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Orlando City B

Orlando City to OCB Loans Explained

Published

9 years ago

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Last July, news broke that Orlando City was planning on launching its own USL team in 2016 that would serve as a de facto reserve squad. The team, made up mainly of young players and senior team players lacking playing time, began its USL season in late March is now are well underway.

While most Orlando City fans likely have a solid understanding of the purpose of Orlando City B, they may not quite understand how players move between teams. With Major League Soccer being a single entity, there are certain aspects, such as the league owning player contracts and the collective bargaining agreement, that make even the simplest move between teams difficult to understand.

The first thing to understand is that while OCB may have the same colors, name, (basic) crest, and be run as the same club as Orlando City, they're not officially the same club. As MLS sees it, Orlando City and OCB are two completely separate entities that just happen to have the same owner. With that in mind, here are the rules that dictate which OCB players Orlando City has control over and how players move between the teams.

Who Does Orlando City Have Control Over?

There are three types of players that Orlando City has control over that play with OCB — Homegrown Players, players on an MLS contract, and USL priority players. A Homegrown Player is a player that has been with an MLS team's academy for a period of one year and has satisfied all training and retention requirements. Even if one of these players signs a USL contract, they are still Homegrown Players when they move to MLS. The only player this applies to now is midfielder Pierre da Silva, who is on a USL contract with OCB but will be a Homegrown Player once he signs with the MLS side.

Any player on an MLS contract, as you would expect, continues to be controlled by the club. These players are officially loaned to OCB. They can be either loaned for a short period of time, such as a game, or for the whole season. However, the length of their loans doesn't necessarily mean that's how long they'll be at OCB. We'll go over that a little later.

The final players the club has control over are USL priority players. Each MLS team can have up to three USL priority players with their USL affiliate. These are players that the club has control over should they move to MLS without having them take up a discovery spot. For the club to have the rights over any additional players, they would take up a spot on the club's discovery list.

MLS-USL Call-Ups

As previously mentioned, Orlando City can't just call up any player from OCB, as the Lions don't have the rights to most of the team's players. However, the league has put some new agreements in place for 2016 where some players that don't satisfy the above criteria could be called up under special circumstances.

MLS has instituted USL short-term agreements in which players can be called up on four-day contracts for specific matches. But there are restrictions to the short-term agreements. The player brought in must be 25 years old or younger and the games can only be for the CONCACAF Champions League, Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, or exhibition matches. One of these situations occurred for Orlando City last year when the team had a friendly against West Bromwich Albion sandwiched between two league matches. The Lions wanted to call in some academy players to give the injury-ridden team some help but were unable to. This year, they could call in some OCB players if that situation occurs again.

Each player from OCB can be called up for four short-term agreements per season. That means that they can spend a total of 16 days on the MLS roster. While these agreements are limited to cup games and exhibitions, the MLS club is allowed to sign short-term agreements for league games only if in "extreme hardship."

Extreme Hardship Call-Ups

This year, MLS has introduced a new situation called "extreme hardship" in which teams can call up players they would typically not be allowed to call up. If Orlando City is going into a game with fewer than 15 players available or no more than one goalkeeper available, the club will be allowed to claim an extreme hardship and call up a player from OCB. In these situations, the rules of the USL short-term agreements apply, so the player would have to be 25 years old or younger. While they're with the team, they will also be eligible to play in cup games or exhibition games.

OCB Loans

Orlando City may loan any player it wants to OCB, with roster relief given but not budget relief. That means that loaning a player from the MLS squad will open up a spot on the roster but that his salary will still count against the team's salary budget. However, one player may be loaned to OCB with roster relief and budget relief (meaning his salary will not count against the MLS team's salary budget), assuming he fits certain criteria. The player must be under the age of 25 and his total compensation must be less than or equal to the MLS Senior Minimum Salary of $62,500. This means the player must be on the team's supplemental roster (spots 21-24) or the reserve roster (spots 25-28). In order for the player to receive full roster and budget relief, the loan must be season-long.

