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Orlando City B vs. New York Red Bulls II: Final Score 3-1 as OCB Claims First Home Win of 2024

OCB uses two early goals to beat New York Red Bulls II.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City B (3-2-3, 13 points) won its first home game of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season, 3-1 tonight over New York Red Bulls II (4-2-3, 17 points) at Osceola County Stadium. Shak Mohammed and Yutaro Tsukada both scored inside the first six minutes to give the Young Lions an early 2-0 lead, and Tsukada scored his second in the 34th minute. A second-half penalty by Ibrahim Kasule got one back for the visitors, but they couldn’t find any more.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made two changes to the team that drew Chattanooga FC 1-1 away on Saturday. Carlos Mercado replaced Javier Otero in goal, while Alex Freeman returned to the starting lineup, sending Zakaria Taifi to the bench. The back line in front of Mercado was Manuel Cocca, Thomas Williams, Nabi Kibunguchy, and Freeman. Imanol Almaguer and Colin Guske were the defensive midfielders behind Wilfredo Rivera, Jhon Solis, and Tsukada. Mohammed started up top for the fifth consecutive game.

The Young Lions started the game as the aggressors, jumping on their opponents and taking an early two-goal lead. Mercado didn’t have much to do in goal during the first 45 minutes and only faced a couple of dangerous situations in the second half. Both teams had some bad giveaways that could’ve been devastating, but neither were able to take advantage. While New York threatened to score a second late, the Young Lions were never in danger of losing the lead.

OCB got off to the best possible start by striking just over 90 seconds after kickoff. It started with Tsukada in his own half, making a long run that included a give-and-go with Rivera. Tsukada fired from the top of the box, but hit the left post. The ball bounced right to Mohammed, who controlled it and shot with his second touch. New York goalkeeper Aidan Stokes got a hand to it, but it wasn’t enough as the striker gave the hosts the early 1-0 lead. It was his second straight match with a goal.

“Especially the first 10 minutes, we conceded the early goal the last few games,” Tsukada said about the quick start. “So we’ve been talking about the first 10 minutes to be more aggressive to get the first goal.”

It didn’t take OCB long to double its advantage, doing so in the sixth minute. Guske sent a long ball from his own half that found Tsukada at the top of the New York box. Dylan Sullivan was on the rookie, but gave up defending when he saw Stokes near the top of the box. Tsukada dribbled around the goalkeeper, making it an easy finish and giving the Young Lions a commanding 2-0 lead inside 10 minutes.

“I was trying to get in behind because I haven’t been scoring the last five games. So I was trying to score,” Tsukada said about his goal. “And then getting behind was important for me.”

The visitors had their first opportunity in the eighth minute when Omar Valencia sent a cross into the OCB box. It was headed out by Cocca, but only to Steven Sserwadda outside of the box. The midfielder sent the bouncing ball towards goal, but missed wide of the target.

New York had a second attempt in the 10th minute when Guske won the ball from Rafael Mosquera, but immediately lost possession. Frank Ssebufu quickly shot for the far post but missed wide.

In the 16th minute, Mohammed nearly scored his second of the night when Rivera forced Juan Gutierrez into a turnover by pressing him. The ball bounced right to Mohammed who only had Stokes in front of the goal. However, the striker slipped while attempting to shoot, sending the ball into the outside of the net.

Red Bulls II almost had a chance in the 21st minute when a poor tackle attempt by Kibunguchy enabled Mohammed Sofo to enter the box. Fortunately, Kibunguchy recovered well, catching up to the attacker and clearing the ball out of play. It took four consecutive corner kicks, but the final one went all the way through the box, enabling the Young Lions to clear the danger.

On the other end, OCB should’ve had a third goal when Solis dribbled to the end line and found Tsukada in the middle of the box. However, the midfielder took too many touches, enabling the New York defense to recover and win possession. Making matters worse, Tsukada had Mohammed open but couldn’t find him.

The Young Lions got their third goal in the 34th minute from a set piece. It started when Tsukada made a long run down the left and was pushed over by Bento Estrela, earning him a yellow card. Tsukada took the free kick, which deflected off a defender, catching Stokes going the wrong way and giving OCB a 3-0 lead.

Tsukada’s second of the night was an important goal, coming after a number of defensive third turnovers threatened to allow New York back into the match.

