Happy Friday! We have some exciting soccer ahead of us over the next few days, starting with the Orlando Pride’s road game against Bay FC tonight at 10 p.m. I’ll be spending most of the weekend working and visiting family for Father’s Day. Let’s go ahead and get this Friday started with today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for the Colorado Rapids

The Lions are back in action on Saturday for a road match in high altitude against the Colorado Rapids. Orlando City is coming off a needed break in the schedule after losing two games in a row to close out a busy May. The Rapids have also lost their past two league games and will be without goalkeeper Zack Steffen due to injury. This will be the team’s first match against the Rapids since a 2-0 victory in Orlando back in 2023 and the first in Colorado since a 1-1 draw in 2022. Hopefully the Lions can get back on track with a win to kickstart another strong summer.

Concacaf W Champions Cup Schedule Revealed

The schedule was unveiled for the Concacaf W Champions Cup and we now know where the Pride will be playing this fall. Their campaign will begin at Inter&Co Stadium against Costa Rican club LD Alajuelense on Sept. 2. They’ll then hit the road for their next two matches, playing Chorrillo FC in Panama on Sept. 16 before facing Club America on Sept. 30. The Pride will close out their group play with a home game against Pachuca on Oct. 15. The top two teams from the group will advance to the semifinals, and the winner of the tournament will earn a spot in both the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and 2028 FIFA Women’s Club World Cup. It’s going to make for some late-season fixture congestion for the Pride, but that’s the price of success and earning a spot in continental competitions.

USWNT Remains Atop FIFA Rankings

The United States Women’s National Team is still the best team in the world according to the latest FIFA rankings. The U.S. lost points overall in the time since the last rankings in March though, and the gap has narrowed between it and Spain and Germany. Brazil had a decent rise in the rankings, moving up four spots to fourth after beating Japan twice in recent friendlies. With notable international tournaments lined up for this summer, it will be interesting to see how much things shake up when the next rankings come out.

Michael Bradley Named New York Red Bulls II Head Coach

Former USMNT midfielder Michael Bradley was hired as head coach of the MLS NEXT Pro’s New York Red Bulls II. It’s the 37-year-old’s first professional head coaching job after spending time as an assistant coach under his father, Bob Bradley, at Stabaek in Norway. Bradley returns to where he began his professional playing career, as he was drafted by the MetroStars in 2004 at the age of 16.

“I couldn’t be more excited to come back to where my professional playing career began,” says Head Coach Michael Bradley. “This is a dream opportunity as a young coach. I’m looking forward to working everyday with this talented group of players, and I’ll give everything to help them take the next step in their careers. I’m thankful to the club for the opportunity and can’t wait to get started.”

Free Kicks

• Vancouver Whitecaps left back Sam Adekugbe is out for the season due to an ACL injury sustained in a friendly with Canada.
• The draw for the final round of Concacaf World Cup qualifying was completed, with the 12 teams slotted into three groups of four. Panama and El Salvador were drawn together, while Costa Rica was drawn into a group with Honduras, Haiti, and Nicaragua.
• Tottenham named Thomas Frank as its next head coach, inking him to a deal that lasts until 2028. He joins after seven years as Brentford’s manager, which included promotion to the English Premier League in 2021.
• Napoli won the Kevin De Bruyne sweepstakes, with the 33-year-old choosing to join the Serie A champs after 10 years with Manchester City.
• Michal Probierz has resigned as Poland’s head coach only a few days after striker Robert Lewandowski said he will no longer play for the national team so long as Probierz was in charge. Lewandowski was replaced as team captain before Poland’s 2-1 loss to Finland in World Cup qualifying.
• Galatasaray added German winger Leroy Sane on a free transfer, signing him to a three-year contract. Sane will still be available to play at the Club World Cup with Bayern Munich.
• Manchester United signed Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha to a five-year contract. The 26-year-old scored 17 goals for Wolverhampton last season.
• You’ll need to get past the paywall for the full details, but this is a great dive into the importance of Senegal’s recent 3-1 win over England in a friendly. The win extended Senegal’s unbeaten streak to 22 games and gives the team plenty of momentum as it prepares for World Cup qualifiers this fall.

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

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been enjoying a pretty good week so far and actually made pizza for the first time last night. It was burnt beyond belief in the end, but still edible, which is a huge win in my book. Let’s go ahead and dive right into today’s links!