If you've been following the loans from Orlando City to OCB, you may have noticed that some have been for one game and others season-long. But that doesn't mean those loans will actually last that long. If a player is loaned for the season to OCB, they can't be recalled by the MLS team unless the team has a right of recall in the agreement. If the right of recall is in the agreement, there are no restrictions to how many times a player can be loaned or recalled during the season. Every Orlando City loan this year has had the right of recall instituted except for teenage goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar. But the only time Stajduhar would be called up is in the case of extreme hardship. Essentially this means that any player, with the exception of Stajduhar, loaned from Orlando City to OCB can be loaned and recalled at any time and as much as they want.

As usual, MLS has taken a seemingly easy process and managed to make it extremely complicated. Hopefully this guide will give you a better idea of who Orlando City is able to call up from OCB and which players they have control over in the future.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Chattanooga FC: Final Score 2-1 as OCB’s Noah Levis Nets Late Winner

Noah Levis’ late goal sees OCB claim all three points against first-place Chattanooga FC.

Published

1 day ago

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June 1, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City B (5-5-1, 17 points) appeared to be headed for a shootout against Chattanooga FC (8-2-2, 27 points) as the teams were tied 1-1 late in the match. But Noah Levis scored in second-half stoppage time to give OCB the win at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee.

Shak Mohammed gave the Young Lions the early lead before Steeve Louis Jean equalized just before halftime. Levis’ conversion lifted OCB to a much-needed win against the team at the top of the Eastern Conference.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg was forced into multiple changes for this game because Jackson Platts, Colin Guske, and Justin Ellis are away with the U-18 United States Men’s National Team. Goldberg replaced the trio of starters with Hardyen Sargis, Gustavo Caraballo, and Favian Loyola. Additionally, Javier Otero joined the second team for this game, replacing Carlos Mercado in goal.

The back line front of Otero was Tahir Reid-Brown, Sargis, Thomas Williams, and Zakaria Taifi. Riyon Tori and Jhon Solis were in the defensive midfield behind Bernardo Rhein, Loyola, and Caraballo with Mohammed up top.

Chattanooga got the first opportunity of the game in the sixth minute when Taifi blocked Milo Garvanian’s cross out for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece went off a visiting player and out for a goal kick, ending the threat.

On the other end, OCB took the first shot of the game in the eight minute. Loyola received a pass near the top of the box before playing it over to Reid-Brown, approaching on his left. Since no defenders stepped up to the left back, he fired from distance, sending his shot over the target.

The Young Lions nearly had a chance in the 11th minute when Taifi found Mohammed near the penalty spot. The forward tried to turn on the ball, but his first touch popped up too high. As a result, Farid Sar-Sar cleared the ball before Mohammed could shoot.

A minute later, OCB took advantage of a Chattanooga mistake to take the lead. Ethan Dudley played a seemingly innocuous pass into the center of the field for Nathan Koehler. But it was a poor pass and Loyola stepped up to intercept. The Young Lions were on a three-on-one break, so it was an easy pass to a wide-open Mohammed and the forward put it in to give the hosts an early 1-0 lead.

Tori and Darwin Ortiz came together in the 20th minute, resulting in both players going down. They required concussion tests and Ortiz was eventually booked for the challenge. While Tori was able to continue, Chattanooga was forced into a concussion substitution, replacing Ortiz with Daniel Mangarov.

In the 26th minute, Otero came off his line to punch a cross away. The clearance went to Louis Jean, who shot from just outside the box. However, the attempt was blocked before it reached the goal.

OCB quickly went the other way and Taifi found Mohammed in the box. The forward was looking to shoot, but he couldn’t find enough space. Instead, he played the ball across for Caraballo. The teenager took a shot at goal, but his attempt was also blocked.

Chattanooga tried to make something happen in the 34th minute from a free kick. Mangarov took the set piece, sending it towards the back post for Koehler. The center back tried to volley the ball and redirect it on goal, but he knocked it out of play instead.

