Hello, Mane Landers! It was a good weekend for our teams as both Orlando City and the Pride won their respective matches. I was busy at Under Armour all weekend, as well as managing the broadcast operations for the NISA league’s matches. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Pick Up Key Road Win at Philadelphia Union

On Saturday, Orlando City held on for a 3-2 win on the road against the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park. Luis Muriel scored his first two MLS goals for the Lions, and Duncan McGuire added one. Nico Lodeiro had an assist on all three goals for the Lions, recording his 15th career multi-assist game. Orlando snapped its two-game losing streak and three-match winless skid. 

It was a very tense match, with Orlando City enduring a Robin Jansson injury, two penalties for the Union — in which Daniel Gazdag converted one but got his second attempt saved by Pedro Gallese — and 19 minutes of stoppage time to hang on for the win. Orlando City moves up to 11th in the Eastern Conference with 12 points. The Lions will have a quick turnaround with a match Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium against Inter Miami.

Luis Muriel Discusses His First Goals for Lions

Orlando City forward Luis Muriel shared some insight on what it meant to him to finally score for the Lions in their recent matchup against the Philadelphia Union over the weekend. 

“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been waiting for that to happen,” Muriel said post-match through a translator.

“I think the adaptation of the league was something that I was really trying to get as quickly as possible. … My teammates and this group are just so hard-working, so to be able to have that and have them pushing me is great.”

Muriel delivered two goals for the Lions in their 3-2 win over the Union. Orlando Head Coach Oscar Pareja stated that scoring those two goals is very important for Muriel’s confidence and that he hopes this is just the start. 

Pride Win at Home against Bay FC

The Orlando Pride won their sixth straight match on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium against NWSL newcomers Bay FC with a 1-0 win. Adriana’s first-half penalty conversion was the lone goal in this match, as the Pride got their ninth straight result this season. The Pride remain undefeated in league play, keeping their unbeaten streak alive at nine matches. The Pride are tied with the Kansas City Current for first place in the NWSL table with 21 points. Orlando will head out west Sunday to take on Seattle Reign FC.

MLS Weekend Roundup

We had Rivalry Week in matchday 13 action in Major League Soccer. Let’s start in Ohio with FC Cincinnati pulling out a 2-1 win against rival Columbus Crew. Cincinnati had never beaten the Crew in Columbus and avenged its playoff loss from last season. St. Louis City defeated the Chicago Fire 3-1, with Joao Klauss scoring twice. FC Dallas edged past Austin FC 2-1, and the Houston Dynamo also won 2-1 against Sporting Kansas City. The San Jose Earthquakes, New York City FC, Inter Miami, and D.C. United all won their matches with a 3-2 scoreline over Colorado Rapids, Toronto FC, CF Montreal, and Atlanta United, respectively. Christian Benteke scored three goals for D.C. United. Charlotte FC won 1-0 over Nashville SC, the New York Red Bulls won 4-2 against the New England Revolution, and LAFC cruised past Vancouver Whitecaps with a 3-0 win. The LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake match ended in a 2-2 draw, and the lone Sunday matchup was the Cascadia Cup, which saw the Seattle Sounders edge past the Portland Timbers 2-1. 

EPL Title Race to go to Final Day; Burnley Relegated

Manchester City crushed Fulham 4-0 on Saturday, while Arsenal defeated Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday to take the Premier League title race to the final day. Arsenal is in first with 86 points while Manchester City is second with 85 points. Manchester City plays at Tottenham tomorrow and will close out its season finale against West Ham, while Arsenal faces Everton. Burnley lost 2-1 to Tottenham over the weekend and joins Sheffield United in being relegated to the EFL Championship. Luton Town needs help, needing a win at Fulham and a Nottingham Forest loss to Burnley, and making up an inferior goal difference, which stands at 12, to avoid relegation on the final day of the Premier League season this Sunday.

Free Kicks

• USMNT midfielder Christian Pulisic scored twice for AC Milan over the weekend, snapping the team’s six-match winless streak with a 5-1 victory over Cagliari.
• Manchester United Women cruised past Tottenham with a 4-0 win to seal their first English Women’s FA Cup trophy. 
• Bayer Leverkusen shut out VfL Bochum 5-0 and extended its unbeaten run to 50 consecutive matches across all competitions. 
• Bologna has secured its first UEFA Champions League appearance at the expense of AS Roma’s 2-1 loss to Atalanta. 
• FC. St. Pauli has clinched promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in 13 years after a 3-1 win against VfL Osnabruck.
• FC United of Manchester won 4-0 against the Prague Raptors to win the Fenix Trophy for the second time in three years. 

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday and I’ll see you next time.

Happy Friday! I don’t have many plans for the weekend beyond working and looking after my friend’s cat, but I’m hoping it’s a fairly relaxing next few days. Both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are in action tomorrow night, so make sure to plan your weekend accordingly. For now, let’s get to today’s links!

Orlando City Prepares for the Philadelphia Union

After a tough loss at home to FC Cincinnati, Orlando City hits the road for a tough match against the Philadelphia Union tomorrow night. The Lions showed plenty of fight in that loss, which included a red card to Rodrigo Schlegel and injuries to both Dagur Dan Thorhallsson and Rafael Santos. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke about the matchup against the Union and stated that Thorhallsson is in concussion protocol and that both he and Santos are day-to-day heading into this match.

