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. Carolina Core FC: Final Score 2-2 (6-5) as Young Lions Squander Two-Goal Lead
OCB coughed up a two-goal, second-half lead to draw Carolina Core but earned a second point in the penalty shootout.
Orlando City B (2-2-2, 10 points) returned home tonight, drawing 2-2 with Carolina Core FC (0-3-3, 3 points) at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. Gustavo Caraballo converted from the spot and Pedro Leao scored an excellent goal to give the Young Lions a 2-0 lead at the break. But a beautiful shot by David Diaz and a mistake by Tristan Himes that allowed Nolan Evers to score saw the game end in a 2-2 draw.
While the Young Lions should have earned all three points, they won the penalty shootout 6-5 to claim two points from the contest.
OCB Head Coach Eddie Wilding made two changes from the team that lost 3-1 to Chattanooga FC on April 11. Titus Sandy, Jr. and Leao entered the starting lineup for Jaylen Yearwood and Harvey Sarajian.
The back line in front of Himes in goal was Bernardo Rhein, Sandy, Landon Okonski, and Parker Amoo-Mensah. Issah Haruna and Dylan Judelson were in the defensive midfield behind Matthew Balgodere, Dominik Baczewski, and Caraballo, with Leao up top.
OCB was the better team in the first half and nearly had a three-goal lead at the break if not for a quality save by Carolina goalkeeper Nick Holliday. But a poor three-minute period in the second half allowed the visitors to score twice, evening the game. The Young Lions were unable to convert on a late breakaway without getting a shot off, and the game ended in a draw.
The first attack came in the third minute when Thomas Raimbault sent a dangerous cross into the OCB box that found Arnaud Tattevin’s head. The header popped into the air with an attacker charging in, but Himes did well to come out and claim it. A minute later, Jesus Ibarra and Tattevin combined to send Jair Caiza behind Okonski on the left. The left back had space for a shot, but hit the outside of the net.
OCB had its first chance in the sixth minute when Caraballo made a good move to get behind Caiza and into the Carolina box. Caiza slid in with a desperate attempt to win the ball, making contact with Caraballo, who went down. Referee Abou Diaye pointed to the spot, awarding the Young Lions a penalty.
Caraballo stepped up to take the spot kick himself. As Holliday dove to his left, Caraballo sent the ball the opposite direction to give OCB the early 1-0 lead.
In the 13th minute, Caiza sent a cross towards the OCB box that Caraballo deflected out for a corner kick. The first attempt was cleared out of play by Amoo-Mensah, giving Carolina a second chance. This one was headed towards the penalty spot, where Tattevin attempted a volley that went wide of the far post.
The Young Lions took their second shot in the 24th minute when Sandy played the ball squarely to Rhein about 30 yards from the goal. Rather than sending a cross into the box, Rhein fired from long distance, sending his attempt well high and wide of the target.
In the 32nd minute, Caraballo lifted a ball into the box that the defense headed away. It looked like the attack was over, but Judelson slid in with an excellent tackle on Ibarra to win it back. Sandy quickly played it to Amoo-Mensah, who tapped it forward for Baczewski. The midfielder’s pass was through Ricardo Montenegro for Leao, who spun to beat Santiago Yepes before sending his shot past Holliday, giving the Young Lions a 2-0 lead.
The visitors almost got one back in the 39th minute when Tattevin played Raimbault behind the OCB back line. The attacker was free on goal, but Himes did well to come off his line and block the attempt. The ball bounced out off Tattevin for a goal kick, ending the threat.
OCB nearly had a third in the 43rd minute when Belgodere reached the end line and sent a great cross to the top of the six-yard box where Leao was making a run. The striker got his header on target, but he hit the shot too central, where Holliday still had to make a good reaction save — which he did — to keep it 2-0.
The ensuing corner kick found Baczewski’s head as the midfielder made a near post run, but his attempt was wide.
Carolina led most of the statistical categories in the first half, including corner kicks (3-1), crosses (4-2), and passing accuracy (87.2%-86.2%). However, while both teams attempted six shots, OCB put more on target (3-2) and converted on two of those chances to take a 2-0 halftime lead.
