Orlando City B
Orlando City B vs. Crown Legacy FC: Final Score 6-3 as OCB Drops Chance To Clinch Playoff Spot
OCB could have clinched a playoff spot with a win tonight, but fell at home to Crown Legacy FC.
Orlando City B (12-10-3, 40 points) fell 6-3 to Crown Legacy FC (17-4-4, 58 points) in another wild game at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee. The visitors took a 4-0 halftime lead with goals by Iuri Tavares, Nick Scardina, Joao Guilherme, and Patrick Agyemang. OCB responded in the second half, led by a Jack Lynn brace and Moises Tablante scoring possibly the goal of the game. But a Nikola Petkovic strike kept the game out of reach.
OCB Head Coach Martin Perelman made only one change to the team that beat Columbus Crew 2 at home last weekend with Abdi Salim replacing Thomas Williams. The back line in front of goalkeeper Javier Otero was Imanol Almaguer, Nabi Kibunguchy, Salim, and Franco Perez. Alex Freeman, Cristian Medina, Juninho, and Jhon Solis were in the midfield behind Wilfredo Rivera and Shak Mohammed.
Crown Legacy didn’t dominate this game at any point, but was more efficient in front of goal. The visitors scored on nearly every first-half chance, taking a 4-0 lead into the break. The second half was bound to be wild with this OCB team and it didn’t disappoint. Perelman brought Lynn into the game at halftime and the team’s leading scorer brought the Young Lions back with a pair of goals. Unfortunately, they couldn’t do enough to erase the deficit and lost for the third time at home this season.
The Young Lions had the first chances of the game in the seventh minute. Freeman dribbled down the right and played a low ball for Rivera in the box. The forward attempted to turn, but was well defended and Crown Legacy was able to clear.
OCB recycled and went to the left this time. Perez carried the ball to the end line, where it appeared as though he’d cross, but he shot from a tight angle instead. Crown Legacy goalkeeper Isaac Walker was glued to his near post, enabling him to make the easy stop.
The visitors took the lead in the 13th minute from a great individual play by Tavares. It started when Scardina sent a long cross to the top of the box that was headed to Tavares by Agyemang. Tavares flicked the ball up to himself and headed it on to beat Kibunguchy. His first touch after getting past the center back was a hard strike that beat Otero to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead.
Crown Legacy doubled its advantage in the 28th minute when Kibunguchy fouled Agyemang away from goal. Petkovic played the set piece short for Joao Pedro, who immediately sent it forward for Thiago on the left. Salim got his foot to the midfielder’s low cross, but only played it back to Scardina, who sent a thunderous strike to the far post, making it 2-0.
Tavares attempted to score another impressive goal from the top of the box in the 36th minute. He was patient in finding enough space to get a shot off, but Perez got in the way and OCB cleared.
The Young Lions had a decent chance in the 38th minute when Guilherme fouled Juninho from 25 yards out. Medina stepped up to take the free kick and went directly for goal, but his shot went just over the crossbar. It wasn’t far off target, but Walker appeared to have it the whole way.
In the 43rd minute, Philip Mayaka took a shot from distance that was blocked behind the goal for a corner kick. The ensuing set piece was beyond everyone in the box, but headed back in by Scardina. Juninho’s attempted clearance went backwards into a group of players. Guilherme came flying in and over Kibunguchy to meet the ball, heading it past Otero to make it 3-0 Crown Legacy.
It didn’t take long for the visitors to make it four, doing so in the first minute of first-half injury time. Marko Filipovic sent a long ball forward from his own box and Kibunguchy misjudged it, enabling Agyemang to get behind him near midfield. The attacker used his speed to lose Almaguer and a quick change of pace to beat Salim. He quickly shot to the far post, beating Otero and giving Crown Legacy a commanding 4-0 lead.
OCB had more first-half possession (54.7%-45.3%), but Crown Legacy had more shots (7-5) and shots on goal (4-1), taking advantage of set pieces and counterattacks. The Young Lions also had more corners (2-1) and passed more accurately (86.4%-84.1%). Both teams had three crosses in the first 45 minutes.
“I think that they (Crown Legacy) were effective and aggressive in the first half. We had control of the ball mostly. They were effective,” Perelman said about the first period of play. “They scored twice on set pieces, they find goals in another two sequences, and that’s it.”
Perelman made one change at halftime. Lynn didn’t start the game after being with the first team in Cincinnati Saturday night. He came on for Rivera with OCB desperately needing goals.
Despite the attacking change, it was Crown Legacy that had the good early look. Less than a minute into the half, Agyemang was sent towards the OCB end line and reached the ball just before it crossed. He played it back for Tavares, who lost Perez for space to shoot. Fortunately, his shot was over the crossbar.
OCB nearly had its first chance of the second half in the 52nd minute, when Almaguer sent a curling ball around the defense for Freeman down the right. However, Freeman was unable to hold his run and the flag went up for offside. That was the last action for Perez, who was replaced by Tablante immediately after the whistle.
