop the Eastern Conference on the early season, but with one more game played than most teams. The Young Lions earned five out of a possible six points in their two-game, season-opening road trip.

Head Coach Manuel Goldberg’s lineup featured Carlos Mercado in goal behind a back line of Tahir Reid-Brown, Manuel Cocca, Nabi Kibunguchi, and Zakaria Taifi. Imanol Almaguer and Colin Guske made up the double pivot in central midfield behind an attacking midfield line of Yutaro Tsukada, Jhon Solis, and Thomas Bowe with Justin Ellis up top.

The Young Lions started the game as the protagonists, getting a couple of early half chances but wasting them badly with wild, off-target shots. One effort went so far wide in the opening minutes that it seems impossible that it wasn’t blocked. The second came from Cocca off a scramble in the box on a corner kick, but the defender sent a shot high into the night sky in the ninth minute.

After a good first 10 minutes for OCB, Huntsville started settling into the game, but the hosts were helped by poor touches and passes by the Young Lions. Orlando City B repeatedly tried to make quick, intricate passes in tight space in their own half or near midfield and could not make them precisely enough, allowing Huntsville to easily take the ball away time after time. It put the Young Lions on their heels for the middle part of the first half.

Jonathan Bolanos sent a hard, low shot from outside the box just inches of Mercado’s left post in the 24th minute. Bolanos gave Taifi some problems down OCB’s right flank, winning some set pieces and sending some dangerous crosses into the box.

Forster Ajago just mistimed his jump a minute after the Bolanos miss after OCB turned the ball over again. That led to a corner kick and the hosts made the set piece pay off. Sangwa went high over Ellis and put his free header past Mercado to open the scoring in the 26th minute.

Ajago had a chance to double the lead a minute later but committed a foul trying to push his way to a cross.

The Young Lions started to get some rhythm back around the half-hour mark. Solis got into the box and would have had a dangerous scoring chance, but a wayward spoiled the attack in the 31st minute. Seconds later, Tsukada tried an ambitious effort from outside the right corner of the box. The rookie’s shot didn’t bend and stayed well off target.

In the 34th minute, Tsukada sent a good ball through the box that Ellis couldn’t quite turn on target and OCB’s back post runner wasn’t close enough to tap it into the empty net. The Lions pulled level moments later anyway.

Sangwa took an unsteady touch on a back pass and Ellis pounced, knocking it toward the penalty area. The players arrived together and Ellis out-muscled the defender to win the ball, then calmly stepped to his left across the face of goal and slotted the equalizer home in the 36th minute for his first MLS NEXT Pro goal.

Reid-Brown came within inches of giving OCB the lead in the 40th minute. The Homegrown fullback sent in a shot from outside the area that crashed off the crossbar behind goalkeeper Ben Martino. The ball rebounded to Taifi, but the right back’s shot was deflected behind for a corner. A minute later, Almaguer went for goal from long range and hit his shot wildly off target. Guske fired a similarly wild shot in the 44th minute, but in fairness, the rain was falling and the ball was wet.

The last good chance of the half fell to Huntsville. A ball knocked away by the defense made it just outside the area on the right to Maximus Ekk, who smashed a volley toward goal that skipped just wide of the left post.

The stat sheet was indicative of the tie score at the break. OCB finished the half with the advantage in shots (8-4), while Huntsville passed more accurately (85.1%-78.2%) and held more possession (55%-45%). Each team put one shot on target (the two goals), and both sides won four corner kicks.

Orlando won an early corner after the restart but did nothing with it. Huntsville then seized control of the match and the hosts were rarely threatened from that point on. However, the OCB defense did well to handle almost everything Huntsville City threw at it, and when the ball got through, Mercado was there to catch the ball.

Adem Sipic fired the first shot on target in the 49th minute, sending a shot in from the left side that Mercado was able to catch cleanly despite the rain. Three minutes later, Ekk found himself all alone at the back post for a free header, but he couldn’t get any power behind his shot and Mercado fielded it on one hop.

Ekk then blasted a shot from well outside the area off a corner kick played short. Kibunguchy got his head to it to ensure that Mercado didn’t have to make a save on the strike. Solis cleared the ensuing corner but Huntsville won it back and Ekk freed himself for a shot from outside the area that Mercado saved.

The hosts continued their assault on goal with Kibunguchy blocking a shot inside the box, followed by Mercado catching a long-range effort from Bolanos in the 55th and 56th minutes, respectively.

