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Orlando City B Returns to Winning Ways with 3-2 Victory over East-Leading Crown Legacy FC

David G.

Courtesy of Orlando City B Communications

Orlando City B (35 pts., 8-7-9) returned home to take on Crown Legacy FC (51 pts., 13-7-4). These teams had met twice before, with Crown Legacy taking both matchups—one at home and one away—with both matches going to penalties.

Lineup

Orlando City B made a few small adjustments to their lineup in this one, as they looked to get back on track and reach the playoff spots.

Tristan Himes was in goal while also wearing the captain’s armband. In front of him was the center back pairing of Landon Okonski and first-team player Nolan Miller. At right back, Parker Amoo-Mensah got the start while Clovis Archange started at left back.

In midfield, Ignacio “Nacho” Gómez” continued his consistent run of appearances with the squad, partnering Justin Hylton. In the attacking midfield spot, Gustavo Caraballo stepped in.

On the wings were Mathew Belgodere on the left and Issah Haruna on the right wing. Pedro Leão was the starting striker again in this one.

On the bench for OCB: Juan Rojas (GK), Titus Sandy Jr. (DF), Nicolas Lasheras (MF/DF), Caleb Trombino (MF), Brady Kendall (MF), Nicolas Bobea Torres (FW/MF), Jakob Garcia (FW), Hector Aguirre (FW), and Deshnick Nkeh (FW).

First Half

Orlando City B kicked the game off and put the ball deep in Crown Legacy’s half, as they tend to do from kickoffs. Their press was strong to start, allowing them to win the ball, but not for long. After quickly regaining possession, they moved the ball well, stringing together a slew of passes that helped them get up the field. While Orlando’s passing was good, Crown found a way to make the most of its early chances. In the 5th minute, Crown had a great chance that bounced off the post. Adrian Mendoza collected the ball off the deflection, made two OCB players miss, and buried it in the right corner, just past a diving Himes. The goal put Crown up 1-0.

OCB didn’t sit back after the following kickoff. They quickly carried the ball upfield and combined on the right side after a nice switch from Belgodere. After a few passes back and forth, Orlando was able to force the ball off a Legacy defender for a corner. After a few consecutive corners, OCB was able to scrap for the ball in the box. It squirted out to the left side, allowing Okonski to take a sliding shot that was saved by the Legacy keeper. OCB was able to hold on to possession and had another fast-break chance, but one too many passes resulted in the ball being turned over.

After a few half-chances, Crown was able to get onto the front foot and break in the other direction. Archange was asked to shield the ball out of play and did a great job of denying the Crown attacker, but it went out for a corner. The corner amounted to nothing for the opposition. OCB was able to go the other way and had a few decent chances during the run of play, but Orlando’s best effort was a weak shot along the ground. It did result in a corner for the home team and allowed Orlando to retain possession again, but play was stopped after a pair of head injuries, one on each team.

The game resumed, and both teams eventually got their players back on the field, making the match 11 versus 11 again. Possession went back and forth after the restart, but OCB controlled much of the ball during that period. There was a nervy moment in the 23rd minute when the ball was played back to Himes, and he passed it right to a Crown Legacy midfielder. Thankfully for OCB, the shot was put well over the bar. Moments later, Orlando made another mistake that resulted in Crown earning a corner, but Himes was able to punch the ball clear.

After that, OCB really used its press to affect the match, forcing two turnovers from Crown Legacy on back-to-back possessions. Crown did get a half-chance during that spell of possession, but Himes dealt with it well and put the ball back into play for Orlando. OCB finally broke through as Leão started the break and passed the ball to Haruna, who cut inside and placed a great shot into the far corner. The goal tied the game 1-1 in the 31st minute.

Orlando didn’t stop there, as the Lions quickly got the ball back and continued to push upfield, looking for more chances. Leão played another long ball over the top that almost fell to the onrushing attacker, but it was cleared away right before an OCB player could get to it. The constant pressure led to another corner for Orlando after Belgodere and Hylton continued to pressure the Crown Legacy squad. The game became more evenly contested after Orlando’s corner. However, OCB’s defense remained stout and defended well to keep its opponents out.

Crown had a sustained spell of pressure around this time, with multiple balls being played into the Orlando half. Belgodere and Hylton had issues holding on to the ball, which allowed Legacy to regain possession. Himes was alert, though, and consistently kept OCB out of danger during that period. Belgodere had a great chance late in the first half when he was one-on-one with a defender. He cut left, but his shot was deflected wide.

From the corner, Amoo-Mensah whipped in a great ball to Leão, who got his head on it, but it bounced off the post and out of danger. Crown had another chance right before halftime when the ball fell to an unmarked attacker on the right side of the box. Himes came out to make himself big, forcing the attacker to chip the ball over the net. Crown Legacy had one more half-chance before the end of the half, but the visitors couldn’t do much with it, sending the teams into halftime tied 1-1.

Second Half

This time, Crown Legacy kicked the ball off, but Orlando City B was able to win the ball quickly. Following a great press and an even better shot, Belgodere slotted the ball home in the 46th minute to put the young Lions up 2-1. It was a fantastic individual effort by the young winger.

Orlando wasn’t done, either. The Lions collected the ball again in midfield, where Haruna sprayed it out wide to Caraballo on the right. Caraballo made his man miss and chipped the ball over the keeper and into the net, putting OCB up 3-1 just minutes into the second half.

