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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.

Published

2 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

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!

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Atlanta United 2: Final Score 4-2 as OCB Falls Out of Playoffs on Decision Day

OCB tumbled out of the playoff places on the season’s final day, losing badly at home to rival Atlanta.

Published

1 month ago

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September 20, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B

Orlando City B (11-10-7, 44 points) saw its season come to an end today with a 4-2 loss to Atlanta United 2 (14-9-5, 48 points) at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. Atlanta’s four goals came from Arif Kovac, Ignacio Suarez-Couri, Dominik Chong Qui, and an own goal by Harvey Sarajian that goalkeeper Tristan Himes punched off the forward’s back. Issah Haruna and Justin Hylton were the goal scorers for the Young Lions.

OCB Head Coach Eddie Wiliding deployed the same team that won 4-1 over Inter Miami II on Sept. 4 and 3-1 over Toronto FC II on Sept. 13. Himes started in goal behind a back line of Clovis Archange, Nolan Miller, Landon Okonski, and Parker Amoo-Mensah. Hylton and Ignacio Gomez were the defensive midfielders behind Sarajian, Gustavo Caraballo, and Haruna with Pedro Leao up top.

The Young Lions came into this game needing two points to ensure at least a spot in the play-in round. There were several scenarios that would have seen OCB make the postseason even with a loss, but those required help from the teams behind them. But it was a rough game from the start. The Young Lions conceded shortly after kickoff and, even with an equalizer, it felt like they were chasing the game throughout. Hylton’s goal in first-half stoppage time gave the them some hope, but they didn’t do much in the second half, limping to the season’s end.

It was the worst possible start for the Young Lions with Atlanta scoring less than three minutes after kickoff. Atlanta goalkeeper Jonathan Ransom cleared a long ball up the field that Miller headed out. However, Andrew Jardines beat Gomez to the ball before finding Cameron Dunbar on the left. Kovac got behind Okonski and Miller, tapping the low cross in to give his team the 1-0 lead.

The Young Lions had their first chance in the seventh minute when Sarajian, who played for the first team Saturday night in New England, took a free ball and split two defenders to get into the Atlanta third of the field. The attacker sent the ball centrally for Carballo, who tapped it on for Gomez. The defensive midfielder had space for a shot, but Mohamed Cisset blocked his attempt.

The visitors immediately went the other way, nearly scoring a second. Quick passing resulted in Enzo Dovlo receiving a pass down the right. Dovlo laid the ball back for Jardines, whose cross went through three players before landing at Kovac’s foot in the six-yard box. The striker turned to touch the ball past Himes, but the OCB goalkeeper blocked the attempt to keep the deficit at one.

The Young Lions found an equalizer in the 18th minute when Caraballo passed to Haruna on the right. The midfielder took on Chong Qui one-on-one and, with his defender backpedeling, shocked everyone with a hard shot that beat Ransom to even the game at 1-1.

An Archange giveaway in the 25th minute gave Atlanta a chance to retake the lead. Dovlo took the ball off the left back’s foot and sent a cross to the top of the six-yard box, where Kovac found space between Okonski and Amoo-Mensah. The striker got his head to the ball, sending it into Himes’s arms.

Haruna lost the ball to Chong Qui in the 29th minute, creating another chance for Atlanta. The attacker dribbled to the end line and sent a cross to the near post for Kovac, but Okonski got in front to block it over the end line.

Himes jumped over Miller to punch the ensuing set piece away. However, his punch was too low, hitting Sarajian in the back. It rebounded off Sarajian and into the net for an own goal, giving Atlanta a 2-1 lead.

OCB nearly equalized again off the restart when DD Sibrian tripped Caraballo in the Atlanta third of the field. Caraballo sent his free kick to the far post, where Miller collected it. The center back put his attempt on target, but he couldn’t get much on it, allowing Ransom to make a relatively easy save.

The visitors doubled their advantage in the 40th minute when Dunbar made a strong run to the end line before playing the ball between Amoo-Mensah and Okonski. Suarez-Couri was wide open, with multiple OCB defenders standing around. It was an easy tap-in by Suarez-Couri to give Atlanta a commanding 3-1 lead.

Matthew Senanou tripped Sarajian just beyond midfield in stoppage time, which resulted in a goal for the Young Lions. Caraballo’s free kick to Haruna on the right saw the midfielder dribble inside. He laid the ball off for Hylton before receiving it right back. Hylton made a run and Haruna found him, resulting in a shot from the right side of the box. Chong Qui got in front of the attempt, deflecting it over Ransom to cut the deficit to 3-2.