Garvanian knocked Taifi down in the 39th minute, giving OCB a free kick in the Chattanooga third. Solis’ shot was blocked out for a corner kick, and Taifi’s ensuing set piece was back to Loyola. The first-team attacker dribbled forward before shooting from outside of the box, but it was right to Chattanooga goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic.

As Jakupovic attempted to punt the ball up the field, Mohammed stepped in front. The clearance was off Mohammed’s back and the OCB attacker was booked.

A flurry of activity by Chattanooga resulted in an equalizer in the 43rd minute. It started when Garvanian’s shot was blocked by Caraballo. The block went straight to Mangarov, approaching the end line. The substitute’s second touch was a shot from a tight angle that Otero blocked.

Chattanooga kept possession, resulting in a cross into the box. Otero came off his line and appeared to have an opportunity to catch it, but he punched it away with one hand. In a play similar to earlier in the game, it went to Louis Jean. Again, the Haitian fired from outside the box. However, this time he was directly in front of the goal, The hard shot went past Otero and in, evening the game at 1-1.

The visitors tried to take the lead in the 45th minute when Mangarov did well to shield Taifi from the ball. He played it back for Keegan Ancelin. The midfielder had space for a shot, but he couldn’t get around the ball, sending his attempt well wide.

The final chance of the first half came in the third minute of stoppage time. Taifi lost possession near the top of the Chattanooga box but got it right back. The right back turned to shoot, but he couldn’t get over the ball and sent his attempt way over the target.

After 45 minutes of play, Chattanooga had more shots (7-6) and crosses (6-2). OCB had better passing accuracy (85.2%-84.8%). Both teams ended the first half with two corner kicks, two shots on target, and a goal.

OCB tried to get the second half off to a quick start, nearly converting in the 47th minute. Mohammed did well to shield and turn his defender, getting a shot off towards the back post. The ball skipped past Jakupovic but wide of the far post.

In the 49th minute, Reid-Brown received the ball on the left, outside the box. The left back took a couple of steps forward before firing towards goal. His shot was on target but right into the arms of Jakupovic.

Mangarov tried to create something himself in the 50th minute, beating a couple of defenders to get into the box. He got a shot off, but Williams stuck his foot in and got a piece of it. As a result, the ball went straight to Otero.

Loyola nearly gave the Young Lions their second lead of the night with a long run in the 57th minute. He dribbled into the middle and shot from the top of the Chattanooga box but hit the left post. The rebound ended up with Rhein, but he was offside, ending the attack.

Caraballo took a chance at goal in the 60th minute when he received the ball on the right. The 16-year-old attacker had Taifi making an overlapping run, but he took the chance himself. The midfielder opened up and sent a shot towards the far top corner of the goal, sending his chance wide.

Chattanooga had a couple of opportunities in the 63rd minute, first when Callum Watson found Dudley at the top of the OCB box. Sargis got in front to block the attempt and the visitors maintained possession. Garvanian took the second attempt from the left, aiming for the back post. But he sent his attempt wide and OCB escaped the danger.

In the 67th minute, a long ball by Jakupovic was headed on by Tate Robertson for Peter Plougmand. Otero blocked the attempt that went to Mangarov at the top of the box. The attacker shot right at Otero, who made the stop.

Goldberg made his first change of the night in the 71st minute as Levis came on for Rhein.

Robertson played a dangerous ball to the back post in the 85th minute. He had multiple teammates in the box, but Sargis did well to head it away.

The Young Lions went the other way with Loyola carrying the ball to the top of the Chattanooga box before being taken down by Mangarov, who was booked for the challenge.

Solis was the only person standing over the ball, taking the free kick. However, he sent his shot straight into the wall. The rebound was sent forward for Tori, but the rookie was offside.

Goldberg made another change in the 88th minute, sending 17-year-old Justin Hylton on for his OCB debut, replacing Caraballo.

