Orlando City B
Orlando City B vs. New York Red Bulls II: Final Score 1-1 as OCB Draws Again and Falls in Penalties
OCB pulled out a last-minute draw at New York Red Bulls II but fell 8-7 in penalties.
Orlando City B (4-5-8, 24 points) played its first game away from home since June 2, taking on New York Red Bulls II (7-7-4, 28 points) at MSU Soccer Park in Montclair, NJ. The hosts took the lead in the 58th minute through Tanner Rosborough and, even when Copeland Berkley was sent off in the 76th minute, it looked like OCB would fall. However, Justin Ellis scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to claim a point for OCB. The Young Lions then fell 8-7 in penalties, as the Red Bulls picked up the extra shootout point.
OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made two changes to the team that drew 1-1 with Inter Miami II on July 14. Yutaro Tsukada and Wilfredo Rivera entered the lineup for Favian Loyola and Jack Lynn. While Loyola was on the bench for this game, Lynn was absent because he was on the bench for the first team last night.
The back four in front of goalkeeper Carlos Mercado was Tahir Reid-Brown, Thomas Williams, Nabi Kibunguchy, and Alex Freeman. Imanol Almaguer and Colin Guske were the defensive midfielders behind Jhon Solis, Shak Mohammed, and Tsukada with Rivera alone up top.
New York was the better team for most of the game, creating more chances. The Red Bulls nearly took a first-half lead after Guske made an ill-advised challenge, giving the hosts a penalty, but Mercado made a great save. After Red Bulls II took a deserved lead in the second half, a red card with 14 minutes left gave OCB some hope. Despite being up a man, the Young Lions were unable to break through the back line until Ellis’ superb individual effort in stoppage time evened the game.
The Young Lions struggled to play the ball out of the back, which provided Red Bulls II with the first chance of the game in the second minute. After receiving a square ball from Williams, Reid-Brown lost possession to Mohammed Sofo near the top of the OCB box. The New York attacker attempted to get to the end line and cross the ball, but Freeman forced him out of play, winning a goal kick.
The ensuing goal kick went wide to Reid-Brown and the left back knocked it off the defender, losing possession again. Julian Hall collected the ball and played it across the top of the box for Ibrahim Kasule. The midfielder’s low shot was aiming for the far post but rolled wide.
In the seventh minute, Rivera lost possession near the top of the Red Bulls II box to Steven Sswerwadda, who quickly sent a long ball for Rosborough behind the OCB back line. The artificial turf made the bouncing ball difficult to settle, so Rosborough was forced to attempt a half volley. However, he wasn’t able to get over the ball, sending it over the crossbar.
The Young Lions got their first shot of the game in the 16th minute when Williams intercepted a pass from Bento Estrela to Hall. Mohammed picked up the ball and dribbled towards the New York goal, finding Williams, who made a long run to his left. The center back shot from just inside the box, sending it wide.
Rivera played Freeman down the right in the 18th minute towards the end line. The right back reached the ball before it crossed out of play and attempted to send it into the six, but center back Aidan O’Connor knocked it out of play for an OCB corner kick.
The ensuing set piece by Tsukada was headed towards goal by Mohammed, but he popped it up. That enabled Juan Gutierrez to head it away from the goal. The clearance attempt went to Freeman inside the box, who found Rivera to his left. The forward’s volley went off Mohammed’s body and changed directions, igniting the break. Only Guske was back for the Young Lions and Hall touched the ball around him, creating a breakaway. He tried to guide the ball around Mercado, but the OCB goalkeeper got a touch to it, putting it wide and keeping the game scoreless.
In the 30th minute, Guske lost possession to Hall after receiving a pass back from Mohammed and getting trapped on the end line. It appeared that Guske fouled Hall in the box while trying to win back possession, but referee JC Griggs didn’t agree. Kasule collected the ball after a brief touch by Guske and was tripped by the OCB defensive midfielder. This time, Griggs immediately pointed to the spot the second time, awarding a penalty to the hosts.
Sofo stepped up to take the penalty, looking to extend his team’s perfect record this season from the spot. He was aiming for the low right corner and Mercado guessed right. The OCB goalkeeper got a touch to the ball, sending it off the post and out.