The Young Lions then created another set piece near the New York box in the 39th minute when Rivera cut back and won a foul from Gutierrez. Cocca and Tsukada stood over the ball with Cocca taking the set piece. However, his free kick was well over the target and never caused any concern for Stokes.

In the 43rd minute, Omar Valencia sent a cross towards the back post that met the head of Ssebufu, jumping over Williams. The header was over the crossbar, but New York won the goal kick back with its press and created another chance for Ssebufu. The midfielder’s second shot was further off target, missing wide.

In the final minute of first-half injury time, Sullivan’s ball into the box was cleared out by Kibugnuchy but only to Mosquera. The forward used some nifty footwork to cut back and lose Guske before getting off a shot. However, Williams got his body in the way and blocked the attempt, enabling the Young Lions to take a 3-0 lead into halftime.

After 45 minutes, New York had more shots (8-7), corners (5-2), and crosses (6-2) than the hosts, but OCB had more shots on target (3-2) and better passing accuracy (89.8%-85.7%). Most importantly, all of OCB’s shots on frame went in as the Young Lions took a three-goal lead into the break.

Goldberg made two changes at halftime, one defensive and one offensive. Abdi Salim replaced Williams at center back and Justin Elliis replaced Rivera in the attack.

Red Bulls II created the first chance of the second half in the 51st minute when Kasule drew a foul just outside of the OCB box. Three attackers stood over the ball, but it was Sofo who took the set piece. However, he sent it directly into the wall, enabling OCB to clear.

The visitors found their first goal of the night in the 55th minute when Sofo dribbled across the box. Guske charged in with an ill-advised challenge from behind, taking down the attacker. Referee Russell Miller immediately pointed to the spot, awarding New York a penalty.

Kasule stepped up to take the penalty, doing so with confidence. As Mercado dove to his right, Kasule put the spot kick into the opposite top corner. It was an excellent penalty that Mercado couldn’t have reached even if he had guessed correctly. As a result, the OCB lead was cut to 3-1.

In the 63rd minute, Tsukada attempted to take on a double team consisting of Sullivan and Sserwadda after receiving a long ball by Cocca. Sullivan defended the midfielder well, winning the ball and tapping it to Sserwadda. However, Cocca quickly won it back and took a shot towards the far post. There was no way Stokes was going to reach the attempt, but the shot missed just wide.

The Young Lions felt they should’ve had a penalty in the 65th minute when Tsukada received a long ball forward from Guske. He played it inside for the oncoming Mohammed, who slipped while attempting to send his first touch inside the far post. The ball bounced off of Gutierrez and the OCB players thought it was a hand ball, but Miller determined otherwise.

Sofo attempted an ambitious shot in the 69th minute that would’ve been the goal of the season. It started when Sserwadda chipped the ball into the box for Kasule. The New York goal scorer found Sofo in the middle and the attacker turned and volleyed the ball. However, he wasn’t able to get over it, sending the attempt over the target.

Tsukada made an excellent run into the New York box in the 71st minute and nearly scored a fantastic goal. He had one man to beat, but Aidan O’Connor stood tall and made the stop as the last defender. Almaguer took control of the clearance and found Tsukada, again defended by O’Connor. The midfielder went down and OCB felt a penalty should have been called, but Miller only told Tsukada to get up.

Shortly after the play, Goldberg made his third change of the game as Favian Loyola replaced Solis.

New York nearly cut the deficit to one in the 74th minute when quick passing saw Tanner Rosborough with the ball on the right. The second-half substitute sent a low cross that went just past the sliding Salim and found Sofo right in front of goal. Mercado hadn’t been challenged much in this game, but stood his ground and blocked the shot.

OCB’s fourth substitution came in the 77th minute during the second-half hydration break, with Diego Pareja entering the game for Guske.

In the 80th minute, a mistake in the OCB box nearly resulted in a second goal for New York. It began with an innocuous free kick by Cocca back to Mercado. The goalkeeper sent a short pass forward to Almaguer, but the OCB captain couldn’t control it. Rosborough got to the ball first and played it over for Sofo, who took a shot. Fortunately, Mercado was there to make the stop.

An 81st-minute free kick in OCB’s own half nearly ended in a fourth goal when Almaguer played it forward for Freeman and the defender sent Loyola down the right. The substitute made a perfect pass between two defenders to Mohammed, sending the forward into the box. Mohammed attempted to guide the ball inside the far post with his first touch, but missed wide.