The Young Lions created the first chance of the second half in the 56th minute when Caraballo played the ball through Sandy to Belgodere on the left side. Holliday blocked the midfielder’s shot to the near post. It fell right to Judelson just outside the six-yard box, but Evers blocked the defensive midfielder’s attempt, allowing Holliday to collect it.
Holliday tried to halt his throw out of the back, sending it towards the end line instead. Caiza ran it down and cleared the ball, but OCB retained possession. Leao received it near the top of the Carolina box and fired from 25 yards out, but it was right to Holliday.
In the 66th minute, Caiza dribbled into the box and shot, but Okonski blocked it. Carolina kept possession, resulting in a cross that found Tattevin’s head. However, the header attempt went wide of the right post.
Diaz made a run forward in the 70th minute, weaving through multiple defenders. He briefly lost possession before getting it right back and was able to get a shot off, but Himes did well to come out and block the attempt.
The Young Lions made their first two changes in the 71st minute, replacing Judelson and Leao with Caleb Trombino and Brady Kendall.
Carolina continued on the attack and it paid off as the visitors scored two quick goals. The first came in the 72nd minute from a seemingly innocuous throw-in. Diaz received a short pass before dribbling past Trombino and sending a curling shot beyond the reach of Himes and inside the far post to cut OCB’s lead in half.
In the 75th minute, Raimbault sent a free kick into the box that Himes tipped out of play. The goalkeeper looked to have secured the ensuing corner kick, but he spilled it in his own six-yard box. Evers quickly knocked it in to even the game at 2-2.
Wilding made two more changes in the 80th minute, replacing Amoo-Mensah and Caraballo with Yearwood and Nicolas Bobea Torres.
Belgodere tried to find a winner in the 87th minute when he lost his defender on the left and fired towards the near post. But Holliday had it covered and made the easy save.
OCB’s final change came in the 88th minute when Toryn Penders made his professional debut, replacing Baczewski.
Himes’ long throw out of the back in the first minute of second-half stoppage time nearly resulted in the winning goal. It was too far ahead of Rhein, but he sped past Nelson Martinez to win the ball. The left back was in on goal and had space to shoot on either side of Holliday, but the defender crossed it into traffic to his right instead. That allowed the retreating defenders to clear the ball, ending a golden opportunity for a late winner without so much as a shot.
The clearance stayed in the Carolina third and was controlled by Trombino. The second-half substitute found Bobea Torres near the top of the box, but his shot was blocked.
The Young Lions kept possession and worked the ball to the right, where Penders took possession. The young attacker dribbled into the box and fired for the near post, hitting the outside of the net.
That was the final chance for either team as the game ended in a 2-2 draw. At full time, OCB had more shots (15-12), with both teams putting six on target. OCB also had better passing accuracy (86.1%-84.8%) while Carolina ended the game with more crosses (9-3) and corner kicks (6-3).
Per MLS NEXT Pro rules, each team earned a point and the game went to penalties to see which side would get a second.
The shootout featured some excellent penalties, as the first five shooters for each team converted, sending the shootout into extras. OCB’s first five shooters were all second-half substitutes, with Penders, Yearwood, Trombino, Kendall, and Bobea Torres scoring, only to see Carolina Core level each time through Tim Zeegers, Yepes, Caiza, Anthony Sumo Jr., and Mohamed Diakite.
After OCB’s sixth shooter, Sandy, put the ball under Holliday’s arm to make it 6-5, Dyllan John hit the right post. As a result, the Young Lions took two points from the game.
A win would have seen OCB jump into a tie with Atlanta United 2 for fourth in the Eastern Conference. Instead, the Young Lions sit in eighth, tied for sixth in points with Chattanooga and New England Revolution II. OCB has a game in hand on four of the teams ahead in the conference standings.
The Young Lions will look to regroup and get Wilding his first victory as they head out on the road, facing Chicago Fire FC II a week from today.
Orlando City B
Orlando City B Off to Strong Start to 2026 Season
The Young Lions are getting results early in the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro campaign.