One of OCB’s problems in the second half was wasting attacking opportunities. Both teams fell in love with the long shot attempt and neither side came particularly close to scoring with such efforts. Tsukada wasted an opportunity in the 57th minute with an impatient attempt that came nowhere near threatening the goal.

Ollie Wright sent a shot wide of goal from a good spot near the top of the area in the 59th minute and Huntsville teammate Scott Cheevers was booked for yapping at the referee for giving a goal kick. Two minutes later, Reid-Brown got away with a bad turnover in his own box, hustling to help win the ball back.

Tsukada made a fantastic run through the defense in the 63rd minute and did well to free himself for a shot fromt he left, but Sangwa came in to block it at the last second. OCB could not make the corner kick pay off. Another rare foray up the pitch nearly created something for the Young Lions, but a cross fizzed too quickly through the box for Ellis to get onto it.

Goldberg subbed in Majed Mohammed for Ellis in the 78th minute and OCB struggled to keep possession after the change. Mohammed got position well on long balls forward but could not bring balls down close enough to his body. The few times he did, he was muscled off the ball by the defense and Huntsville continued its attack.

There was a scary moment in the 82nd minute when a ball popped loose in the box. Mercado raced off his line and got to the ball just ahead of Ajago, who tumbled over the prone goalkeeper. Huntsville shouted for a penalty, but Mercado got a touch to the ball just before Ajago arrived, and although the keeper couldn’t maintain possession of the wet ball, the lack of a penalty call seemed the correct one.

OCB seemed content to play for the draw after that and nearly got a counterattack opportunity in the 90th minute, but Wright played a second ball on the pitch down the middle to break up the transition. He was booked for the interference.

The Young Lions wanted a penalty in the second minute of six added minutes. Abdullah did well to make his first decent attacking run and got into the box, going down with contact, but the referee deemed the challenge legal and played on.

Orlando survived a couple of late Huntsville attacks to earn the road draw at full time.

Huntsville sustained its second-half pressure and finished with the advantage in shots (14-12), shots on target (5-1), passing accuracy (85.4%-74.6%), and corners (9-6). But OCB defended well and Mercado didn’t have to make many big stops.

That would soon change.

Because the game ended in a draw, MLS NEXT Pro rules dictate that the game goes to penalties to determine which team earns a second point in the standings. It was Huntsville’s second shootout in as many games and OCB’s first of the season.

The hosts shot first from the spot, with Alexis Cerritos scoring to set the tone for Huntsville City. Cocca fired off the underside of the crossbar and in to level the shootout after one round.

Sangwa fired wide of the left post as Huntsville’s second shooter, giving OCB a chance to seize control. The Young Lions squandered that opportunity when Zakaria Taifi left his shot too close to Martino, who was able to get down in time to stop the shot.

Isaiah Johnston fired a shot just under the bar into the roof of the net to make it 2-1 Huntsville to open the third round. Tsukada used a Bruno Fernandes-like stuttery run-up and hop to force Martino to commit, then calmly slotted home to tie it at 2-2 after three rounds.

Cheevers restored the lead for the hosts with Huntsville’s fourth shot, but Guske answered with an inch-perfect shot inside the left post to make it 3-3.

Sipic sent a shot toward the right post as Huntsville’s fifth shooter, but Mercado had already guessed that way and made a good save near the post to keep the score tied. OCB had a chance to win, but Kibunguchy left his shot too close to the middle and Martino was not fooled by his sprint up to the ball, making a comfortable save and sending the shootout to sudden death.

Mercado came up with another stop on Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez to give OCB another chance to grab the extra point, and this time the Young Lions capitalized. Thomas Bowe coolly slotted home his spot kick past Martino to lift OCB to the 4-3 shootout win and the extra point in the MLS NEXT Pro standings.

The Young Lions will host Inter Miami in their home opener on Tuesday at 6 p.m., but the club has yet to announce the venue for the match.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Atlanta United 2: Final Score 3-0 as Young Lions Humbled by Atlanta, Selves

OCB falls to Atlanta United 2 in arguably the team’s worst performance of the season.

Published

6 days ago

on

May 25, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City B (4-5-1, 14 points) got an extra home game tonight due to a scheduling conflict in Georgia, but instead of taking advantage of not having to play Atlanta United 2 (2-2-6, 14 points) on the road, the Young Lions were humbled 3-0 in their own building. At least they can take some solace that it was a closed-door beatdown that fans couldn’t attend.