Freeman had a chance in the 84th minute when Loyola, after a give-and-go with Mohammed, played the ball into the middle of the field for Ellis. Rather than taking it himself, Ellis laid it off for Freeman making an overlapping run. The right back attempted a shot from a tight angle, but missed wide of the far post.

On the field for less than 10 minutes, Pareja went down in the 85th minute and required attention. Instead of going down a man while trying to keep the lead, per MLS NEXT Pro rules for lengthy injuries, Goldberg made his final substitution, replacing Pareja with Taifi.

Red Bulls II had a great chance at a second in the 88th minute when a ball across the box was just missed by Kasule and ended up with Juan Mina. The substitute sent the ball back across, which Mercado blocked with his leg. However, it only went to Rosborough right in front of goal. He tried to turn and put a shot inside the post, but missed wide.

The fourth official showed seven minutes of stoppage time and New York continued its attack. In the third minute, Sserwadda found Curtis Ofori at the top of the OCB box. The first touch by Ofori was a shot towards goal that sailed just over the crossbar. That was the last chance for the visitors as the Young Lions held on for the 3-1 win.

New York created more chances than OCB, ending the game with more shots (19-12) and shots on target (5-4). The Red Bulls also had more corners (6-4) and crosses (15-7). Meanwhile, the Young Lions had better passing accuracy (88.4%-85.5%).

The game was won on two early goals, a reversal from what OCB has been dealing with this season. The Young Lions have conceded inside the first 11 minutes in four of their first seven games and inside the first 10 minutes in their last two. Rather than being put on the back foot early, they put the opposition in that position tonight, something Goldberg was happy about.

“It was good to hit the first punch today. So finally we were able to overcome that,” Goldberg said about scoring early. “We were getting scored on in the first minutes, now we were able to reverse that. So that’s a really good point. It feels really good, mainly for them, because they had the attitude that we’ve been talking about. They did it by themselves. It was them. They are the protagonists. They are the ones responsible for the things. For the good things. So, very happy for that.”

The win is OCB’s first at home this season (1-2-0). That includes the game against Inter Miami II at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, which was officially a home game. The three goals equals the most the Young Lions have scored in a game this season, with the other being their 3-2 win away to Atlanta United 2 on March 16 in the season opener.


OCB is off this weekend before hitting the road with another weekday matchup. This one will be an afternoon affair at Columbus Crew 2 Wednesday, May 15 at noon.

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.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

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.

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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.

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Image courtesy or Orlando City B

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

Orlando City B vs. Chicago Fire FC II: Final Score 1-1 (5-4) as Young Lions Eliminated in Penalties

The teams that finished fourth and fifth in the Eastern Conference drew 1-1 and needed spot kicks to determine who advanced.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B

With both teams finishing 11-8-9 this season, the only difference between the 2024 Orlando City B and Chicago Fire FC II regular seasons was that the Fire went 5-4 in their penalty shootouts, while the Young Lions went 4-5 in theirs. That one extra point gave Chicago home-field advantage in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals for the matchup between the teams.

As a result, the two sides met at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL, where they battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw through 90 minutes and extra time, before the hosts won a penalty shootout — 5-4, naturally — to send OCB home.

The Young Lions could have claimed their first-ever postseason victory thanks to a goal by Jack Lynn in the first half, but a massive mistake allowed David Poreba to equalize just before halftime.

The Fire’s lone goal should never have happened. Leading by a goal on the road — and already in first-half stoppage time — OCB center back Nabi Kibunguchy made an ill-advised decision to take a rare foray up the field, where he turned the ball over, leading to the transition goal that ultimately forced extra time and penalties.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg fielded a strong lineup, with Carlos Mercado in goal behind a back line of Luca Petrasso, Thomas Williams, Kibunguchy, and Alex Freeman. Imanol Almaguer and Colin Guske started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Yutaro Tsukada, Jhon Solis, and Shak Mohammed, with Lynn up top.

The first half was nearly all Chicago, as the Young Lions struggled to connect passes and break through the Fire’s pressure. The few times OCB got forward, the play broke down due to poor passes or heavy touches.

