Orlando City B
Orlando City B vs. Carolina Core FC: Final Score 2-1 as OCB Ends Eight-Game Winless Streak
OCB ended its eight-game winless streak with a road win over Carolina Core FC despite being down a man for a long stretch.
Orlando City B (5-6-8, 27 points) took a two-goal lead in the first half and played down a man for much of the second half, but the Young Lions still managed to beat Carolina Core FC (5-9-4, 22 points) 2-1 in High Point, NC. Both of OCB’s first-half goals, scored by Jackson Platts and Shak Mohammed, came from counterattacks. Substitute David Polanco got one back for the hosts in the 78th minute, but it wasn’t enough as the Young Lions took all three points.
The win ends an eight-game winless streak (0-3-5) that dates back to OCB’s 5-0 win over Huntsville City FC on May 26 in Kissimmee. It also prevented the Young Lions from equaling their all-time longest winless streak of nine games, set in 2019 when they played in USL League One.
OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made four changes to the team that lost 1-0 to Chattanooga FC on July 27. Platts, Tahir Reid-Brown, Favian Loyola, and Mohammed started after coming off the bench last game, replacingAlex Freeman, Colin Guske, Yutaro Tsukada, and Jack Lynn. None of the four being replaced were in the team tonight.
The back four in front of goalkeeper Carlos Mercado were Reid-Brown, Thomas Williams, Nabi Kibunguchy, and Platts. Imanol Almaguer and Wilfredo Rivera were in the defensive midfield behind Luca Petrasso, Jhon Solis, and Loyola with Mohammed up top.
Carolina dominated this game territorially from the outset as OCB sat back and absorbed the pressure. The Young Lions hit the hosts on counterattacks, resulting in both of their goals. OCB found it relatively easy to control the opposition, but the task was made more challenging just before halftime when a poor decision by Loyola got him sent off. Despite being down a man, OCB held on strong and withstood attack after attack. A second yellow card to Derek Cuevas made the numbers even again and seeing out the win a little easier as OCB ended its eight-game winless streak.
The first shot of the game came in the fifth minute when Core captain Jacob Evans received the ball in the box. He played it to his left for Jathan Juarez, getting it right back when Juarez was covered. Taking a couple of touches to his right, Evans shot. Williams did well to get down to block the attempt, enabling OCB to clear.
The first chance to shoot for the Young Lions came in the 11th minute when Rivera received the ball well outside the box. Only two defenders were near the midfielder, so Rivera had space to create a shot from distance. He has scored from there before, but Juarez got in front to block the attempt out for a throw-in.
OCB had a good chance in the 15th minute when Rivera played the ball wide for Petrasso. Mohammed was making a near-post run, so Petrasso played the ball into the six. Mohammed had a step on his defender, but Core goalkeeper Alex Sutton came out strong. While Mohammed went down from the challenge, Sutton got to the ball first.
The hosts quickly went to the other end, looking to build up an attack. However, Facundo Canete unwisely decided to shoot from long distance, sending the ball well over the goal and into the stands.
OCB took the lead in the 22nd minute when a great long ball by Rivera found Petrasso sprinting down the left wing. The defenders and Sutton closed down Petrasso, who had space to enter the box, so he played the ball square, where Platts was making a run to the back post. It was an easy tap-in for the rookie for his first professional goal.
Santiago Cambindo surprised everyone in the 27th minute when he received the ball 35 yards away from the goal. Despite the distance, the midfielder sent a scorching shot on target, forcing Mercado to punch the ball away because of its pace. The ball was sent back into the box, but Mercado was there to grab it and end the attack.
The 40th minute saw a flurry of activity, starting with an attack by the hosts. Jonathan Bazaes sent a dangerous cross into the six-yard box, but Platts cleared it away. OCB quickly went the other way with Loyola receiving the ball in the Carolina box. The attacker dribbled to his left while looking for space to shoot, eventually doing so. However, it was deflected into the arms of Sutton.
The hosts created their own counterattack from the catch. Evans appeared to initially be looking to send the ball into the box, but he shot from long distance instead. Fortunately, his shot was well over the goal.
Reid-Brown knocked the ball out of play in the 43rd minute, giving Carolina a corner kick. The ensuing set piece was headed towards the back post by Kai Thomas, and two Carolina players were there to redirect it on goal. However, Mercado did well to come out strong and punch the ball away.
The Young Lions doubled their lead in the 45th minute with an impressive counterattack. Rivera won possession just outside the OCB box and sent it forward for Loyola. After a few touches, Loyola played Mohammed behind the Carolina back line. The forward, who was injured in the 25th minute but ultimately stayed in the game, struck the ball with his first touch over the left shoulder of Sutton to make it 2-0.
The first half was going well for the visitors, but a confrontation made things much more difficult in first-half stoppage time. Loyola slid in to win the ball from Cambindo and the Carolina midfielder stomped on Loyola’s leg while he was down. The OCB attacker didn’t appreciate the move, getting up angry. Loyola immediately approached Canete, who was behind him, and headbutted the Carolina midfielder. Canete went down and referee Stearne Briem immediately pulled out the red card, sending Loyola off and limiting the Young Lions to 10 men.
