Loud & Proud Orlando

Lineup

Orlando City B played a young lineup again with a lot of carryover from the last match. The only first team player for OCB was Harvey Sarajian.

Tristan Himes was in net, in front of him were Albright Chikamso and Landon Okonski as the center back pairing. Parker Amoo-Mensah and Bernardo Rhein lined up as the right back and left back.

Ignacio “Nacho” Gómez lined up in midfield again with Jacob Rodríguez next to him, for just his second start this year.

Justin Hylton started in the attacking midfield spot again with Harvey Sarajian out left on the wing and Issah Haruna on the right wing. Pedro Leão started up top at striker, looking to continue his red hot form.

Squad Notes: a few players were missing due to international duty. Dylan Judelson and Clovis Archange were representing Canada’s youth team while Gustavo Caraballo was representing Venezuela’s youth squad. Colin Guske was with the USYNT and Zakaria Taifi was with the Morocco U23 team. MLS players technically have this period off but can choose to play with OCB.

First Half

The game started off in Carolina Core’s favor, with the Carolina team taking it to OCB in the first two minutes of the match. After OCB settled down, they were able to possess the ball a bit more and string some chances together. In the 6th minute Orlando City B were able to earn their first free kick on the right side of the box, about 20 yards out. They used it to earn a second free kick that was put on net but sailed right over the crossbar. Unfortunately, in the 10th minute, the defense was disjointed as Carolina drove up the field, made a few defenders miss, and put a ball across the box that was placed into the right corner taking a 1-0 lead over OCB.

Right place at the right time 👀

Tattevin beats Orlando to grab the @CarolinaCore_FC opener! pic.twitter.com/bHYRbFlix3

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 7, 2026

After the goal, Carolina kept pushing the ball forward and were able to create another opportunity just a minute later that required a block from OCB that went out for a Carolina Core corner. Carolina almost had another good chance during that corner but OCB were able to clear the ball. OCB took over for a bit after that chance, with another free kick being earned from the team but nothing amounted from it. There was a bit of back-and-forth play from both sides for the next ten minutes until OCB was able to have a quality stretch of play between Haruna and Sarajian that got worked for a corner.

Carolina Core would then flip the game on its head by putting a few nice attacking sequences together. Orlando would get pinned back again and Core would take advantage again. This time with a ball that was played well across the box where Pineda would get on the end of it which would be put in the net, putting Carolina Core up 2-0.

Antonio Pineda scores in back-to-back matches for @CarolinaCore_FC! 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/u19Ymyg0rQ

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 7, 2026

The game would get even stranger as just a few minutes later, Carolina Core defender Caiza, would go nose-to-nose with Haruna which resulted in the defender swiping at Haruna’s face, earning a red card, while OCB earned a penalty kick. Pedro Leão would step up and take the kick to make it 2-1 just before half.

Pedro Leão pulls one back for Orlando from the spot! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/E58jF1KYbB

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 8, 2026

Second Half

The second half started pretty well for OCB as they came out aggressive, really pushing Carolina Core back. They were able to string a couple of chances together but nothing would really come off for them in that action. OCB would pass a ton throughout the beginning of the half but it was clear that Carolina Core planned to bunker in playing down a man.

Core had some moments after the initial ten minutes of the second half, really trying to force a mistake between the two young center backs. There was a moment where one of their attackers was on a solo run against Okonski and Chikamso but ultimately had the ball taken away. They had a few darting runs up the left side but still couldn’t find a way to break through, with one of their better chances being called offside. In an effort to change the game, both teams would make a few subs in the 56th and 59th minute, with OCB subbing on Titus Sandy Jr to tighten the defense and Matthew Belgodere to push the offense forward a bit. It also gave Orlando City B an opportunity to play with two strikers up top, pushing Sarajian up the field next to Leão.