At halftime, Atlanta had more shots (7-6), shots on target (4-2), crosses (3-1), and corner kicks (3-0). OCB had better passing accuracy (84.5%-72.4%) and trailed by one heading into the final 45 minutes of the regular season.

The Young Lions had the first chance of the second half in the 52nd minute when Amoo-Mensah received a long pass on the right and laid it back for Hylton. The attacker’s second touch was a knuckling shot that Ransom could only block over the end line. Atlanta headed away the ensuing set piece, ending the threat.

Ransom sent a long ball up the left in the 63rd minute, which Amoo-Mensah had in his sights. However, Amoo-Mensah’s attempt to volley away the ball hit off his own arm and deflected behind him, where Chong Qui took control with a path to the OCB goal. Chong Qui took a touch to his left and cut inside to beat a sliding Okonski before nutmegging Himes to make it 4-2.

Atlanta nearly scored again in the 68th minute when Daniel Chica knocked a Santiago Pita corner kick back out to the substitute. On Pita’s second cross to the back post, Himes was off his line and Senanou’s header looked like it might dip just under the crossbar, but Himes got back just in time to tip it over the goal.

Wilding made his first two changes in the 71st minute, replacing Sarajian and Gomez with Matthew Belgodere and Nicolas Lasheras.

Leao received a long ball down the left in the 74th minute, sending the striker behind the back line. The Brazilian dribbled in on Senanou before finding Belgodere just outside the box. The second-half substitute’s shot deflected off of Senanou’s foot, nearly causing it to get past Ransom. But the Atlanta goalkeeper adjusted well to make a one-handed save.

Ransom sent a long ball down the field in the 77th minute, trying to get Kovac in on goal. The striker was behind the back line with Himes off his line and tried to chip the goalkeeper, but he hit the shot too softly, allowing Himes time to get back and make the easy catch.

Wilding made two more changes in the 81st minute as Nicolas Torres and Brady Kendall came on for Okonski and Leao.

Haruna made a strong run into the Atlanta third of the field in the 82nd minute before Chong Qui brought him down. Caraballo sent the ensuing free kick to the back post, where Miller was making a run. The center back got his head to the ball, putting it off the near post.

Wilding made his final change in the 90th minute, looking to keep his team’s season alive. Hector Aguirre entered the contest, replacing Haruna.

The referee showed five minutes of stoppage time with OCB needing two goals. In the second minute, Belgodere sent a ball into the box that Ransom punched away. Caraballo collected it at the top of the box and tried to dribble through multiple players, eventually losing possession.

A minute later, Caraballo dribbled through the defense more successfully, taking a shot from the top of the box. However, his attempt was right at Ransom, who made the easy catch.

The final chance came in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Belgodere lifted a ball into the box and Joshua Kwon failed to clear it. It fell to Kendall, whose first-touch shot was too close to Ransom, allowing the Atlanta goalkeeper to fall on it.

At full time, OCB had more shots (14-10), but Atlanta put more on target (7-6). The hosts also had more crosses (9-4) and better passing accuracy (85.5%-71.6%), while the visitors won more corner kicks (5-4).

Even with a loss, the Young Lions could have made the postseason. But they would have needed Huntsville City FC and Philadelphia Union II to lose. Unfortunately, Huntsville scored twice in the second half to beat New York Red Bulls II, causing OCB to finish the season in 10th place.

After finishing in fifth in 2023 and 2024, OCB has now missed out on the postseason in back-to-back years. This season is even more disappointing. The Young Lions had a great chance to host a playoff game for the first time before slipping into a five-game losing streak. They bounced back by winning three straight and had a great chance to secure a playoff spot but failed at the final hurdle.

That concludes the 2026 OCB season. It will be remembered as a year of missed opportunities and, ultimately, a disappointing campaign. Although OCB continues to successfully develop players for the first team — its primary mission — it continues to lag behind other clubs in terms of team success.

The match also completed a miserable weekend for the club, as all three teams lost, and all three surrendered four times and lost by multiple goals.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Toronto FC II: Final Score 3-1 as OCB Takes Big Step Toward Playoffs

OCB earns its third straight win, ensuring the Young Lions control their own playoff destiny heading into Decision Day.

Published

2 months ago

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September 13, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B

Orlando City B (11-9-7, 44 points) earned a huge three points with a 3-1 win over Toronto FC II (11-12-4, 39 points) tonight at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. Ignacio Gomez and Gustavo Caraballo scored first-half goals before Harvey Sarajian made it 3-0 in the 58th minute. Elias Khodri converted a penalty late, but it wasn’t enough for the visitors.