Atlanta took the early lead through Gabriel Wesseh’s conversion of a Carlos Mercado howler before Cayman Togashi scored on both sides of halftime.

This game was originally scheduled to take place in Kennesaw, GA, on Friday night. However, due to venue unavailability, it was moved to Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. Despite playing in their home stadium, the Young Lions were the away team. Since Atlanta was the home team, OCB’s southeast rivals requested a closed-door game.

As if the two-day delay wasn’t enough, severe weather in the area delayed the game for nearly an hour, finally getting underway at 8:25 p.m. The rain made a difference in the game, as the players had trouble playing on the waterlogged pitch in the early moments.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made one change to the team that came away with a 3-0 win over Inter Miami II on May 17. Gustavo Caraballo wasn’t in the team and was replaced in the lineup by Bernardo Rhein.

The back line in front of Mercado in goal was Tahir Reid-Brown, Jackson Platts, Thomas Williams, and Zakaria Taifi. Colin Guske and Riyon Tori were the defensive midfielders behind Rhein, Justin Ellis, and Jhon Solis with Shak Mohammed up top.

The game was pretty much over from the opening whistle. OCB rarely threatened and sent the ball well off target when it did. Meanwhile, Atlanta looked like the only team that wanted to play, constantly creating dangerous chances in the final third.

Atlanta went on the attack early and took advantage of an OCB mistake. Receiving a pass back from Platts, Mercado was out of his box, looking to play the ball up the field, but he sent it directly to Wesseh. Wesseh easily chipped the OCB goalkeeper, putting the ball in the empty net and giving his team the fourth-minute lead.

Javier Armas tried to beat Mercado from distance in the eighth minute, shooting for the far post from outside the box. It looked like Mercado got a hand to the ball, knocking it wide. But the referee gave a goal kick instead.

Guske played a quick free kick to Reid-Brown in the 21st minute, sending the left back to the end line. Mohammed made a run to the near post and Reid-Brown sent the ball in, but it was too close to Jonathan Ransom, who made the save.

In the 22nd minute, Armas found Nykolas Sessock making an overlapping run on his right. The right back had Cayman Togashi and Dominik Chong Qui making runs into the box and sent in a hard cross, but nobody could get on the end of it and the ball went all the way through the box.

Taifi won a corner in the 24th minute when his cross was blocked out of play by Braden Dunham. The right back took the set piece, sending it to the back post. Platts outjumped his defender to get his head to the ball, sending it just over the crossbar.

Atlanta had a series of corner kicks in the 28th minute. The second found the head of Salvatore Mazzaferro, who redirected the ball towards goal. It was on target but went off the shoulder of Reid-Brown. The ensuing corner was cleared, ending the extended attack.

Armas had the ball in a seemingly innocuous spot in the 31st minute. The Atlanta captain fired a shot on target from distance, but Mercado blocked it down and collected it.

OCB had one of its rare first-half chances in the 35th minute when Ellis found Mohammed making a run into the box. The forward took a touch towards the end line, slightly cutting down his angle before firing it into the arms of Ransom. That was the only OCB shot on target in the game.

On the other end, Armas found Wesseh on the right. The midfielder had plenty of space, taking a touch inside before attempting another long shot towards goal. This time it was too close to Mercado, who made the stop.

In the 38th minute, Chong Qui was making a run to the top of the box when Taifi met him. The ball popped in the air towards goal where Sessock was making a run. He nearly got to the ball before Mercado, but he couldn’t quite reach it and the OCB goalkeeper picked it up.

Solis tried to win the ball from Chong Qui in the 40th minute, ultimately tripping the midfielder and giving Atlanta a free kick. Armas stepped up to take the set piece, sending it to the far post. He had Mercado beaten, but the ball bounced off the woodwork, keeping the OCB deficit at 1-0.

Atlanta doubled its lead in the 45th minute from a free kick in its own third of the field. Chong Qui flicked Mazzaferro’s long set piece into the box. Platts and Togashi went after the ball, with Platts getting there first. But Togashi muscled the center back off the ball. Mercado had started to come out, but changed his mind when Togashi had possession. With the goalkeeper caught in no-man’s land, Togashi touched it around the OCB goalkeeper and into the once-again wide-open net to give Atlanta a commanding 2-0 lead.