The ball traveled diagonally across the box and Rosoborough took possession before playing it to the top of the 18. It looked like Sswerwadda would shoot, but he left it for Estrela behind him. The midfielder took a first-touch shot that Kibunguchy got in front of, knocking away from the OCB box.
Hall looked to beat Mercado from a tight angle in the 41st minute after receiving a pass from Kasule. Reid-Brown was able to stay in front of the attacker, forcing him to the end line. Hall was initially looking to cross but shot instead, sending the ball into the outside of the net.
Red Bulls II had another great chance to open the scoring in the third minute of first-half stoppage time when Omar Valencia sent a strong cross in from the left. Rosborough was at the penalty spot with space and shot with his second touch. However, he couldn’t get over the ball, sending it over the goal.
New York was the better team in the first half, creating more and better chances than the Young Lions. The hosts had more shots (8-4), shots on target (2-0), and crosses (3-0) in the first 45 minutes. Meanwhile, OCB had more corner kicks (3-2) and better passing accuracy (91.3%-85.9%).
The Young Lions had the first chance of the second half when Rivera was knocked down from behind by Sswerwadda, giving OCB a free kick near the opposition box. Tsukada took the free kick, sending it off the wall. Rather than going back to the free kick taker, it went towards the goal, where it was caught by Red Bulls II goalkeeper Aidan Stokes on the goal line.
Sswerwadda took a long-distance shot in the 49th minute that was deflected out of play by Guske. The ensuing corner kick was knocked out by Freeman and the Young Lions took possession. Rivera played it back for Solis who sent the ball long for Freeman, sprinting down the field after the clearance. He took possession in the New York half of the field and carried the ball into the box. A defender was on Freeman’s heels, but the right back kept him behind, ensuring he had space for a shot. The attempt was past Stokes, who was slow to react, but bounced off the near post.
In the 55th minute, Freeman and Guske struggled to keep possession from a Mercado free kick, eventually giving the ball away to Kasule. Rosborough took over and found Sofo near the OCB box. Guske caught back up to the play and knocked the ball out for a New York corner kick.
The ensuing set piece was initially cleared by Solis, but the hosts retained possession. The ball was played square for Sswerwadda who sent the long-distance shot over the goal.
The hosts took the lead in the 58th minute, when Sofo sent the ball wide right to Berkley. The right back found Sofo continuing his run and the attacker’s first touch was a shot. Williams did well to get his foot to the attempt, sending the ball off the crossbar. Freeman was defending Rosborough at the far post but was caught flat-footed, enabling Rosborough to put the ball into the roof of the net to give Red Bulls II a 1-0 lead.
The Young Lions had a good chance to equalize in the 61st minute when Rivera was pushed over from behind by Sswerwadda, earning the New York midfielder a yellow card. It was nearly an identical play from the foul at the beginning of the half, and Tsukada stepped up again to take the free kick. After hitting the ball into the wall earlier, Tsuakda struck this one much better. He curled it over the wall and it was on target, but Stokes did well to push it over the goal.
In the 65th minute, it was the Berkley-Sofo connection again causing problems for OCB. After receiving the ball at the top of the box, Sofo sent the ball wide to Berkley. Both defenders moved to cover Berkley, leaving Sofo unmarked. Berkley gave it back to his teammate, who sent his shot over the goal.
It looked like OCB would have a possible breakaway in the 69th minute when Mercado jumped on a ball into the box and punted it long for Rivera making a run into the New York half. Unfortunately, Rivera had to wait for the ball, enabling the defenders to get back. Rivera didn’t hesitate to shoot once he got to the box, but Gutierrez was able to block it. The ensuing corner kick was sent all the way across the field twice as the Young Lions were unable to find space for a shot.
Goldberg made two substitutions in the 73rd minute, replacing Reid-Brown and Rivera with Favian Loyola and Jackson Platts.
Bringing Platts into the game proved to be beneficial in the 76th minute when he received the ball on the left and dribbled past two defenders into the New York half of the field. Already on a yellow card, Berkley made contact with Platts, resulting in the OCB attacker going down. Griggs immediately issued a yellow card and subsequent red card, giving OCB a man advantage as it searched for an equalizer.
