Orlando City B
Orlando City B vs. Chicago Fire FC II: Final Score 1-1 (5-4) as Young Lions Eliminated in Penalties
The teams that finished fourth and fifth in the Eastern Conference drew 1-1 and needed spot kicks to determine who advanced.
With both teams finishing 11-8-9 this season, the only difference between the 2024 Orlando City B and Chicago Fire FC II regular seasons was that the Fire went 5-4 in their penalty shootouts, while the Young Lions went 4-5 in theirs. That one extra point gave Chicago home-field advantage in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals for the matchup between the teams.
As a result, the two sides met at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL, where they battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw through 90 minutes and extra time, before the hosts won a penalty shootout — 5-4, naturally — to send OCB home.
The Young Lions could have claimed their first-ever postseason victory thanks to a goal by Jack Lynn in the first half, but a massive mistake allowed David Poreba to equalize just before halftime.
The Fire’s lone goal should never have happened. Leading by a goal on the road — and already in first-half stoppage time — OCB center back Nabi Kibunguchy made an ill-advised decision to take a rare foray up the field, where he turned the ball over, leading to the transition goal that ultimately forced extra time and penalties.
OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg fielded a strong lineup, with Carlos Mercado in goal behind a back line of Luca Petrasso, Thomas Williams, Kibunguchy, and Alex Freeman. Imanol Almaguer and Colin Guske started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Yutaro Tsukada, Jhon Solis, and Shak Mohammed, with Lynn up top.
The first half was nearly all Chicago, as the Young Lions struggled to connect passes and break through the Fire’s pressure. The few times OCB got forward, the play broke down due to poor passes or heavy touches.
The first half chance fell Chicago’s way in the sixth minute on a cross in from the right. Luka Prpa did well to get his head on it but Freeman did enough defensively to prevent a clean header. Prpa’s effort sailed over the bar. Two minutes later, Kibunguchy did well to block a shot by Christian Koffi, deflecting it out for a corner. Mercado misplayed a high cross in on the set piece, but the heavy service sailed beyond everyone and bounced out for a goal kick.
The Fire put together a string of corner kicks in the middle of the opening half but OCB dealt with them, eventually using one of them to get forward in transition. The clearance of a corner kick led to a long ball forward for Tsukada. After a wayward touch, Tsukada tracked the ball down, patiently waited for support, and then sent a beautiful pass to Lynn as he was reaching the last defender. That put the striker in behind and he calmly chipped Fire keeper Jeffrey Gal to give OCB a 1-0 lead against the run of play in the 24th minute.
The goal was Lynn’s first-ever professional postseason strike and just OCB’s second playoff goal ever. It was also OCB’s first shot attempt of the match.
Seconds after the goal, Mercado got run into by Poreba after scooping up a deflected cross. The OCB goalkeeper needed several minutes of treatment before continuing. Poreba was booked for the unnecessary foul.
The goal allowed OCB to finally settle into the game more. The Young Lions started to see more of the ball, and even had some brief spells of possession in the attacking third. Freeman sent Mohammed down the right side of the box in the 34th minute, but the winger’s centering pass was deflected by a defender and dribbled in for Gal to collect it.
Omari Glasgow blasted a shot wide of the left post after an OCB turnover in its own defensive half, as no one closed him down about 25 yards out.
Mohammed sent a weak shot right at Gal in the 37th minute. OCB then couldn’t pay off a couple of set pieces. Solis had an excellent opportunity to double the lead in the 44th minute, working his way into the top of the area on the right. He blasted a shot with his left foot, but sent it right at Gal, who caught it and hung on. That missed opportunity was costly, as it allowed the Fire to pull level moments later.
Chicago pulled even just before the break on a play that shouldn’t happen in a pickup game, let alone in the playoffs. Kibunguchy decided to go wandering forward in possession and then got himself into traffic. That allowed the Fire to dispossess him from behind and break forward in transition with numbers. The ball ended up on the left with Koffi, who centered it MLS NEXT Pro Golden Boot winner Poreba, who blasted his first touch past Mercado to make it 1-1 in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.
It was an inexcusable error for a veteran defender to make and gave the Fire a goal on their first shot to hit the target.
The Young Lions got forward quickly after the restart and won a free kick near the right sideline. A player was knocked down after the delivery into the box while the ball was pinging around amongst the bodies, but the referee wasn’t interested in making a call and the Fire broke the other way. Guske ended up with the ball in his own end with plenty of space to pass back to Mercado. Instead, he seemed to think the ball might go out for a goal kick, but the young midfielder was dispossessed and compounded the problem by committing a foul, giving the hosts a dangerous free kick.