The team wouldn’t stop there, as the Lions continued to possess the ball and move it quickly up the field. There was a very clear message delivered at halftime: move the ball quickly and put shots on net. OCB continued to work the ball up the right side, getting past Crown Legacy’s defense with ease. However, in the 53rd minute, Crown Legacy was able to get one back after a nice cross from the right side was headed toward the net, deflected off Gómez and trickled over the line after Himes was bodied at the far post. The goal cut Orlando’s lead to 3-2.

OCB was able to get back on the front foot after conceding, continuing to control the ball in the Crown half. Orlando’s consistent pressure earned the team a few more corners, including one in the 61st minute that led to a squared ball from Amoo-Mensah to Leão, who put his shot over the bar. In the 63rd minute, Crown Legacy made three substitutions to change the game for the away side. Most of the changes were attacking moves designed to help Crown get back into the match. The substitutes made an immediate impact for Crown, as they almost combined for a goal, but the final ball was just off the mark for the Charlotte-based squad.

The game became a bit slower and especially chippy in midfield after Crown’s substitutes settled in. Each team was trying to stop quick attacking moves and wasn’t afraid to bring an opponent down. Each side drew a pair of fouls over 10 minutes. In the 72nd minute, Crown pushed up the field on the right and got a quality shot off, but Himes came up with a big save at the near post to preserve OCB’s lead.

In the 75th minute, OCB made two substitutions, with Gustavo Caraballo and Nolan Miller coming off for Hector Aguirre and Nicolas Lasheras. They were largely like-for-like changes for Orlando. Lasheras was put to work early, as he was asked to tackle a Crown attacker who slipped into the box. Crown made one more attacking substitution before the subsequent corner in the 77th minute, which Himes punched away. On the following corner, Crown sent the ball toward the far post, where it bounced through, but nobody was able to get on the end of it. Aguirre made his first impact when he squared the ball to Belgodere minutes later, but the winger sent his shot over the bar.

In the 82nd minute, Crown almost found its equalizer when Romero made a move past Amoo-Mensah and curled the ball toward the far post. The ball hit the post and bounced to an oncoming Crown attacker, who had his shot blocked. After the restart, Himes picked up the first yellow card of the game for time-wasting, though he wasn’t given much time to get the ball back into play.

Crown kept up the attacking pressure, putting another shot on goal in the 85th minute that required Himes to make another save. Himes was up for the task as the game wound down. Another slipped through ball fell to a Crown Legacy attacker, whose shot rattled the crossbar. Himes was injured on the play and was slow to get up, but he did get back to his feet.

During the injury break, Issah Haruna and Mathew Belgodere were subbed off, with Titus Sandy Jr. and Brady Kendall coming on to replace them. Crown Legacy also made its final substitution, committing fully to the attack for the remainder of the match. Orlando looked to strengthen its defense and see out the five minutes of stoppage time.

The defense stood strong, and Aguirre had a chance to get the ball out of his own half. As he dribbled up the field, Aguirre was pushed over by a Crown defender, who received a yellow card for the cynical foul. OCB saw the game out to secure a 3-2 victory!

Players to Highlight

  • Issah Haruna — Haruna was the most influential attacker on the field outside of Gustavo Caraballo, and that should not surprise anyone who has watched him this year. He played 89 minutes, scored 1 goal, recorded 1 assist, had an 83% pass-completion rate, created 2 chances, completed 1 accurate long ball, made 1 tackle and 1 interception, recorded 7 recoveries, won 40% of his ground duels, and won 100% of his aerial duels.
  • Gustavo Caraballo — Outside of Haruna, Caraballo was electric in his attacking midfield/second striker role. He played 75 minutes, scored 1 goal, had a 95% pass-completion rate, took 2 shots, completed 50% of his dribbles and 33% of his crosses, made 1 tackle, recorded 1 recovery, and won 45% of his ground duels. He was very lively all match, and I can’t wait to see more of him in the coming weeks.
  • Pedro Leão — The striker wasn’t able to score in this one, but he did record a goal contribution. He played the entire match, recorded 1 assist, had a 75% pass-completion rate, took 2 shots, completed 33% of his dribbles, and won 33% of his ground and aerial duels. He combined well with all of OCB’s attacking players, and while he didn’t score, his influence was felt.

Other players to note:

  • Mathew Belgodere — The young winger deserves some praise for his electric play on the left side. While he started slowly, he warmed up as the match went on. He played 89 minutes, scored 1 goal, had a 77% pass-completion rate, created 1 chance, took 2 shots, completed 33% of his dribbles, completed 1 accurate long ball, made 1 interception, and recorded 3 recoveries.
  • Landon Okonski — The recently turned 18-year-old Landon Okonski was my favorite defender of the night, while Clovis Archange was a close second. Landon played the full match, had a 91% pass-completion rate, took 1 shot on target, completed 4 accurate long balls, made 1 tackle and 1 block, recorded 6 clearances, 1 interception and 7 recoveries, and was dribbled past only once. He also won 50% of his ground duels and 60% of his aerial duels. The young center-back continues to impress me and deserves to be one of the starters written in pen along the back line. If he maintains this level of play, he’ll be the next defender to earn a Homegrown deal.

What’s Next?

Orlando City B (38 pts., 9-7-9 ) heads back on the road to take on Inter Miami II (12 pts., 2-5-17) in Miami. This is Orlando’s last away match of the season and the final matchup between these two sides this year. Orlando has won both previous matchups this season.

Highlights

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