OCB Head Coach Eddie Wilding deployed the same starting lineup that cruised to a 4-1 win over Inter Miami II on Sept. 4. Tristan Himes was in goal, behind a back line of Clovis Archange, Nolan Miller, Landon Okonski, and Parker Amoo-Mensah. Justin Hylton and Gomez were the defensive midfielders, Caraballo, Sarajian, and Issah Haruna were the attacking midfielders, and Pedro Leao started up top.

The hosts were the better team from the opening whistle and fully deserved the win. They created more chances and better opportunities, taking a commanding lead just before the hour mark. They bunkered down in the final 10 minutes, allowing the visitors to control possession, and it took some good saves from Himes to avoid a nail-biting finish. But they come away with a huge result heading into the last game of the regular season.

The first chances came in the third minute when a poor pass by Amoo-Mensah for Himes went over the end line for a Toronto corner kick. While the visitors couldn’t create anything from the set piece, the eventual cross went just over Reid Fisher’s head. Richard Chukwu collected the ball, and Okonski headed away his cross.

Caraballo broke the other way with Sarajian and Leao. The attacker decided to play the ball to his left for Sarajian, who dribbled into the box and sent his shot just wide of the near post.

Toronto had another good chance in the seventh minute when Chukwu sent a dangerous ball to the back post where Damar Dixon was making a run. Fortunately, Archange reached the ball first, knocking it over the end line. The Young Lions cleared the ensuing corner kick, ending the attack.

Leao intercepted a bad ball out of the back by Toronto goalkeeper Adisa De Rosario. Rather than dribbling into the box, the striker sent an off-target pass toward Sarajian. Fortunately, it was also just beyond Gabriel Mikina’s reach. Caraballo took possession and sent a weak shot that didn’t cause any trouble for De Rosario.

The Young Lions opened the scoring in the 27th minute when Amoo-Mensah found Haruna with space, allowing him to enter the Toronto third of the field. While Leao was calling for a square ball, Haruna played a beautiful pass between a pair of defenders for Gomez’s well-timed run into the box. The midfielder’s second touch was a shot past De Rosario and inside the far post to give OCB the 1-0 lead.

Amoo-Mensah made a run to the end line in the 42nd minute before sending a cross to the back post. Leao had his back to the goal and attempted a bicycle kick, sending his attempt wide.

A minute later, the Young Lions doubled their lead. It started with an innocuous ball from Archange to Caraballo in the OCB half. The attacker dribbled into the Toronto third with no defender stepping up to challenge him. As he approached the top of the box, Caraballo took a touch inside and sent a gorgeous, curling shot past De Rosario and just inside the far post to make it 2-0.

Miller touched the ball off of Salaou’s foot in the third minute of stoppage time and Sarajian broke the other way. Caraballo sprinted down the field to provide support and Sarajian sent him into the Toronto box. The attacker opened up and attempted to curl the ball around De Rosario, but the goalkeeper got down to make a terrific save. However, Sarajian waited too long to make the final pass, causing Caraballo to be offside, so it wouldn’t have counted had it gone in.

It was a good first half by the hosts, who held the advantage in shots (7-2), shots on target (3-0), and passing accuracy (90.4%-90.1%). Toronto had more crosses (3-2) and corner kicks (4-1) in the first 45 minutes.

OCB had a great chance for a third in the 48th minute when Himes threw the ball long for Sarajian. The Young Lions had a two-on-one break with Leao to Sarajian’s right. However, as the defender closed him down, Sarajian tried to take it himself, lost possession, and ended up being called for a foul.

A minute later, Sarajian had the ball in the Toronto box with more defenders. This time, the attacker played it square for Caraballo, whose first touch sent it further right for Haruna. The midfielder settled and shot, but his attempt was deflected off target.

Toronto had a golden chance to get one back in the 54th minute when Marko Stojadinovic played Bryce Boneau in the OCB third of the field. Boneau’s first touch was a lovely pass for Jahmarie Nolan behind the back line. But, as the attacker prepared to open up for a shot, he tripped, softly touching the ball into Himes’ arms.

The Young Lions nearly scored a third in the 57th minute when Amoo-Mensah sent a fantastic cross beyond the far post. It was just over Dixon’s head where Okonski was waiting for it. The center back headed the ball toward the back post, forcing De Rosario to dive to his right to make a one-handed save.

