Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 1-1 as Young Lions Draw In-State Rivals Away From Home

Orlando City B (9-11-5, 35 points) drew Inter Miami II (6-14-5, 23 points) 1-1 tonight at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, winning the postgame shootout but dropping a critical point in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. Mateo Saja gave the hosts the lead in the 19th minute and Thalles equalized in the 53rd minute. The Young Lions then won the ensuing penalty shootout 5-3.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made three changes to the team that beat Crown Legacy FC 1-0 on Aug. 31. Titus Sandy, Jr., Noham Abdellaoui, and Noah Levis all started on the bench, replaced in the lineup by Thomas Williams, Tahir Reid-Brown, and Colin Guske.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Carlos Mercado was Reid-Brown, Williams, Hayden Sargis, and Riyon Tori. Guske and Justin Hylton were the defensive midfielders behind Shak Mohammed, Justin Ellis, and Favian Loyola, with Thalles up top.

The first half was back-and-forth with both teams having chances. A Reid-Brown injury almost 20 minutes in ended up being costly as the hosts used it to their advantage, netting the opening goal. Later in the first half, Loyola sent a pair of free kicks off the crossbar. Thalles evened the game in the 53rd minute, and the Young Lions dominated the second half, but they couldn’t find a winner.

The first chance of the game didn’t come until the 13th minute. Cesar Abadia Reda found Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida at the top of the box and the attacker went for goal. However, his shot was straight to Mercado.

A few minutes later, a seemingly innocuous play turned into a significant moment. Reid-Brown shielded Tyler Hall to earn his team a throw-in, but came up holding his hamstring after receiving a shove in the back at the end of the play. While he received attention off the field, the Young Lions played with 10 men and it cost the team a goal.

In the 19th minute, Hall beat Mohammed to a long ball on the far side of the box, sending it near the penalty spot. Saja was left wide open, volleying the ball past Mercado to give his team a 1-0 lead.

Reid-Brown was unable to continue, forcing Goldberg to make his first substitution immediately after the goal. Sandy replaced the Homegrown Player in a like-for-like change.

OCB nearly found a quick equalizer in the 22nd minute when Diego Rey hacked down Tori, giving the Young Lions a free kick near the Miami box. Loyola took the set piece and went for goal, beating Matias Marin but hitting the crossbar. The rebound fell to Sargis, but his shot was off Sandy, who inadvertently blocked his teammate’s shot.

As OCB recycled the ball, Hylton was fouled by Rey in nearly the exact same spot as the previous foul, giving Loyola a second chance. It was nearly a carbon copy of the first set piece as the ball beat Marin and pinged off the crossbar in almost the same spot. However, this time Miami was able to clear.

After nearly being at fault for the equalizing goal, Rey tried to do something positive for his team. In the 31st minute, he received a pass outside the box and fired on goal. It was on target but right at Mercado.

Mohammed should’ve been in on goal in the 37th minute, but he lost the ball and eventually possession. However, Ellis won it right back and Mohammed received the ball on the right. The attacker found Guske making a run to the top of the box, but the defensive midfielder’s shot was right to Marin.

On the other end, Miami hit the woodwork. Zeltzer-Zubida carried the ball inside, firing between Tori and Hylton. The attempt beat a diving Mercado but bounced off the far post, keeping the OCB deficit at one goal.

As the first half entered stoppage time, OCB held possession looking for an equalizer. In the 45th minute, Hylton made a run to the end line before sending a ball in for Thalles at the near post. The Young Lions thought it went off a defender, but referee Mario Maric said the last touch was by Thalles.

Three minutes later, Mohammed made a similar run to the end line. The attacker played the ball across the face of goal with Guake making a back-post run. The midfielder had a wide-open goal at a tight angle on the right, but he either mishit the ball, sending it back across the six-yard box, or was trying to square it for Thalles in front. Either way, it was a huge missed opportunity for OCB.

