Orlando City B (30 pts., 7-6-4) were on the road again, this time in Cincinnati to take on FC Cincinnati II (14 pts., 4-1-11). This was the first meeting of the year for both sides, with last year going in favor of the Ohio-based squad.
Lineup
Orlando City B had a bit of a different lineup in this one, especially with the mid-week scrimmage against the Tampa Bay Rowdies and then the upcoming scrimmage against FC Dallas.
Juan Rojas got his fourth start in goal with Tristan Himes still with the first team. Clovis Archange started again, but this time with Landon Okonski. Parker Amoo-Mensah lined up at right back, while Tahir Reid-Brown joined OCB, and started at left back, and wore the armband.
Ignacio “Nacho” Gómez started in the double pivot with Caleb Trombino lined up next to him and Issah Haruna took the attacking midfield spot.
Mathew Belgodere started on the left wing with Gustavo Caraballo starting on the right wing. Pedro Leão started up top at striker for OCB.
Players on the bench: Titus Sandy Jr. (DF), Albright Chikamso (DF), Luca Maxim (GK), Dylan Judelson (MF), Brady Kendall (MF), Nicolas Bobea Torres (FW), and Justin Hylton (MF).
Harvey Sarajian was left out of the matchday squad but the assumption is that it was due to the scrimmage he played in on Wednesday.
First Half
Orlando City B got the kickoff and put it high and out to start the match. OCB began the game pressing high up the field in the hopes to throw FCC II off their game. In the 3rd minute, OCB were on the counter and played the ball to Belgodere who attempted to chip the keeper high in the box but the ball was deflected away. After that opportunity, FCC II possessed the ball for a stretch as they looked to build against Orlando. They found ways to hold onto the ball and be calculated with their passing. There was then a period of sloppy passing from both sides eventually allowing FCC II to get off a shot but Okonski was able to get down and block the shot. OCB, a few moments later in the 9th minute, were able to get the ball off a bad header from FCC II and ran towards the net getting a shot off but it was saved and pushed to the left out of danger. In the 16th minute, off a great ball upfield by Rojas, Haruna was able to get on the end of the ball and slot it in on the right side, putting OCB up 1-0.
Issah Haruna with a clinical finish 🦁 pic.twitter.com/tZ4ZbmApZQ
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) July 12, 2026
After the goal, FCC II looked more disjointed than before the goal. They were sloppy with their passing and couldn’t possess the ball for longer than a few moments. OCB continued to press, putting the keeper and back line of FCC II under constant pressure. The game became back-and-forth for a bit until the 26th minute where OCB was able get the ball into the box but couldn’t find a finishing ball but when the ball popped out of the box, OCB attempted to recover it but the player was bundled over with OCB earning their first free kick. In the 33rd minute, Belgodere was able to get the ball on the left wing and cut in while making two defenders miss. Unfortunately, he ran out of steam and turned the ball over in the box allowing FCC II to break the other way.
FCC II was able to get some attacks put together with a great chance coming in the 37th minute. They were able to turn the ball over just outside OCB’s box and passed it out right where the winger cut inside of Reid-Brown taking a shot but it harmlessly trickled to Rojas for the save. A minute later, FCC II’s attacker was able to hold off an OCB defender and get the ball centered where they took a shot but Rojas read it and punched the ball clear. OCB was able to get on the ball again though and had a few half chances, with the best coming in the 45th minute where Caraballo put a cross in through the box but nobody from Orlando could get a head on it. The young Lions continued to possess the ball through most of first-half stoppage time and early in that period Caraballo put in another great ball but it was cleared out by the keeper before it crossed through the box. FCC II was able to possess a bit at the end of the first half, even getting a shot off before the half ended but it was blocked as soon as it came in. OCB would also get an opportunity before the half as Haruna attempted a through ball to the center of the box but his teammates weren’t ready for the pass and it fell to an FCC II player. The half ended 1-0 in favor of Orlando City B.
Second Half
The second half started in favor of FCC II, with them pressing, they had a few half chances to start the half but weren’t able to make anything out of it. On the following possession, OCB was able to get a good chance off but the shot went just wide. The game became pretty open at this point, with both teams trying to put something together. In order to help with the game, OCB subbed on Dylan Judelson for Caleb Trombino to hold down the midfield a bit more.
The game got a bit chippy after that with the first card coming after Caraballo grabbed on to the opponent’s shirt and swung him around. The following possession, Amoo-Mensah got dumped to the ground while the ball went out for a goal kick resulting in a FCC II player getting booked. OCB had a chance on the other end where Belgodere got the ball and took a shot that was saved. However, FCC II fired back with their attacker getting the ball on a fast break, shifting past Okonski and putting the ball in near post. That tied the game at 1-1.
