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!

A poor start and wasteful finishing was costly in Orlando City B’s 3-1 loss to FC Cincinnati 2 at TQL Stadium, as the Young Lions (11-8-9, 46 points) blew their opportunity to clinch a home playoff match and a chance to select their first postseason opponent. FC Cincinnati 2 (16-8-4, 54 points) clinched the Eastern Conference with the win behind a hat trick by Gerardo Valenzuela, whose third goal was a weak one but effectively ended OCB’s second-half comeback bid.

Alex Freeman continued his hot run of form with OCB’s only goal to pull his team within a goal at 2-1 early in the second half, but OCB soon gave up a soft third goal and could not climb back into the match, despite playing much better overall for the first 20 minutes or so of the second half.

With the loss, OCB handed the Southeast Division title to Inter Miami CF II and fell from third to fifth place in the Eastern Conference on Decision Day. If none of the top three teams select the Young Lions as a first-round opponent, they would travel to face fourth-place Chicago Fire FC II.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg’s lineup included Carlos Mercado in goal behind a back line of Luca Petrasso, Thomas Williams, Nabi Kibunguchy, and Freeman. Imanol Almaguer and Jeorgio Kocevski started in central midfield behind an attacking line of Yutaro Tsukada, Jhon Solis, and Shak Mohammed, with Jack Lynn up top.

Despite Orlando starting a strong lineup made largely of players on first-team contracts, FC Cincinnati dominated the game early, went up by multiple goals, and then seemed content to wait for opportunities to go forward to add to its lead. OCB put its first shot on target, but it was a wasteful high-quality opportunity, and then struggled to find any accuracy. At the other end, the Young Lions allowed far too much space at the top of the box and beyond, and didn’t mark well in their own third.

The Young Lions wasted no time in making the game more difficult. On Cincinnati’s first possession of the match, the ball cycled to Valenzuela near the left corner of the box. Kocevski was in good position to deal with the attacker but allowed Valenzeula to get clear on his preferred right foot. Valenzuela’s shot through traffic found the inside of the right post past Mercado, putting FCC 2 up 1-0 in just the second minute.

Valenzuela gets the party started early for @FCCincinnati2! 🎉 pic.twitter.com/jTXFBzJ81j

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) October 6, 2024

Freeman could have pulled the goal right back, getting forward up the right just a minute later. The fullback had room and time to shoot but blasted his effort straight at FC Cincinnati 2 goalkeeper Paul Walters. Freeman again shook free on the right side moments later but the defense was better positioned. The right back made a good move to free himself and dropped a ball to Kocevski just outside the top of the area, but the midfielder was slow on the ball, allowing Valenzuela to dispossess him from behind, ending the threat.

OCB won a couple of set pieces but wasn’t able to capitalize on them. In the ninth minute, Tsukada sent a good ball into the box on a free kick won by Solis. The service found Mohammed in front but his header sailed over the bar. A minute later, Freeman won a free kick on the right. The Young Lions played it quickly and Kocevski sent a curling cross behind the Cincinnati back line but it was just out of Lynn’s reach.

Valenzuela doubled the lead two minutes later. The attacker started the play by switching the ball to the right, sending Amir Daley in behind Petrasso, who was caught too far up field. Daley was alone on goal and fired, but Mercado made a huge save. The rebound found Valenzuela at the top of the area. This time, Valenzuela faked right to move Kocevski and fired in his second goal of the game with his left foot in the 11th minute, continuing the rough start to the game for the first-year pro.

GOLAZO VALENZUELA! 🗣️@FCCincinnati2 with the dream start! pic.twitter.com/s0KrDPIL40

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) October 6, 2024

Freeman again had a chance to answer a Cincinnati goal. He worked his way into the middle and then forward into the box in the 15th minute. Freeing himself for a shot with his weaker left foot, he left his shot high, as again OCB couldn’t hit the target.

Mohammed gifted FC Cincinnati 2 a scoring chance two minutes later. Taking the ball in his own end he retreated toward his own goal and then sent a wayward back pass, turning the ball over. Mercado was able to save the quick shot by pushing it off the woodwork.