After 45 minutes, Atlanta had the advantage in shots (9-5) shots on goal (4-1), corner kicks (3-2), and passing accuracy (85%-83.3%). OCB had more crosses (2-1), but the best chances were by the team in stripes.

Goldberg made one change at halftime. Rhein, who went down earlier in the first half, was replaced by Favian Loyola.

Atlanta continued its attack on the OCB goal out of the break, creating a chance in the 50th minute. Chong Qui dribbled towards the top of the box before firing. It looked like the shot might be on target, but Taifi stepped in front to block it.

In the 55th minute, Sessock dribbled into the box before laying the ball off for Armas. The attacker tried to lift the ball over Mercado, but couldn’t get it to come down, and it sailed over the crossbar.

Ransom cleared the ball way up field in the 57th minute. Mercado came out of his box, but Togashi beat him to it. The attacker chipped the ball over the OCB goalkeeper and it appeared to be going in, but Williams got back to knock it out of play, keeping the deficit at two goals.

Solis intercepted a pass at midfield in the 59th minute, heading the other way. The midfielder was pulled down by Armas before he could reach the ball, earning a yellow card. Solis took the free kick himself from a position in which he’s scored before. However, he sent this one directly into the wall.

Mohammed played the ball back for Loyola from the corner in the 61st minute. The halftime substitute lifted it into the box where Taifi was making a run. He went over the defender and got a head to it, sending it wide.

Solis had another chance from a corner kick in the 66th minute when Atlanta failed to clear the ball. The midfielder found a way through multiple defenders and had a good look at goal, but sent the shot over the top.

After receiving a pass from Platts, Loyola lost the ball to Cooper Sanchez in the 68th minute. Dribbling into the OCB third of the field, he found Togashi near the top of the box. Reid-Brown was there to defend, but Togashi spun to lose him and tucked the ball into the far bottom corner to make it 3-0.

In the 70th minute, Solis made a good, long run into the Atlanta half of the field. He played it centrally for Ellis, who quickly sent it on for Loyola. The first-team forward had a good look at the goal, but his shot went wide.

Solis tried to play Reid-Brown a long ball in the 72nd minute, but Sessock got their first, playing it back to his goalkeeper. However, Ransom was under pressure from Reid-Brown and played a terrible ball out of the back, sending it straight to Loyola. The goal was wide open, but Loyola sent the ball over the top.

Goldberg made two more changes in the 74th minute. Hayden Sargis and Diego Pareja came into the game for Guske and Platts.

Former OCB attacker Moises Tablante made a long run to the top of the OCB box in the 76th minute before being taken down by Williams. The center back protested the decision, but Atlanta had a free kick in a great position.

Armas stepped up to take the set piece and went for goal. It was a hard shot that fortunately went well over the crossbar.

A stoppage of play in the 78th minute gave Goldberg the opportunity to make his fourth change of the game. Noham Abdellaoui came on for Williams.

A long ball out of the back by Chong Qui in the 82nd minute found Wesseh across midfield. The forward beat the new center back pairing of Abdellaoui and Sarigs to get in on goal. As Abdellaoui caught up with the attacker, Wesseh shot. However, Mercado did well to come off his line and tip it wide.

It was a frustrating night for the Young Lions, which was on full display in the 88th minute when Solis played Reid-Brown down the left. Sessock did well to shield the OCB left back, winning a goal kick. Reid-Brown kicked the advertising board in frustration after being out-muscled by his smaller opponent, a perfect representation of the night for Orlando.

Mercado nearly made a costly error in the 90th minute when he played a ball out of the back directly to Adyn Torres. However, the Young Lions were able to win it back and draw a foul to avoid any more danger.

Wesseh received a pass at the top left corner of the box in the second minute of stoppage time. He was given plenty of space, so he took the shot himself, sending it wide of the far post.

A minute later, Ryan Carmichael made a run into the OCB box and sent a dangerous ball across the face of goal. Fortunately, nobody in black and red was close enough to get on the end of it and the ball went out of play.

That was the final chance for either team as Atlanta came away with a dominant 3-0 win. At full time, Atlanta had the advantage in shots (23-12), shots on target (7-1), and corner kicks (5-4). OCB had better passing accuracy (84.2%-80.1%) and both teams had five crosses.