I think it is important that I open with an apology, because a week ago I wrote about how Orlando City needed to improve its league-worst defense, and then the Lions went to Nashville and somehow were unable to improve upon a 3.00 goals-against average. After the 5-0 shellacking in Tennessee Orlando City’s goals-against average now sits at 3.40, with 17 goals allowed through five games. That is somehow not the worst five-game run during any individual season in club history, as the 2018 Lions matched the year by allowing 18 goals during a five-game stretch during their nine-game losing streak (those were fun times), but allowing 17 goals in a five-game stretch is the kind of start to a season that makes a (drinking-age) fan want to pour themselves a stiff drink.
Or the whole bottle.
Speaking of drinking, if you have not been watching Orlando City B this year, you have been missing out on some epic “drunk OCB” matches, including the most recent game on Sunday (a 4-4 Junior Tropic Thunder match against Inter Miami II) about which our The Mane Land PawedCast host Michael Citro said that “there has never been a drunker OCB game than this (one).” Drunk games, in this context, just means matches where crazy things happen with no rhyme or reason, and you never know what is going to happen next.
The Young Lions are off to a start full of both drunk games and positive results, as unlike the senior team, they have earned more points than games played and have an offense that looks like it is among the best in the league.
| Metric* | MLS NEXT Pro Avg. | OCB | MLS NEXT Pro Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points Earned | 1.5 | 2.0 | T-6 |
| Shots | 13.5 | 19.8 | 1 |
| Shots on Target | 5.2 | 8.8 | 1 |
| Big Chances Created | 2.4 | 4.5 | 1 |
| Goals | 1.7 | 2.5 | 5 |
*All metrics are on a per-game basis
Part of the reason these games might be so “drunk” is that OCB is both scoring and allowing 2.5 goals per game, so the Young Lions and their opponents are taking shots all game long, creating the possibilities for wild comebacks and last-gasp goals. The main reason though is that OCB’s offense is stacked, with five top quality players to fill the attacking spots at the top of its standard 4-2-3-1 lineup.
OCB has generally gone with Gustavo Caraballo, Harvey Sarajian, and Yutaro Tsukada out on the wings, Justin Ellis as the center attacking midfielder and Pedro Leão as striker, though Leão did not play in one game and Logan Tsopanoglou got the start in his absence. Tsukada has been above average when he played, but the standouts have been Caraballo, Ellis, Leão, and Sarajian.
| Metric | Caraballo | Ellis | Leão | Sarajian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Age | 17 | 18 | 19 | 21 |
| Goal Contributions (G+A) | 4 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Key Passes | 8 | 12 | 5 | 11 |
| FotMob Rating (out of 10) | 7.64 | 8.01 | 7.44 | 8.33 |
| Goal Contributions Rank | 8 | 5 | 28 | 5 |
| Key Passes Rank | 14 | 2 | 51 | 3 |
| FotMob Rating Rank | 39 | 14 | 71 | 4 |
The counting numbers in the table are a little misleading for Leão, as he has played one fewer game than the others, and Caraballo, who despite appearing in all four OCB games, has played fewer minutes than the other three. However, even with fewer minutes played, both Caraballo and Leão are already contributing to OCB’s excellent offense, especially Caraballo, whose goal contributions per 90 minutes ranks fifth, while Ellis and Sarajian rank 15th and 16th, respectively.
The current age of each player is also noted in the table above, and Caraballo, Ellis, and Leão are all younger than 20.9, which is the average age of the top 25 players in MLS NEXT Pro FotMob ratings through four games. According to transfermarkt.com, OCB has used the fifth-youngest set of players through the first four games, and with young players always come ups and downs and the propensity for games to bounce around all over the place like a ball on a roulette wheel, like in the comebacks from multiple goals down against Carolina Core and Inter Miami II.
Those backs and forths are what our The Mane Land team refers to as the “drunk OCB” games, and when you combine the crazy types of games with players of precocious skill and potential, the games are definitely worth watching. The senior Lions are inevitably going to start playing better, but for now the best men’s team to watch in Orlando is OCB. Just like Orlando City, OCB is off this weekend, but several current and former Young Lions will be with their youth national teams during the international break — another sign of the solid pipeline of talent that is ready to flow into the first team.