The Lions at least won’t have to worry about Philadelphia forward Julian Carranza in this match, as he will miss it due to yellow card accumulation. Both teams have struggled in recent weeks, with the Lions winless in their last three games and the Union winless in their last four. Orlando managed to beat the Union on the road last year and will need to do it again to climb up the Eastern Conference standings.

Angelina Will Be Evaluated Weekly for Return

Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina had a successful arthroscopic procedure on her knee and will be evaluated by the club’s medical team for a return to the field on a week-to-week basis. She suffered the injury late in the Pride’s 4-1 win over the North Carolina Courage, and rookie Ally Lemos filled in for her in the team’s 1-0 win against Racing Louisville. Angelina signed with the Pride this past off-season and has been a major reason why the Pride are undefeated in 2024. The Brazilian has done well on both sides of the ball and has a goal and an assist to her name so far, while bringing stability to the midfield. Hopefully, she returns to the Pride’s midfield sooner rather than later.

Philadelphia Union Sign 14-Year-Old Cavan Sullivan

The Philadelphia Union have a penchant for developing young players and have now signed 14-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan to a Homegrown Player contract that will last through 2028. Sullivan, who is the brother of Quinn Sullivan, is now the fifth-youngest signing in MLS history. He excelled in the past two Generation Adidas Cups with the Union and made his debut for Philadelphia Union II earlier this year. When he turns 18, he will reportedly be transferred to Manchester City as well, so it will be interesting to see how he does in MLS until then.

Leverkusen and Atalanta Reach Europa League Final

Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta both got the job done in second legs at home to advance to the Europa League final. The match in Germany between Leverkusen and Roma was a wild one, with Leverkusen managing yet another late comeback to draw 2-2 and advance on aggregate after winning the first leg. The draw extended Leverkusen’s unbeaten streak to 49 games and it can secure a treble by the end of the month. In the other semifinal, Atalanta cruised to a 3-0 win over Marseille. The Italian club will have a chance at silverware in the Coppa Italia final against Juventus on May 15 before the Europa League final on May 22 in Ireland.

Free Kicks

• Enjoy these sights and sounds from the Pride’s gritty win over Racing Louisville.

• Olivier Renard is no longer the vice president and chief sporting officer of CF Montreal, with the two sides agreeing to part ways.
• PSV Eindhoven reportedly won’t be exercising the option to sign American right back Sergino Dest, who joined the Dutch club on loan from Barcelona last year.

• Legal action could be coming FIFA’s way if it continues adding competitions to an already congested schedule for men’s soccer.
• James Benge of CBS Sports believes that this year’s Borussia Dortmund side is the most surprising team to make the Champions League final.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week hasn’t been too hectic for you. There’s been plenty of soccer to enjoy over the past few days and I’m looking forward to the weekend slate of games as well. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Learning More About Wilder Cartagena

Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena was the latest Lion to field questions for fans to learn more about the players. The 29-year-old discussed growing up playing soccer in Peru as a child, as well as having to spend time away from family and friends to fulfill his dreams as a professional player. Cartagena also talked about how important his friendship with Pedro Gallese is, as the two have played together at both the club level and internationally with Peru. It’s a fun interview and I’m glad we have Cartagena here in Orlando.

Pride Prepare to Host Bay FC

The Orlando Pride are on a five-game win streak and will look to make it six when they take on Bay FC for the first time ever on Saturday. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on the difficulty of the team’s past few matches, along with the importance of getting wins in those games. Bay FC is in 12th in the standings, but Hines noted how this week’s opponent has plenty of talented attackers. Saturday’s match could be a tough one for Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, and she talked about the team’s grit and determination to close out games for points this season. Moorhouse also credited her back line for the Pride’s three shutouts this season.

OCB Secures First Win at Home

It took a few games, but Orlando City B won at Osceola Heritage Park for the first time this season after a 3-1 win over New York Red Bulls II. The Young Lions didn’t make it easy on themselves, but ultimately held on for the win after scoring twice early on. It’s nice for OCB to put another tally in the win column to climb up the conference standings. The Young Lions will be back in action next Wednesday with a road match against Columbus Crew 2.

Champions League Final is Set

The semifinal matchup between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich lived up to expectations, with Real Madrid advancing after a dramatic finish. Bayern was up to the task on the road and took the lead in the second half thanks to a goal from Alphonso Davies. But Real Madrid did what it always does, with Joselu scoring two late goals in quick succession. Bayern nearly had an equalizer, but a player was ruled offside and it couldn’t be checked as the flag was raised and whistle blown before the attack fully played out. It all sets up for a final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund on June 1 at Wembley Stadium. Dortmund will be the clear underdog, but the German club has proven capable of taking down some of Europe’s best this tournament.

Free Kicks

• St. Louis City is reportedly interested in signing Marco Reus once his contract with Dortmund ends this summer, although talks are just in the preliminary stage at this point.
• Not a single Pride player was named to the NWSL’s Best XI of the Month for the months of April and May. While I can see the reasoning behind each inclusion, it’s crazy that Angelina, Marta, Summer Yates, or Emily Sams didn’t earn a spot in the eyes of the league’s voters.
• American midfielder Keyrol Figueroa has signed with Liverpool’s first team. The 17-year-old has risen through the ranks of Liverpool’s youth system and scored seven goals for the U.S. in the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship.
• Luis Rubiales will face trial for one count of sexual assault for kissing Jenni Hermoso and a count of coercion for his actions in the aftermath. The former head coach of the Spanish women’s national team, Jorge Vilda, is also accused of coercion, along with Sporting Director Albert Luque and the federation’s head of marketing, Ruben Rivera.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!