Prpa played the set piece short to Koffi in the box. Koffi quickly blasted a shot that hit the woodwork and bounced out, nearly giving his team the lead at the death of the first half. A few seconds later, the whistle for halftime blew.
At the break, Chicago had the advantage in shots (7-4), corners (6-0), and possession (56%-44%). OCB passed slightly more accurately (88.3%-87.7%) and put more shots on target (3-1).
Chicago resumed its possession dominance out of the break and fashioned a great chance in the 49th minute. Koffi had the ball on the left and sent a good ball across to Glasgow at the back post. Glasgow, who shook free from an inattentive Petrasso, blasted a shot on the volley but sent it wide of the right post.
Freeman got into the box moments later but tried to play through two defenders with an open Mohammed to his left. His first shot was blocked and the fullback’s second effort was deflected out for OCB’s first corner of the match, but the young Lions could do nothing with it.
Guske toe poked an off-line pass back to Almaguer in the 54th minute, giving the midfielder a look at goal. Almaguer blasted the shot but Jean Diouf blocked it in front. A few minutes later, a promising attack started by Petrasso ended up with a cross to Mohammed, who turned down an open shooting opportunity to try to force a pass to a well-covered Lynn. The ball was knocked away but only to Freeman, who won a corner. Kibunguchy got a head to the high service but got well under it in the 58th minute.
Chicago created some nervy moments for the OCB defense just past the hour mark as a couple of fortuitous bounces led to a shot from a bad angle that went wide and a dangerous cross that was eventually cleared. Second-half sub Wilfredo Rivera then was fouled from behind in midfield without a call, allowing the Fire to break in transition, where they won a corner. The initial set piece cross was cleared but Diego Konincks got his head to the recycled cross, flicking it well wide of the left post in the 67th minute.
Freeman won another corner in the 71st minute with a shot from a tight angle that may have been going wide, but Gal made sure. On the set piece, Gal absolutely robbed Lynn on a header in front, getting across to knock it onto the roof of the net.
The game opened up after that and each team was forced to make huge saves. The ensuing corner was cleared and Chicago broke in transition. The Fire had numbers and took a shot from the right inside the box that seemed to change directions, but Mercado made a vital save to keep the game tied.
The Fire won a corner in the 74th minute and generated two chances from close range, including a diving header by Konincks, but the OCB defense cleared both shots off the line at the near post.
A minute later, OCB broke down the left on a good play to spring Petrasso. The Young Lions had favorable numbers but Petrasso had no path to get the ball to Lynn. Instead, he cut inside onto his right foot and sent a shot on target that hit Gal’s foot and trickled wide of the left post. Gal didn’t know much about the save, looking for the shot to to to his left, but it was an important one in the 75th minute.
The Young Lions again did nothing with their corner, allowing Chicago to counter. Glasgow had space outside the area and fired wide.
In the 83rd minute, Koffi got forward on the left, cut inside, and sent a good shot toward the near post. Mercado was able to make the save.
Favian Loyola got free for a shot in the first minute of stoppage time but blasted his shot right at Gal. Two minutes later, Tahir Reid-Brown had a chance from outside the area but it was blocked by the defense.
OCB could do nothing with a couple of late set pieces, and the game headed to 30 minutes of extra time.
Chicago had the advantage in shots (18-14), passing accuracy (86.9%-84.1%) and corners (9-8). The Young Lions put more shots on target through the 90 minutes plus injury time (8-5).
The pace of the game slowed in extra time, with both teams seeming to tire but also fearing making a mistake. After a couple of speculative balls into the box from both teams, the first good look of the extra session fell to Guske on the left. The OCB midfielder tried an inside-out shot but sent it just wide of the left post and into the outside netting in the 97th minute.
The best chance of the first half of extra time fell to Chicago after a poor giveaway in the OCB end gave the Fire a transition chance. Koffi cut inside from the left onto his right foot and the Chicago winger sent a blast off the outside of the left post in the 102nd minute.
That was it for the scoring opportunities in the first 15 minutes of extra time.
After the restart, the Young Lions survived a scramble in the 111th minute after another defensive zone turnover. Chicago sent a dangerous cross through the area but OCB was able to clear.
