Orlando City B, wey get 7 wins, 4 draws, and 5 losses for 29 points, let late lead slip away as dem draw 2-2 with Columbus Crew 2, wey get 9 wins, 4 draws, and 4 losses for 34 points, tonight for Osceola County Stadium for Kissimmee.
The visitors take lead for di 37th minute through Johann Chirinos before Justin Hylton score two goals for di second half. But an 89th-minute equalizer by Kevin Gbamble and two balls wey hit woodwork for di penalty shootout make OCB drop two points for home.
OCB Head Coach Eddie Wilding make five changes to di team wey lose 2-1 to Philadelphia Union II on June 21. Juan Rojas, Titus Sandy, Jr. Clovis Archange, Gustavo Caraballo, and Harvey Sarajian enter di lineup, replacing Tristan Himes, Landon Okonski, Albright Chikamso, Ignacio Gomez, and Hylton.
Rojas start for goal behind a back line of Bernardo Rhein, Archange, Sandy, and Parker Amoo-Mensah. Issah Haruna, Dylan Judelson, Matthew Belgodere, and Gustavo Caraballo be di midfielders behind Pedro Leao and Sarajian.
Lightning for di area put di game into a weather delay wey last nearly two hours. Di Young Lions begin di game on di attack, creating di first chance inside di first minute. After forcing a turnover with di high press, Belgodere find Caraballo on di right side of di field. Di midfielder’s first touch be a volley to Sarajian near di penalty spot. Unfortunately, Sarajian no fit put di ball on target, sending am wide.
A long ball over di midfield stripe for di fifth minute be touched on for Caraballo on di right. Di attacker make a long run to di box, dribbling across di top of di 18 before firing on goal. Di shot be directed inside di far post, forcing Stanislav Lapkes to dive to im right to tip am wide. Rhein’s ensuing set piece be cleared away and OCB no fit get a second chance during di attack.
Di visitors get their first chance for di 11th minute when Brent Adu-Gyamfi make a run from di right into di OCB box. Im low cross be blocked, creating a chaotic scene in front of di goal as di Young Lions no fit clear. Eventually, Gbamble fit get a shot off, but Rojas dey there to block am.
Chirinos play a lovely ball through di OCB back line for Oneal Taylor wey dey make a run behind Rhein for di 13th minute. Di attacker get space for a shot, but im let di ball too far in front of am. As a result, im shot go well wide, no cause concern for Rojas.
A Judelson turnover for im own third result for a chance for Columbus for di 18th minute. Crew 2 work di ball around to di right, resulting for a dangerous pass across di six-yard box by Chirinos. Zachary Zengue dey there to touch am in, but im no fit get a solid foot on am, allowing di ball to continue rolling through.
Two minutes later, Sandy knock di ball off of Gbamble’s foot, but e go right to Taylor just inside di box. Dis time, di attacker put im shot on target, sending am straight at Rojas. OCB no fit get di ball out of im own third, allowing Columbus to retain possession.
Prince Forfor send a cross into di box wey Sandy clear over di end line for a corner kick. Zengue play di ensuing set piece short to Taylor, wey give am right back. Sarajian block im shot. Zengue retake possession and fire a second shot wey Rojas block wide.
An excellent ball forward for Gbamble for di 26th minute send di attacker deep into di OCB half of di field. Im dribble inside to create some space from Sandy before taking a shot toward di near post. However, Sandy fit get a piece of di ball, deflecting am wide for a corner kick. Di set piece be short to Chirinos, but Amoo-Mensah block im first cross, then knock a second cross out of play.
Di second set piece find Issac Heffess at di near post, but di center back send im header attempt wide. Chirinos intercept a poor pass by Caraballo for Judelson for di 32nd minute. Di midfielder’s second touch be a pass to Zengue, wey dey even with di back line. Di striker try to beat Rojas to im near post but send di attempt just wide.
Crew 2’s high press cause problems for OCB for di 37th minute, resulting for di game’s first goal. Rojas play di ball to Haruna at di top of di box and di midfielder immediately lose possession to Chirinos. Di Columbus midfielder take a shot toward di near post wey take a deflection off Archange and roll softly into di goal.
Haruna turn di ball over again for im own half for di 42nd minute, creating a chance for Columbus to double im lead. Chirinos quickly play am forward to Taylor, wey shoot from distance. However, dis attempt be well over di target.
A Caraballo turnover for im own third for di second minute of stoppage time create one final first-half chance for Crew 2. Forfor dribble around Caraballo and Amoo-Mensah before lifting a cross towards goal. Fortunately, e land on top of di net, ending di first 45 minutes.
Di visitors dominate di first half with more shots (12-2), shots on target (4-1), and corner kicks (3-1). Wilding make a halftime change. Leao, wey go down after a tough challenge late for di first half, be replaced by Hylton.
E no take long for di substitute to get involved. For di 46th minute, im dribble through Rui Aoki before sending di ball across di field for Caraballo. Di young attacker carry di ball to di top corner of di box before sending di ball into Lapkes’ arms.
Crew 2 create im first second-half chance for di 49th minute when Moses Nyeman find Zengue near di top of di OCB box. After a couple of touches, di striker send a hard, low shot toward di near post wey go just wide.