The first half chance fell Chicago’s way in the sixth minute on a cross in from the right. Luka Prpa did well to get his head on it but Freeman did enough defensively to prevent a clean header. Prpa’s effort sailed over the bar. Two minutes later, Kibunguchy did well to block a shot by Christian Koffi, deflecting it out for a corner. Mercado misplayed a high cross in on the set piece, but the heavy service sailed beyond everyone and bounced out for a goal kick.

The Fire put together a string of corner kicks in the middle of the opening half but OCB dealt with them, eventually using one of them to get forward in transition. The clearance of a corner kick led to a long ball forward for Tsukada. After a wayward touch, Tsukada tracked the ball down, patiently waited for support, and then sent a beautiful pass to Lynn as he was reaching the last defender. That put the striker in behind and he calmly chipped Fire keeper Jeffrey Gal to give OCB a 1-0 lead against the run of play in the 24th minute.

The goal was Lynn’s first-ever professional postseason strike and just OCB’s second playoff goal ever. It was also OCB’s first shot attempt of the match.

Seconds after the goal, Mercado got run into by Poreba after scooping up a deflected cross. The OCB goalkeeper needed several minutes of treatment before continuing. Poreba was booked for the unnecessary foul.

The goal allowed OCB to finally settle into the game more. The Young Lions started to see more of the ball, and even had some brief spells of possession in the attacking third. Freeman sent Mohammed down the right side of the box in the 34th minute, but the winger’s centering pass was deflected by a defender and dribbled in for Gal to collect it.

Omari Glasgow blasted a shot wide of the left post after an OCB turnover in its own defensive half, as no one closed him down about 25 yards out.

Mohammed sent a weak shot right at Gal in the 37th minute. OCB then couldn’t pay off a couple of set pieces. Solis had an excellent opportunity to double the lead in the 44th minute, working his way into the top of the area on the right. He blasted a shot with his left foot, but sent it right at Gal, who caught it and hung on. That missed opportunity was costly, as it allowed the Fire to pull level moments later.

Chicago pulled even just before the break on a play that shouldn’t happen in a pickup game, let alone in the playoffs. Kibunguchy decided to go wandering forward in possession and then got himself into traffic. That allowed the Fire to dispossess him from behind and break forward in transition with numbers. The ball ended up on the left with Koffi, who centered it MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot winner Poreba, who blasted his first touch past Mercado to make it 1-1 in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.

It was an inexcusable error for a veteran defender to make and gave the Fire a goal on their first shot to hit the target.

The Young Lions got forward quickly after the restart and won a free kick near the right sideline. A player was knocked down after the delivery into the box while the ball was pinging around amongst the bodies, but the referee wasn’t interested in making a call and the Fire broke the other way. Guske ended up with the ball in his own end with plenty of space to pass back to Mercado. Instead, he seemed to think the ball might go out for a goal kick, but the young midfielder was dispossessed and compounded the problem by committing a foul, giving the hosts a dangerous free kick.

Prpa played the set piece short to Koffi in the box. Koffi quickly blasted a shot that hit the woodwork and bounced out, nearly giving his team the lead at the death of the first half. A few seconds later, the whistle for halftime blew.

At the break, Chicago had the advantage in shots (7-4), corners (6-0), and possession (56%-44%). OCB passed slightly more accurately (88.3%-87.7%) and put more shots on target (3-1).

Chicago resumed its possession dominance out of the break and fashioned a great chance in the 49th minute. Koffi had the ball on the left and sent a good ball across to Glasgow at the back post. Glasgow, who shook free from an inattentive Petrasso, blasted a shot on the volley but sent it wide of the right post.

Freeman got into the box moments later but tried to play through two defenders with an open Mohammed to his left. His first shot was blocked and the fullback’s second effort was deflected out for OCB’s first corner of the match, but the young Lions could do nothing with it.

Guske toe poked an off-line pass back to Almaguer in the 54th minute, giving the midfielder a look at goal. Almaguer blasted the shot but Jean Diouf blocked it in front. A few minutes later, a promising attack started by Petrasso ended up with a cross to Mohammed, who turned down an open shooting opportunity to try to force a pass to a well-covered Lynn. The ball was knocked away but only to Freeman, who won a corner. Kibunguchy got a head to the high service but got well under it in the 58th minute.

