Orlando City B
Orlando City B vs. New York City FC II: Final Score 3-2 as Young Lions Find Rare Win at Home
The Young Lions overcame an early deficit and held off a late rally to win their first home game since May 26.
Orlando City B (6-6-9, 31 points) defeated New York City FC II (9-5-5, 34 points) 3-2 tonight at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, picking up its first home victory since late May. Camil Azzam Ruiz gave the visitors the lead in the 23rd minute after having a penalty saved and putting in the rebound. However, Yutaro Tsuakda and Jhon Solis struck just before halftime to give their team a 2-1 lead and Shak Mohammed made it 3-1 in the 63rd minute. Ronald Arevalo got one back in the 85th minute, but it wasn’t enough as the Young Lions took all three points.
OCB made two changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw with Crown Legacy on Aug. 11. Thomas Williams was suspended after receiving two yellow cards and was replaced in the lineup by Luca Petrasso. Tahir Reid-Brown moved from left back to center back to create room for Petrasso at his natural position. Additionally, Favian Loyola entered the lineup for Wilfredo Rivera.
The back line in front of goalkeeper Carlos Mercado was Petrasso, Reid-Brown, Nabi Kibunguchy, and Alex Freeman. Imanol Almaguer and Colin Guske were the defensive midfielders behind Tsukada, Solis, and Loyola with Mohammed up top.
The Young Lions dominated the majority of this game. A mistake in the back by Reid-Brown resulted in a 23rd-minute penalty, enabling the visitors to take the lead. However, OCB continued to push and scored two goals in two minutes just before halftime to take the lead into the break. The hosts were also the better team in the second half and extended their lead to 3-1 when Mohammed redirected a ball into the box by Tsukada in the 63rd minute. NYCFC II was able to create more chances down two goals and got one back in the 85th minute but OCB held on for a much-needed win.
The visitors created the first shot of the game in the fifth minute when Jonathan Shore dribbled through multiple players to the top of the OCB box. The midfielder looked to beat Mercado, but Reid-Brown did well to get in front of the attempt, enabling the OCB goalkeeper to make an easy save.
The Young Lions got their first chance of the game in the 11th minute when Loyola dribbled towards the left side of the NYCFC II box and found Mohammed, who held up his run just enough to get behind the back line. Receiving the ball with some space, the forward’s second touch was a shot just wide of the near post.
In the 13th minute, Solis played the ball across the field for Freeman, who was sprinting down the right side. The right back kept the ball from exiting play, but Christopher Tiao did well to get back and knocked the ball out of play for the game’s first corner kick.
The ensuing set piece by Loyola went to the opposite side of the field for Tsukada. The midfielder’s cross into the box was headed away, but only to Loyola. Using some nifty footwork to lose his defenders, Loyola found Tsukada. The rookie dribbled inside and shot, but the ball skipped wide.
Tsukada had another chance in the 18th minute when he was played on the left by Solis. The midfielder cut inside to lose his defender and tried to hit the ball hard into the roof of the net. Unfortunately, he got under the ball, sending it over the crossbar.
A mistake by Reid-Brown in the 22nd minute resulted in the opening goal. Receiving a short pass back from Almaguer, the young center back was quickly pressured by Maximo Carrizo. The midfielder was in on goal, forcing Mercado to come out to challenge him. As the attacker went down, referee Mario Maric pointed to the spot, awarding the visitors a penalty. Fortunately, Kibunguchy and Reid-Brown were back, so it was only a yellow card for the OCB goalkeeper.
Azzam Ruiz stepped up to take the penalty with vuvuzelas blaring from the crowd. Mercado dove to his right, blocking the attempt. However, Azzam Ruiz was quick to react and put the rebound in to give NYCFC II a 1-0 lead.
Switching the field in the 24th minute, Loyola received a long pass on the right. The attacker did well to beat his defender before laying it off for Solis at the top of the box. Solis initially got the ball caught in his feet before getting it under control and shooting for the near post. NYCFC II goalkeeper Will Meyer was caught flat-footed, but the ball skipped just wide.