In the 90th minute, Mike Bleeker found Plougmand in the box. Chattanooga’s leading goal scorer laid it off for Mangarov at the top of the 18, but he couldn’t get anything on the ball, sending it harmlessly wide.

A minute later, OCB took its second lead of the night. Solis and Mohammed combined to send Loyola behind the Chattanooga back line. The attacker took a shot from the right side of the box, forcing Jukupovic into a one-handed save. It looked like the ball was going out of play, but Hylton saved it. He sent the ball towards the penalty spot, where Levis met it and converted to give the Young Lions a 2-1 lead.

“That talks very good about them because they are prepared,” Goldberg said about substitutes Hylton and Levis being involved in the goal. “They are ready. And sometimes it’s tough to play less, but here in the second team, you need to take every chance. We are happy that they took it.”

Goldberg made his final change in the second minute of stoppage time, replacing Loyola with Noham Abdellaoui.

Chattanooga won a corner kick in the third minute of stoppage time and everyone came up, including Jakupovic. OCB cleared with Reid-Brown carrying the ball down field. Without anyone in goal, the left back shot from his own half. Louis Jean sprinted towards his own goal, stopping the ball before it crossed the line, keeping it a one-goal game.

The visitors pushed forward once more, but they couldn’t create anything else, and the Young Lions came away with the win.

Both teams took 14 shots in this game, but OCB put one more on target (6-5). Chattanooga had the advantage in corner kicks (5-3), crosses (10-2), and passing accuracy (86.1%-84.5%), but it was OCB that scored the late goal to claim all three points.

“We are very happy for the win. But, most of all, that we were able to overcome a 3-0 loss (a week ago against Atlanta) beating the team that was top of the league,” Goldberg said. “So, that’s the stand out for us.”

“Obviously, it was a pretty difficult match versus the number one team in the league right now,” Loyola added. “So, it was a pretty hard match to go up front. I think our team played really well defensively and attacking. And, honestly, the mentality we had throughout the game was just amazing.”

OCB moves up to fifth in the Eastern Conference with the win, tied with NYCFC II, a point behind New England Revolution II, and two points behind Huntsville City FC after 11 games.

The Young Lions will take the field again Friday night when they travel to Alabama to face Huntsville City FC.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Atlanta United 2: Final Score 3-0 as Young Lions Humbled by Atlanta, Selves

OCB falls to Atlanta United 2 in arguably the team’s worst performance of the season.

Published

1 week ago

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May 25, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Orlando City B (4-5-1, 14 points) got an extra home game tonight due to a scheduling conflict in Georgia, but instead of taking advantage of not having to play Atlanta United 2 (2-2-6, 14 points) on the road, the Young Lions were humbled 3-0 in their own building. At least they can take some solace that it was a closed-door beatdown that fans couldn’t attend.

Atlanta took the early lead through Gabriel Wesseh’s conversion of a Carlos Mercado howler before Cayman Togashi scored on both sides of halftime.

This game was originally scheduled to take place in Kennesaw, GA, on Friday night. However, due to venue unavailability, it was moved to Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. Despite playing in their home stadium, the Young Lions were the away team. Since Atlanta was the home team, OCB’s southeast rivals requested a closed-door game.

As if the two-day delay wasn’t enough, severe weather in the area delayed the game for nearly an hour, finally getting underway at 8:25 p.m. The rain made a difference in the game, as the players had trouble playing on the waterlogged pitch in the early moments.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made one change to the team that came away with a 3-0 win over Inter Miami II on May 17. Gustavo Caraballo wasn’t in the team and was replaced in the lineup by Bernardo Rhein.

The back line in front of Mercado in goal was Tahir Reid-Brown, Jackson Platts, Thomas Williams, and Zakaria Taifi. Colin Guske and Riyon Tori were the defensive midfielders behind Rhein, Justin Ellis, and Jhon Solis with Shak Mohammed up top.

