Hello Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. It’s finally feeling like spring up here in Chicago with warmer weather. I’ve been out covering high school water polo and lacrosse. Our Lions lost and the Pride fought to a draw but fell in penalties in the NWSL Challenge Cup, but OCB managed to pull out a win to close out the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Falls on the Road to New York City FC

Orlando City dropped its first road match 2-1 to New York City FC Saturday at Yankee Stadium. The Lions trailed 1-0 early in the second half before Luis Muriel scored the equalizer, tying the match at 1-1. Minutes later, Hannes Wolf scored the winning goal for New York City FC. Kevin O’Toole received a late second yellow card, and NYCFC went down to 10 men, but Orlando could not capitalize on the man advantage. The loss means Orlando hasn’t beaten New York City FC in their last six meetings. Once again, the club signed midfielder Gustavo Caraballo to a short-term contract prior to the match, and the teenager came on late to try to help find a tying goal. The Lions will be back on the road Saturday for their next match to take on the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

Orlando Pride Lose Penalty Shootout vs. Spirit after 1-1 Draw in Challenge Cup

The Orlando Pride began their 2025 campaign on Saturday with a 1-1 draw against the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup at Inter&Co Stadium but fell 4-2 in penalties. Rafaelle put the Pride in front 1-0 just before halftime. Leicy Santos scored the equalizer in the second half. Kylie Nadaner thought she scored the winning goal late in the second half for the Pride, but the flag went up for offside. After 90 minutes of play, the game went to penalties. Julie Doyle and Angelina converted the first two penalties for Orlando, but Washington converted four straight penalties for the Spirit to win the shootout and the Challenge Cup. The Pride will take on the Chicago Stars Friday at Inter&Co Stadium in their NWSL season opener.

OCB Opens Season with 2-1 Home Win Over Columbus Crew 2

Orlando City B won 2-1 over Columbus Crew 2 Sunday at Osceola County Stadium in its MLS NEXT Pro season opener. The Young Lions got off to a great start in the first half, with Dyson Clapier scoring the opener to give OCB a 1-0 lead. Zakaria Taifi scored to extend OCB’s lead to 2-0 early in the second half. Crew 2 made things interesting with a late goal, but OCB held on for the win. This is the fourth consecutive year the Young Lions have started a season with a win. OCB’s next match will be at home, as the Young Lions face Atlanta United 2 on Sunday.

Orlando City B sign Hayden Sargis

Prior to Sunday’s match, Orlando City B announced the signing of defender Hayden Sargis to an MLS NEXT Pro contract through the 2025 season with a club option for 2026. Sargis was on the bench for Sunday’s match. The 22-year-old defender brings Major League Soccer and USL Championship experience and previously played for D.C. United, Loudoun United, Las Vegas Lights FC, and Sacramento Republic FC. Sargis has one assist and has made 77 appearances in his career.

MLS Weekend Recap

Week three of Major League Soccer ended with some notable results from the weekend. The Seattle Sounders dominated LAFC in a 5-2 victory at home. San Diego FC needed two late goals in stoppage time to pull away with a 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake on the road. The Chicago Fire defeated FC Dallas 3-1 on the road. D.C. United edged Sporting Kansas City 2-1. The Philadelphia Union, FC Cincinnati, Nashville SC, and the Vancouver Whitecaps all won 2-0 matches over the New England Revolution, Toronto FC, Portland Timbers, and CF Montreal, respectively. Rafael Navarro scored the lone goal as the Colorado Rapids defeated Austin FC 1-0, while the San Jose Earthquakes fell 1-0 to Minnesota United. The Columbus Crew and Houston Dynamo ended scoreless, as did Atlanta United vs. the New York Red Bulls. On Sunday, Inter Miami defeated Charlotte FC 1-0, while the LA Galaxy lost 3-0 to St. Louis City. The defending MLS Cup champs have lost three consecutive league matches to start the season.

Free Kicks

• Former Lion Dom Dwyer has signed a contract to join EFL League One side Mansfield Town through the end of the season.
• The National Women’s Soccer League has opened an investigation into Bay FC’s coaching staff after recent reports of the club allegedly creating a toxic culture under Head Coach Albertin Montoya.
• AFC Bournemouth has announced Tyler Adams as the club’s Player of the Month for February.

• Christian Pulisic scored twice to help AC Milan overcome a 2-0 deficit and defeat Lecce 3-2 over the weekend.
• Sergino Dest returned to the pitch for PSV Eindhoven for the first time in 11 months after being sidelined with a torn ACL. Dest came off the bench and played 23 minutes in a 2-1 win over Heerenveen on Saturday.
• Josh Sargent continues his stellar form for Norwich City as he extended his scoring streak.

• The Premier League will stage a four-team summer series preseason tournament in Atlanta, Chicago, and New Jersey from July 26 to Aug. 3. The four clubs competing are AFC Bournemouth, Everton, Manchester United, and West Ham United.