Yeiler Valencia won a free kick near the right corner of the box in the 112th minute, giving OCB an opportunity. Loyola went for goal with a left-footed blast, but he missed the target completely. OCB was similarly wasteful with another set piece in the 116th minute. Opting to go for goal from 30 yards out, Rivera sent a bouncer on target but with little pace on it, the shot didn’t trouble Gal, who made an easy save.
Neither side mustered much more than that in the second half of extra time, and the match went to penalties to determine who advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
OCB shot first and Freeman was the first to step to the spot. David Poreba answered for Chicago, blasting it into the right bottom corner. Valencia also used a stutter-step approach and sent Gal the wrong way, restoring OCB’s advantage. However, Harold Osorio leveled the shootout again, making it 2-2 after two rounds.
Rivera pushed OCB back out in front with another goal. Mercado then guessed correctly on Peter Soudan’s attempt, but it got under his diving effort at the post to make it 3-3. Reid-Brown made it four out of four for OCB, but 16-year-old Vitaliy Hlyut held his nerve and answered, essentially sending the spot kicks to sudden death.
Loyola’s stutter-step approach turned out to be one too many for the Young Lions, who nearly all tried some kind of tricky runup rather than using precision, as his jump-stop-kick attempt hit the right post. Diouf scored to give Chicago a perfect shootout and a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
OCB had its chances, and could have won this match, but Gal made some big saves and the Young Lions made a critical error at a key point in the game to give the hosts some help.
That concludes OCB’s 2024 season. It was a good second half, but the team had been one of the league’s best clubs down the stretch, so a quick playoff exit is no doubt going to sting for a while.
Orlando City B
Orlando City B Announces Schedule for 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Season
Find out where, when, and who the Young Lions of OCB will play in 2026.
The 2026 MLS NEXT Pro schedule was released today, telling us where, when, and who Orlando City B will play in the team’s fifth year in the league. The addition of Connecticut United FC sees the league expand to 30 teams, with 27 MLS reserve sides and three independent clubs.
The schedule remains at 28 games, with Orlando City B playing 14 at home and 14 away. OCB’s home games will once again take place at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee.
OCB will start the 2026 season with a pair of home games, facing Huntsville City FC on Monday, March 2, and Chicago Fire FC II on Sunday, March 8. The first away game of the season is slated for Saturday, March 14, when the Young Lions face Carolina Core FC in High Point, NC.
The Young Lions will also end the upcoming season with a two-game homestand. They face Toronto FC II on Sunday, Sept. 13, and Atlanta United 2 on Sunday, Sept. 20. All Decision Day games in the Eastern Conference will start at 2 p.m., and the Western Conference game times have yet to be announced.
The Young Lions will compete in the 16-team Eastern Conference as part of the Southeast Division. Connecticut joins the Northeast Division, and Chicago moves to the Southeast Division. As a result, OCB’s division will consist of Atlanta, Carolina Core FC, Chattanooga FC, Chicago, Crown Legacy FC, Huntsville City FC, and Inter Miami II.
Once again, teams will only face those from their own conference, and OCB will play each team in its division three times. The Young Lions will face Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Chicago once at home and twice away. They’ll play Carolina, Crown Legacy, Huntsville, and Miami twice at home and once away.
The longest homestand this year is only two games, scheduled to happen four times, including the opening and closing matches of the season. OCB will spend the majority of July and August on the road with two three-game road trips, separated by an Aug. 19 home game against Huntsville City.
Unlike MLS and the NWSL, MLS NEXT Pro will play through the 2026 FIFA World Cup. That spreads the games out a little more evenly than the other leagues. The busiest month is August, when OCB will play six games. The Young Lions are scheduled to play four games in March, May, June, and July, while only playing three times each in April and September.
Unsurprisingly, the most common day of the week the Young Lions will play is Sunday (18 times). They’ll play six times on Friday, twice on Wednesday, and once each on Monday and Friday. The most common kickoff time is 7 p.m. The Young Lions will play 20 games at that time, twice each at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., and once at 3 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 8 p.m.