Chicago created some nervy moments for the OCB defense just past the hour mark as a couple of fortuitous bounces led to a shot from a bad angle that went wide and a dangerous cross that was eventually cleared. Second-half sub Wilfredo Rivera then was fouled from behind in midfield without a call, allowing the Fire to break in transition, where they won a corner. The initial set piece cross was cleared but Diego Konincks got his head to the recycled cross, flicking it well wide of the left post in the 67th minute.

Freeman won another corner in the 71st minute with a shot from a tight angle that may have been going wide, but Gal made sure. On the set piece, Gal absolutely robbed Lynn on a header in front, getting across to knock it onto the roof of the net.

The game opened up after that and each team was forced to make huge saves. The ensuing corner was cleared and Chicago broke in transition. The Fire had numbers and took a shot from the right inside the box that seemed to change directions, but Mercado made a vital save to keep the game tied.

The Fire won a corner in the 74th minute and generated two chances from close range, including a diving header by Konincks, but the OCB defense cleared both shots off the line at the near post.

A minute later, OCB broke down the left on a good play to spring Petrasso. The Young Lions had favorable numbers but Petrasso had no path to get the ball to Lynn. Instead, he cut inside onto his right foot and sent a shot on target that hit Gal’s foot and trickled wide of the left post. Gal didn’t know much about the save, looking for the shot to to to his left, but it was an important one in the 75th minute.

The Young Lions again did nothing with their corner, allowing Chicago to counter. Glasgow had space outside the area and fired wide.

In the 83rd minute, Koffi got forward on the left, cut inside, and sent a good shot toward the near post. Mercado was able to make the save.

Favian Loyola got free for a shot in the first minute of stoppage time but blasted his shot right at Gal. Two minutes later, Tahir Reid-Brown had a chance from outside the area but it was blocked by the defense.

OCB could do nothing with a couple of late set pieces, and the game headed to 30 minutes of extra time.

Chicago had the advantage in shots (18-14), passing accuracy (86.9%-84.1%) and corners (9-8). The Young Lions put more shots on target through the 90 minutes plus injury time (8-5).

The pace of the game slowed in extra time, with both teams seeming to tire but also fearing making a mistake. After a couple of speculative balls into the box from both teams, the first good look of the extra session fell to Guske on the left. The OCB midfielder tried an inside-out shot but sent it just wide of the left post and into the outside netting in the 97th minute.

The best chance of the first half of extra time fell to Chicago after a poor giveaway in the OCB end gave the Fire a transition chance. Koffi cut inside from the left onto his right foot and the Chicago winger sent a blast off the outside of the left post in the 102nd minute.

That was it for the scoring opportunities in the first 15 minutes of extra time.

After the restart, the Young Lions survived a scramble in the 111th minute after another defensive zone turnover. Chicago sent a dangerous cross through the area but OCB was able to clear.

Yeiler Valencia won a free kick near the right corner of the box in the 112th minute, giving OCB an opportunity. Loyola went for goal with a left-footed blast, but he missed the target completely. OCB was similarly wasteful with another set piece in the 116th minute. Opting to go for goal from 30 yards out, Rivera sent a bouncer on target but with little pace on it, the shot didn’t trouble Gal, who made an easy save.

Neither side mustered much more than that in the second half of extra time, and the match went to penalties to determine who advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

OCB shot first and Freeman was the first to step to the spot. David Poreba answered for Chicago, blasting it into the right bottom corner. Valencia also used a stutter-step approach and sent Gal the wrong way, restoring OCB’s advantage. However, Harold Osorio leveled the shootout again, making it 2-2 after two rounds.

Rivera pushed OCB back out in front with another goal. Mercado then guessed correctly on Peter Soudan’s attempt, but it got under his diving effort at the post to make it 3-3. Reid-Brown made it four out of four for OCB, but 16-year-old Vitaliy Hlyut held his nerve and answered, essentially sending the spot kicks to sudden death.

Loyola’s stutter-step approach turned out to be one too many for the Young Lions, who nearly all tried some kind of tricky runup rather than using precision, as his jump-stop-kick attempt hit the right post. Diouf scored to give Chicago a perfect shootout and a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

OCB had its chances, and could have won this match, but Gal made some big saves and the Young Lions made a critical error at a key point in the game to give the hosts some help.


That concludes OCB’s 2024 season. It was a good second half, but the team had been one of the league’s best clubs down the stretch, so a quick playoff exit is no doubt going to sting for a while.

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