It was an abysmal performance by OCB. Every player made costly mistakes, and the team failed to threaten the Atlanta goal. Even when defensive mistakes by the opposition gave the Young Lions a golden opportunity, they found a way to mess it up.

The Young Lions are currently in eighth place, barely above the red line. However, they’re now tied with Atlanta on points and only one point ahead of Chicago Fire II and Inter Miami II.

OCB will have to shake this one off and find a way to rebound when they host Chattanooga FC on June 1.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 3-0 as Young Lions Dominate Herons At Home

Justin Ellis’ goal and two assists helped end a five-game winless run against the Herons.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

May 17, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B

Orlando City B (4-4-1, 14 points) returned home tonight and crushed Inter Miami II (3-6-1, 10 points) 3-0 at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. Gustavo Caraballo gave the Young Lions the lead in the 19th minute before Shak Mohammed doubled the advantage in the 51st minute. But it was Justin Ellis’ night. The 18-year-old assisted the first two goals and converted a penalty in the 59th minute to cap off a remarkable game.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made just one change from the team that lost 5-1 to Chicago Fire II on May 2. Jhon Solis returned to the starting lineup after his one-game suspension, replacing Juan Quevedo.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Carlos Mercado was Tahir Reid-Brown, Thomas Williams, Jackson Platts, and Zakaria Taifi. Colin Guske and Riyon Tori were the defensive midfielders behind Solis, Ellis, and Caraballo with Mohammed up top.

Miami got off to the stronger start in the first five minutes and it looked like it might be another long night for OCB. But that was the end of the threats by the opposition. The Young Lions seemed to wake up and dominated the rest of the game. The 3-0 scoreline is a fair result as OCB was by far the better team.

The visitors nearly took the lead in the fifth minute when Santiago Morales’ shot hit the post. The rebound went right back to the midfielder, who found Cesar Abadia-Reda to his left. The defender sent a second shot towards goal but hit it just wide of the near post.

A minute later, the Young Lions felt they should’ve had a penalty when Reid-Brown found Mohammed down the left. The attacker played the ball into the box for Caraballo, who went down after contact from behind. The OCB players and fans appealed for a penalty, but the referee disagreed.

Alejo Ristano pulled Ellis down in the 12th minute, giving the Young Lions a free kick near the top of the Miami box. Caraballo and Solis stood over the ball with Solis taking it. His set piece got through the wall, but Ivan Schmid had eyes on it the entire way, making for an easy save.

The Young Lions took the lead in the 19th minute when Mohammed found Ellis at the top of the Miami box. Caraballo was making a run, and Ellis chipped it in for the midfielder. The 16-year-old did well to control the ball and put it past Schmid to give his team the 1-0 lead.

It looked like OCB might double its advantage in the 22nd minute when the Young Lions broke forward on a four-on-two break. Mohammed played the ball to his right for Caraballo, who immediately tried to find Ellis in the middle of the field. However, the pass was behind the attacker and the Young Lions were unable to create a shot.

In the 39th minute, Abadia-Reda sent a dangerous cross through the OCB box, looking for Ricardo Montenegro. Fortunately, he wasn’t able to connect, because Mercado would’ve had little chance if the midfielder had redirected it on target.

OCB won a corner kick in the first minute of first-half stoppage time. The set piece found Williams near the top of the six-yard box with Giovanni Ferraina holding the center back, causing his header to go wide. Williams threw his arms up, feeling a penalty should’ve been called, but nothing came of it.

Both teams created three shots in the first 45 minutes, but OCB put two on target while Miami only put one on frame. While Miami had the edge in crosses (2-0), corner kicks (3-1), and passing accuracy (91%-87.8%), Caraballo’s 19th-minute strike gave the Young Lions that one-goal halftime lead.

Goldberg made a pair of halftime changes, possibly in preparation for Sunday night’s first-team game in Fort Lauderdale. Favian Loyola and Dylan Judelson came into the game for Guske and Caraballo.

OCB doubled its advantage in the 51st minute and it was created by Ellis again. The attacker received the ball at the top of the Miami box, and — similar to the first goal — chipped it forward. This time it was Mohammed making the run, playing it past Schmid to make it 2-0.

Miami looked to respond in the 56th minute when Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida found Morales in the box with some space. The midfielder’s second touch was a shot on goal, but Mercado was at his near post to collect it.