OCB’s inattentiveness in its own half continued in the 23rd minute, when Stefan Chirilla was left alone in space outside the box. He attempted a shot and Mercado had to make a save. On the ensuing corner, Gael Gibert was given a free header but he missed the target.

The Young Lions should have pulled a goal back in the 25th minute. Freeman turned the defense inside out and got to the end line in the box. Dribbling toward goal, he picked out Tsukada alone at the far post. The left winger seemed surprised the pass got through and wasn’t able to get in front of it. He scuffed his shot anyway as he was being whistled for a handball.

Almaguer took his turn firing well over the bar in the 29th minute after working his way into the area, wasting another good opportunity. Mohammed won a couple of corners, mainly by failing to find an opening for his cutback crosses, but OCB did nothing with them and in fact was called for a foul on one of them.

Kenji Mboma Dem was left with too much space outside the area in the 31st minute and sent a shot just wide of the left post.

From then on out, OCB simply couldn’t connect in the attacking end or pay off a set piece. The half ended with Tsukada badly missing a volley shot on a recycled corner kick, and the hosts took their 2-0 lead into halftime.

The halftime stats reflected the performance on the field, as FC Cincinnati 2 held the advantage in shots (9-6) and shots on target (5-1). OCB passed a bit more accurately (90.1%-88.4%), but much of that came after the hosts started dropping deeper after going up two goals and was a product of working the ball backward and side to side rather than progressing it forward. OCB won more corners (4-1), but FCC came closer with its one attempt than anything the Young Lions did with their set pieces.

Neither side made any changes at the break and after a stop-start opening 10 minutes, things got more interesting. In those first minutes of the second period, Almaguer sent yet another shot high into the stands in the 48th minute and Mercado did well to make a save to his right, knocking a second ball off the goal frame in the match to keep it a 2-0 game.

In Freeman picked up the ball outside the area on the right in the 53rd minute and worked his way past two defenders before blasting it past Walters and in to make it 2-1.

Freeman goes on a solo run and finds the back of the net! 🔥@OrlandoCityB pulls ones back. pic.twitter.com/x1poZBcuuW

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) October 6, 2024

This time it was Valencia trying to pull one back after an OCB goal rather than the other way around. The attacker fired a shot wide of the right post in the 55th minute.

OCB had a good opportunity to level the match a minute later. Freeman tried to send a cross to Tsukada at the back post but it was deflected by a defender. The ball ended up with Lynn just outside the area and the striker blasted a shot. The ball hit Malik Pinto’s arm just inches outside the area, setting up a free kick rather than a penalty. Pinto was booked for the infraction.

Petrasso and Tsukada stood over the set piece and it was the left back who fired a shot that went past the wall. Walters made a good save to keep it out and it fell to Lynn on the left, but the striker made poor contact with his shot, sending it softly back to the goalkeeper in the 58th minute.

Solis sent a gorgeous ball over the top to Freeman in the 59th minute, putting the fullback in alone on goal again. This time, however, Freeman scuffed his shot attempt and it was knocked behind by the defense for a corner before an OCB attacker could get to it near the far post. The Young Lions did nothing with the set piece, ending the threat.

Valenzuela completed his hat trick moments later off an OCB turnover. The ball ended up on the left and Valenzuela sent his shot close to Mercado, but the OCB keeper was unable to make what appeared to be a routine save. That essentially put the game away in the 63rd minute, as OCB rarely challenged the Cincinnati goal falling behind by two again.

HAT TRICK HERO! 🎩

One touch is all Valenzuela needed to snag the third for @FCCincinnati2! pic.twitter.com/mGHJ4Al09e

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) October 6, 2024

Goldberg tried sending on fresh troops, but OCB only played more disjointed soccer in possession after the changes, repeatedly giving the ball away cheaply, hindering any attempted comeback.

Instead, it was FCC 2 that had the better chances down the stretch. Daley was left too much space again in the 73rd minute and sent a blast sizzling just over the bar. After Solis flopped to try to get a free kick call that was never likely, Chirilla came down the left and fired from a tight angle in the 77th minute, forcing Mercado to knock it out for a corner.

Petrasso tried to play a ball in to an open Kocevski in the box in the 80th minute but the midfielder’s touch let him down and he couldn’t bring it in, continuing his rough afternoon.