OCB is scheduled to play six times on the same day as either Orlando City or the Pride. On March 14, the Young Lions travel to Carolina at 3 p.m. while the senior Lions host CF Montreal at 7:30 p.m. They host Miami at 7 p.m. on May 24 — the same time the Pride face San Diego Wave FC in California. On July 18, OCB will face Chattanooga FC at 7 p.m. in Tennessee while the Pride play in Utah at 8:45 p.m. The Young Lions face Connecticut away at 7 p.m. on Aug. 1 while City plays the New York Red Bulls in New Jersey at 7:30 p.m. On Aug. 19, OCB hosts Chattanooga FC at 7 p.m., while Orlando City hosts Chicago at 7:30 p.m. Finally, on Aug. 22, the Young Lions will face Atlanta away at 7 p.m. while City hosts Real Salt Lake at 7:30 p.m.
Orlando City B’s 2026 Schedule
- Monday, March 2 — vs Huntsville City FC, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, March 8 — vs Chicago Fire FC II, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, March 14 — at Carolina Core FC, 3 p.m.
- Sunday, March 22 — vs Inter Miami CF II, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, April 11 — at Chattanooga FC, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, April 19 — vs Carolina Core FC, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, April 26 — at Chicago Fire FC II, 4 p.m.
- Sunday, May 3 — vs Crown Legacy FC, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, May 10 — at Atlanta United 2, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, May 17 — at New England Revolution II, 2 p.m.
- Sunday, May 24 — vs Inter Miami CF II, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, June 7 — vs Carolina Core FC, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, June 13 — at Huntsville City FC, 8 p.m.
- Sunday, June 21 — vs Philadelphia Union II, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, June 28 — vs Columbus Crew 2, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, July 5 — at Crown Legacy FC, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, July 12 — at FC Cincinnati 2, 6 p.m.
- Saturday, July 18 — at Chattanooga FC, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, July 26 — vs Huntsville City FC, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 1 — at Connecticut United FC, 7 p.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 12 — at New York City FC II, 5 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 16 — at Chicago Fire FC II, 4 p.m.
- Wednesday, Aug. 19 — vs Chattanooga FC, 7 p.m.
- Saturday, Aug. 22 — at Atlanta United 2, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Aug. 30 — vs Crown Legacy FC, 7 p.m.
- Friday, Sept. 4 — at Inter Miami CF II, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Sept. 13 — vs Toronto FC II, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, Sept. 20 — vs Atlanta United 2, 2 p.m.
Orlando City
Four OCB Players Who Could Make MLS Debuts In 2026
Who are the most likely OCB players to make their first team-debuts during the 2026 season?
Orlando City has invested significantly in youth development since Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira arrived prior to the 2019 season. After signing just four players in the first five years after the club’s expansion announcement, Orlando City has signed 14 academy products to first-team deals in the last seven years.
While Muzzi departed the club this off-season, Moreira took over the role, so the emphasis developing homegrown talent is unlikely to change.
This past season alone, the club saw Colin Guske, Gustavo Caraballo, and Zakaria Taifi make their first-team debuts. Additionally, Tahir Reid-Brown, despite not getting on the field, was on the senior side’s bench for four games.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the most likely OCB players to join the first team for the 2026 season.
Tahir Reid-Brown, 19, Defender
The most likely player to make his first team debut in 2026 is 19-year-old fullback Reid-Brown. He’s already on an MLS contract and plays left back, a position currently of need for the Lions. The defender has been with the Young Lions for the last four years, making 56 appearances with 36 starts.
Reid-Brown initially played opposite Alex Freeman on the OCB back line before Freeman made the jump to the MLS squad and was replaced by Taifi, who also ended the 2025 campaign with the first team.
Adding to the likelihood that Reid-Brown might see playing time is the uncertainty at left back. Adrian Marin is the current projected starting left back, but the Spaniard was less than impressive in his first season with Orlando City. Unless the club signs more depth at that position before the season begins, you can exepct to see Reid-Brown get some MLS playing time before long.
Jackson Platts, 18, Defender
Another player who could see his first team debut in 2026 is center back Jackson Platts. The 18-year-old was a regular OCB starter alongside Thomas Williams in 2024 before being relegated to the bench in 2025. However, the starter alongside Williams last season was Hayden Sargis, who didn’t come from the academy and is currently out of contract.
Like all defensive positions, the Lions have a lack of depth that could provide opportunities for young players. The only center backs are Robin Jansson and David Brekalo, forcing the need for a backup. The club also traded Williams, opening more room.
Platts is also a versatile option. While his natural position is center back, he’s also spent time as an outside back and in the midfield. That versatility could result in him seeing MLS action this year.