The game would get a bit testy after the subs, Okonski would be defending in a one v one chance but made the wrong tackle and earned himself a yellow card, forcing him to play 30 minutes on a yellow card. OCB would use it to get back on the front foot as they would send wave after wave towards Carolina. Sarajian would have one of the best chances in the 68th minute where the ball would fall to him off a deflection but it was blocked wide. A minute later Leão would send a ball out right to Haruna who cut in but had his shot blocked as well. The next possession, Gómez would push the ball wide to the left where Rhein would send the ball across the box to a Carolina defender who deflected it out wide. In the 72nd minute, Belgodere would get the ball in the middle of the box and push it to the left before he’s able to square it to Gómez who moved centrally and curled a ball to the far post that was pushed wide by the Core keeper. Finally, OCB would get the breakthrough in the 74th minute as Amoo-Mensah would cross the ball into the middle of the box where Leão would be waiting to get a head on it to draw the game 2-2.

Who else? 🔥

Pedro Leão directs the equalizing header home for his seventh of the season! pic.twitter.com/0ENQCcJgD0

— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) June 8, 2026

Players to Highlight

• Pedro Leão-He was on fire again bagging a brace in this one, recording back-to-back braces in just as many weeks. He was active all night on both the offensive and defensive end, pulling defenders away from his fellow attackers. He ended with two goals, a 77% passing rate, 6 shots, 1 successful dribble, 1 accurate long ball, 1 recovery, 3 ground duels won, and 2 aerial duels won. He looked like a man possessed yet again and it brought his season tally to 7 goals and 1 assist on the year so far.
• Parker Amoo-Mensah-Another player who was just on the top of his game throughout the night. He was all over the right hand side of the pitch but even found himself in the middle of the park at times. He was ruthless on defense and clinical in attack. He ended the match with 1 assist, a 93% passing rate, 2 chances created, 2 successful dribbles, 2 accurate long balls, 1 tackle, 3 clearances, 3 interceptions, 5 recoveries, and won 4 ground duels. With games like these, Parker has to be catching the eye of the top brass, with a professional contract potentially on the way.
• Issah Haruna-Another quality performance from Haruna who was all over the right side of the pitch as he took over the right wing position for OCB. He didn’t have any goal contributions on the night but he provided everything else for the team. He ended with a 95% passing rate, 2 chances created, 2 shots, 2 successful dribbles, 1 accurate long ball, 3 recoveries, 5 ground duels won, and 1 aerial duel won. He was dribbled past twice which is something that needs to be a bit better but he was still class throughout the match.
• Matthew Belgodere-Young Belgodere deserves a shout out here as he played a fantastic 30 minutes. He was quick on the left wing and made it a nightmare for the defenders he was going up against. He scored an amazing banger of a goal to not only put OCB up 3-2 while also tallying his first professional goal. He also ended with a 94% passing rate, 2 shots, 2 successful dribbles, 1 tackle, 1 interception, 2 recoveries, and won 3 ground duels. I’ll admit, I’ve been hot and cold on Belgodere since I’ve seen him this season. He tends to play too quickly for his own good and physically gets beaten at times, but in this one he knew how to put his game together to help benefit the team. I hope he can string more quality games together because the 16 year old has a bright future ahead of him.

Other players to note:

• Bernardo Rhein-It wasn’t the strongest game for Rhein but he still had a nice outing. He was lively on the left side and was able to make his impact on set piece opportunities. He was a bit careless at times but didn’t give too much away when he had those lapses. He ended the day with a 91% passing rate, 2 chances created, 3 shots, had the most touches with 117, 2 accurate crosses, 1 long ball, 1 tackle, 1 clearance, 3 interceptions, 6 recoveries, won 3 ground duels, and 1 aerial duel. Rhein will continue to find ways to positively contribute and you can’t help but love his game.
• Justin Hylton/Titus Sandy Jr.-The last spot is a tie between both Hylton and Sandy Jr. as they both contributed in various ways. Hylton helped push the attack in the start of the game with an 84% passing rate, 1 chance created, 1 successful dribble, 4 tackles, 3 recoveries, and won 6 ground duels. Sandy Jr. came in and stabilized the back line after a rocky start for the center back pair. He ended his 30 minutes with a 97% passing rate, 1 chance created, 4 accurate long balls, 1 tackle, 3 recoveries, and won 1 ground duel. They both changed the game and they deserved a bit of a shout.

What’s Next?

Orlando City B (25 pts., 6-4-3) are away for the next one as they take on Huntsville City FC (19 pts., 5-3-5) in Huntsville. The young Lions should have some options to bring with them this go round, as many of the youth international duties are wrapping up with the World Cup beginning.

Highlights