Orlando City B vs. Toronto FC II: Final Score 2-1 as OCB Drops First True Home Game of 2024

Orlando City B (2-2-2, 9 points) fell 2-1 to Toronto FC II (2-2-1, 7 points) in the Young Lions’ first game at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee this season. While Wilfredo Rivera netted OCB’s lone goal of the game, Toronto scored twice when Charlie Sharp and Jesus Batiz reacted quicker than the Young Lions defense, putting in rebounds.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made one change to the team that beat Crown Legacy FC 2-0 away on April 19, as Nabi Kibunguchy returned to the starting lineup in place of Abdi Salim. The back four in front of Javier Otero were Manuel Cocca, Thomas Williams, Kibunguchy, and Alex Freeman. Imanol Alamguer and Colin Guske made up the defensive midfield behind Yutaro Tsukada, Jhon Solis, and Rivera with Shak Mohammed up top.

The home side was the better team throughout much of the game, but its inability to get shots on frame had a major impact on the result. The Young Lions missed the target on all five first-half chances and only put two on target in the second half. The other significant impact on the game was the team’s late reactions to rebounds after Otero saves. Both Toronto goals came from blocked shots where defensive players were caught flat-footed, enabling the visitors to score.

The first chance of the game for the Young Lions came in the sixth minute when Almaguer chipped the ball over the Toronto defense for Tsukada running behind. The rookie got his foot to the ball with a soft shot towards goal, but Antony Curic got in front and blocked the attempt.

The visitors took the lead in the ninth minute. Sharp cut inside to enter the box before dropping the ball back to Markus Cimermancic, who shot on goal. Otero did well to get down and block the attempt, but Sharp reacted quicker than Guske, getting to it first. The forward touched the rebound into the far corner to give Toronto a 1-0 lead.

In the 15th minute, Cocca sent a cross into the Toronto box from the left. It got through multiple players before Freeman and Batiz slid in trying to win the ball. They collided at the top of the six, enabling Toronto goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario to jump on it.

Rivera took OCB’s second shot in the 17th minute after receiving the ball from Freeman. The attacker attempted an ambitious and ill-advised shot from long distance with Batiz right in front of him. The Toronto midfielder blocked the attempt with ease and ended the threat.

Toronto had another opportunity in the 28th minute when Guske went down from a challenge by Sharp while receiving a pass from Kibunguchy. The ball rolled to Charlie Stanland, who sent it forward for Sharp. Looking for his second goal of the game, Sharp took a long-distance shot past Williams that forced Otero to make a diving block.

The Young Lions were given a good opportunity in the 31st minute when Stanland went up and over Tsukada for a high bouncing ball. Referee Brad Jensen blew for a foul, giving OCB a free kick about 30 yards out and directly in front of goal. Tsukada and Rivera stood over the ball, with Tsukada taking the set piece. It was a dipping shot, but it went just over the crossbar.

In the 37th minute, Solis found Almaguer near the penalty spot. Facing the sideline, Almaguer turned in an attempt to get over the ball and send it on goal. Unfortunately, he was unable to put it on target, sending the shot well over the target.

Cocca’s cross in the 41st minute was blocked out of play by Curic, giving OCB the first corner kick of the game. The ensuing set piece by Cocca was to the near post, where Freeman beat Ythallo and got a soft touch towards goal. It was behind De Rosario, but Adam Pearlman was there to clear it away.

At halftime, OCB had the advantage in shots (5-4), corners (1-0), crosses (5-1), and passing accuracy (87.3%-79.4%). But while Toronto was able to put three attempts on target, OCB didn’t have any on frame, and the visitors scored the lone goal in the first 45 minutes.

OCB came out of halftime flying, in search of an equalizer. In the 48th minute, Tsukada found Rivera to his right. The attacker shot on goal, but it was deflected into the arms of De Rosario. Seconds later, Cocca sent a dangerous cross into the box, looking for Tsukada. It was a little behind the midfielder and he couldn’t control it, enabling Toronto to clear.

In the 49th minute, Tsukada was the one to send a hard cross across the face of goal. However, nobody in purple was making a run into the six-yard box and it was cleared away.

The Young Lions finally converted in the 50th minute, a goal that was well deserved. Cocca’s ball into the box was headed away by Batiz, but only to Rivera nearby. The former first-team Homegrown Player controlled the ball with his thigh before volleying it past De Rosario to even the game at 1-1.