Justin Hylton, 18, Forward
The OCB player that took the biggest leap in 2025 was unquestionably Justin Hylton. The teenager was a star for the U-17 team before making his professional debut for the Young Lions. Originally a backup, he soon became a focal point of the attack and created problems for opposing defenses.
Hylton made his OCB debut on June 1 and didn’t start until Aug. 23. But he was in the starting lineup for the final six games of the season and was a crucial part of the team’s late successes. He ended the season with 11 appearances, starting six games, and recording two assists.
The only issue for Hylton is that his position is currently not the most in need. Whether the club sees him up top or in the attacking midfield, there are players in front of him. However, we could see him make his debut in an Open Cup or Leagues Cup game, if not as a late substitute in the regular season.
Dylan Judelson, 17, Midfielder
Judelson is another player who joined OCB from the academy in 2025. He started the season on an academy contract but signed to the club’s second team on Aug. 5. The defensive midfielder was a key part of the team from day one, starting the first four games of the season.
In all, Judelson made 20 appearances in 2025 with nine starts. He was in and out of the lineup with Guske, Riyon Tori, and Jhon Solis also seeing time in the role. But the Canadian youth international was very solid when on the field.
Although the departure of Cesar Araujo works in Judelson’s favor, he’s still behind veterans Eduard Atuesta, Braian Ojeda, and Wilder Cartagena, as well as Guske and MLS U22 Initiative signing Luis Otavio, while Joran Gerbet is also under contract but will miss the first part of the season recovering from a knee injury.
It’s a crowded field in front of Judelson in his position group, meaning he’ll have the biggest uphill climb of the players mentioned in this column to make his first-team debut. However, we could see the teenager with the first team for the first time this year if his development continues and there are injuries and suspensions ahead of him on the depth chart.
After years of the academy failing to produce talent for the first team, Orlando City has become one of the league’s standard bearers. That’s likely to continue this season, and it might be the start of a successful professional career at the senior level for these young players.
Orlando City B
Orlando City Exercises Contract Option on OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg
Manuel Goldberg is back to lead the Young Lions of OCB in 2026 after the club exercised his contract option.
Orlando City announced today that the club has exercised the option on Orlando City B Head Coach Manuel Goldberg’s contract, keeping him in purple through 2026. The Young Lions’ boss enters his third season in the position in 2026 and his fifth overall with the team.
“Since taking over the role as head coach of OCB, Manu has done a tremendous job connecting with our MLS NEXT Pro players, developing their skillsets and preparing them for opportunities with the first team and beyond,” Orlando City General Manager & Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “His deep understanding of our player pathway and internal processes has been invaluable. The continuity Manu provides is critical for the career development of both our players and staff.”
Goldberg initially joined the club in 2022 as an assistant to Martin Perelman. When Perelman was promoted to first-team assistant, Orlando City announced Goldberg as his successor on March 11, 2024. At 30 years old, Goldberg became the youngest head coach in the short history of MLS NEXT Pro.
In his first season in the position, Goldberg led his team to a record of 11-9-9 (28 points), finishing fifth in MLS NEXT Pro’s Eastern Conference. The Young Lions took fourth-seeded Chicago Fire FC II to penalties in the first round of the playoffs away from home, where they fell 5-4 to end their season.
The 2025 campaign was particularly disappointing, as the Young Lions failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2022. They finished the year with 28 points (9-13-6) and tumbled to 11th in the Eastern Conference after a promising start.
Overall, Goldberg has a record of 18-21-16 in 55 games leading the Young Lions. His draw in Chicago in 2024 (and subsequent penalty shootout loss) was his only playoff appearance. Meanwhile, his teams have been 9-7 in penalty shootouts over the past two seasons.
However, Goldberg has been successful in his primary objective of producing players for the first team. Since becoming head coach of OCB, three players — Colin Guske, Gustavo Caraballo, and Zakaria Taifi — have signed Homegrown Player contracts, while Justin Ellis is seemingly on the brink of signing one as well. He’s also coached backup goalkeeper Javier Otero and, most notably, starting right back Alex Freeman, helping them develop into first-team contributors.
Goldberg began his coaching career at Israeli side Hapoel Katamon in 2015 following a three-year playing career in the country. He then joined Club Nautico Hacoaj in Buenos Aires, Argentina as an assistant coach from 2017 to 2019 before becoming a competitive program coach at Barça Academy PRO Miami. After two years in South Florida, he was hired by Orlando City as Perelman’s assistant with OCB.
Orlando City B Announces Schedule for 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Season
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