Mercado made another emergency save on Ben Stitz in the 86th minute.

Substitute Favian Loyola struck a shot well in the 87th minute that forced Walters into a diving save. OCB had a runner at the back post but the defense deflected it off the Young Lion and out for a goal kick.

Chirilla sent Mercado scrambling to make a good save in the 88th minute, as the keeper knocked it out for a corner. Petrasso whiffed badly on a clearance attempt on the ensuing set piece and OCB was fortunate that no Cincinnati player could make solid contact with the ball as it pinged around in the six.

The remainder of the game consisted mainly of terrible OCB turnovers between the tired legs of the starters and the lack of cohesion from the subs who came on. This was epitomized when Freeman — easily OCB’s best player on this day — sent Loyola down the right to ignite the break. The Homegrown midfielder tried to center it early for fellow sub Justin Ellis, but he put his pass at least 10 yards behind his teammate, ending the counterattack.

A few minutes later, the final whistle blew on OCB’s regular season.

FC Cincinnati 2 finished the game with the advantage in shots (20-17), shots on target (11-6), and passing accuracy (91.8%-90%), while OCB won more corners (6-4).

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The Young Lions have completed the regular season and will next play in the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs against an opponent and at a date to be announced. Finishing out of the top four, it’s possible that one of the top three teams will select OCB as its opponent in the first round.

Orlando City B (11-7-9, 46 points) clinched a playoff spot tonight with a 3-0 win over Chicago Fire FC II (9-8-9, 41 points) at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. After a scoreless first half, Jack Lynn, Yutaro Tsukada, and Favian Loyola netted second-half goals to push OCB into the MLS NEXT Pro postseason for the second straight season.

OCB made two changes from the team that won 2-0 over New England Revolution II on Sept. 15. Colin Guske and Yeiler Valencia entered the lineup for Jeorgio Kocevski and Tsukada. The back line in front of goalkeeper Carlos Mercado was Luca Petrasso, Thomas Williams, Nabi Kibunguchy, and Alex Freeman. Imanol Almaguer and Guske were in the defensive midfield behind Valencia, Jhon Solis, and Shak Mohammed with Lynn up top.

The first half was about as even as it could be, with both teams creating the same number of chances and shots on target. Either side could’ve gone into the break with an advantage, but neither were able to convert. The Young Lions dominated the second 45 minutes, keeping Chicago on its back foot. The two key moments in the game were Lynn’s goal in the 61st minute and the inclusion of Tsukada in the 66th minute. It always looked like the first team to score would come out on top, and Tsukada created several problems for Chicago after he came on. His goal in the 71st minute put the game away.

The first shot of the game came in the fourth minute when Mohammed received a pass in the middle of the field, Despite being 25 yards from the goal, the attacker took a chance, sending the ball well over the top.

In the sixth minute, Javier Casas fouled Solis near the top left corner of the Chicago box. Almaguer’s free kick found the head of Freeman, but the right back couldn’t redirect the ball on target. However, the poor clearance attempt went to Mohammed, whose shot was blocked.

OCB retained possession, with Guske trying to play it forward for Petrasso. The left back couldn’t control the pass, enabling Casas to send Omari Glasgow forward. Fire II had a two-on-one with only Guske back, and Glasgow played the ball square to David Poreba when he reached the OCB box. Rather than taking a first-touch shot, Poreba tried to control the ball, enabling Valencia to get back and block the shot out for a corner kick.

The ensuing set piece was cleared by Kibunguchy, and Solis sent Valencia forward. Lynn and Mohammed were making runs down the middle of the field, and Valencia could’ve put one of them free on goal, but the midfielder shot from outside the box instead. Unfortunately, his shot was over the target.

Glasgow put the game’s first attempt on goal in the 16th minute when the attacker turned Petrasso inside and outside to create space for a shot. The chance was from a tight angle, so Mercado was able to knock the ball wide.

The Young Lions struggled to clear and Poreba won it back from Freeman. His pass into the box was to Solis, but the OCB midfielder’s poor touch gave the ball to Jean Diouf. The right back took a touch before sending a shot on target, but Mercado was there to make another stop.