“I don’t know. I just saw it coming out, took a touch with my thigh, and tried to put it in the back of the net,” Rivera said about his goal. “And it worked.”

“I think he’s having a really great personality,” Goldberg said about the goal scorer. “He’s becoming really strong for us and we are happy for him.”

Toronto had its first sustained attack of the half in the 58th minute, when Ythallo’s shot headed towards the far post. Otero did well to dive to his left, tipping the ball out of play for a corner kick.

While the first two set pieces were headed out by Mohammed and Cocca, the third one stayed in play. The ball was headed in and out of the box before Mark Fisher volleyed it towards goal. However, the shot was wide, enabling the Young Lions to end the threat.

Goldberg made his first substitution of the game in the 63rd minute and it was a like-for-like change as Tahir Reid-Brown came into the game for Cocca at left back.

OCB should’ve taken the lead in the 69th minute when Rivera took the ball away from Ythallo, Toronto’s last defender. Rivera dribbled in on De Rosario and shot towards the near post with his left foot, sending the attempt wide. The Toronto goalkeeper had his near post covered, so Rivera probably should’ve opened up and gone for the far post. Regardless, the game remained tied at 1-1.

Toronto went straight down field from the goal kick and created a chance. Batiz lifted the ball across the box to Fisher on the far side. The attacker headed the ball back across goal, but nobody in white could get on the end of it. He had time to control the ball and shoot, but OCB was able to clear instead.

OCB made two more changes in the 77th minute and, again, they were like-for-like changes. Forwards Rivera and Mohammed were replaced by Justin Ellis and Favian Loyola.

One of the two most recent substitutes got involved quickly as Ellis found Tsukada just outside of the box. The midfielder turned and shot on goal, but De Rosario was there to collect it.

In the 83rd minute, Williams fouled Fisher outside of the box, giving Toronto a free kick. Julian Altobelli and Batiz stood over the free kick as OCB set up a two-man wall. Batiz’s shot was blocked by Solis but went right back to him. His second shot was towards the near post, but rolled just wide.

Goldberg made another change in the 87th minute. Tsukada, who was dangerous for much of the game on the left side, was replaced by Yeiler Valencia, who made his OCB debut.

While OCB had been the better team throughout the second half, it was Toronto that found the late goal. In the 89th minute, Andrei Dumtru found Altobelli inside the box. The midfielder cut inside to beat Williams and attempted a curling shot towards the far post. Otero made a diving save, knocking it wide. However, in a play eerily similar to Toronto’s first goal, Batiz beat Freeman to the loose ball and put it into the roof of the net, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead.

Immediately after the goal, Goldberg made his final substitution of the game, replacing Guske with Diego Pareja.

Five minutes into stoppage time, Toronto had a good chance to put the game away through Altobelli on the left. Otero did well to get down and block the first shot, but the ball circulated around and ended up back with Altobelli. He shot a second time towards the far post, but Otero made another good stop to keep it a one-goal game.

OCB quickly sent the ball the other away, looking to create a final chance as the clock ticked past six minutes of stoppage time. But a late foul was the final action and the final whistle secured the Young Lions’ 2-1 loss.

At full time, Toronto had more shots (15-9), shots on target (7-2), and corner kicks (5-1). OCB had the edge in crosses (8-6) and passing accuracy (87.1%-82.2%), but the team’s struggles finishing and poor reaction time to Otero saves cost the Young Lions dearly.

“Unfortunately, we got surprised with an early goal, which is something that we are trying to avoid. So that’s really something to work on, to act more than what we react,” Goldberg said about the game. “But after that, the group reacted really well. That makes us very happy. Of course, we are not comfortable with the result, but there’s still a long way to go for us.”

“I thought we came out pretty slow. Obviously, they got the goal in the first couple minutes, but I think we bounced back pretty well,” Rivera added. “Obviously it was a tough result. Obviously our first game at home as well, so it was a bad one for us.”

OCB remains on a four-game unbeaten run away from home, but is now 0-2-0 in the state of Florida. While the first of those two games was at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, it was considered the team’s first home game of the season.

The Young Lions will head back out on the road, which has been a friendlier environment for them, as they face Chattanooga FC Saturday evening.