Toronto quickly went the other way, losing the ball in the OCB third and allowing the Young Lions to build a counterattack. A give-and-go between Haruna and Gomez gave Haruna space to play the ball to Sarajian on the left. Stojadinovic was in a good defensive position, but Sarajian used his change of pace to create space for a shot, placing a left-footed shot from the left behind De Rosario and inside the right post to make it 3-0.

The goal seemed to spark Toronto as the Reds attempted to get back into the game to avoid being eliminated from playoff contention with one match remaining. In the 61st minute, Lucas Dawson dribbled through several OCB defenders before it was tapped off his foot. The ball went directly to Nolan at the top of the box, but his shot was over the target.

A minute later, Boneau winded through the OCB defense before playing the ball wide left for Fletcher Bank. Dixon came in from the right and tried to direct the ball on target but sent it over the crossbar. Bank created a chance for himself in the 65th minute, dribbling strongly down the left. The attacker had a step on Amoo-Mensah and found space for a shot, but he sent the attempt off target.

Wilding made his first substitution in the 66th minute, replacing Caraballo with Matthew Belgodere.

Stojadinovic received a pass from Boneau just inside the OCB half of the field in the 73rd minute and made a long run to the top of the box. The defender took a hard shot that Himes could only block wide. Toronto kept possession, eventually creating a cross for Dixon with nobody near him. The attacker’s first touch was a poor one, taking him inside and allowing Himes to close him down. By the time he was able to shoot, Himes was in an excellent position to make the save.

Wilding made two more changes during the 77th-minute hydration break. Brady Kendall and Nicolas Lasheras came on for Sarajian and Leao.

Kendall attempted to make his presence apparent in the 80th minute after receiving a pass from Haruna near the top of the Toronto box. The substitute took a touch before unleashing a right-footed shot that skipped wide of the target.

De Rosario tried to make something happen in the attack off the restart, sending a long ball into the OCB box. Dekwon Barrow had space and was behind the back line, but he couldn’t get enough on his header, allowing Himes to make the stop.

Toronto got a lifeline in the 83rd minute when Salaou found Fisher near the top of the OCB box. Belgodere challenged the center back, popping the ball up and towards the end line. It was a race bewteen Himes and Barrow to reach the ball with the Toronto attacker getting there first. As a result, Himes bundled him over from behind and referee Russell Miller pointed to the spot.

Khodri stepped up to take the spot kick. He sent Himes the wrong way, tucking the ball into the corner to make it 3-1.

In the 86th minute, a cross into the box went off Lasheras’ head, giving Toronto a great chance for a second. The deflection sent it over a group of players to Barrow and Khodri at the top of the six-yard box. Khodri was the one to get his head on the ball, sending his attempt over the crossbar.

Wilding made his two final changes in the 89th minute. Nicolas Torres and Caleb Trombino entered the contest, replacing Hylton and Haruna.

A poor touch by Kendall after receiving a pass from Archange in the 89th minute resulted in Stojadinovic taking possession. The defender carried the ball into the OCB third before firing from long distance right into Himes’ hands.

OCB put everyone behind the ball as the Young Lions tried to hold onto the two-goal lead. While Toronto controlled possession in the opposing half, the visitors couldn’t create any more shots, allowing the Young Lions to come away with the 3-1 win.

At full time, both teams had taken 14 shots and Toronto put one more on target (6-5). The visitors also attempted more crosses (12-5), won more corner kicks (6-3), and had better passing accuracy (88-7%-84.4%). But most of that was after OCB had a three-goal lead.

The Young Lions were struggling heading into the business end of the season. However, they responded from a five-game losing streak by winning their last three and putting themselves in a great spot to make the postseason.

The win puts OCB in eighth place on 44 points with every team having one game remaining. The Young Lions are only two points behind New England Revolution II for third and three points ahead of Huntsville City FC for 11th. As a result, they could finish anywhere from third to 11th, depending on what happens in the final game of the season.

That game will take place Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. when OCB hosts Atlanta United 2 at Oscoela County Stadium.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 4-1 as OCB Claims Three Huge Points in South Florida

OCB took a huge step towards qualifying for the playoffs with a road win over Inter Miami II.

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2 months ago

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September 4, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B

Orlando City B (10-9-7, 41 points) controlled in-state rival Inter Miami II (3-18-5, 15 points) tonight, winning 4-1 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Issah Haruna, Harvey Sarajian, Gustavo Caraballo, and Ignacio Gomez were the OCB goal scorers, while Nash Dearmin scored the lone goal for the South Florida club.