Tahir Reid-Brown and Colin Guske have already played more than 140 minutes for Orlando City this season, and Zakaria Taifi (64), Tsukada (18), and Leão (6) also have all seen the field. The senior team’s bench is generally made up of at least three or four players who primarily play with OCB, and even with the acquisition of Antoine Griezmann crowding the list of attacking players, Caraballo and Ellis will likely play some minutes with the first team this season.
Go ahead and (Makers) mark your calendars for OCB’s next game on April 11 and prepare to settle in for a happy hour and a half of soccer that may not be of the same top shelf quality as an MLS game but never fails to entertain.
Vamos Orlando…City B!
Orlando City B
Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 4-4 (4-2) as OCB Completes Improbable Comeback
OCB came back from a three-goal deficit to draw Inter Miami II at Inter&Co Stadium, then took the extra point in the shootout.
Orlando City B (2-1-1, 8 points) played to an enthralling draw tonight against Inter Miami II (0-2-2, 2 points) at Inter&Co Stadium. The visitors took a commanding 2-0 lead inside five minutes and had a 4-1 lead shortly after halftime. But OCB came storming back to even the game 4-4 in stoppage time. The Young Lions then won the penalty shootout to claim the extra point.
OCB interim coach Julian Vergara made four changes from the team that defeated Carolina Core 3-2 on March 14. Tristan Himes, Tahir Reid-Brown, Yutaro Tsukada, and Pedro Leao returned from the first team, replacing Juan Rojas, Nicholas Lasheras, Gustavo Caraballo, and Logan Tsopanoglou.
The back line in front of Himes in goal was Bernardo Rhein, Reid-Brown, Titus Sandy, Jr., and Jaylen Yearwood. Dylan Judelson and Dominik Baczewski were in the defensive midfield behind Tsukada, Justin Ellis, and Harvey Sarajian with Leao up top.
This was a game of missed opportunities for OCB. Both teams had several bad giveaways, but Miami was able to turn those into goals. Meanwhile, OCB struggled to find the back of the net. The Young Lions put themselves in a three-goal hole before they came storming back to tie it up, but they’ll wonder what could’ve been if they’d converted some of the golden opportunities in the both halves, including three shots with the goalkeeper out of the net that didn’t go in.
The visitors struck early when a heavy touch by Yearwood on a Miami throw-in allowed Naej Desravins to reach it first. The midfielder played it wide for Preston Plambeck, who guided the ball around Himes and inside the far post to give Miami an early 1-0 lead.
It didn’t take long for the team in pink to double its advantage and it came from an OCB attack. In the fifth minute, Sarajian outran the Miami defense to reach a long Judelson pass. After a brief hesitation, his shot was too close to Max Ponikarovsky, who made the save with his left hand.
Miami immediately broke the other way with Plambeck sending a long ball forward for Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida. Reid-Brown got in front of the attacker, but Zeltzer-Zubida created enough space for a shot. The midfielder sent a curling ball over Himes and inside the far post to make 2-0 just five minutes into the game.
The Young Lions finally got their second shot of the game in the 16th minute when Tsukada made a run down the left and sent a cross to the near post for Leao. The Brazilian beat his defender to it and flicked the ball on target, but Ponikarovsky was there to catch it.
On the other end, the Herons felt they should’ve had a penalty when Theo Vorenkamp found Diego Rey in the OCB box. Himes came out to collect but missed the ball. Rey went down with contact and threw his arms up, appealing for a penalty. However, referee Aleja Calume decided it wasn’t enough to point to the spot.
The Young Lions nearly took advantage of a Miami mistake in the 23rd minute when Leao intercepted a poor pass from Desravins to Samuel Basabe. The striker used his body to shield Basabe and get into the box, but Ponikarovsky came off his line to take the ball off of Leao’s foot, ensuring he couldn’t get a shot off.
In the 34th minute, Tsukada had the ball taken off him but the heavy touch went right to Rhein. The left back quickly played it to Leao at the top of the box and, after controlling it, the forward put a shot on target. Unfortunately, it was a weak attempt that caused no trouble for Ponikarovsky.