Poreba took his second shot of the game in the 18th minute when he found some space at the top of the box. The attacker had to turn to shoot, so he wasn’t able to get much on the shot and Mercado made an easy save.

Kibunguchy dribbled into the Chicago half of the field in the 22nd minute and sent the ball wide for Valencia. The midfielder dribbled inside before taking a strong, long-distance shot. The attempt was on target, but Fire II goalkeeper Patrick Los pushed it wide for an OCB corner kick.

Almaguer’s set piece was to the back post, where Kibunguchy got his head to the ball. It appeared to be at a good height for the center back, but he sent the header wide of the opposite post.

Kibunguchy had another chance in the 26th minute when Mohammed was fouled by Casas near the top left corner of the Chicago box, resulting in the game’s first booking. Almaguer’s free kick found the head of Kibunguchy at the top of the six, but his header was over the top.

The Young Lions had another good chance in the 33rd minute when Mohammed sent Freeman down the right. The right back used his body well to shield Lamonth Rochester and got to the end line. Lynn was making a run into the six-yard box and Freeman sent a knee-high cross for him. Unfortunately, the striker couldn’t get on the end of the ball and it went harmlessly through.

Solis beat two Chicago defenders to the end line in the 38th minute and sent a dangerous ball across the box. Lynn was able to get his foot on this one, but he couldn’t get enough of the ball to redirect it on target. Eventually, Valencia had possession outside of the box and turned to shoot. However, the attempt didn’t cause any trouble for Los.

A minute later, a Freeman throw-in to Lynn was tapped on for Solis. The midfielder dribbled to the center of the field, where he shot from just outside the box. It was a good effort but was too close to Los.

The OCB defense failed to close down Glasgow in the 41st minute as the attacker stood with the ball near the top of the box. Glasgow accepted the invitation to shoot, sending the ball right to Mercado. The OCB goalkeeper was visibly upset with his teammates for not closing down Glasgow and allowing him to put another shot on target.

Christopher Koffi got his first shot of the game in the 42nd minute when he received a ball out of the back. Again, nobody in purple closed down the attacker, so Koffi took a shot. He was aiming for the near post but hit the outside of the net.

The final chance of the half came in the first minute of stoppage time when Valencia tried to send the ball long for Lynn. It was a poor effort but nearly came down behind Los and the Chicago goalkeeper had to push it over the top to avoid conceding the opening goal. OCB couldn’t get anything from the ensuing corner kick and the game went into halftime scoreless.

It was an even first half, with both teams registering 10 shots and putting three on target. OCB had the advantage in other statistical categories with more crosses (5-1) and corner kicks (4-3) and better passing accuracy (90.2%-86.4%) in the first 45 minutes.

The first chance of the second half came in the 53rd minute when Solis laid the ball off for Mohammed. Los wasn’t convinced the shot was off target, diving to his left.  However, the attempt rolled wide of the goal.

The visitors had their first chance of the second half in the 56th minute when Glasgow sent Luka Prpa forward. The midfielder turned to shoot, but Williams was there to block it. The ball went to Glasgow, who took a shot of his own, but Williams got up quickly and challenged the shot. While he didn’t get a piece of this one, Kibunguchy was there to head it away.

OCB failed to clear the ball and Guske gave away possession near the top of the box. It ended up with Koffi, who took a long-distance shot that missed wide of the near post.

The Young Lions took the lead in the 61st minute when Petrasso sent a cross too far across the box. Fortunately, it went to Freeman, who headed it back to the center where Lynn was waiting. The striker put a second header into the corner of the goal, giving OCB a 1-0 lead.

Lynn heads @OrlandoCityB in front and one step closer to the playoffs 🦁

📺 https://t.co/X8W22JsRvf: https://t.co/sbF0tCVaeb pic.twitter.com/y4Jhmw6IOf

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) September 24, 2024

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made his first two changes in the 66th minute, replacing Mohammed and Valencia with Wilfredo Rivera and Tsukada.

Tsukada tried to make an immediate impact in the 67th minute, finding Lynn in the box. The striker took a first-touch shot, but Diego Konincks got in front to block the attempt out for a corner kick. Lynn got his head to Almaguer’s ensuing set piece, sending it over the goal and ending the attack.

