KISSIMMEE, Fla. (June 11, 2023) — Orlando City B (7-4-2, 24 points) maintained its unbeaten form at Osceola County Stadium on Sunday night, downing FC Cincinnati 2 (3-5-3, 13 points) by a score of 4-0. The contest saw four different Lions get on the board, with Jack Lynn, Juninho, Shak Mohammed and Imanol Almaguer all finding the back of the net for the side.
Orlando City B netted all four of its goals in the first half with Lynn starting the scoring spree in the 26th minute of play. He was then followed four minutes later by Lions’ captain Juninho off the free kick, good for his first goal with the Club, with 2023 MLS SuperDraft selection Shak Mohammed following suit in the 37th for his second goal in as many matches at Osceola County Stadium. Imanol Almaguer capped off the scoring just before the break, in what served as his first finish in purple. Goalkeeper Javier Otero had to tally just two saves on the night in route to his third clean sheet of the year.
The match saw Orlando City defender Luca Petrasso make his MLS NEXT Pro debut, earning the start in what served as his first minutes of action since April 15 with the First Team, having missed nearly the last two months due to injury. Petrasso logged 59 minutes for the Lions, replaced by Franco Pérez who too made his return to the pitch after missing time due to injury, registering his first minutes since April 9.
Orlando City B returns to action on Thursday, June 15, traveling to take on Chicago Fire II in an 8 p.m. ET kickoff at SeatGeek Stadium.
Scoring Summary:
26’ Jack Lynn (Cristian Medina) — ORL 1, CIN 0
The Lions took the early lead off a misplayed pass in the Cincinnati defensive third, with Cristian Medina pouncing on the ball and finding Jack Lynn with his first touch. The 2022 MLS SuperDraft selection then drove towards the edge of the area before picking his spot and firing his shot in the upper right corner of the net from outside the box for the finish.
30’ Juninho — ORL 2, CIN 0
Orlando City B doubled its advantage off the free kick, with Juninho stepping to the spot at the left edge of the area. The Vasco da Gama-product then proceeded to curl his strike straight into the top left corner of the net for his first goal as a Lion.
37’ Shak Mohammed (Luca Petrasso) — ORL 3, CIN 0
OCB continued to add to its tally, this time with Jack Lynn finding Luca Petrasso on the left flank just inside the area. Petrasso then lofted a ball across the face of goal to the far post, finding the foot of Shak Mohammed who was able to volley it in for the finish.
44’ Imanol Almaguer — ORL 4, CIN 0
The Lions added a fourth after a cross from Petrasso was cleared away by the Cincinnati defense only to fall to the feet of Imanol Almaguer. Following a pair of touches, Almaguer fired a strike straight into the far post for his first goal in purple.
Match Notes:
- Jack Lynn scored his seventh goal of the year to extend his team-lead with Cristian Medina tallying his fourth assist of the season on the finish.
- Juninho netted his first goal in MLS NEXT Pro. The Lions’ captain’s lone finish adds to his pair of assists thus far in 2023.
- Shak Mohammed tallied his second goal of the season for the Lions, both of which have come in the side’s last two contests at Osceola County stadium.
- Imanol Almaguer scored his first goal for Orlando City B with his finish just before halftime.
- Goalkeeper Javier Otero notched his third clean sheet of the campaign and his seventh in MLS NEXT Pro.
- Orlando City defender Luca Petrasso made his MLS NEXT Pro debut with the start. The minutes served as Petrasso’s first in action since April 15, having been sidelined due to injury, tallying an assist on the night that served as his first goal contribution in purple.
- Franco Pérez made his return from injury as well in the match, entering the game for Petrasso in what served as his first minutes for Orlando City B since April 9 against Inter Miami II.
- Head Coach Martín Perelman made three changes to his starting lineup from last week’s match in Toronto, with Petrasso, Javier Otero and Alex Freeman all getting the nod.