OCB Head Coach Eddie Wilding made one change to the team that beat Crown Legacy FC 3-2 Sunday night. Sarajian entered the starting lineup in place of Matthew Belgodere, who started on the bench.

Goalkeeper Tristan Himes started behind a back line of Clovis Archange, Nolan Miller, Landon Okonski, and Parker Amoo-Mensah. Justin Hylton and Gomez were in the defensive midfield behind Caraballo, Haruna, and Sarajian with Pedro Leao up top.

This was a much bigger game for OCB as the Young Lions fight for a playoff spot and Miami is already eliminated. That difference showed as the visitors were the more aggressive team and looked more determined to come away with three points. Miami created more shots than its opposition, but most of those attempts were from long range and well off target or blocked. Meanwhile, OCB had the better opportunities with a much higher percentage of shots on target.

The hosts created the first shot in the sixth minute when Nicholas Almeida intercepted a Sarajian pass and sent Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida forward. The attacker got behind the back line and it appeared as though he would be in on goal. But Okonski and Amoo-Mensah caught up. Amoo-Mensah deflected Zeltzer-Zubida’s shot from outside the box off target, and the Young Lions cleared the ensuing set piece.

OCB’s first chance came in the 10th minute and resulted in the game’s first goal. It started when Miller lifted the ball long on the right for Haruna. The attacker dribbled inside, used a spin to create space from his defender, and beat Matias Marin to his near post to give the Young Lions the early 1-0 lead.

It was Haruna’s third consecutive game with a goal after finding the net against Atlanta United 2 on Aug. 22 and Crown Legacy FC on Aug. 30.

Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for Miami to respond. In the 12th minute, Marin sent a long ball down the right for Theo Vorenkamp. The right back cut back to create space from Archange and lifted a cross into the box for Mateo Saja. The attacker chested the ball down, but it was too far in front of him and Okonski sent it away.

The ball landed Dearmin’s feet. He took a couple of dribbles toward the center of the field before beating Himes to his right post to even the game at 1-1.

The Herons thought they’d taken the lead in the 15th minute when Zeltzer-Zubida sent a nice ball behind the back line for Saja. The attacker dribbled into the box and chipped Himes. However, the assistant referee correctly ruled Saja offside.

Miami forced Himes into his first quality save in the 19th minute when Matteo De Paula played Diego Rey to the end line. Okonski had a chance to clear the cross, but the center back couldn’t get a piece of the ball. It landed at Dearmin’s feet, but Himes tipped his shot over the crossbar. OCB cleared the ensuing corner, ending the threat.

Okonski headed away a set piece in the 22nd minute and a poor touch by Sloan Morrison gave OCB a two-on-one. Haruna drove down the field with Caraballo to his right. As Vorenkamp closed Haruna down, the midfielder played Caraballo into the box. Unfortunately, Caraballo’s shot was too close to Marin, allowing the goalkeeper to push the ball wide.

Four minutes later, the Young Lions took their second lead of the game. Amoo-Mensah gave the ball away in his own half, but a bad touch by Vorenkamp allowed Archange to retake possession. The left back played a beautiful ball between two defenders for Sarajian, making a run into the Miami third of the field. The attacker placed the ball behind Marin and inside the far post to give OCB a 2-1 lead.

Miami nearly responded right away, just as it did earlier. Vorenkamp laid the ball off for Rey, approaching the top of the OCB box. The attacker’s first touch was a shot past Himes and off the far post. The rebound set Saja up perfectly with a completely empty goal, but he couldn’t get over the ball, sending it over the crossbar.

Amoo-Mensah sent a long ball forward for Sarajian in the 32nd minute, giving the attacker a good opportunity for his second goal. Vorenkamp caught up, forcing Sarajian to use a nifty touch to create space for a shot. However, Marin had his near post covered and blocked the attempt over the end line.

The ensuing set piece by Amoo-Mensah found Gomez at the far post. The midfielder’s initial header was blocked, but it fell right back to him. Marin blocked his second shot to the near post and the goalkeeper fell on the ball, ending the attack.

The hosts looked to even the game again in the 36th minute when Joseph Convers played a give-and-go with De Paula, setting Convers up just outside the OCB box. However, his first touch from the return pass was a shot that went right at Himes. Seconds later, Rey took the ball off of Miller’s foot and dribbled down the end line. He had a teammate trying to find space, but Archange and Okonski filled in that space, forcing Rey to fire a shot wide of the near post.