The Young Lions created more chances a minute later when Loyola’s pass down the right for Freeman was knocked out of play by Tiao. The ensuing set piece by Loyola was short to Solis, who gave it right back to Loyola. The attacker sent a low ball towards the near post, but Meyer got down to block it wide.
The second corner by Loyola was into the box and found the head of Solis. The midfielder redirected the ball right into the arms of Meyer, ending the attack.
In the 27th minute, Mohammed was taken down by Matthew Leong just outside the box, resulting in a booking for the NYCFC II center back. Tsukada went for goal on the set piece, but Andrew Baiera deflected it out of play for a corner kick.
The ensuing ball into the box was headed out but only to Freeman. The right back quickly put a shot on target, but it was blocked and the visitors were able to clear.
The Young Lions should have found their equalizer in the 34th minute, just after play resumed following a hydration break. Reid-Brown sent a long ball forward that got behind the NYCFC II back line. Mohammed ran onto the ball and touched it around Meyer. It should’ve been an easy finish, but a heavy touch forced him to chase after the ball. By the time he reached it, he had too tight of an angle and hit it off the outside of the near post.
OCB finally found its equalizer in the 45th minute and it came from an excellent individual effort by Tsukada. Receiving the ball on the left sideline from Petrasso, Tsukada used his quick change of pace to beat his defender and open up space. He cut inside and shot between Jonny Lopez and Shore. It was an excellent strike inside the near post that Meyer could do nothing about, tying the game at 1-1.
“When I get the ball out wide, I have strong confidence with one-v-one. So when I get the ball, I try to dribble and threw the meg,” Tsukada said about his goal. “And I saw Shak running behind, so he created space and then I used that space and then just finished it.”
It didn’t take long for the Young Lions to take the lead, doing so a minute into first-half stoppage time. Guske won possession when Tiao sent the ball forward. He played it to Solis who tried to chip the ball into the box for Loyola or Mohammed, who were making identical runs. As the pair of attackers ran into each other, Tiao headed it back out. However, Solis was the quickest to respond. The midfielder touched the ball inside and curled it around Meyer, leaving the NYCFC II goalkeeper frozen. The ball snuck inside the far post and the Young Lions had their first lead of the game.
“Very important,” OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg said about scoring the two goals just before halftime. “We were creating a lot of chances we couldn’t score. We made a mistake and they got a goal, but we kept trying. That was the good thing. We were able fortunately to get those two goals that changed the game for us.”
Despite trailing for most of the half, it was a dominant 45 minutes for the Young Lions. They had more shots (12-3), shots on target (4-2), and corner kicks (4-0). Meanwhile, NYCFC II had more crosses (4-2) and slightly better passing accuracy (90.9%-90.5%).
OCB nearly extended its advantage in the 48th minute when Solis sent the ball forward with the outside of his foot for Petrasso. The left back was making a long run into the NYCFC II half and Meyer came way out of his box to challenge him. Petrasso tapped the ball past the goalkeeper and appeared to be in on goal. Unfortunately, Lopez did well to get back with an excellent slide tackle, winning the ball before Petrasso could reach it.
In the 49th minute, Tsukada made a long run into the NYCFC II half before playing the ball to Loyola. The attacker continued the ball wide for Freeman, whose first touch was into the box for Tsukada. Rather than a strong strike, the midfielder tried to chip the ball over Meyer to the back post. The goalkeeper did well to stay on his line and caught the attempt without much trouble.
Loyola looked to get on the scoresheet in the 51st minute. Dribbling around his defender, he took a long-distance shot. He was aiming for the near post, but Meyer dove to his left and caught the attempt.
NYCFC II finally had another good chance in the 55th minute when quick passing enabled Arevalo to send Nicholas Kapanadze into the box. The halftime substitute got behind Freeman, but his touch was too heavy. Mercado came out to cut down the angle and Reid-Brown cleared it away.