Things got even better for OCB in the 57th minute when Loyola made a run into the Miami box from the right and shot. Tyler Hall turned his back to the ball and it went off his arm. The referee immediately pointed to the spot, awarding OCB a penalty.

After setting up the first two goals, Ellis stepped up to take the spot kick. There was a delay while the referee made sure the players were outside the box. When his whistle blew, Ellis didn’t hesitate to take the attempt, putting it past a diving Schmid to make it 3-0.

“It was just the confidence that my teammates and the staff give me,” Ellis said about his goal and two assists. “Like the freedom that they give me. They tell me where to be and then I just execute.”

“He has a lot of determination in the last third. We tried to take advantage, he tried to take advantage with his teammates,” Goldberg said about Ellis’ performance. “He assisted twice and scored, so we are really happy for him.”

The Young Lions nearly made it 4-0 in the 63rd minute when Ellis made a good run into the box, and his pass split two defenders and found Taifi. The right back had his back to goal, so he laid it off to Mohammed instead. Mohammed quickly shot, but Schmid blocked it over the crossbar.

The ensuing corner kick was long, finding Platts beyond the back post. The center back sent the ball in front of goal with a teammate there, but it was cleared away.

OCB dominated the second half, but Miami created a chance in the 69th minute when Yuval Cohen got enough room from his defender to get a shot off. However, he sent the attempt well off target.

Immediately after the miss, Goldberg made his third change of the night, replacing Taifi with Hayden Sargis.

Ellis was looking for his third assist and fourth goal contribution in the 72nd minute when he played Mohammed behind the Miami back line. But this time the flag went up, ruling the striker offside.

Alejandro Flores forced Mercado into action in the 73rd minute with an ambitious shot from distance. The attempt was heading inside the near post, but Mercado did well to dive to his left and push the ball wide.

In the 76th minute, Mateo Saja was taken down just outside of the OCB box, giving Miami a free kick in a dangerous position. It was a fortunate play for the Young Lions because Saja was entering the box when he was taken down.

Before the set piece could be taken, Goldberg made another change as Bernardo Rhein came on for Ellis.

Morales sent the set piece towards goal. The ball went off Mohammed, sending it just wide of the target. The Young Lions cleared the ensuing corner kick and Miami was unable to get anything else from the attack.

Goldberg made his final change in the 85th minute as Noah Levis made his OCB debut, replacing Solis.

A free kick in the 89th minute resulted in a dangerous situation. Schmid came flying out for the set piece, running into Platts and flipping over the center back. The referee called Platts for a foul and both players went down. However, neither needed attention and both were able to continue.

Miami quickly went the other way and created a chance. There were multiple pink jerseys in the box as the low cross came in, but Mercado jumped off his line to collect it before anyone could put it on target.

In the final minute of stoppage time, Cohen wound up and shot from well outside the box. The attempt got through a pair of defenders, but Mercado had his near post well covered, smothering the ball. The final whistle blew before he could punt the ball away, securing the 3-0 win for the Young Lions.

Inter Miami II had the better statistical night with the advantage in shots (11-8), crosses (7-4), corner kicks (6-3), and passing accuracy (91%-86.6%). But both teams put five shots on target and OCB created much more dangerous situations.

“The first thing, to win the derby is great. So that’s the most important,” Goldberg said. “Apart from that, I think we did it in a good way, which is even better.”

“It was a great team performance,” Ellis added. “I think the defensive solidity gave us the confidence to score three goals, and it gave us the freedom to play for what we see and just use our talent.”

The win snaps a five-game winless run against Miami, during which the Young Lions went 0-3-2. Prior to tonight, the most recent OCB win came on May 25, 2023, a 1-0 win in Fort Lauderdale.

After a short stop at home, OCB will head back out on the road to face another rival in Atlanta United 2 Friday night in Kennesaw, GA.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Chicago Fire FC II: Final Score 5-1 as Chicago Scores Five Unanswered

Chicago Fire II responded to OCB’s opening goal with five unanswered in a dominating win.