The game was pretty much over from the opening whistle. OCB rarely threatened and sent the ball well off target when it did. Meanwhile, Atlanta looked like the only team that wanted to play, constantly creating dangerous chances in the final third.

Atlanta went on the attack early and took advantage of an OCB mistake. Receiving a pass back from Platts, Mercado was out of his box, looking to play the ball up the field, but he sent it directly to Wesseh. Wesseh easily chipped the OCB goalkeeper, putting the ball in the empty net and giving his team the fourth-minute lead.

Javier Armas tried to beat Mercado from distance in the eighth minute, shooting for the far post from outside the box. It looked like Mercado got a hand to the ball, knocking it wide. But the referee gave a goal kick instead.

Guske played a quick free kick to Reid-Brown in the 21st minute, sending the left back to the end line. Mohammed made a run to the near post and Reid-Brown sent the ball in, but it was too close to Jonathan Ransom, who made the save.

In the 22nd minute, Armas found Nykolas Sessock making an overlapping run on his right. The right back had Cayman Togashi and Dominik Chong Qui making runs into the box and sent in a hard cross, but nobody could get on the end of it and the ball went all the way through the box.

Taifi won a corner in the 24th minute when his cross was blocked out of play by Braden Dunham. The right back took the set piece, sending it to the back post. Platts outjumped his defender to get his head to the ball, sending it just over the crossbar.

Atlanta had a series of corner kicks in the 28th minute. The second found the head of Salvatore Mazzaferro, who redirected the ball towards goal. It was on target but went off the shoulder of Reid-Brown. The ensuing corner was cleared, ending the extended attack.

Armas had the ball in a seemingly innocuous spot in the 31st minute. The Atlanta captain fired a shot on target from distance, but Mercado blocked it down and collected it.

OCB had one of its rare first-half chances in the 35th minute when Ellis found Mohammed making a run into the box. The forward took a touch towards the end line, slightly cutting down his angle before firing it into the arms of Ransom. That was the only OCB shot on target in the game.

On the other end, Armas found Wesseh on the right. The midfielder had plenty of space, taking a touch inside before attempting another long shot towards goal. This time it was too close to Mercado, who made the stop.

In the 38th minute, Chong Qui was making a run to the top of the box when Taifi met him. The ball popped in the air towards goal where Sessock was making a run. He nearly got to the ball before Mercado, but he couldn’t quite reach it and the OCB goalkeeper picked it up.

Solis tried to win the ball from Chong Qui in the 40th minute, ultimately tripping the midfielder and giving Atlanta a free kick. Armas stepped up to take the set piece, sending it to the far post. He had Mercado beaten, but the ball bounced off the woodwork, keeping the OCB deficit at 1-0.

Atlanta doubled its lead in the 45th minute from a free kick in its own third of the field. Chong Qui flicked Mazzaferro’s long set piece into the box. Platts and Togashi went after the ball, with Platts getting there first. But Togashi muscled the center back off the ball. Mercado had started to come out, but changed his mind when Togashi had possession. With the goalkeeper caught in no-man’s land, Togashi touched it around the OCB goalkeeper and into the once-again wide-open net to give Atlanta a commanding 2-0 lead.

After 45 minutes, Atlanta had the advantage in shots (9-5) shots on goal (4-1), corner kicks (3-2), and passing accuracy (85%-83.3%). OCB had more crosses (2-1), but the best chances were by the team in stripes.

Goldberg made one change at halftime. Rhein, who went down earlier in the first half, was replaced by Favian Loyola.

Atlanta continued its attack on the OCB goal out of the break, creating a chance in the 50th minute. Chong Qui dribbled towards the top of the box before firing. It looked like the shot might be on target, but Taifi stepped in front to block it.

In the 55th minute, Sessock dribbled into the box before laying the ball off for Armas. The attacker tried to lift the ball over Mercado, but couldn’t get it to come down, and it sailed over the crossbar.