OCB had a set piece chance in the 60th minute when Freeman sent Guske down the right and Tiao blocked the ball out for a corner kick. The ensuing ball by Loyola was to the back post where Kibunguchy was charging in. The center back slid in an attempt to redirect the ball on target but couldn’t get it on frame.
The Young Lions netted a third goal in the 63rd minute. Freeman took on Tiao after receiving a long ball across the field from Guske. Tiao defended Freeman well but was the last to touch the ball before it went out of play. Tsukada’s first touch from Loyola’s corner kick at the top of the box was towards goal. It looked like Meyer was there to catch it, but Mohammed met the ball first, redirecting it in to give OCB a commanding 3-1 lead.
A Reid-Brown mistake in the 65th minute nearly resulted in a second goal for NYCFC II. The center back received a back pass from Tsukada that was nearly identical to the one that resulted in the first-half penalty. Kapanadze pressured the defender and won possession, putting him in on goal. He sent the ball past Mercado and towards the far post but missed wide.
NYCFC II looked to break out in the 72nd minute, resulting in Carrizo sprinting down the field. The midfielder found Shore outside of the box and he took an ambitious shot from long distance. It was a good strike that forced Mercado to push it away, but the OCB goalkeeper handled it well.
Goldberg made his first changes in the 71st minute as Manuel Cocca and Justin Ellis entered the game for Reid-Brown and Mohammed. Two minutes later, Jackson Platts came on for Tsukada, who left with a goal and an assist.
The visitors got a goal back in the 85th minute when Pietro Elias made a strong run and played it forward for Kapanadze. The forward chested the ball down and laid it off for Arevalo, whose right-footed shot got behind Mercado and inside the post to make it 3-2.
In the first minute of second-half injury time, Shore received the ball on the right top corner of the box and took a shot at goal. Solis got in front of the attempt, deflecting it into the arms of Mercado. The OCB goalkeeper stayed down as the medical team came out to look at him. Goldberg took the stoppage to make his final change as Bernardo Goncalves came on for Petrasso.
In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Meyer sent a long ball into the OCB box that was headed out by Kibunguchy. Stevo Bednarsky took possession and Solis took him down from behind, giving the visitors a free kick just outside of the OCB box. Arevalo took the set piece but couldn’t get over it, sending the attempt over the top.
Tempers flared in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time after Platts flew in with a hard challenge on Lopez. Klevis Haxhari immediately took exception to the challenge, bumping Platts with his chest. Kapanadze came running in from the other side of the field and gave Platts a forearm to the face, receiving a straight red card for the action. Kapanadze didn’t help himself by kicking the ball at a group of OCB players while being escorted away by Bednarsky. Pushing and shoving continued, but the situation eventually calmed down.
The free kick by Arevalo into the box was headed away by Solis, ending the last chance for the visitors. After nearly nine minutes of stoppage time, Maric blew the final whistle and the Young Lions held on for the 3-2 win.
It was a deserved result for OCB, which had more shots (17-13), shots on target (7-5), and corner kicks (6-2). NYCFC II had more crosses (9-4) and better passing accuracy (88.8%-86%). The visitors made the game look much closer statistically once OCB went up 3-1 as they pushed to get back into the game.
“Of course, we are really happy that we were able to get the result. For us, this moment of the season is crucial,” Goldberg said about the performance. “So, very happy for that. And at the same time, we have a little bit of feeling of control in the game a little bit more and being able to do that.”
It’s been a struggle for the Young Lions since their best game of the season, a 5-0 win over Huntsville City FC on May 26. Tonight’s victory is just their second win and first home win since that game.
The Young Lions remain in 10th in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference. However, they’re only two points behind New York Red Bulls II and Inter Miami II, which sit in the eighth and final playoff spot. They also have a game in hand on Red Bulls II.
OCB will look to build on this win in its next game when the Young Lions face Atlanta United 2 Friday night in Kennesaw, GA.