While OCB was able to get the ball into the New York box, the back line did well to stay compact, making it hard for the Young Lions to break through. As a result, it was the hosts that created the next good chance in the 80th minute. Malick Dembele sent Hall behind a pair of defenders and the midfielder took a first-touch shot, but Williams did well to slide in and block the attempt.
OCB made two more attacking substitutions in the 83rd minute. Ellis and Bernardo Goncalves came into the game for Tsukada and Guske.
The Young Lions had a good chance to equalize in the 89th minute when a give-and-go from the top of the box between Freeman and Almaguer sent Freeman toward the end line. The right back’s shot was blocked by Stokes, but went straight to Kibunguchy. Unfortunately, the center back wasn’t able to reach the ball, falling over during the attempt.
In the second minute of stoppage time, Loyola was fouled on the right side of the field, giving OCB a free kick in a dangerous spot. Almaguer’s ball to the back of the six was headed across the face of goal by Kibunguchy. It was behind Mohammed, who tried a bicycle kick, but it went through without a shot being taken.
Two minutes later, the Young Lions found their equalizer. It started when Freeman played the ball forward for Ellis. The teenager dribbled between Gutierrez and Aiden Jarvis before shooting between O’Connor and Sswerwadda, placing the ball beyond the outreached arm of Stokes and into the corner of the goal to even the game at 1-1.
Despite being down a man, Red Bulls II had a chance for a last-second winner after Mohammed’s cross was headed away. Frank Ssebufu dribbled down the field surrounded by three OCB defenders and found Dembele to his left. Valencia was charging down the field and Dembele passed the ball to his teammate, who shot for the far post. It was beyond Mercado’s reach but traveled just wide.
That was the last chance for either team as the game ended in a 1-1 draw. New York finished the game with more shots (19-11), but both teams put three attempts on target. The hosts also had more crosses (5-4), while OCB had more corner kicks (6-5) and better passing accuracy (86.1%-84.9%).
In MLS NEXT Pro games, each team gets a point for a draw, but the game goes to a penalty shootout to determine who gets a second point.
Ssebufu took the first penalty for New York and Mercado guessed correctly, diving to his right and knocking it away. Solis took the first attempt for OCB, but he hit the crossbar, keeping the shootout scoreless after one round.
After Curtis Ofori and Freeman converted, Mercado saved Aiden Jarvis’ shot. However, Mercado was judged to have left his line early, so Jarvis got another chance. This time he put it in and, after Mohammed sent Stokes the wrong way, it was tied after three rounds.
The next six shooters did well to convert, keeping the shootout even after six rounds. New York’s seventh attempt was by Gutierrez and Mercado got a strong hand to the center back’s shot. The ball changed directions but still went in. Gutierrez responded by taunting Mercado, earning himself a yellow card.
The next four penalty takers converted their attempts, meaning Kibunguchy had to score to keep the Young Lions alive. The center back was going down the middle with Stokes diving to his left, but sent the shot over the goal and Red Bulls II took the extra point.
The winless streak for OCB now sits at seven games, dating back to May 26, when the Young Lions beat Huntsville City FC 5-0 at Osceola County Stadium. However, they’ve been picking up points, drawing five of their last six games.
The Young Lions had a chance tonight to jump Inter Miami II and draw even on points with Red Bulls II. Instead, they remain in 10th place, two spots and four points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference.
OCB will be back in action Saturday night when it plays the middle game of a three-game road trip, with a 7 p.m. kickoff against Chattanooga FC at Finley Stadium.
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.
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.
Orlando City B
Alex Freeman Looks Ready to Make the Jump to MLS
An analysis of Alex Freeman’s 2024 season and what it could mean for him next year.
Among the major men’s sports leagues in the United States, soccer is unique in that the best league in our country is not the best league in the world. This fact makes the entry process into MLS different than what most of us are accustomed to from following other sports, where every youth and adult player in our country and around the world is working towards playing in the NFL, NHL, NBA, or MLB. When it comes to soccer, however, players mostly have a dream of playing in one of the leading European leagues, which makes looking at players on affiliated teams like Orlando City B a little different than looking at players in minor leagues like the NBA’s G League, minor league baseball or any of the minor league hockey leagues.