Ransom cleared the ball way up field in the 57th minute. Mercado came out of his box, but Togashi beat him to it. The attacker chipped the ball over the OCB goalkeeper and it appeared to be going in, but Williams got back to knock it out of play, keeping the deficit at two goals.

Solis intercepted a pass at midfield in the 59th minute, heading the other way. The midfielder was pulled down by Armas before he could reach the ball, earning a yellow card. Solis took the free kick himself from a position in which he’s scored before. However, he sent this one directly into the wall.

Mohammed played the ball back for Loyola from the corner in the 61st minute. The halftime substitute lifted it into the box where Taifi was making a run. He went over the defender and got a head to it, sending it wide.

Solis had another chance from a corner kick in the 66th minute when Atlanta failed to clear the ball. The midfielder found a way through multiple defenders and had a good look at goal, but sent the shot over the top.

After receiving a pass from Platts, Loyola lost the ball to Cooper Sanchez in the 68th minute. Dribbling into the OCB third of the field, he found Togashi near the top of the box. Reid-Brown was there to defend, but Togashi spun to lose him and tucked the ball into the far bottom corner to make it 3-0.

In the 70th minute, Solis made a good, long run into the Atlanta half of the field. He played it centrally for Ellis, who quickly sent it on for Loyola. The first-team forward had a good look at the goal, but his shot went wide.

Solis tried to play Reid-Brown a long ball in the 72nd minute, but Sessock got their first, playing it back to his goalkeeper. However, Ransom was under pressure from Reid-Brown and played a terrible ball out of the back, sending it straight to Loyola. The goal was wide open, but Loyola sent the ball over the top.

Goldberg made two more changes in the 74th minute. Hayden Sargis and Diego Pareja came into the game for Guske and Platts.

Former OCB attacker Moises Tablante made a long run to the top of the OCB box in the 76th minute before being taken down by Williams. The center back protested the decision, but Atlanta had a free kick in a great position.

Armas stepped up to take the set piece and went for goal. It was a hard shot that fortunately went well over the crossbar.

A stoppage of play in the 78th minute gave Goldberg the opportunity to make his fourth change of the game. Noham Abdellaoui came on for Williams.

A long ball out of the back by Chong Qui in the 82nd minute found Wesseh across midfield. The forward beat the new center back pairing of Abdellaoui and Sarigs to get in on goal. As Abdellaoui caught up with the attacker, Wesseh shot. However, Mercado did well to come off his line and tip it wide.

It was a frustrating night for the Young Lions, which was on full display in the 88th minute when Solis played Reid-Brown down the left. Sessock did well to shield the OCB left back, winning a goal kick. Reid-Brown kicked the advertising board in frustration after being out-muscled by his smaller opponent, a perfect representation of the night for Orlando.

Mercado nearly made a costly error in the 90th minute when he played a ball out of the back directly to Adyn Torres. However, the Young Lions were able to win it back and draw a foul to avoid any more danger.

Wesseh received a pass at the top left corner of the box in the second minute of stoppage time. He was given plenty of space, so he took the shot himself, sending it wide of the far post.

A minute later, Ryan Carmichael made a run into the OCB box and sent a dangerous ball across the face of goal. Fortunately, nobody in black and red was close enough to get on the end of it and the ball went out of play.

That was the final chance for either team as Atlanta came away with a dominant 3-0 win. At full time, Atlanta had the advantage in shots (23-12), shots on target (7-1), and corner kicks (5-4). OCB had better passing accuracy (84.2%-80.1%) and both teams had five crosses.

It was an abysmal performance by OCB. Every player made costly mistakes, and the team failed to threaten the Atlanta goal. Even when defensive mistakes by the opposition gave the Young Lions a golden opportunity, they found a way to mess it up.

The Young Lions are currently in eighth place, barely above the red line. However, they’re now tied with Atlanta on points and only one point ahead of Chicago Fire II and Inter Miami II.

OCB will have to shake this one off and find a way to rebound when they host Chattanooga FC on June 1.