The Young Lions got a goal back in the 58th minute when a cross by Tablante into the box was cleared away by Tavares. The ensuing corner kick by Tablante went all the way to the back post, where Lynn beat Scardina to the ball and tapped it in to cut the deficit to three.
OCB had another chance off a corner kick in the 60th minute when Tate Johnson headed a cross out of play. Almaguer found the head of Solis in the box with the set piece. The midfielder sent the ball towards the far post, but wide.
Crown Legacy increased its lead in the 60th minute when Johnson sent Agyemang down the left. The attacker played the ball back for David Poreba, who continued it to Tavares behind the penalty spot. With Otero left flat-footed, the striker calmly played the ball into the bottom corner to make it 5-1.
The visitors scored their sixth goal in the 67th minute from an impressive run by Tavares. A Solis turnover near midfield enabled Crown Legacy to go the other way. Tavares dribbled by Juninho and played Petkovic through. Otero came out to cut down the angle, but the midfielder placed it into the corner to make it 6-1.
Despite being down five goals, OCB didn’t give up and got one back in the 70th minute. Solis’ shot was blocked out of play, giving the Young Lions another corner kick. Almaguer’s free kick found the head of Solis near the top of the box. The header was towards the far post and it initially looked like he’d scored, but Lynn got the last touch, cutting the deficit to 6-2.
“I noticed that we were winning a lot of the first balls, but maybe not putting it on target. So I just wanted to go in the six and try and clean up anything that was coming my way,” Lynn said about his two goals on set pieces. “And two balls came my way and I was quick to react and just lucky to find the net on them.”
The goal was Lynn’s 17th of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season, topping his OCB record 15 goals last year. It also tied NYCFC II’s Matt Myers for the lead in the race for the league’s top goal scorer.
“I have to first and foremost give credit to my teammates and the coaching staff for putting me in good positions to score,” Lynn said about his league-leading goal tally. “Without them, nothing’s possible. Besides that, always staying patient and trying to put away my chances when they come towards me.”
Perelman made his final two changes of the game right after the goal. Zakaria Taifi and Thomas Williams entered the game for Juninho and Medina.
Crown Legacy responded quickly to OCB’s first goal and they did again after the second. Two minutes after Lynn’s conversion, substitute Marko Filipovic received the ball in the box and was taken down by Solis from behind. Referee J.J. Bilinski didn’t hesitate pointing to the spot and awarding the visitors a penalty.
Poreba stepped to the spot, sending the shot low and to his left. But Otero guessed correctly and blocked the attempt. The OCB goalkeeper jumped on the loose ball near the center of the six-yard box before any Crown Legacy players could reach it. It was Otero’s fourth penalty save in 10 attempts this season.
Continuing the wild sequence of events, OCB got another goal back in the 74th minute. Taifi sent the ball to Solis, who split two defenders and found Tablante on the left. The substitute used a stepover to beat Scardina and dribbled past Filipovic before taking a shot from outside of the box. He couldn’t have placed it any better, skimming the bottom of the crossbar and into the corner to make it a 6-3 game.
In the 82nd minute, Crown Legacy had a chance when Poreba received the ball from Filipovic. The midfielder had space for a shot, but took a little too long and Williams came sliding in to block it wide. The ensuing corner kick by Pedro was into the hands of Otero, keeping the deficit at three.
The final chance of the game came a minute into second-half stoppage time. Guilherme cleared the ball out of play and Almaguer sent a corner kick into the box. Salim headed the ball down softly and towards goal. Lynn was in the perfect position to turn and redirect it on frame, but his attempt was over the crossbar and Crown Legacy came away with the win.
OCB ended the game with more possession (53.6%-46.4%), corners (7-3), and crosses (11-5), and passed more accurately (87%-85.5%). However, Crown Legacy created more shots (16-13) and put more shots on target (9-5).
“In the second half we had a great effort,” Perelman said of the performance. “Of course, we concede spaces to them. We find the goals, but they found another too and won. The game is finished. We faced a good team, we know that. We couldn’t do it. We didn’t have our best night.”
Despite the loss, Perelman insists he’s extremely proud of his team and the fight they showed in the second half.
“We made a lot of mistakes, but I’m proud of my team,” he said after the game. “I’m proud of my team because this is a really difficult season. It’s really difficult in second teams to prepare for a game, to make training sessions, to make a lot of things that the people don’t see. But we know. And in that context, the guys are doing a big effort, are competing, and I’m proud of my boys even more than ever today.”
Results around the league this weekend meant that OCB could’ve clinched a playoff spot tonight by taking all three points. Despite not being able to take advantage of the opportunity, the Young Lions remain in fifth in the Eastern Conference, six points above the playoff line. Since there are only three games remaining in the season, the Young Lions could officially qualify for the playoffs for the second time in team history later this week.
It will be a short turnaround for OCB as the Young Lions travel to take on New England Revolution II in a rare Thursday night contest.