Published

4 weeks ago

on

May 2, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City B (8-3-4, 11 points) traveled north to take on Chicago Fire FC II (7-3-4, 9 points) tonight at Flames Field on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago. Shak Mohammed gave the Young Lions the first-half lead, but it was all downhill after that. Goals by Peter Soudan and Jason Shokalook made it 2-1 at halftime. The hosts kept their foot on the gas with second-half goals by Jean Diouf, Justin Reynolds, and Dean Boltz in a 5-1 thumping.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made two changes from the team that fell 4-2 to New York Red Bulls II Sunday night. Jhon Solis was suspended for yellow card accumulation after five bookings in the first seven games. It’s the first time Solis has been out of the starting lineup this year and the second time since joining OCB in 2023, breaking a streak of 39 straight starts. Javier Otero was with the first team, so he didn’t play either. They were replaced by Juan Quevedo and Carlos Mercado.

The back line in front of Mercado in goal was Tahir Reid-Brown, Jackson Platts, Thomas Williams, and Zakaria Taifi. Colin Guske and Riyon Tori were the defensive midfielders behind Quevedo, Justin Ellis, and Gustavo Caraballo with Mohammed up top.

The hosts dominated this game from the outset, creating several chances in the opening minutes. Mohammed had a couple of wasted opportunities before giving his team the lead just before the half-hour mark. That was the last good thing from OCB, as the game quickly went downhill.

The story of this one was missed chances, poor defending, and poor goalkeeping. Mohammed could’ve had four first-half goals, including a poor penalty attempt. The Young Lions failed to get back on Shokalook’s second-half goal, and Mercado had a ball bounce off his chest, giving Chicago an easy fifth.

Fire II created the first chance of the game in the sixth minute when a shot from the top left corner of the box was blocked out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece by Claudio Cassano found the head of Diego Konincks, but his header was wide.

A minute later, Mohammed was sent behind the Fire II back line. It looked like the OCB forward would have a breakaway, but Diouf did well to catch up with the first-team attacker. The defender’s tackle in the box had to be perfect and it was, knocking the ball away.

Cassano made a long run into the OCB box in the eighth minute. He twisted and turned Caraballo but also caused himself to fall. As a result, his shot hit the outside of the net.

Soudan made a good run to the end line in the 10th minute and attempted to cross, but Quevedo got in front, blocking it out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece found the head of Diouf in the box, and the center back tried to redirect it on goal but sent it over the crossbar.

The Young Lions finally got their first shot in the 12th minute when Mohammed received a pass near the top right corner of the Chicago box. The forward’s second touch was shot, but a defender got in front to block the attempt.

Fire II won another corner kick in the 18th minute when Soudan was sent towards the end line. Quevedo again got back to block the cross for a Chicago corner kick. This time, it didn’t find a red target, and the Young Lions were able to clear.

In the 21st minute, Vitaliy Hlyut found enough space for a shot inside the OCB box. He had a clear chance from about 10 yards out, but Mercado did well to get down and block the attempt.

Caraballo turned the ball over to Charles Nagle in the 22nd minute. OCB wanted a foul as Nagle pushed Caraballo down, but the referee allowed play to continue. Nagle took a shot from outside the box, sending it over the crossbar.

Mohammed had his second chance of the game in the 24th minute from a turnover in the Chicago third of the field. He dribbled into the box to the right of goal and had enough space for a shot but hit the outside of the net.

It looked like Ellis might have a chance in the 28th minute after a give-and-go with Taifi. However, the ball was knocked off his foot. Fortunately, it went directly to Caraballo, who was able to get a shot off. But his attempt was blocked.

Despite spending most of the first half-hour defending, OCB took the lead in the 29th minute. Ellis received a pass across midfield from Williams and played a beautiful ball with the outside of his right foot, sending Mohammed behind the back line. The forward curled a shot around Patrick Los to give OCB a surprising 1-0 lead.

Chicago nearly found an equalizer in the 32nd minute when Shokalook found Hlyut at the top of the six-yard box. He put his shot on target, but Mercado dove to his right, tipping it wide. Cassano followed up and shot from a tight angle, but Mercado was there again to make the save.

A minute later, Cassano sent an excellent ball to the far post where Boso was making a run. The forward tried to volley the ball on goal, sending it wide.

Chicago found the equalizer in the 37th minute with an odd goal. Soudan sent a ball into the box for Shokalook with Williams on his back, and the ball bounced right through both players. Mercado thought the ball would get redirected, so he was caught leaning the wrong way as the ball bounced off the inside of the far post to even the game at 1-1.

OCB won a corner kick in the 41st minute. Caraballo’s set piece was let go by Ellis for Taifi right behind him. The right back’s first touch was a shot, but it was blocked by Konincks.