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Orlando City B

Orlando City B vs. Inter Miami II: Final Score 3-0 as Young Lions Dominate Herons At Home

Justin Ellis’ goal and two assists helped end a five-game winless run against the Herons.

Published

2 weeks ago

on

May 17, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City B

Orlando City B (4-4-1, 14 points) returned home tonight and crushed Inter Miami II (3-6-1, 10 points) 3-0 at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. Gustavo Caraballo gave the Young Lions the lead in the 19th minute before Shak Mohammed doubled the advantage in the 51st minute. But it was Justin Ellis’ night. The 18-year-old assisted the first two goals and converted a penalty in the 59th minute to cap off a remarkable game.

OCB Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made just one change from the team that lost 5-1 to Chicago Fire II on May 2. Jhon Solis returned to the starting lineup after his one-game suspension, replacing Juan Quevedo.

The back line in front of goalkeeper Carlos Mercado was Tahir Reid-Brown, Thomas Williams, Jackson Platts, and Zakaria Taifi. Colin Guske and Riyon Tori were the defensive midfielders behind Solis, Ellis, and Caraballo with Mohammed up top.

Miami got off to the stronger start in the first five minutes and it looked like it might be another long night for OCB. But that was the end of the threats by the opposition. The Young Lions seemed to wake up and dominated the rest of the game. The 3-0 scoreline is a fair result as OCB was by far the better team.

The visitors nearly took the lead in the fifth minute when Santiago Morales’ shot hit the post. The rebound went right back to the midfielder, who found Cesar Abadia-Reda to his left. The defender sent a second shot towards goal but hit it just wide of the near post.

A minute later, the Young Lions felt they should’ve had a penalty when Reid-Brown found Mohammed down the left. The attacker played the ball into the box for Caraballo, who went down after contact from behind. The OCB players and fans appealed for a penalty, but the referee disagreed.

Alejo Ristano pulled Ellis down in the 12th minute, giving the Young Lions a free kick near the top of the Miami box. Caraballo and Solis stood over the ball with Solis taking it. His set piece got through the wall, but Ivan Schmid had eyes on it the entire way, making for an easy save.

The Young Lions took the lead in the 19th minute when Mohammed found Ellis at the top of the Miami box. Caraballo was making a run, and Ellis chipped it in for the midfielder. The 16-year-old did well to control the ball and put it past Schmid to give his team the 1-0 lead.

It looked like OCB might double its advantage in the 22nd minute when the Young Lions broke forward on a four-on-two break. Mohammed played the ball to his right for Caraballo, who immediately tried to find Ellis in the middle of the field. However, the pass was behind the attacker and the Young Lions were unable to create a shot.

In the 39th minute, Abadia-Reda sent a dangerous cross through the OCB box, looking for Ricardo Montenegro. Fortunately, he wasn’t able to connect, because Mercado would’ve had little chance if the midfielder had redirected it on target.

OCB won a corner kick in the first minute of first-half stoppage time. The set piece found Williams near the top of the six-yard box with Giovanni Ferraina holding the center back, causing his header to go wide. Williams threw his arms up, feeling a penalty should’ve been called, but nothing came of it.

Both teams created three shots in the first 45 minutes, but OCB put two on target while Miami only put one on frame. While Miami had the edge in crosses (2-0), corner kicks (3-1), and passing accuracy (91%-87.8%), Caraballo’s 19th-minute strike gave the Young Lions that one-goal halftime lead.

Goldberg made a pair of halftime changes, possibly in preparation for Sunday night’s first-team game in Fort Lauderdale. Favian Loyola and Dylan Judelson came into the game for Guske and Caraballo.

OCB doubled its advantage in the 51st minute and it was created by Ellis again. The attacker received the ball at the top of the Miami box, and — similar to the first goal — chipped it forward. This time it was Mohammed making the run, playing it past Schmid to make it 2-0.

