BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (Oct. 20, 2024) – No. 5 Orlando City B and No. 4 Chicago Fire FC II played to a 1-1 draw that went into extra time and penalties on Sunday afternoon at SeatGeek Stadium. The Lions fell in the ensuing penalty-kick shootout 5-4 putting an end to their 2024 campaign that saw OCB qualify for the playoffs for the second-consecutive season.
2023 MLS NEXT Pro MVP and Golden Boot winner Jack Lynn got the scoring started for OCB midway through the first half to give the Lions the early lead. Lynn scored his fourth goal in the past five matches. Setting up the Lynn goal was forward Yutaro Tsukada, who recorded his eighth assist of the season.
Chicago Fire II struck back just before the end of the first half from 2024 Golden Boot winner David Poreba to even the score at 1-1 at the midway point.
A back-and-forth second half saw both clubs have their fair share of opportunities to take the lead, but both goalkeepers made big saves to keep things level after 90 minutes. After another 30 minutes of extra time, nothing separated OCB and Chicago, and the game went into a penalty-kick shootout to determine who would move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Chicago ultimately outlasted the Lions and won the shootout 5-4, ending OCB’s 2024 campaign. The Lions finished the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season with an 11-8-9 record with 46 points.
Scoring Summary:
24’ Jack Lynn (Yutaro Tsukada) – ORL 1, CHI 0
Midway through the first half, 2023 MLS NEXT Pro MVP and Golden Boot winner Jack Lynn put the young Lions on the board first. After a failed Chicago Fire corner kick, Jhon Solís gathered control in the OCB defensive zone and sent a long pass up the field to Yutaro Tsukada. Tsukada pushed forward and squeezed a pass through the Fire back line to Lynn who chipped in a shot past the goalkeeper for the early Lions’ lead.
45+1’ David Poreba (Christian Koffi) – ORL 1, CHI 1
Just a minute into first-half stoppage time, the Fire got their equalizer from this season’s Golden Boot winner. Christian Koffi received a long pass out to the left wing behind the Lions’ defense. Koffi dribbled into the box and found David Poreba slipping into the center spot and was able to beat an OCB defender to the pass and sent a one-timer past goalkeeper Carlos Mercado.
Match Notes:
- Forward Jack Lynn scored his fourth goal of the 2024 season, all within his last five OCB matches.
- Forward Yutaro Tsukada provided his eighth assist of the campaign on the early Lynn finish.
- For the second consecutive year, Orlando City B took its playoff match to extra time and, for the first time, went to a penalty-kick shootout in the postseason.
- Head Coach Manuel Goldberg made one change to his starting lineup from his side’s last match against FC Cincinnati 2 with Colin Guske returning to the starting XI.
