Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 1-1 as OCB Draws Rivals and Claims a Second Point in Penalties

Orlando City B (4-5-7, 23 points) ended its five-game homestand tonight with a 1-1 draw against Inter MiamI II (6-6-5, 23 points) at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. The visitors took the lead in the 70th minute through Shanyder Borgelin, but Wilfredo Rivera’s excellent strike in the 80th minute equalized for OCB. The Young Lions then won the penalty shootout 2-0 to claim the extra point.

OCB made three changes from the team that lost 2-1 to Carolina Core FC on July 7. Tahir Reid-Brown, Favian Loyola, and Jack Lynn entered the starting lineup, replacing Zakaria Taifi, Yeiler Valencia, and Rivera. The back line in front of goalkeeper Carlos Mercado were Reid-Brown, Thomas Williams, Nabi Kibunguchy, and Alex Freeman. Colin Guske and Imanol Almaguer were the defensive midfielders behind Jhon Solis, Shak Mohammed, and Loyola, with Lynn up top.

The first half had few chances for either team, with the notable moments being hard challenges and bookings. However, it opened up in the second half with end-to-end action. Inter Miami II had the better chances in the opening minutes, but the Young Lions worked their way into the game. It appeared as though the 70th-minute goal would see OCB lose for the second consecutive game, but an attacking substitution by OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg worked as Rivera scored the equalizer.

The Young Lions held the early possession, but it was Miami that created the first chance of the game. In the seventh minute, Borgelin’s cross was blocked out of play by Williams for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece was headed towards the near post, falling to the feet of Leo Afonso open in front of goal. It appeared to go off the forward’s knee and over the crossbar, enabling OCB to avoid conceding early.

The Young Lions got their first chance in the 10th minute when Miami cleared the ball out of play. Almaguer took the corner kick, playing it short to Solis. However, referee Laura Rodriguez saw too much pushing and shoving in the box, calling on Almaguer to take it again. The second one went to the near post, where it found the head of Lynn, but the striker redirected the ball over the target.

Afonso had another good chance to give the visitors an early lead in the 16th minute when a ball into the box was headed down by Borgelin near the top of the six. Afonso was the first one to it and put the ball on target, but Mercado did well to block it with his leg.

Solis used a fancy pass to create an opportunity for OCB in the 24th minute, sending Loyola down the end line from the left. The attacker found Lynn right in front of the goal, but the ball got caught in his feet. As a result, Lynn couldn’t get much on the shot, enabling Cole Jensen to make the stop.

Some sloppy possession by Inter Miami II in the 26th minute enabled Loyola to take possession in the final third. He used his quick feet to create some room and shot from just outside of the box. Unfortunately, the low attempt was directly to Jensen and the goalkeeper made an easy save.

In the 32nd minute, Reid-Brown sent a cross into the box looking for Lynn at the near post. The pass was deflected by Nykolas Sessock and landed on the top of the net. The ensuing corner kick by Almaguer found the head of Kibunguchy, and he appeared to give OCB the lead, but the center back was called for a foul while going for the ball.

At the end of 45 minutes, Inter Miami II had more shots (8-3), but OCB put more on target (2-1). Miami had more crosses (4-2), OCB had better passing accuracy (87.9%-86.6%), and both teams had three corner kicks. Despite the lack of goals, it was an eventful first half with six yellow cards being issued, including to both head coaches.

The most surprising thing about the first half was that it ended scoreless. It’s the first time an OCB game has been scoreless at the break since May 25, 2023 (34 games ago), also against Inter Miami II. In that game, Lynn scored the game’s lone goal in the 57th minute as the Young Lions won 1-0.

Miami came out of halftime the more attacking team, creating multiple opportunities in the opening minutes of the second half. Shortly after the restart, Reid-Brown was called for a foul and booked, giving the visitors a free kick about 35 yards from goal. Dairon Reyes took the set piece and went for goal, sending it off target.

In the 49th minute, Noah Allen sent a dangerous ball into the box looking for Borgelin. However, his cross was too close to Mercado, who was able to jump on it. Three minutes later, Noah was looking for Borgelin again. This time the forward chested it down, but lost control and it went out of play. It wouldn’t have counted had he scored because the flag went up for offside.

OCB’s first second-half chance came in the 54th minute. Almaguer received the ball outside of the box and no defenders closed him down, so the captain went for goal. It wasn’t a bad strike, but it curled wide of the target.

In the 59th minute, Mohammed carried the ball across the field before being tripped by David Ruiz, earning the Miami midfielder a yellow card. Almaguer took the free kick and went for goal, but sent the attempt over the top.

Immediately after the shot, OCB made its first two changes of the game. Rivera and Yutaro Tsukada entered for Lynn and Loyola.

Miami had a great chance to score the opening goal in the 65th minute when Ruiz headed a ball down just before it crossed the end line. It was a perfectly-placed ball for Afonso near the six-yard box, but the attacker whiffed as he attempted to shoot.