Miami looked to respond in the 56th minute when Idoh Zeltzer-Zubida found Morales in the box with some space. The midfielder’s second touch was a shot on goal, but Mercado was at his near post to collect it.

Things got even better for OCB in the 57th minute when Loyola made a run into the Miami box from the right and shot. Tyler Hall turned his back to the ball and it went off his arm. The referee immediately pointed to the spot, awarding OCB a penalty.

After setting up the first two goals, Ellis stepped up to take the spot kick. There was a delay while the referee made sure the players were outside the box. When his whistle blew, Ellis didn’t hesitate to take the attempt, putting it past a diving Schmid to make it 3-0.

“It was just the confidence that my teammates and the staff give me,” Ellis said about his goal and two assists. “Like the freedom that they give me. They tell me where to be and then I just execute.”

“He has a lot of determination in the last third. We tried to take advantage, he tried to take advantage with his teammates,” Goldberg said about Ellis’ performance. “He assisted twice and scored, so we are really happy for him.”

The Young Lions nearly made it 4-0 in the 63rd minute when Ellis made a good run into the box, and his pass split two defenders and found Taifi. The right back had his back to goal, so he laid it off to Mohammed instead. Mohammed quickly shot, but Schmid blocked it over the crossbar.

The ensuing corner kick was long, finding Platts beyond the back post. The center back sent the ball in front of goal with a teammate there, but it was cleared away.

OCB dominated the second half, but Miami created a chance in the 69th minute when Yuval Cohen got enough room from his defender to get a shot off. However, he sent the attempt well off target.

Immediately after the miss, Goldberg made his third change of the night, replacing Taifi with Hayden Sargis.

Ellis was looking for his third assist and fourth goal contribution in the 72nd minute when he played Mohammed behind the Miami back line. But this time the flag went up, ruling the striker offside.

Alejandro Flores forced Mercado into action in the 73rd minute with an ambitious shot from distance. The attempt was heading inside the near post, but Mercado did well to dive to his left and push the ball wide.

In the 76th minute, Mateo Saja was taken down just outside of the OCB box, giving Miami a free kick in a dangerous position. It was a fortunate play for the Young Lions because Saja was entering the box when he was taken down.

Before the set piece could be taken, Goldberg made another change as Bernardo Rhein came on for Ellis.

Morales sent the set piece towards goal. The ball went off Mohammed, sending it just wide of the target. The Young Lions cleared the ensuing corner kick and Miami was unable to get anything else from the attack.

Goldberg made his final change in the 85th minute as Noah Levis made his OCB debut, replacing Solis.

A free kick in the 89th minute resulted in a dangerous situation. Schmid came flying out for the set piece, running into Platts and flipping over the center back. The referee called Platts for a foul and both players went down. However, neither needed attention and both were able to continue.

Miami quickly went the other way and created a chance. There were multiple pink jerseys in the box as the low cross came in, but Mercado jumped off his line to collect it before anyone could put it on target.

In the final minute of stoppage time, Cohen wound up and shot from well outside the box. The attempt got through a pair of defenders, but Mercado had his near post well covered, smothering the ball. The final whistle blew before he could punt the ball away, securing the 3-0 win for the Young Lions.

Inter Miami II had the better statistical night with the advantage in shots (11-8), crosses (7-4), corner kicks (6-3), and passing accuracy (91%-86.6%). But both teams put five shots on target and OCB created much more dangerous situations.

“The first thing, to win the derby is great. So that’s the most important,” Goldberg said. “Apart from that, I think we did it in a good way, which is even better.”

“It was a great team performance,” Ellis added. “I think the defensive solidity gave us the confidence to score three goals, and it gave us the freedom to play for what we see and just use our talent.”

The win snaps a five-game winless run against Miami, during which the Young Lions went 0-3-2. Prior to tonight, the most recent OCB win came on May 25, 2023, a 1-0 win in Fort Lauderdale.

After a short stop at home, OCB will head back out on the road to face another rival in Atlanta United 2 Friday night in Kennesaw, GA.

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