All level in Cincinnati!
Mosquera hits the chance off the left post! pic.twitter.com/3yzyWbJfEF
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) July 12, 2026
FCC continued to stay on the front foot with another half chance in the 67th minute but Rojas came out and claimed the cross before it could get on the other side. OCB then looked to break but FCC II had a player grab an OCB player resulting in the third yellow card of the game. Orlando made some additional subs in the 72nd minute with Titus Sandy Jr coming on for Parker Amoo-Mensah and Justin Hylton on for Issah Haruna. In the 75th minute, OCB got on the front foot after some physical play by Caraballo who was able to get it out left to Belgodere, who slot it home far post putting OCB up 2-1. This goal led straight into the water break for the second half.
The build up. The goal.
Matthew Belgodere pulls @OrlandoCityB ahead! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/d4QC73ss19
— MLS NEXT Pro (@MLSNEXTPRO) July 12, 2026
After the water break, OCB came out looking to possess the ball and control the game a bit. They had a few long ball opportunities but were able to get the ball back after sending it upfield. FCC II had a great chance in the 83rd minute where they got on the wrong side of Archange who went down but the FCC II player put it just wide of the net after taking a deflection. They did earn a corner after but it fell to OCB. Orlando would make two more changes taking off Pedro Leão and Gustavo Caraballo, putting on Nicolas Bobea Torres and Brady Kendall. FCC II had another good half chance in the 85th minute but nobody got on the end of it for them resulting in a goal kick. In the 90th minute FCC II kept putting pressure on and were able to center the ball where it fell to an attacker but he wasn’t able to get the ball out from under his feet. OCB was able to break the other way right after but they were dragged down by an FCC II defender who picked up a yellow card. FCC II had a long ball on the left side but Okonski bodied the attacker off the ball and gained possession for OCB. OCB had one more chance in the final minute of second half stoppage time where Reid-Brown put the ball across but Torres skied it over. FCC II had their last chance after Sandy Jr. challenged a player outside the box and picked up a yellow card for his effort. But that would be the last chance for both teams with the game ending 2-1 OCB.
Players to Highlight
- Mathew Belgodere-The young winger had another quality game and really displayed his talent. While he had some nervy moments in the first half, he was able to put together a great match and scored the game-winning goal. Besides the goal, he ended the match with a 79% accurate passing rate, 2 chances created, 4 shots, 3 successful dribbles, 2 accurate long balls, 1 tackle, 1 interception, 5 recoveries, and 6 ground duels won. As I’ve said in previous weeks, Belgodere keeps getting better and better each week and at this point, deserves to start weekly. Let’s see if he gets that chance.
- Gustavo Caraballo-Gustavo was a man on a mission the entire match and really came into his own at the end of the first half and his entire time in the second half. He played 84 minutes and besides grabbing the one assist, he also ended with an 86% accurate passing rate, 2 chances created, 3 shots, 7 successful dribbles, 4 accurate long balls, 1 tackle, 1 clearance, 3 recoveries, and won 8 ground duels. Caraballo has been a young star for quite some time but it’s games like these that really show his true talent. His run setting up the game-winning goal was a thing of beauty and something you’d love to see from the young winger a bit more often. He’s knocking on the door of first team minutes.
- Juan Rojas-The keeper got his 3rd start in a row since Himes is with the first team and he displayed his class once again. He only allowed one goal in this one, and had 4 saves on the evening. He had great distribution with one of his kicks leading to the Haruna goal in the first half. He’s a natural shot stopper but now he’s improving his positioning week by week. I’m really excited to see his continued growth.
Other players to note:
- Issah Haruna-Haruna was the main focal point in the attack and really displayed his skills all game long. He scored the first goal for OCB on the night but was involved in almost every attacking sequence before he got subbed off after 72 minutes. He ended with a goal, 100% accurate passing rate, 2 shots (both on target), 1 accurate long ball, and 2 recoveries.
- Clovis Archange-I’ve been a big Archange fan for a while now and this game showed everyone why. He was the most dominant center back on the pitch and really led the team with his play. He ended with an accurate passing rate of 97% (completing 70 passes), the most touches in the match with 78, 3 accurate long balls, 3 tackles, 1 last man tackle, 1 clearance, 1 interception, 5 recoveries, and 3 ground duels won. He continues to show off his defensive skills and will soon be knocking on the door of the first team with these kinds of performances.
What’s Next?
Orlando City B (33 pts., 8-6-4) have one more game on the road against Chattanooga FC (34 pts., 9-4-5) before returning home. These two teams have played twice this year, with the last meeting going in favor of OCB, while the first meeting went Chattanooga’s way.
Highlights
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