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.