A minute later, Afonso received the ball at the top of the box and went for goal. The shot was through the legs of Borgelin, but Mercado did well to keep his eye on the ball, enabling him to make a one-handed save. It went straight to Sessock for an open shot on goal, but the defender missed wide.

In the 69th minute, Freeman did well to bring a long ball down in the box. He chipped it for Rivera near the top of the six and the forward got his head to it, but sent it just over the goal.

OCB had another great chance in the 70th minute when Allen’s poor clearance attempt went to Mohammed. Since his back was to the goal, the attacker tried to backheel it, but it was blocked. The ball went straight to Tsukada for an open shot, but the second-half substitute missed the target.

The visitors quickly went the other way and took the lead. Reyes sent Ryan Carmichael forward and the second-half substitute shot, but it was blocked by Williams. The rebound went right to Sunderland, whose shot was off the post. With Mercado down, Borgelin and Freeman raced for the ball. The Miami attacker got to it first, knocking it in to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.

The Young Lions went on the attack and nearly found an equalizer in the 75th minute. Freeman received the ball in the box on the right, chipping it in for Rivera making a run towards goal. The forward got his head to it, but sent the attempt just over the crossbar.

Shortly after the miss, OCB made two more changes. Justin Ellis and Jackson Platts came into the game for Mohammed and Reid-Brown. Ellis went into the forward position and Rivera moved into the midfield.

Rivera’s position further back proved to be beneficial in the 80th minute. Receiving the ball from Freeman, Guske played a pass forward for Rivera. The attacker took a touch inside to avoid Allen and found space for a shot before sending a rocket towards goal. Jensen got a hand to it, but the shot was too strong, evening the game at 1-1.

“I saw him (Guske) look at me and we made eye contact,” Rivera said about his goal. “And I looked behind me, and I had space and some time, and I got it, turned, took someone on, and then I tried to put it in the back of the net. It felt great because there were a lot of fans here, and it just felt great tying it up.”

OCB made its final substitution in the 82nd minute as Bernardo Goncalves came on for Guske.

The visitors had a good chance for a winner in the 84th minute when Freeman fouled Sunderland just outside the box, earning a yellow card for the challenge. Carmichael stepped up to take the set piece and went for goal, sending the attempt just over the crossbar.

The fourth official showed four minutes of stoppage time and it was OCB that appeared the most likely to find a winner. First, Rivera collected the ball at the top of the box and shot from near where he scored his goal. Unfortunately, his attempt was just over the top. Two minutes later, Tsukada shot from the top left corner of the box, but it was right to Jesnen.

Miami had a chance for a last-second winner when Alejandro Flores took a shot from outside the box in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Mercado got down to block it, but he only got it to the top of the six. Sunderland was charging in and it looked like he might get there, but Freeman was able to clear it first. Rodriguez blew the final whistle right after the clearance, ending the game at 1-1.

After 90 minutes, Inter Miami II had more shots (20-14), but OCB put more shots on target (5-4). While Miami had more crosses (9-6), OCB had more corner kicks (4-3) and better passing accuracy (87.5%-86.9%). The aggressive game ended with Miami committing more fouls (16-9) and OCB being booked more (8-6).

“It was a tight game. I think both teams did a good job,” Goldberg said about the performance. “The game was entertaining, there were chances for both sides, so pretty even match in general.”

“I thought we played pretty good. We gave everything we had,” Rivera added. “Obviously, they came out with the first goal and set us back a little bit, but I thought we were playing well and thankfully I was able to make a difference coming off the bench.”

Per MLS NEXT Pro rules, games that end in a draw result in both teams getting a point but go to penalties to see which team earns a second point. It was the seventh time OCB went to penalties after drawing this season.

The goalkeepers got off to a great start, saving nearly identical shots by Sunderland and Solis. Allen took the second attempt for Miami and it was beyond the reach of Mercado, but hit the post. After Freeman sent Jensen the wrong way to give OCB the lead, Mercado made his second stop, this time on Yuval Cohen. Jensen guessed correctly on Tsukada, but the midfielder slipped it underneath him. That meant Giovanni Ferraina had to convert, but the center back sent his attempt over the goal.

The poor shootout performance by Miami (0-4) meant OCB only had to be somewhat accurate to win the shootout. It’s not often that MLS NEXT Pro penalty shootouts end 2-0, but this one did, and the Young Lions took the extra point. They’re now 4-3 when going to penalties.

The draw keeps OCB in 10th place in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference, but the extra point moves the Young Lions even on points with Inter Miami II for ninth. They’re still three points behind New York Red Bulls II and Crown Legacy FC for the final playoff spot but have a game in hand on Miami and New York.

OCB will return to action on July 21 as the team heads out on the road for the first time since June 13, facing New York Red Bulls II in New Jersey.