QUEENS, N.Y. (Aug. 13, 2023) – Orlando City B (11-9-3, 37 points) came back from two goals down to defeat New York City FC II (9-11-2, 29 points) by a 4-3 scoreline on Sunday night at Belson Stadium.
The Lions were the first to strike on the night with Shak Mohammed getting things started in the sixth minute of play, before NYCFC II tallied two goals separated by just over a minute. OCB conceded a third goal just after halftime before Jack Lynn got the comeback started in the 62nd minute and equalized via a brace in the 80th.
Shak Mohammed made his third goal contribution of the night and completed a brace of his own seven minutes later to retake the lead for the Lions and complete the comeback over NYCFC II. Mohammed’s brace and one assist were his third and fourth tallies and second assist respectively, while Jack Lynn’s brace put him at 14 goals on the year.
City will now face a two-week break from play before turning its attention to a visit from Central Division leaders Columbus Crew 2, set for Sunday, August 27 in a 7 p.m. ET kickoff at Osceola County Stadium.
Scoring Summary:
6’ Shak Mohammed (Zakaria Taifi) – ORL 1, NYC 0
The Lions got things kicked off early when Zakaria Taifi intercepted a wayward pass from NYCFC II in the attacking end, immediately playing it forward to Shak Mohammed at the top of the box. Mohammed took a touch before letting loose a quick shot to open the scoring just six minutes into the match.
17’ Matt Myers (Samuel Owusu) – ORL 1, NYC 1
The hosts leveled things up off of a free kick when Samuel Owusu got on the end of the free kick, knocking it down perfectly in front of goal for Matt Myers to pounce on it before finishing the equalizer.
19’ Jack Beer – NYC 2, ORL 1
Jack Beer stepped up for New York City FC II just over a minute later, forcing a turnover by Orlando City B just outside its own box. After forcing the turnover, Beer immediately fired a shot on goal and into the net to take the lead.
55’ Matt Myers (John Denis) – NYC 3, ORL 1
NYCFC II added another to their tally 10 minutes into the second half off of a corner kick, with John Denis taking the corner and sending it straight to the head of Matt Myers for his second of the match.
62’ Jack Lynn (Shak Mohammed) – NYC 3, ORL 2
Orlando City B got one back in the 62nd minute when Shak Mohammed turned provider after scoring earlier in the match. Mohammed played a ball square in front of net after making an entry run into the NYCFC box, with Jack Lynn just getting a touch past the goalkeeper to extend his team lead goal tally.
80’ Jack Lynn (Favian Loyola) – ORL 3, NYC 3
Jack Lynn struck again to level things up in the 80th minute, with Favian Loyola playing a pass straight through the NYCFC defensive line to a running Lynn. The forward sent a low curler around the outside of goalkeeper Alex Rando and into the net.
87’ Shak Mohammed (Franco Pérez) – ORL 4, NYC 3
The Lions took the lead just seven minutes later and minutes before the end of the match, with Franco Pérez carrying the ball down the left side of NYCFC’s box almost to the endline before playing in a pass to Shak Mohammed at the penalty spot. Mohammed collected the ball and launched it into the top-right corner of the net for his brace and the lead.
Match Notes:
- Orlando City forward Jack Lynn scored his 13th and 14th goals of the season respectively, extending his own tally as the team’s leading goal scorer in 2023.
- Orlando City midfielder Shak Mohammed scored a brace in the match, notching his third and fourth goals of the year for Orlando City B. Mohammed’s last goal before tonight came against FC Cincinnati 2 on June 11.
- Mohammed also tallied an assist in the match on Jack Lynn’s 62nd-minute goal, providing his second of the 2023 campaign.
- Defender Franco Pérez provided his second assist of the season, tallying the helper on Shak Mohammed’s game-winner.
- Orlando City midfielder Favian Loyola provided his third assist of the season on Jack Lynn’s equalizing goal.
- Defender Zakaria Taifi provided his first assist of 2023 for the Lions, playing the pass that led to Shak Mohammed’s sixth-minute opener.
- Head Coach Martín Perelman made three changes to his starting lineup from his side’s last match against New England Revolution II, with Javier Otero, Zakaria Taifi, Nabi Kibunguchy and Wilfredo Rivera all getting the start on the night.