After 45 minutes of action, OCB had more shots (7-5) and crosses (1-0). Miami had the advantage in shots on target (3-1) and passing accuracy (89.8%-87.1%). Neither team won a corner kick in the first half.

OCB looked to get the second half off to an attacking start, creating the first chance inside the first two minutes. Mohammed carried the ball to the top of the Miami box before firing a shot off Hall. The deflection went to Thalles, who took on his defender and carried it to the end line. But the striker ran out of room, ending the attack.

The Young Lions came close to an equalizing goal two minutes later when a ball forward sent Thalles behind the Miami back line. However, Marin came well out of his box, sliding in to win the challenge, clearing the ball away.

In the 53rd minute, Hylton made a run into the Miami box before the ball was knocked off of his foot. Ellis took possession and was in on goal as Marin came off his line to challenge the attacker. Rather than shooting, Ellis laid it off for Thalles on his left. It was an easy pass into the empty net for the striker to even the game at 1-1.

The Young Lions nearly scored a second off the restart when Marin received a back pass and was pressured by Thalles. The striker briefly took the ball off Marin, but the goalkeeper was able to regain control and pass it away from danger.

In the 60th minute, Zeltzer-Zubida fouled Hylton near the top of the Miami box, giving the Young Lions a good opportunity in the opposing third of the field. Ellis and Loyola stood over the ball with the former taking the set piece. Ellis went for goal, sending a low shot to the near post. Marin dove for the attempt as the ball rolled just wide.

OCB worked the ball to the right wing in the 62nd minute, eventually ending up with Mohammed at the top right corner of the box. The forward backheeled the ball to Loyola arriving behind and the attacker’s second touch was an attempt at goal. However, the ball was curling away from the back post, going wide of the target.

Ellis took possession of the ball near midfield in the 73rd minute, sending Mohammed forward on the left. Continuing his run, Mohammed sent Ellis forward. The attacker played a cross towards the back post for Sandy, who was wide open, but it was over the head of the right back.

Miami quickly went the other way and created a chance of their own. Abadia Reda received a pass about 30 yards from goal and shot from long distance. He was able to keep the ball down, but it sailed wide of the far post.

Goldberg made his second change in the 79th minute as Dylan Judelson came into the game for Hylton.

A ball into the box in the 80th minute was cleared away, but only to the top of the 18 where Loyola was waiting. The attacker had another chance to fire on goal, sending this shot to Marin, who blocked it away.

Goldberg made three final changes as the clock entered the 90th minute. Albright Chikamso, Jake Basinet, and Zinedine Rodriguez entered the game for Loyola, Sandy, and Thalles.

After a turnover by Ellis, Miami broke the other way. Tori pulled Giovanni Ferraina back to slow things down earning himself a yellow card. The free kick was to Preston Plambeck, who was fouled by Sargis in the OCB third of the field.

The second-half substitute took the set piece himself, going for goal. However, his shot was right at Mercado, who made the comfortable save.

At full time, OCB had more shots (13-8) and crosses (1-0). Miami had the advantage in shots on target (4-3), corner kicks (2-0), and passing accuracy (85.7%-85.6%).

Per MLS NEXT Pro rules, each team received a point for the draw and went into a penalty shootout to see who got the extra point.

Both teams took their penalties well, converting eight of the nine attempts. The difference was in the second round, when Mercado saved Mark Rodriguez’s shot. Judelson converted the final penalty in the fifth round to claim the extra point.

This game will be viewed as an opportunity lost for the Young Lions. Three points would’ve seen them even on points with Carolina Core FC and Toronto FC II. They have more wins than Carolina, but their -13 goal difference is far worse than Toronto. As a result, a win tonight would’ve settled them into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Instead, OCB remains in ninth, needing help to reach the postseason for the third consecutive year. They only have three games left to jump Carolina or Toronto, who are now one point ahead with all three teams having played the same number of games.

The young Lions will have a week to bounce back from this draw as they host Huntsville City FC next Sunday night.