Orlando City B (12 pts, 2-3-2) hosted number one seed Crown Legacy (21 pts, 6-2-0), after a last-minute draw (and then PK win) vs. Chicago Fire II. They came in with high spirits after some good results and the first team having a great comeback the night prior.
Lineup
Orlando City B rolled out a strong lineup, adding first team players Gustavo Caraballo and Harvey Sarajian to the starting XI. Pedro Leão continues to get the start at striker as he hopes to add to his great 2026 campaign.
Ignacio “Nacho” Gomez lines up next to Dylan Judelson, making for a strong lineup in the center of the park. Nacho hopes to build off his strong performances with the first team.
Bernardo Rhein returns to OCB after a short stint with the first team sliding into left-back. Parker Amoo-Mensah continues his role at right back. Landon Okonski gets another start at center back, this time lining up with Jaylen Yearwood. Clovis Archange makes his first appearance in the matchday squad after recovering from injury during the offseason.
The formation more so played out as two strikers alternating between pressing and attacking, with Leão being a bit further from goal than Sarajian.
First Half
The young Lions had a tough start to the game as they were being attacked constantly from the first whistle. Crown’s press was smothering and their passing was clinical, especially on the left-hand side. The 3rd minute was one of their best chances, as the Crown Legacy attacker slipped past the defense and had a one-on-one chance on goal. Tristan Himes came up big and was able to push away the shot and stifle the attack.
Thankfully, OCB would respond back as they would have a breakaway of their own on the right-hand side, that was started by Sarajian who squared it to Leão but it was put over the bar. OCB continued to put the pressure on and found ways to make it difficult for Crown Legacy to move forward. Sarajian’s press was smothering and resulted in the keeper for Crown Legacy going down in the 12th minute due to some leg discomfort. He would shortly be subbed out due to the injury.
Though the Crown Legacy keeper had to be replaced, Crown found a way to push again and this time it would lead to a goal. They came in off the left side and slid the ball to Mbongue who beat Judelson on the dribble and slotted it home past Himes making it 0-1 in favor of Crown Legacy.
Who else? 🗣️
Hugo Mbongue scores one in five-straight matches!@crownlegacyfc lead on the road. pic.twitter.com/V0w8ixEVzE
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) May 3, 2026
The pressure kept coming for Crown Legacy and it was causing OCB fits in the defensive end. They couldn’t find a way to break through the press and Crown was doing a great job applying consistent pressure. This culminated in another great chance for Crown Legacy where the ball was hit off the post but mercifully didn’t go in. OCB would finally be able to relieve the pressure in the 29th minute when Caraballo had a great breakaway that drew a yellow card and then two minutes later led to a corner. Gómez was able to get a shot off after receiving the ball but it was hit wide. In the 33rd minute, OCB had another great breakaway where Caraballo put in a ball to Sarajian but Sarajian got tripped by the keeper with no penalty called. The young Lions did get a corner out of it but they weren’t able to convert. At this point of the match, OCB really turned the game on its head, putting in pressure after pressure. In the 40th minute, they had two shots blocked at the top of the box and then in extra time during the first half, Caraballo put in a squaring ball to Sarajian who missed the post just wide. This would end the half with OCB down 0-1 to Crown Legacy.
Second Half
OCB started off much stronger in this half, taking it to Crown Legacy and pushing hard to get the game tied. In the 51st minute, Sarajian was able to get the ball off the corner and hit the post and the underside of the bar but bounced out before going over the line. Sarajian’s influence wouldn’t stop there, in the 59th, he had another chance off a corner but headed the ball over the bar for a goal kick.
In the 61st, Crown Legacy would turn their fortunes around and get another goal on the board. Their forward would get the ball on the right-hand side of the box, fire it in, and the ball would bounce off Landon Okonski flying into the net. Okonski was credited with the own goal and it would put Crown Legacy up 0-2.