Fire II immediately broke the other way. Cassano took possession and played it forward for Konincks. Quevedo got there first and tried to play it back to Mercado, but fell as he hit the ball. Konincks easily took possession and was in on goal. It looked like the Chicago captain would take it himself, but he played it square to Shokalook, who passed it in to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.

OCB had a golden chance to equalize just before halftime when Chicago was unable to clear a corner kick into the box. It bounced around before Mohammed took possession. Reynolds reached his foot out, catching Mohammed, who went down. Referee Luis Arroyo pointed to the spot, awarding the Young Lions a penalty.

Mohammed stepped up to take the kick himself. Los guessed correctly, diving to his right. It was a poor penalty by the OCB forward, allowing the Chicago goalkeeper to block it away.

That was the final chance for either team as OCB headed into the break down 2-1. Chicago ended the first half with the advantage in shots (15-7), shots on target (5-2), corner kicks (5-2), and passing accuracy (89%-88.5%). Both teams had one cross in the first 45 minutes.

Goldberg made one change at the break as Dylan Judelson came into the game for Guske.

OCB created the first chance of the second half in the 48th minute when Caraballo dribbled into the Chicago third of the field and found Quevedo on the left. The midfielder’s third touch was a shot from the top corner of the box, but he sent it well off target.

Chicago nearly extended its lead in the 60th minute when Borso found Shokalook in the box. The attacker turned his defender and fired on goal, but Mercado did well to tip it over the crossbar.

The set piece went long but was sent back in by Soudan. It looked like Mercado would collect it, but Borso got in front. Diouf was the first one to the free ball, slamming it past Mercado to give the hosts a 3-1 lead.

It didn’t take the hosts long to extend their lead further, doing so in the 65th minute. Hlyut made a long run into the OCB half. He laid it off for Cassano, who sent it back across the field for Borso. The forward used some good footwork to lose Williams, sending the ball to the opposite post, where Reynolds was making a run. It was an easy header for Reynolds to make it 4-1.

Chicago was feeling it after the fourth goal, continuing to fire on Mercado. In the 68th minute, Hlyut shot from the top of the OCB box, but it was right at the OCB shot-stopper.

In the 72nd minute, Taifi made a run towards the end line before playing the ball back to the top of the box. Ellis took a shot with his first touch, but it was right at Los.

A minute later, Caraballo made his way to the end line and attempted a cross, but Reynolds knocked it out for a corner kick. Quevedo’s set piece found Ellis, who attempted to volley it on goal, but it was blocked out of play. The second corner kick was punched away by Los, ending the attack.

Mohammed laid the ball off for Quevedo in the 75th minute and the midfielder shot, but it was blocked. The ball went to Mohammed, who went down after some contact. The OCB players appealed for a penalty, but Arroyo waved play on.

Goldberg made his second change of the night in the 77th minute as Noham Abdellaoui came on for Quevedo.

Soudan sent a dangerous cross into the OCB box in the 78th minute. A pair of Fire II players were making runs into the six, but Mercado did well to jump off his line and push the ball away.

Goldberg made two more changes in the 82nd minute. Hayden Sargis and Diego Pareja came into the game for Williams and Caraballo.

Chicago scored a fifth goal in the 85th minute when Soudan sent a ball towards goal from outside the box. It should’ve been an easy save for Mercado, but the ball bounced off his hands and chest. Boltz was the first one to reach the free ball, putting it in to give his team a 5-1 lead.

OCB tried to respond on the other end as Mohammed was played behind the back line in the Chicago box. The forward tried to put the ball past Los, but sent the attempt over the top instead.

Taifi had a chance to get one back for OCB in the 89th minute when he received the ball on the left side of the box. The right back’s second touch was a shot on target, but Los did well to get down and make the stop.

With the result out of doubt, Arroyo only added one minute to the second half. Neither team did anything in added time and Chicago ended the game with a 5-1 win.

Chicago dominated this game in every possible way. They had more shots (24-18), shots on target (12-4), crosses (6-2), and corner kicks (10-4), and better passing accuracy (89.3%-88.9%).

The loss sees OCB settle into fifth place in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference. The Young Lions are only two points out of second but are only one of two teams to play eight games so far this season. Most of the teams around them have two games in hand.

The Young Lions have an extended break to shake this one off. They’ll return to action on May 17 when they host Inter Miami II in Kissimmee.

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