KISSIMMEE, Fla. (March 16, 2025) – Orlando City B (1-0-1, 5 points) squared off against Atlanta United 2 (0-1-1, 1 point) at Osceola County Stadium on Sunday night. The match ended in a 2-2 draw before going to OCB’s first end-of-regulation shootout of the campaign, with the Lions prevailing to take the bonus point 4-1. Orlando City B’s unbeaten streak against Atlanta United 2 now sits at six games, with the Lions remaining undefeated in Kissimmee against the Five Stripes.
After going down a goal midway through the first half, OCB struck back with two unanswered goals from forward Justin Ellis and midfielder Shak Mohammed on each side of the halftime break. The Five Stripes leveled things up in the end, after sustained pressure on the OCB defense, to send things to the tiebreaker.
Orlando City goalkeeper Javier Otero came up big for the Lions, making four saves throughout the match, including a double save to deny a close opportunity for Atlanta United 2. Otero also made a stop in the end-of-regulation shootout, denying the Five Stripes’ captain, Salvatore Mazzaferro.
The Lions head out on the road for the first time in the 2025 season, as they travel north for a showdown with Crown Legacy FC on Wednesday, March 26, on MLSNextPro.com. The sides will face off at Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, North Carolina at 7 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary:
30’ Luke Brennan (Salvatore Mazzaferro) – ATL 1, ORL 0
Atlanta United 2 struck first with a goal from forward Luke Brennan. A long cross from forward Ryan Carmichael led to a flick on header from defender Salvatore Mazzaferro at the back post that found a cutting Brennan crashing the opposite post where he was able to tap the ball into the net with his chest.
44’ Justin Ellis (Jhon Solís) – ORL 1, ATL 1
Forward Justin Ellis leveled things up just before halftime with his first goal of the season. Ellis slotted a low driven shot off the right post from a difficult angle and in for the young Lions’ first of the night. Jhon Solís assisted the leveler off a quick one-two with Ellis in front of goal.
56’ Shak Mohammed (Zakaria Taifi) – ORL 2, ATL 1
Early in the second half, Orlando City B took the lead off a corner as midfielder Shak Mohammed opened his account for the 2025 campaign. Mohammed blasted the ball into the back of the net with his first touch after Defender Zakaria Taifi curled the ball towards the back post from the corner flag.
78’ Ronan Wynne (Rodrigo Neri) – ORL 2, ATL 2
Ronan Wynne put Atlanta level with the Lions late in the second half with a goal off a free kick opportunity. After the ball deflected off the OCB defense, forward Rodrigo Neri headed it back across the face of goal to Wynne who put it past diving goalkeeper Javier Otero and into the back of the net.
Match Notes:
- Forward Justin Ellis scored his first goal of the season for the Lions and his third all-time.
- Defender Zakaria Taifi recorded his first assist of the season and second all-time, providing the helper on Shak Mohammed’s goal in the 56th minute.
- Sunday night’s match featured the first end-of-regulation shootout of the 2025 season, with the Lions converting on all four of their attempts.
- Goalkeeper Javier Otero recorded one save for OCB in the end-of-regulation shootout.
- Orlando City midfielder Shak Mohammed, who led the Lions in goals last season, scored his first of the 2025 campaign on Sunday night. The tally served as his 18th all-time across all competitions for OCB.
- Midfielder Jhon Solís provided his first helper of 2025 and 11th all-time across all competitions.
- Orlando City Academy Forward Zinedine Rodríguez made his Orlando City B debut on Sunday night.
- Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made two changes to the Starting XI after his side’s last match against Columbus Crew 2, with goalkeeper Javier Otero and forward Thalles joining the lineup.
