How’s it going, Mane Landers? It may not be snowing, but the cooler weather has been helping me get in the festive spirit. While things remain a bit busy as the holiday season wears on, I’ve thankfully been able to enjoy some moments of peace here and there and finally accomplished my reading goal for the year. But enough about me, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Trades Dagur Dan Thorhallsson

Dagur Dan Thorhallsson was traded to CF Montreal on Wednesday, with Orlando City receiving a hefty sum of $500,000 in General Allocation Money in exchange. Orlando will retain a sell-on percentage and could also receive an additional $125,000 in GAM if performance metrics are met. Thorhallsson has played the past three seasons in Orlando and has been a Swiss Army knife of sorts for the Lions, helping the team reach the Eastern Conference finals in 2024. This amount of GAM is nothing to sneeze at and should give Orlando some flexibility when it comes to constructing its roster for next season. Orlando fans might see Thorhallsson in action again as soon as March 14 when the Lions host Montreal, although it will be weird not seeing him in purple.

Keeping Up With Orlando City Transfer News

According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic ($), the Lions are reportedly finalizing a deal for Brazilian winger Tiago to join from Bahia for a $4 million transfer fee. The 20-year-old has done well when on the field for Bahia in Brazil’s top flight and had a hat trick in the Copa do Nordeste final. Hopefully he can make an impact as an MLS U22 Initiative winger in Orlando.

Another interesting bit of news is that Orlando is reportedly close to transferring center back Rodrigo Schlegel to Atlas in Liga MX for a fee around $600,000, which is higher than what the Lions paid to sign him. The times definitely seem to be changing in the City Beautiful. Bogert also noted that Orlando’s $3.5 million deal for 18-year-old midfielder Luis Otavio is still on, and that the club is interested in moving on from Designated Player Luis Muriel.

MLS Players Stand Out With USMNT

Orlando City defender Alex Freeman is one of many MLS players who have made a strong case for being included on the United States Men’s National Team’s roster for next year’s World Cup. The 21-year-old was named MLS Young Player of the Year and is competing for a starting spot with the USMNT. Max Arfsten, Diego Luna, and Cristian Roldan are all in contention as well, and it’s been nice to see Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino give MLS players chances to shine.

NWSL Transfer News Roundup

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher agreed to a new contract with the Chicago Stars, signing a one-year contract. The 37-year-old has been with Chicago for the past 10 years and she is one of three active players who have been in the league since its inaugural season in 2013.

The North Carolina Courage signed Nigerian forward Chioma Okafor to a three-year contract through 2028 with an option for 2029. She helped Nigeria win the 2024 Women’s African Cup of Nations and just finished her collegiate career with the University of Connecticut, where she scored 30 goals over 57 appearances. Speaking of collegiate players joining the league, NJ/NY Gotham FC signed forward Talia Sommer, who recorded 28 goals and 24 assists over the past four years with Butler.

Free Kicks

• Thorhallsson isn’t the only player CF Montreal has been wheeling and dealing for. The club sent $1.2 million in GAM to Real Salt Lake for defender Brayan Vera, with another $350,000 in GAM heading RSL’s way if performance metrics are met.
• Houston Dash defender Katie Lind announced her retirement from professional soccer after a career that included 193 appearances across all competitions.
• The United Super League is reportedly proposing a $55,000 minimum salary that would increase in future years as part of the collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the league and the USL Players Association.
• If you’re intending to visit a World Cup host city next summer, make sure to plan accordingly for obscene price gouging.

• Arsenal remained perfect in its UEFA Champions League campaign after beating Club Brugge 3-0. Elsewhere, Manchester City won 2-1 against Real Madrid, Napoli fell 2-0 to Benfica, and Newcastle United battled to a 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.
• Tatjana Haenni, who was the NWSL’s chief sporting director from 2023 until May of this year, will oversee Leipzig’s men’s and women’s teams as the club’s new chief executive.
• Former Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini was announced as the new head coach and general manager of the Halifax Wanderers.

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

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. ‘Tis the season for company holiday gatherings, commercialism, and soccer. Of course, it’s always soccer season somewhere, which makes dealing with the rest just a little bit easier. For now, let’s get to the links.

MLS Off-Season Kicks Off

Major League Soccer’s “silly season” is upon us. MLS has released the End-of-Year Waivers list and the dates of when the 2025 MLS Re-Entry Draft will occur, including the list of eligible players and the list of eligible free agents. Obviously, we know that former Orlando City players like Pedro Gallese and Cesar Araujo are available for other teams. Looking through the lists does make one wonder who — if anyone — Orlando City might try to sign.

Orlando City Tickets on Sale

It’s never too early to start planning for next season and you can do exactly that as single match and “Hat Trick Packs” tickets are available for purchase now that the schedule is out. The Hat Trick Packs are for three different and specific sets of matches, not just any three you want. Of course, each of the packs does include at least one match against actual “rival” clubs. It might seem a long way off, but the season kicks off on Feb. 21, so it’s not actually too far out if you know what your schedule looks like.