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

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! Today is the start of three straight days of Orlando soccer to enjoy. The Orlando Pride play the Washington Spirit tonight, Orlando City will take on New York City FC on Saturday, and Orlando City B will kick off its 2025 season against Columbus Crew 2 on Sunday. It should be a fun weekend of soccer to enjoy. Let’s get to the links!

Getting to Know Martin Ojeda

Orlando City attacker Martin Ojeda is the latest player featured in the club’s video series aimed at shining a light on this season’s players. The 26-year-old had a slow start in his first year in Orlando. Ojeda and Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke about how he’s adjusted to the pace of the game and the demanding transition moments that differ from other leagues he’s played in. He’s certainly improved, and he led the Lions with 12 assists last season. Ojeda also discussed the responsibility of wearing No. 10 on his back, the hurt after losing to the New York Red Bulls in the playoffs last year, and how he and the team are working on improving at every detail this year. The video also includes some great highlights and having the player interviews for these take place on a beach at sunset really makes it feel like I’m watching a documentary.

Sights and Sounds From Orlando City’s Win

The Lions earned their first win of the season in emphatic fashion on Saturday and the club released a video highlighting the best parts of the 4-2 victory over Toronto FC. It’s great to see some different angles on how Cesar Araujo beat the wall and banked the ball off the post from a free kick to get the scoring started. Alex Freeman’s first MLS goal, Ojeda’s celebration, and Luis Muriel’s pinpoint assist all received love as well, with the crowd noise really helping with the immersion. Hopefully the Lions can light it up again in New York.

Orlando Pride’s Challenge Starts Tonight

The Orlando Pride will play their first competitive match of 2025 tonight when they host the Washington Spirit in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup. The annual match is normally between the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship winners, but the Pride won both last year in a historic season. The Pride will be viewed as the team to beat and will take on a Spirit side that tied them with 18 wins last season. The Spirit’s attack is led by two young talents in Trinity Rodman and Croix Bethune, but both are recovering from injuries suffered last year, so we’ll see if they take the field tonight before the season begins next week. Marta, who signed a two-year contract with the Pride this off-season, spoke about this year’s challenge for the Pride.

“It’s exciting to know that everybody is gonna look to us and then try to make it difficult for us,” Marta said. “But for me, it’s the best feeling, because you’re good at what you do, so just go and play, go and have fun. Go and get people excited to see you on the field. And it’s what I’m looking for.”

USWNT Stays Atop FIFA World Rankings

Despite a loss to Japan in the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, the United States Women’s National Team is still first in the FIFA world rankings. The USWNT beat Australia and Colombia in the tournament to stay ahead of a trio of European nations in Spain, Germany, and England. Japan rounds out the top five after winning all three of its SheBelieves Cup games. Brazil fell a spot to eighth as a result of Japan’s climb. Zambia, which had a win and a loss against Malawi in a pair of friendlies last month, fell two spots to 64th.

Europa League Round of 16 Begins

The first legs for the Europa League’s round of 16 were Thursday with all 16 remaining teams in action. Manchester United went on the road and battled Real Sociedad to a 1-1 draw, with the Spanish club’s equalizer coming from the penalty spot in the 70th minute. Tottenham had a rougher away trip, losing 1-0 to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. A late goal by Eldor Shomurodov lifted AS Roma to a 2-1 against Athletic Club.

Lazio also won it late, beating Viktoria Plzen 2-1 thanks to Gustav Isaksen scoring deep into stoppage time while down to nine men. Bodø/Glimt took down Olympiacos 3-0 to end the Greek club’s 26-match unbeaten run. Elsewhere in Europe, Malick Fofana had a brace in Lyon’s 3-1 win over Steaua Bucuresti, Rangers beat Fenerbahce 3-1 in Turkey, and Eintracht Frankfurt won 2-1 against Ajax.

Free Kicks

• Former Orlando City SC academy director Darren Powell was hired as Nashville SC’s next academy director. He returns to MLS after spending the past few years coaching Lexington SC in the USL Championship.

• Angel City FC Sporting Director Mark Parsons stated that he does not expect a full-time head coach to be hired until June. The club fired Becki Tweed in December, and Sam Laity has been the club’s interim coach this preseason.
• American forward Folarin Balogun is back at training with AS Monaco after being sidelined for the past few months due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. He won’t be with the U.S. for the Concacaf Nations League this month, but could feature in the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer.
• Inter Miami defender Ian Fray had his red card rescinded by the Independent Review Panel and he will be eligible to play on Sunday against Charlotte FC.
• Mason Greenwood is switching his international allegiance from England to Jamaica. Get ready to learn Concacaf, buddy.
• For the first time since tearing his ACL in October of 2023, Neymar has been called up for Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina this month. Brazil is currently fifth in the CONMEBOL standings with six games left in qualifying.
• Manchester United is reportedly interested in signing Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford. If the 22-year-old does sign with United, the fans absolutely need to nickname him Young Trafford.
• Lyon’s manager, Paulo Fonseca, is banned from Ligue 1 games for nine months for angrily confronting the referee in his team’s 2-1 win over Brest on Sunday. Fonseca will not be allowed on the touchline or in the locker room, and won’t have access to players at Ligue 1 games until Sept. 15.
• FIFA will review a proposal for the 2030 FIFA World Cup to include 64 teams for the centenary of the event. It would be ambitious and I don’t think it would happen, but I’ll admit that I hope it comes to fruition.
• We end our links with the Lions showing off their singing abilities, and nothing will prepare you for how beautiful Robin Jansson’s voice is.