That said, while reaching MLS may not be the longterm goal of some, or even all, of OCB’s players, for most, their immediate short-term goal will be to be first-team players for Orlando City. And by players, I mean players who play, and not just players who are on the first-team roster. One player who has already slightly kicked the door open on this goal is Alex Freeman, the right back who made brief cameo appearances in 2023 and this season for Orlando City but has played the majority of his minutes during the last two seasons for OCB.
Here is a table of Freeman’s stats from 2023 and 2024, using data from the MLS NEXT Pro website as well as fotmob.com:
I want to start by reiterating that Freeman primarily plays right back, because that number 17 in the goal contributions column for OCB in 2024 just jumps off the page, and even more so when you think about the position he plays. He is averaging 0.69 goal contributions per 90 minutes for OCB this season, and here is the complete list of every Orlando City defensive player who has ever averaged at least 0.70 in a season at the MLS level: (null set).
Cue Simon & Garfunkel playing “The Sound of Silence.” Or maybe don’t actually play it, because then it would not actually be silent, but think of the song as a metaphor. I majored in mathematics, not English; no Orlando City defender has ever averaged at least 0.70 goal contributions per 90 minutes. Let’s move on.
That silence would also have existed had I changed the value to 0.60, 0.50, or 0.40, and it is not until I looked for Orlando City defenders averaging more than 0.30 goal contributions per 90 minutes in a season that names like Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, Ruan, and Scott Sutter finally showed up. The are good players, beloved by Orlando City fans, but approximately one goal contribution per every three games is not an elite attacking player. Freeman’s 0.69, however, is more akin to someone like…2024 Facundo Torres, who in fact is averaging nearly exactly that in MLS play this season (14 goals + 6 assists across 2,552 minutes = 0.71). A right back who contributes to goals like Torres? That sounds like someone who needs an entourage. Now, would that be something you might be interested in?
Yes. Hi, I’m Andrew, and I am quite interested.
Now, I know the level and the style of play is not the same in MLS NEXT Pro as it is in MLS, but it is also not so different either. MLS teams average about 1.53 goals scored per game, and MLS NEXT Pro teams average about 1.73 goals scored, so the average MLS NEXT Pro team scores around 13% more goals per game than the average MLS team. That is more, but not substantially more. OCB averaged 1.89 goals per game this season and Orlando City is averaging 1.67 goals per game with one game remaining, so OCB is averaging…wait for it…13% more goals per game than its MLS counterpart. Scoring is slightly up in MLS NEXT Pro as compared to MLS, but when taking this back to look at Freeman’s goal contributions per 90 minutes it is not like he is playing in a league or on a team that has dramatically more scoring.
Freeman himself was quoted after the Young Lions’ last match as saying, “It’s good that I’m able to go forward and I think I’m more clinical now. I’m able to go score goals and I’m feeling really good.” He had been asked specifically about his recent run of goal-scoring form, but the clinical part also applies to his passing ability and the improvements he has made there as well.
Going back to the data I showed earlier, Freeman has also improved his passing completion percentage from 76% to 79% to 86% during the past three seasons, and considering how much attacking he has been doing this season, it is not like he is just standing in the back and completing safe passes to other defensive players to jack that percentage up.
In fact, only 33% of his completed passes were short passes, so therefore, two out of every three passes completed were medium or long passes. And with an overall completion rate of 86%, that means he was indeed as clinical as he said, since it takes technique, skill, and precision to complete such a high percentage of medium and long passes. It’s almost like someone in his family may have passed on a thing or 86 about how to complete a pass.
The final item from Freeman’s statistics that might have jumped out was his “FotMob rating,” and the corresponding MLS NEXT Pro Rank. Freeman is now up to third in this rating, across all players in MLS NEXT Pro. FotMob.com has a rating system that grades out players in dozens of leagues and thousands of matches every week, and that system (out of 10) has Freeman averaging a score of 7.66 for the season. MLS NEXT Pro has been around for three seasons and 901 players have played enough minutes to earn a season-long FotMob grade. Freeman’s 7.66 is tied for the 17th best mark in the past three seasons, which puts his 2024 season in the 98% percentile of all MLS NEXT Pro seasons in this metric.