OCB would make their first sub in the 67th minute, bringing on Issah Haruna for Nacho Gómez. His influence would be felt right away as he navigated the press very well and pushed the ball forward. Dominik Baczewski would also be subbed on in the 73rd minutes, for Pedro Leão, looking to push the game forward. In the 80th minute, OCB would break through with a screamer by Issah Haruna. He received the ball from Bernardo Rhein off the corner and then hit it into the top left corner to bring the score to 1-2.
Issah Haruna scores his first professional goal to cut the deficit in half for Orlando! pic.twitter.com/GgaWC4uM7p
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) May 4, 2026
As the game was winding down, OCB was pushing hard to get the draw but couldn’t find the right ball in. Until Sarajian was able to get into a dangerous spot in second half stoppage time, off a Haruna pass and slotted the ball home to bring the game level at 2-2.
We see you, Sarajian 👀
The 21-year-old forward levels for @OrlandoCityB at the death! pic.twitter.com/NVoPGYx4zp
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) May 4, 2026
The game would end in a draw and bring the teams to a penalty kick shootout, back-to-back games for OCB. The luck for OCB would run out at this point, as 4 of the 5 OCB takers would convert (with Sarajian getting his saved) but all 5 of the Crown Legacy players would make theirs. The extra point would go to Crown Legacy.
Players to Highlight
- Gustavo Caraballo-Caraballo had another great game for OCB, continuing to display his great talents. Though he didn’t have a goal or an assist, he was still lively in the attacking phase and put in some great defensive work to help the team. He ended the game with an 80% passing rate, 5 chances created, 7 successful dribbles, 7 accurate crosses, 4 long balls, while also having 2 tackles, and 7 recoveries. He was all over the pitch and he showed his class all night.
- Issah Haruna-Though Haruna only played 23 minutes, his influence was huge for OCB. He had a goal and assist during that time but also some great complimentary stats. He had an 86% passing rate, 1 chance created, a successful dribble, 1 tackle, 1 interception, 3 recoveries, and won 100% of his ground duels. He came in for Nacho Gómez, who had a good game, but Haruna certainly outshined him.
- Bernardo Rhein-Rhein slid right back into the OCB starting lineup and didn’t miss a beat. He was very solid defensively and was able to contribute on the offensive end. He had an 84% passing rate, 3 chances created, 85 touches on the night (2nd most on the team), 8 tackles, 1 clearance, 1 interception, 4 recoveries, and won 69% of his ground duels.
- Harvey Sarajian-Sarajian had an active game and was able to get a goal in the dying minutes of the game. He was able to create chances but also put a lot of pressure on Crown Legacy. He ended the night with a 67% passing rate, 2 chances created, hit the woodwork once, 1 successful dribble, 3 tackles, 1 clearance, and 1 recovery. He didn’t so as well on his duels in this one or his shot accuracy but he was still able to impact the game.
Other players to notes:
- Jaylen Yearwood-Yearwood had another good game, lining up at center back again for this one. He played the full 90 and had the third highest touches on the team. He had a 94% passing rate, 1 chance created, 3 long balls, 3 tackles, 1 block, 9 clearances, 2 interceptions, 6 recoveries, and was 100% on his duels. I’ve really liked his play the last few matches; He’s really a player to watch going forward.
- Nacho Gómez-Nacho had another quality game for OCB as he continues to get more minutes between both teams. He played 67 minutes before making way for Haruna and had an impactful time on the pitch. He ended with a 90% passing rate, a successful dribble, 2 long balls, 6 tackles, 2 recoveries, and was only dribbled past once. He also was 82% on all his duels, really locking down the middle of the park.
What’s Next?
Orlando City B (13 pts., 2-4-2) head back on the road to Atlanta, to take on Atlanta United II (16 pts., 5-1-2) on Sunday, May 10. Atlanta currently sit 4th in the East and are a good opponent for OCB to face after facing Crown Legacy. The first team plays away in Montreal the day prior so that would mean some of the young players could miss out on the OCB game in Atlanta if they’re with the first team.
Highlights
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