On the other end, Chicago had a chance to equalize in the 69th minute. Receiving a long ball on the right from Poreba, Glasgow found Sergio Oregel in the box. The midfielder redirected the ball on target, but it was a weak shot and Mercado made an easy save.

Two minutes later, OCB doubled its lead. Lynn received a throw-in by Freeman near midfield and immediately sent the ball forward for Tsukada. The midfielder was alone with two defenders near, but Rivera and Solis soon joined him. Despite having two teammates making runs, Tsukada took the shot himself, putting it into the corner and giving the Young Lions a 2-0 lead.

Put the defender on skates 🥶

Tsukada makes it 2-0 @OrlandoCityB! pic.twitter.com/obbgCa9q1V

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) September 24, 2024

Goldberg made two more changes in the 76th minute as Loyola and Tahir Reid-Brown came into the game for Lynn and Petrasso.

Chicago should’ve got one back in the 79th minute when second-half substitute Vitaliy Hlyut sent a low cross to the back post that found Glasgow, who got behind Reid-Brown. The attacker redirected it on target with his first touch, but the attempt went right into the legs of Mercado. The ball got caught between the OCB goalkeeper’s legs, keeping the clean sheet alive.

The Young Lions nearly had a third goal in the 80th minute when Freeman spotted Tsukada making a run into the six-yard box. He sent his cross over for the substitute, but Christopher Cupps got to it first, clearing it out of play.

Goldberg used the stoppage to make his fifth and final substitution, replacing Solis with Manuel Cocca.

Tsukada again tried to score his second of the night in the 85th minute when he received a long pass from Rivera. He was able to beat Cupps and avoid Glasgow before his shot was blocked by Jaylen Shannon.

As the clock wound down, Chicago was running out of ideas. In the 87th minute, Oregel took a long shot with little chance of beating Mercado and the ball sailed well over the target.

The Young Lions had a secure 2-0 lead, but they put the game away with a third in the 89th minute. Freeman laid the ball off for Loyola, and the first-team forward took a shot from well outside the box. It was a terrific strike that Los had little chance of stopping, giving OCB a commanding 3-0 lead.

Loyola sends @OrlandoCityB to the playoffs with authority‼️ pic.twitter.com/Ynyo0R2vUc

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) September 24, 2024

Cocca sent a long ball across the field for Rivera in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The substitute dribbled towards the Chicago box and, with nobody closing him down, took a long-distance shot. It took a diving tip by Los to keep the ball out of the net.

The final chance of the game came in the sixth minute of added time. Poreba sent a dangerous ball into the box that Jason Shokalook tried to tap into the goal. However, he couldn’t get enough on it and the ball went wide of the far post. The final whistle blew seconds later and OCB came away with a 3-0 win.

At full time, OCB led in the most important statistical categories, including shots (20-17), shots on target (7-5), crosses (9-5), corner kicks (7-6), and passing accuracy (89%-86.8%).

“It was a very tough game, as we knew. They press really high. The first half was tough and we tried to push the next 15 minutes of the second half to try to find that early goal,” Goldberg said about the game. “We knew that in those moments we could find it and that opened the game.”

“It was a good game,” Lynn added. “Good to put the ball in the back of the net and see three goals go in. And, obviously, to keep a clean sheet as well.”

With other results this weekend going their way, the Young Lions knew three points would be enough to secure a playoff spot. The win sees OCB qualify for the postseason for the second consecutive year and the third time in team history.

“Of course, it feels really good. We’re really happy,” Goldberg said about clinching a playoff spot. “We wanted the team to do it again and again and again and continue to pull this club high and that’s the idea.”

While they’ve secured their spot in the postseason, the Young Lions still have more to play for. They currently sit in third in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of Inter Miami II, New York City FC II, Columbus Crew 2, and Crown Legacy FC. A top-four spot would see the Young Lions host a playoff game for the first time. However, the teams behind have a game in hand and Miami has two.

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With the regular season home schedule complete, OCB will have a nearly two-week break before ending the regular season on Oct. 6 away against FC Cincinnati 2.