What makes this even more impressive is that Freeman just turned 20 in August. MLS NEXT Pro is primarily a league of young players, but of the 16 seasons that generated a FotMob rating better than Freeman’s, none were played by a player who was in his teens for most of the season and half were played by players 22 or older. Freeman is also alone among the top players as a defensive player, as nearly every other top rated player is an attacking midfielder or striker.
Most rating systems are biased (excluding The Mane Land’s player grading system, which has zero biases or flaws and is the very model of a modern major rating system) towards attacking players, since offensive plays are generally more discretely quantifiable than defensive plays, and so some of Freeman’s standing as the only defender rated highly on a data-based rating system can be explained by the fact that the model rewards attacking defenders more than center backs. However, on the qualitative side, Freeman’s coach Manuel Goldberg was quoted after the last game as saying “The key for (Freeman’s) success this season is the defensive part he is doing. Although he is contributing a lot in the offensive part, he is doing a big, big, big and important job in the defensive part, so we are happy for that for him.”
Mannie Fresh never mentioned “defensive play real big” on his list of items that were, surprise surprise, real big on his creatively named 2004 song “Real Big,” but if Goldberg were recording a 2024 remix, I feel like a line about Freeman’s defensive contributions may be included since he emphasized them as not big; not big, big; but big, big, big. He did not define whether big, big, big is defined as three big or big cubed, which hurts my feelings as a mathematician, but either way it is clear that Freeman’s play on the offensive side is not the only thing that has caught notice of his coach, and that he is contributing on both offense and defense.
With only three seasons worth of MLS NEXT Pro history, it is hard to use past seasons as concrete precedent for what an elite season could lead to, but in looking at 2022’s top 10 MLS NEXT Pro performers in FotMob rating, we can see that half of the players went on to play 500+ MLS minutes in the each of the next two seasons after their strong performance that year. The other five are split between three who are still in MLS NEXT Pro (light blue, third tier of soccer in the U.S.), one who moved to the USL Championship (light purple, second tier of soccer in the U.S.), and John Denis, who sadly has had to step away from soccer due to a cancer diagnosis.
At only 20 years old, and with three seasons of year over year improvement in MLS NEXT Pro, call-ups to the U.S. U-19 and U-23 national teams, and a few brief appearances already for Orlando City, I believe that Freeman is the best prospect the Lions have ever developed. The outside back depth chart ahead of him includes primary starters Thórhallsson and Rafael Santos, with Kyle Smith as a versatile player who can play on either side. Santos and Smith have contracts that expire at the end of the season, with Smith out of contract and the club holding two option years on Santos. While it would not surprise me if both are back next season, I think they and Thórhallsson are going to be pushed very hard for minutes by Freeman, and it could even result in one of the players changing positions, since all four have versatile skill sets and are comfortable attacking and defending. I am very bullish on Freeman, and I think he will approach 1,000 minutes played for Orlando City in 2025 across all competitions.
Before next season arrives though, there is still the matter of the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs, and Freeman and OCB will take on Chicago Fire FC II on Sunday. Playoff soccer is much more stressful than regular-season soccer, and I am looking forward to seeing how the Young Lions, and Freeman in particular, perform on the road at Chicago in their toughest test of the season. Freeman has six goals and three assists in his last six matches. Here’s to hoping that those numbers increase during the first round of the playoffs and that OCB advances through to the next round.
Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City B
Orlando City B vs. FC Cincinnati 2: Final Score 3-1 as Young Lions Blow Chance to Host Playoff Game
Young Lions fail in their bid to lock down a home playoff match with a poor road performance.
A poor start and wasteful finishing was costly in Orlando City B’s 3-1 loss to FC Cincinnati 2 at TQL Stadium, as the Young Lions (11-8-9, 46 points) blew their opportunity to clinch a home playoff match and a chance to select their first postseason opponent. FC Cincinnati 2 (16-8-4, 54 points) clinched the Eastern Conference with the win behind a hat trick by Gerardo Valenzuela, whose third goal was a weak one but effectively ended OCB’s second-half comeback bid.
Alex Freeman continued his hot run of form with OCB’s only goal to pull his team within a goal at 2-1 early in the second half, but OCB soon gave up a soft third goal and could not climb back into the match, despite playing much better overall for the first 20 minutes or so of the second half.