As Miami attempted to play the ball out of the back, OCB took possession of a poor pass. Ellis played the ball wide left for Tsukada, who found Leao making a run into the box. The Brazilian tried to guide the ball inside the far post but put it wide.
A minute later, Miami again failed to play the ball out of the back, giving it away to Judelson. The midfielder quickly sent it forward for Ellis, who found Leao entering the box. The Brazilian’s first touch was past Ponikarovsky, cutting the deficit in half.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. In the 38th minute, Sandy played an inaccurate long ball by Miami back to Himes. The goalkeeper sent a short pass to Reid-Brown on his left, but the defender misplayed it, allowing Alejandro Flores to take possession. He played the ball across the box where Rey flicked it on for Plambeck. The forward put it in to make it 3-1.
In the 42nd minute, Rhein received a long switch on the left. He sent a beautiful ball to the top of the six that fell to Leao, who was looking for a brace. The Brazilian redirected it on target but sent it right to Ponikarovsky. Two minutes later, Rhein had a similar chance for himself. Ellis backheeled the ball to Sarajian on the left and the midfielder sent a cross to the penalty spot, where Rhein was making a run. The young defender’s first touch was a shot that went right into Ponikarovsky’s arms.
In the 44th minute, Judelson sent a long ball left for Sarajian. Ponikarovsky came off his line to clear the ball, but his defender got to it first. Trying to play it out for a throw-in, he knocked the ball off Sarajian. The ball went to Leao with the goalkeeper getting there first. But he couldn’t control it and Ellis took possession. With the goalkeeper out of the play, Ellis shot. Unfortunately, Tyler Hall got in front of the goal to block it. Ellis then beat his defender for another chance, but he again sent it right at Hall, who kept it out of the net.
OCB created more chances than Miami in the first 45 minutes, ending the half with more shots (9-6), shots on target (7-3), and corner kicks (3-1). But Miami had better passing accuracy (82.2%-74.9%). The difference between the teams was that Miami made the Young Lions pay for their mistakes in the back and OCB struggled to do so.
Miami was forced into an unusual substitution at halftime. Ponikarovsky was taken off in a concussion change, replaced in goal by Alex Padilla.
OCB started the second half the way it ended the first half, giving the ball away in its own end. A weak pass by Reid-Brown was taken by Rey, who fired on target. Himes was there to make the stop.
In the 49th minute, Miami scored a fourth when Zeltzer-Zubida took possession of the ball near midfield. The attacker made a long run down the right, getting behind the OCB back line and playing the ball past Himes to make it 4-1.
Judelson took a strong shot in the 53rd minute that forced Padilla to tip it over the crossbar. The ensuing corner was headed out, but Sarajian was there to take possession. The midfielder made a nice move to the end line and played a good ball in front of goal, where Ellis was behind the back line to tap it in and make it a 4-2 game.
Tsukada tried to get another one back in the 53rd minute when he dribbled across the top of the Miami box and fired an off-balance shot after some contact. It wasn’t clear if the attempt was on target, but Padilla dove to collect it anyway. That was Tsukada’s final touch as Vergara made his first two changes in the 57th minute, replacing Tsukada and Yearwood with Parker Amoo-Mensah and Caraballo.
Play restarted with a free kick for OCB that Caraballo played short to Ellis. After taking a couple of touches forward, Ellis fired a shot that was caught by Padilla.
In the 60th minute, Caraballo put a strong shot towards goal that Padilla palmed away. A poor clearance allowed OCB to keep possession in the Miami half, which ended up with Sarajian on the left. He played it to Rhein, who made an overlapping run before sending Ellis into the six-yard box. There was a collision before the ball went wide and a foul was called on Ellis.
OCB got back into the game in the 68th minute with some quick passing at the top of the Miami box. Rhein, Leao, and Ellis combined to get the ball to Carabllo who did well to finish past Padilla, cutting the deficit to 4-3.
In the 79th minute, OCB failed to clear the ball, enabling Miami to take possession in the box. It ended up with Alejo Ristano, who looked like he would give Miami another two-goal lead, but Himes did well to come off his line and block the attempt.