That’s all I have for you this time. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!

Congratulations, you’ve made it more than halfway through the week! Thursday tends to feel like an annoying speed bump before we reach the fun of the weekend, but hopefully today goes smoothly for you as we prepare for a busy next few days. Let’s get the day started off on the right foot with some links from around the soccer world!

Rafaelle and Grace Chanda Removed From Season-Ending Injury List

Orlando Pride players Rafaelle and Grace Chanda will both be available for selection for the NWSL Challenge Cup match against the Washington Spirit Friday after being removed from the Season-Ending Injury list. Chanda joined the club last summer but wasn’t able to take the field due to an injury sustained while on international duty with Zambia at the Olympics. Rafaelle also picked up a season-ending injury at last year’s Olympics with Brazil, missing out on the team’s historic playoff run. Both players have the talent to start for the Pride this season, but there shouldn’t be a rush to get them going from the start considering how good the Pride’s roster is this year.

Noah Levis and Noham Abdellaoui Join OCB

Orlando City B signed another pair of players, adding midfielder Noah Levis and defender Noham Abdellaoui to the roster. Both players were signed to MLS NEXT Pro contracts through 2025 with an option for 2026. Levis has developed his game across Europe and appeared in 25 games for Mikkelin Palloilijat in Finland’s second division last year. The 18-year-old has also played for Finland’s national team at the youth levels. Abdellaoui is an Algerian center back who has also played in Europe, featuring for the youth teams of clubs like Saint-Etienne, U.S. Lecce, and Genoa CFC. Like Levis, the 20-year-old played for his national team’s youth squads. I’m excited to see how some of these new faces OCB brought in mesh with the returning players this season. OCB’s season gets started on Sunday when it hosts Columbus Crew 2.

Women’s Club World Cup Delayed to 2028

FIFA announced that the inaugural Women’s Club World Cup that was set to kick off in 2026 has instead been delayed to 2028 and will be every four years after that. It will feature 16 teams, with five European teams and two each from Concacaf, CONMEBOL, CAF, and AFC able to earn guaranteed entry. The other spots will be claimed through play-in games. We’ll still get an international club competition next year though, with FIFA also announcing the 2026 Women’s Champions Cup. That will be a six-team tournament and the winners of the UEFA Champions League, Concacaf Champions League, and Copa Libertadores will claim a spot in the semifinals. The Women’s Champions Cup will be annual, except for years when the Women’s Club World Cup takes place.

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Roundup

The round of 16 is underway in the UEFA Champions League and every match on Wednesday was a shutout. Liverpool’s only shot on target was the winner in a 1-0 road victory against Paris Saint-Germain, with substitute Harvey Elliott scoring in the 87th minute. Goalkeeper Allisson Becker played out of his mind, making nine saves to help his team take a lead back to Anfield for the second leg. In a matchup between German giants, Harry Kane had a brace in Bayern Munich’s 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. However, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer may not play in the second leg after injuring himself while celebrating a goal.

Barcelona was reduced to 10 men in the first half against Benfica, but great saves by Wojciech Szczęsny and a goal from Raphinha were enough for a 1-0 win in Lisbon. Inter Milan beat Feyenoord 2-0, with goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther saving a penalty kick to secure his team’s eighth clean sheet this tournament.

Free Kicks

• The Purple Pride 5k is officially back and will take place on May 17. The race will begin at 8 a.m. on Glenn Lane and finish inside Inter&Co Stadium. Each runner will get a shirt, a medal, and a ticket to an Orlando City and Orlando Pride game.
• FC Dallas added Brazilian midfielder Kaick as an MLS U22 Initiative Player, signing him to a contract through 2028, with an option for 2029. The 19-year-old joins from Gremio in Brazil’s top flight and Dallas reportedly paid the fourth-highest transfer fee in club history to sign him.
• Congratulations to United States Women’s National Team and Portland Thorns star Sophia Wilson, who announced that she is pregnant with her first child.
• TNT Sports will broadcast 24 of the 63 FIFA Club World Cup games this summer. FIFA also announced that the prize money will be $1 billion for this year’s revamped tournament that features 32 clubs from around the world.
• Check out the finalists for the People’s Puskas Award, an award created by tech company Veo to crown the best goal scored by an amateur or grassroots player. There are some great acrobatic strikes in the mix, but the free kick knuckleball by Ardi Canolli had me hitting replay over and over.
• Speaking of great goals, Tigres midfielder Jacqueline Ovalle may have already scored the best one of 2025 with a move she calls “the shrimp.”

That’s all I have for you for today’s links. Make sure to stay hydrated out there and have a wonderful Thursday!