An OCB turnover for di final third be cleared long and nearly result for a second goal for Columbus. Zengue get behind Archange, controlling di ball and entering di OCB box. Im send im attempt past Rojas and nearly sneak am inside di near post, but e hit di outside of di net instead.
Judelson turn di ball over to Gbamble off di restart, creating a chance for di visitors. Gbamble play di ball to Chirinos at di top of di box and di midfielder’s shot go wide.
Nyeman lift di ball to di left for Forfor for di 53rd minute. Di attacker dribble toward di end line before sending di ball on goal from a tight angle. Rojas be forced to block am over di end line for a Columbus corner kick.
Di Crew play di ensuing short corner to Chirinos approaching di top of di OCB box. Di midfielder send a hard shot on target wey force Rojas to block am away and end di threat.
OCB quickly go di other way and nearly score an equalizer. Belgodere make a run down di left to get onto a long, cross-field ball. After controlling di ball and taking a touch inside, im backheel di ball to Hylton at di top of di box. Di halftime substitute unleash a shot wey appear to dey heading over di bar. But im keep am down, sending im attempt off di post.
Di Young Lions create another chance for di 55th minute when Hylton pass into di path of Caraballo’s overlapping run on di right. Di attacker send di ball to di top of di six for Sarajian, but im attempt be wide of di near post.
Sarajian go down for di 61st minute and require attention, giving Wilding a chance to make three changes. Caleb Trombino, Gomez, and Logan Tsopanoglou come into di game for Judelson, Caraballo, and Sarajian.
Gomez make im presence felt for di 66th minute when im send a low, hard shot toward goal. Lapkes block di attempt, but knock di rebound into di worst possible spot right in front of di goal. Hylton dey trailing di play and knock am in to even di game at 1-1.
Wilding make im fifth and final change at di center back position for di 71st minute, replacing Archange with Chikamso.
Trombino pass to Tsopanoglou just outside di box for di 73rd minute, shielding im defender and Belgodere on di left. Di midfielder dribble to di end line before finding Tsopanoglou at di top of di six. Di substitute’s shot be on target, forcing Lapkes into a diving one-handed save. However, e fall right to Hylton, wey score im second goal of di night and give im team a 2-1 lead.
Zengue play di ball wide right for Adu-Gyamfi for di 80th minute, continuing im run and receiving am back. Im shot be on target and force Rojas to block di attempt. As di ball go straight up for di air, Gbamble dey in position to head am in. But Rojas push di ball wide, allowing Rhein to clear.
Crew 2 create a chance for di 83rd minute when Alex Gimple receive a pass and turn im defender before finding Zengue near di top of di OCB box. Di forward immediately continue di ball wide right for Adu-Gyamfi wey shoot, forcing Rojas to dive and tip di ball wide.
Christopher Rogers lift di ball long for Gimple for di 84th minute, putting di second-half substitute in a position for a shot. Di attempt be wide of di near post, though Rojas appear to get am covered.
Zach Lloyd push forward from im center back position for di 87th minute, playing a give-and-go with Gimple before sending a shot wide of di near post.
Amoo-Mensah take di ball to im own corner flag for di 89th minute, looking to waste time rather than clearing am when im get di chance. Dat turn out to be a mistake when im lose possession. Quick passing by Columbus result for an unmarked Gbamble receiving di ball with space about eight yards out. Di attacker pass di ball into di empty goal to even di game at 2-2.
Having concede di late lead, OCB now get to go on di attack. Haruna pass to Belgodere on di left and di midfielder take im defender one-on-one before sending a shot over di target.
Di final chance come for di third minute of stoppage time when Rhein throw di ball in right to di Crew’s Jamil Danjaji. Di substitute find Zengue making a run into di box, but Rojas do well to come out and block di ball out of play. Crew 2 no fit create anything from di ensuing corner kick and di game end 2-2. But e be OCB wey let di late lead get away, dropping points at home.
Per MLS NEXT Pro rules, games wey tie after 90 minutes go to a penalty shootout to see which team earn a second point. Di shootout start with some excellent penalties. Hylton, Tsopanoglou, and Trombino convert for OCB while Chirinos, Adu-Gyamfi, and Zengue convert for Columbus.
For di fourth round, Gomez send Lapkes di wrong way but hit di right post. Immanuel Ewing then step up and convert to give im team di 4-3 lead heading into di final round. Rhein calmly put im penalty away and shush Lapkes. But di visitors still get an opportunity to end am.
Nicolas Rincon no appear to be di most confident penalty taker and Rojas guess correctly, diving to im right to make di stop and keep im team in am. Unfortunately, Chikamso be too confident with OCB’s sixth attempt as di shootout enter sudden death. Di center back attempt a panenka but hit di crossbar, di second time OCB hit di woodwork for di shootout.
Danjaji then step up and place im attempt for di top corner, giving di visitors two points on di night. E be a disappointing result for di Young Lions, wey dey seconds away from claiming all three points. But dem remain for fifth for di Eastern Conference with 29 points, two behind third place and three behind Crown Legacy FC for second.