Mercado punched away the ensuing free kick by Evans, and the halftime whistle blew with OCB leading 2-0.
After 45 minutes of action, Carolina had more shots (8-4), shots on target (4-3), and crosses (7-1) and better passing accuracy (88.8%-83.3%). Both teams won two corner kicks. The difference in the game was the counterattacking of the Young Lions that resulted in both goals.
Carolina took advantage of its manpower advantage and got the second half off to an attacking start, creating the first chance in the 48th minute. It started when Platts blocked a cross out of play for a corner kick. The short corner to Evans was sent into the box where Williams headed it out. Unfortunately, it didn’t travel far, landing at the feet of Cuevas in the box. The halftime substitute struggled to control it, laying it back for Angel Aguas. The defender’s second touch was a shot right at Mercado, who made the easy catch.
In the 53rd minute, Carolina played a throw-in in OCB’s third across the field, resulting in a long cross for Cuevas, who headed the ball down for Canete. The midfielder made a nice turn to create space and attempted to curl the ball inside the far post, but he didn’t get around it enough, sending the ball out of play.
In the 64th minute, Cuevas sent a dangerous ball into the OCB box for Canete, who made a diagonal run. The Carolina midfielder was first to the ball and attempted to flick it past Mercado, but he couldn’t get much on it, enabling Mercado to collect it.
Goldberg made OCB’s first change of the game in the 65th minute, replacing Reid-Brown with Justin Ellis. Replacing a defender with a forward forced Petrasso to move back into a more defensive role.
The Young Lions nearly got a third goal in the 69th minute when Drake Hadeed, shortly after coming on, turned the ball over to Solis. Mohammed picked up the ball and played Ellis behind the Carolina back line. Despite nobody in front of him other than the goalkeeper, Ellis’ shot was too close to Sutton.
Seconds later, OCB won possession back and Ellis controlled it at the top of the box. The attacker tried to curl it around Sutton, but sent it right to the goalkeeper.
Carolina had a great opportunity to get a goal back in the 70th minute when a long shot by Hadeed forced Mercado to dive to his left and push the ball away. Polanco collected the ball and laid it back for a second shot. The attempt was wide and Mercado dove, requiring treatment to his shoulder for the second time in the game.
OCB had a great chance to score a third in the 77th minute when Mohammed found Ellis just outside the six-yard box. Ellis’ shot was deflected and Mohammed let it go out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece by Almaguer found the head of an open Petrasso. The Canadian attempted to find the corner of the goal, but sent the attempt just wide.
Carolina went the other way and finally found a goal in the 78th minute from a Luis Lugo cross. Polanco and Williams tangled as they entered the six, but it was Polanco who got his head to the ball. The flick was enough to send it past Mercado and into the corner to cut the OCB lead in half.
Carolina went on a counterattack in the 82nd minute, so Almaguer pulled the shirt of Joshua Rodriguez, earning a yellow card. Before the game could restart, Solis and Cuevas began shoving, with both players being booked. While it was the first booking of the game for Solis, Cuevas had received an earlier caution in the 54th minute for committing a foul on Solis. As a result, he was sent off and both teams were down to 10 men.
Rodriguez sent a low cross into the six-yard box in the 85th minute, looking for Cristian Gregoire. The substitute was well defended and unable to turn on the ball, enabling the Young Lions to clear.
Shortly after the chance, OCB made its second change of the game as Solis made way for Bernardo Goncalves.
Carolina continued to have the majority of the possession and kept sending crosses into the box, but they were either too long or out of play. The goal, fracases between the teams, and OCB players taking their time to restart play resulted in six minutes being added to the second half.
In the second minute of injury time, Platts went down with an apparent cramp in the OCB box that required stretching by the trainer. Goldberg made his final change during the stoppage to avoid going down to nine men since field players must leave play for two minutes after receiving treatment. Platts left the game and was replaced by Juan Quevedo.
In the final minute of stoppage time, Polanco tried to find an equalizer with a pair of long-distance shots. He tried to turn and shoot on the first but was unable to get around the ball, sending it wide.
The final attempt of the game was an even longer shot and was closer to the goal. Mercado dove to his right to ensure the ball was going wide, avoiding touching it so Briem would award a goal kick. That was the final touch of the game as the final whistle blew, securing OCB’s 2-1 win.
Carolina ended the game with more shots (22-7), shots on target (9-4), corner kicks (4-3), and crosses (13-3) and better passing accuracy (87.8%-76.3%). But the hosts were unable to find a second goal while up a man, enabling the Young Lions to hold on for the three points.
The win puts OCB in 10th place in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference with 27 points. The Young Lions are only one point back of New York Red Bulls II and two back of Inter Miami II and Crown Legacy FC for the final playoff spot with eight games remaining.
Having wrapped up the three-game road trip, the Young Lions will return home on Aug. 11 when they’ll welcome Crown Legacy FC to Kissimmee.