On the other end, Caraballo was fouled by Mario Stoka, giving OCB a free kick in the opposing third. The teenager went for goal on his own, sending his shot just wide of the near post.
The Young Lions won the ball back on the goal kick, allowing Rhein to send Sarajian behind the Miami back line. He dribbled around Padilla and fired on the empty net, but his shot hit the near post.
In the 84th minute, Rey was sent through and it looked like he would have a free shot on goal. However, Sandy got in front of the shot to deflect it wide. OCB cleared the ensuing corner kick, keeping the deficit at one.
The game turned even more in the 87th minute when Padilla went off injured. Having already replaced their starting goalkeeper at halftime, the Herons put the gloves on defender Ristano. Additionally, since they had already used all three substitutions windows, the visitors would end the game with 10 men.
Vergara used his second window and third substitution in the 90th minute as OCB searched for an equalizer. Caleb Trombino, who scored the late equalizer against Carolina, replaced Judelson.
Giving the Young Lions even more motivation, the fourth official showed 13 minutes of stoppage time.
In the first minute, Ellis dribbled across the top of the Miami box before firing on goal. However, a defender got in front before it reached Ristano, deflecting it wide.
The ensuing corner went to the far side of the box where Rhein took possession. The left back fired at the near post, but Ristano blocked it wide for his first save.
Caraballo took the second corner kick and it was one to remember. The midfielder curled his set piece delivery over the outstretched arms of Ristano and inside the far post for an Olimpico, completing the comeback and tying the game at 4-4.
Playing against 10 men and an outfield player in goal, OCB continued to push for a late winner. The Young Lions thought they might have taken the lead in the sixth minute of stoppage time when Rhein sent Belgodere down the left. Caraballo was wide open to tap the ball in, but Belgodere was judged to be offside on the initial ball forward.
Ristano was forced into his second save in the seventh minute when Rhein found Ellis in the box. The attacker sent the ball wide for Belgodere, who gave it right back. Ellis spun and fired, but Ristano blocked it wide with his leg, keeping the game tied. Caraballo took the ensuing corner kick and attempted another Olimpico, but this one hit the outside netting behind the near post.
Despite being down a man, Miami had a chance for a winner in the 10th minute of stoppage time when Zeltzer-Zubida sent a long pass to Plambeck on the left side. Creating space for a shot and looking for a hat trick, Plambeck fired for the near post, forcing Himes to block it away.
A minute later, OCB had a chance when Ellis dipped his shoulder to turn on his defender before sending Sarajian into the Miami box. As the defense closed in on him, the attacker found Belgodere open to his left. The teenager’s first touch was a shot, but Rondell White got in front just in time to block the attempt.
Vergara made his final substitution in the 12th minute of stoppage time, replacing Sandy with Lasheras.
Shortly after, the final whistle blew. At full time, OCB had more shots (27-14), shots on target (17-7), and corner kicks (9-7). Miami had slightly better passing accuracy (79%-78.7%) and both teams recorded seven crosses.
Per MLS NEXT Pro rules, each team earned a point and the game went to penalties to see who would get a second.
Rey and Caraballo began the penalties with excellent finishes. After Basabe sent Himes the wrong way, Ristano nearly saved Ellis’ attempt. He got in front of the shot, but the ball slipped under him and in.
That was what OCB needed, because Himes saved Zeltzer-Zubida’s panenka and, after Sarajian made it 3-2, Joseph Convers sent his attempt over the crossbar.
Amoo-Mensah stepped up and placed his penalty well to secure the second point for the Young Lions.
This game can be considered a point lost or two points gained. OCB created more chances than Miami and could’ve come away with all three points had it converted one more. However, being down 4-1 early in the second half, the Young Lions came all the way back to pull out the draw.
In the end, while both teams will probably feel as though they should’ve come away with all three points, they’ll both be pleased to get something from the contest.
The two points moves OCB into sixth in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference with eight points from four games. They’re tied on points with New York Red Bulls II for third, two points behind New England Revolution II for second, and four points behind the league-leading Crown Legacy FC.
The Young Lions now have an extended break as they return to the field on April 11 against Chattanooga FC in Tennessee.
Lion Links: 4/24/26
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