With the loss, OCB handed the Southeast Division title to Inter Miami CF II and fell from third to fifth place in the Eastern Conference on Decision Day. If none of the top three teams select the Young Lions as a first-round opponent, they would travel to face fourth-place Chicago Fire FC II.
OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg’s lineup included Carlos Mercado in goal behind a back line of Luca Petrasso, Thomas Williams, Nabi Kibunguchy, and Freeman. Imanol Almaguer and Jeorgio Kocevski started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Yutaro Tsukada, Jhon Solis, and Shak Mohammed, with Jack Lynn up top.
Despite Orlando starting a strong lineup made largely of players on first-team contracts, FC Cincinnati dominated the game early, went up by multiple goals, and then seemed content to wait for opportunities to go forward to add to its lead. OCB put its first shot on target, but it was a wasteful high-quality opportunity, and then struggled to find any accuracy. At the other end, the Young Lions allowed far too much space at the top of the box and beyond, and didn’t mark well in their own third.
The Young Lions wasted no time in making the game more difficult. On Cincinnati’s first possession of the match, the ball cycled to Valenzuela near the left corner of the box. Kocevski was in good position to deal with the attacker but allowed Valenzeula to get clear on his preferred right foot. Valenzuela’s shot through traffic found the inside of the right post past Mercado, putting FCC 2 up 1-0 in just the second minute.
Freeman could have pulled the goal right back, getting forward up the right just a minute later. The fullback had room and time to shoot but blasted his effort straight at FC Cincinnati 2 goalkeeper Paul Walters. Freeman again shook free on the right side moments later but the defense was better positioned. The right back made a good move to free himself and dropped a ball to Kocevski just outside the top of the area, but the midfielder was slow on the ball, allowing Valenzuela to dispossess him from behind, ending the threat.
OCB won a couple of set pieces but wasn’t able to capitalize on them. In the ninth minute, Tsukada sent a good ball into the box on a free kick won by Solis. The service found Mohammed in front but his header sailed over the bar. A minute later, Freeman won a free kick on the right. The Young Lions played it quickly and Kocevski sent a curling cross behind the Cincinnati back line but it was just out of Lynn’s reach.
Valenzuela doubled the lead two minutes later. The attacker started the play by switching the ball to the right, sending Amir Daley in behind Petrasso, who was caught too far up field. Daley was alone on goal and fired, but Mercado made a huge save. The rebound found Valenzuela at the top of the area. This time, Valenzuela faked right to move Kocevski and fired in his second goal of the game with his left foot in the 11th minute, continuing the rough start to the game for the first-year pro.
Freeman again had a chance to answer a Cincinnati goal. He worked his way into the middle and then forward into the box in the 15th minute. Freeing himself for a shot with his weaker left foot, he left his shot high, as again OCB couldn’t hit the target.
Mohammed gifted FC Cincinnati 2 a scoring chance two minutes later. Taking the ball in his own end he retreated toward his own goal and then sent a wayward back pass, turning the ball over. Mercado was able to save the quick shot by pushing it off the woodwork.
OCB’s inattentiveness in its own half continued in the 23rd minute, when Stefan Chirilla was left alone in space outside the box. He attempted a shot and Mercado had to make a save. On the ensuing corner, Gael Gibert was given a free header but he missed the target.
The Young Lions should have pulled a goal back in the 25th minute. Freeman turned the defense inside out and got to the end line in the box. Dribbling toward goal, he picked out Tsukada alone at the far post. The left winger seemed surprised the pass got through and wasn’t able to get in front of it. He scuffed his shot anyway as he was being whistled for a handball.
Almaguer took his turn firing well over the bar in the 29th minute after working his way into the area, wasting another good opportunity. Mohammed won a couple of corners, mainly by failing to find an opening for his cutback crosses, but OCB did nothing with them and in fact was called for a foul on one of them.
Kenji Mboma Dem was left with too much space outside the area in the 31st minute and sent a shot just wide of the left post.
From then on out, OCB simply couldn’t connect in the attacking end or pay off a set piece. The half ended with Tsukada badly missing a volley shot on a recycled corner kick, and the hosts took their 2-0 lead into halftime.