USMNT Players Abroad

The World Cup draws ever closer and now that the USMNT knows (most of) its opponents for the group stage, it’s not too soon to look at how U.S. players are doing. There were several standout performances by Americans in Europe over the weekend, including Christian Pulisic’s brace. A couple of Americans made the grade Monday with Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun scoring goals in the Champions League.

You love to see it. There are more chances to watch Americans in Europe over the next couple of days, including a potential showing by former Orlando City striker Daryl Dike.

USWNT Schedule Update

The USWNT will finish the January camp with a friendly against Chile on Jan. 27. The match will take place at at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, CA. This is the second announced match for the camp, with the team also playing Paraguay on Jan. 24. This is the first time that the team will play in Santa Barbara, which is an example of how Emma Hayes is trying to take the national team to new markets around the country.

Free Kick

• Is the World Cup “group of death” dead? Even if it isn’t, there’s a bit of interesting history behind the concept.
• MLS announced the top 45 invitees for the 2025 MLS College Showcase taking place in Mesa, AZ. Orlando City’s Joran Gerbet was an invitee in 2024.
• LAFC exercised the permanent transfer option on midfielder Mathieu Choinière from Grasshopper Club Zürich of the Swiss Super League. 
• Breaking News! FIFA’s Gianni Infantino being investigated by the ethics committee. Also, grass is green.

• Congratulations to the Florida State University women’s soccer team for winning its fifth national championship Monday night with a 1-0 win over Stanford.

That will do it for today. Check back as we finish our Orlando Pride Season in Review pieces. Vamos Orlando!

Good morning, everyone. The 2025 MLS season is officially over, which means it’s time to start looking ahead to 2026. The start of next season is still over two months away, but there are still plenty of things going on in the soccer world during the meantime. We’ve got a lot to discuss this morning so let’s get right into the links.

Thomas Williams Traded

Orlando City announced on Monday that it has traded Homegrown center back Thomas Williams to Nashville SC. In exchange, Nashville sent Orlando its first-round pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft and will also send up to an additional $100,000 in General Allocation Money if certain performance incentives are hit. That first-round pick is the 20th overall selection in the draft, meaning that Orlando now has the fifth, ninth, 14th, and the 20th overall picks, for a whopping four first-round selections. Williams’ departure means that Orlando will likely need to sign a fourth center back to join Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and David Brekalo, although whether that happens in the draft or via the transfer window/trade market is anyone’s guess.

World Cup Will Have Hydration Breaks

FIFA has announced that every game in the 2026 World Cup will be paused for three minutes during each half for a hydration break, regardless of weather conditions. The break will occur 22 minutes into each half, and effectively splits the game into four quarters. After some games in the Club World Cup were played in over 100-degree heat, the decision to include water breaks was made to prioritize player safety, and the choice to have breaks even in games where conditions don’t call for one is intended to ensure competitive balance. The decision is a sensible one when it comes to player welfare, but don’t be at all surprised when FIFA uses the three-minute time frame to run advertisements, because I guarantee that’s what will happen.

UEFA Champions League Returns

The UEFA Champions League is back for its sixth round of league phase matches this week, and there are several eye-catching matchups on the docket. Today’s action is highlighted by Liverpool traveling to the San Siro to face Inter Milan, and the Reds will be hoping for a repeat of the Round of 16 tie between the two teams back in 2021-2022, when they beat the Italians 2-0 in Milan. Meanwhile, Chelsea will hope to build off an impressive 3-0 win over Barcelona on matchday five, when the Blues travel to Bergamo to face Atalanta. The tentpole match on Wednesday sees Real Madrid host Manchester City, with the match marking the fifth straight season that the teams have played each other in the Champions League.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The January transfer window will be here before we know it, and as expected, the rumor mill is firing on all cylinders. Up first, Napoli is said to be increasing its efforts to sign Kobbie Mainoo on loan next month, as the Italian club needs capable bodies in a midfield that’s been wracked by injuries. Atletico Madrid is reportedly interested in signing Valentin Barco from Strasbourg, but Chelsea may have an advantage in landing his signature due to the fact that Strasbourg and Chelsea are sister clubs. AC Milan is said to be planning to use Luka Modric’s connection to Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin to help sign the Ukrainian shot stopper if current goalkeeper Mike Maignan leaves at the end of the season. Finally, Real Madrid, Arsenal, and Manchester United are all said to be interested in signing Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, but the French club wants a fee in the area of €60 million.

Free Kicks

• Here’s a peek at some of the off-season renovations underway at Inter&Co Stadium.

• The NWSL will be hosting a combine for the first time.

• Christian Pulisic scored a brace off the bench to help AC Milan to a 3-2 comeback win over Torino on Monday.
• This is a good breakdown of how travel will impact all of the 48 teams at the 2026 World Cup.
• The Houston Dash have signed goalkeeper Hillary Beal.
• Sporting Kansas City has reportedly acquired goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland from Austin FC.

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!