Leao broke down the middle in the 43rd minute, playing the ball to his right for Caraballo. The midfielder was unable to create a shot, causing him to look for Gomez instead. His pass was deflected, going to Hylton, who immediately found Leao. The striker quickly took a shot that forced Marin to tip it wide.

Less than a minute later, the Young Lions extended their lead. It started with Archange’s throw-in to Sarajian down the left. The attacker’s long cross through the box was controlled nicely by Haruna, laying the ball back for Caraballo. Gomez turned his back in the box as Caraballo fired from distance. In a bit of luck, the ball bounced off Gomez, redirecting past Marin and in to give OCB the 3-1 lead.

In the dying seconds of the first half, Leao played Haruna behind the back line. It looked like the midfielder might have a free shot on goal, but Vorenkamp slid in to deflect the attempt over the crossbar at the last second. The referee called a foul on the ensuing corner kick, ending the attack and the half.

Both teams took 10 shots in the first half, but OCB put more on target (7-3). While the Young Lions won more corner kicks (4-3) in the first 45 minutes, Miami had better passing accuracy (82.4%-75.3%).

OCB started the second half on the attack, just as it had ended the first. The Young Lions created a shot less than a minute after the restart as Sarajian found Caraballo near the penalty spot. But the attacker’s first-touch shot was over the target.

Miami’s first chance of the half came in the 48th minute when Dearmin played a lovely ball behind the back line for Rey. Himes did well to react quickly, coming off his line and blocking Rey’s attempt to chip him.

While both teams scored early in the first half, most of the early second-half shots were from outside the box and blocked. Miami put a chance on frame in the 57th minute when Saja lifted the ball from the left to the back post. Rey got his head to the ball but put his attempt into Himes’s chest.

Wilding made his first change in the 66th minute, replacing Leao with Belgodere. The substitute took his place on the left side and Sarajian moved into the striker role.

Gomez intercepted and cleared a Jerremy Ortela cross in the 74th minute, but Caraballo immediately lost possession to De Paula. Rather than looking for a teammate, De Paula took a long-distance shot from outside the box, sending his attempt into Himes’s arms.

De Paula received a pass on the left in the 76th minute, lifting a cross to the back post. Vorenkamp was there to get his head on the ball, sending his attempt wide of the near post. It was fortunate for OCB, as Vorenkamp had more time than he realized.

Wilding made two more changes in the 77th minute. Caraballo and Archange exited the contest, replaced by Nicholas Lasheras and Titus Sandy, Jr.

Sarajian played the ball to Belgodere on the left in the 81st minute and the midifeilder dribbled inside before finding Hylton near the penalty spot. Hylton spun to beat Morrison, who stuck his leg in, causing Hylton to go to the ground. Referee Jack Joyce pointed to the spot without hesitation, giving the Young Lions a golden opportunity to score a fourth.

With regular penalty takers Leao and Caraballo having departed, Gomez stepped up to take the kick. The young attacker did well with his first penalty of the season, sending Marin the wrong way to give OCB a commanding 4-1 lead.

Wilding made his final two changes in the 84th minute as Brady Kendall and Caleb Trombino came on for Haruna and Hylton.

Shortly after the changes, Miller fouled Judeson Aldeclat just outside the OCB box, giving the hosts a chance to get a goal back. Alejandro Flores took the set piece, sending his attempt just wide of the near post.

With the result no longer in question, the final minutes were more of a formality. A long-distance attempt by Flores that caused Himes little concern was the only shot by either team as the game slowly approached the final whistle.

At full time, Miami had more shots (22-16), but both teams put eight attempts on target. Despite Miami also winning more corner kicks (8-5), attempting more crosses (11-3), and having better passing accuracy (84.8%-73.8%), OCB came away with a relatively stress-free win.

The three points put OCB in a much stronger position to qualify for the playoffs. The Young Lions currently occupy the eighth position, which would host the No. 9 team in a one-game play-in game. They’re one point behind Atlanta United 2 and two ahead of NYCFC II. While both have a game in hand on the Young Lions, OCB and Atlanta will end the season against each other at Osceola County Stadium.

But that’s not all. OCB is only two points behind New England Revolution II and Connecticut United FC for the fifth and sixth spots. As a result, one of several results  — combined with a pair of OCB wins — will see the Young Lions qualify for the postseason.

OCB will likely have to win both of its last two games to make the postseason. That starts on Sept. 13 when the Young Lions host Toronto FC II in their penultimate game of the regular season.

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