The halftime stats reflected the performance on the field, as FC Cincinnati 2 held the advantage in shots (9-6) and shots on target (5-1). OCB passed a bit more accurately (90.1%-88.4%), but much of that came after the hosts started dropping deeper after going up two goals and was a product of working the ball backward and side to side rather than progressing it forward. OCB won more corners (4-1), but FCC came closer with its one attempt than anything the Young Lions did with their set pieces.
Neither side made any changes at the break and after a stop-start opening 10 minutes, things got more interesting. In those first minutes of the second period, Almaguer sent yet another shot high into the stands in the 48th minute and Mercado did well to make a save to his right, knocking a second ball off the goal frame in the match to keep it a 2-0 game.
In Freeman picked up the ball outside the area on the right in the 53rd minute and worked his way past two defenders before blasting it past Walters and in to make it 2-1.
This time it was Valencia trying to pull one back after an OCB goal rather than the other way around. The attacker fired a shot wide of the right post in the 55th minute.
OCB had a good opportunity to level the match a minute later. Freeman tried to send a cross to Tsukada at the back post but it was deflected by a defender. The ball ended up with Lynn just outside the area and the striker blasted a shot. The ball hit Malik Pinto’s arm just inches outside the area, setting up a free kick rather than a penalty. Pinto was booked for the infraction.
Petrasso and Tsukada stood over the set piece and it was the left back who fired a shot that went past the wall. Walters made a good save to keep it out and it fell to Lynn on the left, but the striker made poor contact with his shot, sending it softly back to the goalkeeper in the 58th minute.
Solis sent a gorgeous ball over the top to Freeman in the 59th minute, putting the fullback in alone on goal again. This time, however, Freeman scuffed his shot attempt and it was knocked behind by the defense for a corner before an OCB attacker could get to it near the far post. The Young Lions did nothing with the set piece, ending the threat.
Valenzuela completed his hat trick moments later off an OCB turnover. The ball ended up on the left and Valenzuela sent his shot close to Mercado, but the OCB keeper was unable to make what appeared to be a routine save. That essentially put the game away in the 63rd minute, as OCB rarely challenged the Cincinnati goal falling behind by two again.
Goldberg tried sending on fresh troops, but OCB only played more disjointed soccer in possession after the changes, repeatedly giving the ball away cheaply, hindering any attempted comeback.
Instead, it was FCC 2 that had the better chances down the stretch. Daley was left too much space again in the 73rd minute and sent a blast sizzling just over the bar. After Solis flopped to try to get a free kick call that was never likely, Chirilla came down the left and fired from a tight angle in the 77th minute, forcing Mercado to knock it out for a corner.
Petrasso tried to play a ball in to an open Kocevski in the box in the 80th minute but the midfielder’s touch let him down and he couldn’t bring it in, continuing his rough afternoon.
Mercado made another emergency save on Ben Stitz in the 86th minute.
Substitute Favian Loyola struck a shot well in the 87th minute that forced Walters into a diving save. OCB had a runner at the back post but the defense deflected it off the Young Lion and out for a goal kick.
Chirilla sent Mercado scrambling to make a good save in the 88th minute, as the keeper knocked it out for a corner. Petrasso whiffed badly on a clearance attempt on the ensuing set piece and OCB was fortunate that no Cincinnati player could make solid contact with the ball as it pinged around in the six.
The remainder of the game consisted mainly of terrible OCB turnovers between the tired legs of the starters and the lack of cohesion from the subs who came on. This was epitomized when Freeman — easily OCB’s best player on this day — sent Loyola down the right to ignite the break. The Homegrown midfielder tried to center it early for fellow sub Justin Ellis, but he put his pass at least 10 yards behind his teammate, ending the counterattack.
A few minutes later, the final whistle blew on OCB’s regular season.
FC Cincinnati 2 finished the game with the advantage in shots (20-17), shots on target (11-6), and passing accuracy (91.8%-90%), while OCB won more corners (6-4).
The Young Lions have completed the regular season and will next play in the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs against an opponent and at a date to be announced. Finishing out of the top four, it’s possible that one of the top three teams will select OCB as its opponent in the first round.
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