Orlando City B vs Columbus Crew 2
When: Sunday, March 8, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, FL
Starting Off On The Right Foot
Orlando City B will kick off its 2025 MLS NEXT Pro regular season by hosting Eastern Conference side Columbus Crew 2 on Sunday, March 9, at 7 p.m. ET at Osceola County Stadium. The Lions enter their fourth season in MLS Next Pro following a 2024 campaign that saw them qualify for the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs for the second time in Club history and second consecutive season. Since joining MLS NEXT Pro for the league’s inaugural season in 2022, OCB has won its opening game of each campaign and will look to continue that trend against Columbus Crew 2 on Sunday evening.
Aiming for Playoffs
Coming off two consecutive MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs appearances, the Lions, led by second-year head coach Manuel Goldberg, will look to make it three in a row as they begin the 2025 regular season this weekend. Prior to joining MLS NEXT Pro for its inaugural season in 2022, Orlando City B had never qualified for the postseason in previous leagues and will look to keep the streak alive and pick up the Club’s first win in the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs.
New Season, New Faces
The 2025 campaign will feature some new faces for the Lions from offseason moves. The Lions’ international signings include 19-year-old Brazilian forward Thalles from Botafogo-SP in Brazil’s Serie B, 20-year-old Algerian defender Noham Abdellaoui from Lecce Primavera and 18-year-old Noah Levis from Finland’s Mikkelin Palloilijat. Domestically, OCB signed No. 83 overall 2024 MLS SuperDraft selection Riyon Tori and goalkeeper Tristan Himes out of Coastal Carolina. Orlando City B also added Justin Ellis and Bernardo Rhein out of the Orlando City Academy, becoming the latest players to take the next step along the Club’s development pathway.
Ramadan Mubarak
Beginning on the evening of Friday, Feb. 28 through Saturday, March 29, many players around Major League Soccer, and the world, will celebrate and observe Islam’s holy month of Ramadan. Throughout this month, those observing Ramadan will fast from before dawn until sunset each day, forgoing food and drink during that time. Orlando City B will see three players fast for Islam’s holy month, with defenders Noham Abdellaoui and Zakaria Taifi, and midfielder Shak Mohammed all training and playing while fasting for Ramadan. Beginning in 2023, Major League Soccer and MLS NEXT Pro instituted the opportunity for players, coaches and match officials to break their fasts by pausing play.