Sights and Sounds From the Orlando Pride’s Victory

The Orlando Pride beat the Houston Dash 1-0 at home in dramatic fashion and the club has released a video highlighting the action. Substitute Cori Dyke scored the winning goal deep in stoppage time to give the Pride all three points and second place in the league standings. The video includes Dyke being tossed in the air afterwards in celebration, as well as a pretty good pep talk from Marta. Let’s hope the Pride can win a bit more comfortably when they travel across the country to face Bay FC on Friday night.

Orlando City B Falls to Carolina Core FC

The Young Lions are returning to Orlando empty handed after a 1-0 loss to Carolina Core FC in North Carolina. A goal by Carolina right before halftime proved to be the difference, as OCB struggled to get much going offensively and couldn’t conjure some of the late magic it’s shown in recent matches. Ultimately, it’s a disappointing result after impressive wins over both Chattanooga FC and Huntsville City FC earlier this month. The Young Lions have a bit of a break to reset before trying to get back on track at home against Toronto FC II on June 25.

Jhon Solis Wins Goal of the Matchweek

OCB midfielder Jhon Solis won MLS NEXT Pro Goal of the Matchweek for his strike in the club’s 3-2 road win over Huntsville on June 6. He curled a free kick towards goal with enough power behind it to beat the keeper and equalize things in the 84th minute. Solis also provided the assist from a corner kick on OCB’s first goal, so hopefully he can continue to make opponents pay in those instances this season.

Getting Ready for the Concacaf Gold Cup

The Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off this weekend and plenty of pressure is on the U.S. after a pair of losses in the friendlies leading into this tournament. The team is without many of its usual starters, and Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino will have to figure things out in a group against Saudi Arabia, Haiti, and Trinidad & Tobago. As for other things to watch out for in this Gold Cup, I’m interested to see how Canada fares in its group and if Miguel Herrera’s Costa Rican team can make some noise against Mexico. Panama’s group could end up as the most enticing though, as it features fellow dark horse Jamaica and a pair of underdogs in Guadeloupe and Guatemala.

Free Kicks

• LAFC took advantage of the transfer window open to Club World Cup teams by adding Javairo Dilrosun on loan from Club America through July 24, with an option to purchase. He’ll be a Designated Player, with Cengiz Under returning to Fenerbahce to open up the roster spot.
• The Chicago Stars have signed German defender Kathrin Hendrich to a two-year contract, with a mutual option for 2027. The veteran should help strengthen a Chicago defense that’s conceded a league-high 24 goals this season.
• Sam Coffey reportedly signed a contract extension with the Portland Thorns back in March of 2024 that will keep her at the club through the 2027 season.
• Portland Timbers forward Jonathan Rodriguez will reportedly miss the rest of the season, with the club set to bring a Designated Player in to fill his spot once he’s moved to the season-ending injury list. The 31-year-old led the Timbers in goals last year, but has only made six appearances this season.
• Former Atlanta United forward Giorgos Giakoumakis is reportedly likely to leave Cruz Azul this summer and is interested in a return to MLS. Charlotte FC holds his rights for some reason, but hopefully he winds up in the Western Conference if he does come back to the league.
• Concacaf announced that it is in communication with officials in Los Angeles regarding the situation involving immigration raids and protests in the city ahead of the Gold Cup opener on Saturday between Mexico and the Dominican Republic.

That’s all I have for you this time around. Make sure to stay hydrated out there as we get closer and closer to the unbearable part of summer here in Florida. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Hopefully, you decided to put your mental and emotional health first last night and skipped watching the USMNT match. I, unfortunately, did not. I’m going to take Ted Lasso’s advice to be a goldfish and move on. I think a great way to do that is to share today’s links with you, but not before we wish Orlando Pride forward Grace Chanda a happy birthday.

Pride Looking to Enter the Break on a High Note

The Orlando Pride are sitting in second place in the NWSL standings. The club is also sitting second in the SI.com power rankings and the goal.com power rankings. For some reason, All For XI has the team at number three in their power rankings, but nobody is perfect. Now, the Pride are looking to head into the NWSL break on a high note in their upcoming two road games. Next up is Bay FC on Friday night.

OCB Visits Carolina Core Tonight

Orlando City B is in action tonight against Carolina Core FC at Truist Point Stadium in North Carolina. The Young Lions look to continue their recent success following two late winners against Chattanooga and Huntsville City. The midweek matchup should mean that Manuel Goldberg will have everyone available for the match, except those who played for the U-18 USMNT in the 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup. We will have match coverage for you both here and on BlueSky.

USMNT Crumbles vs. Swiss

If you turned off the USMNT versus Switzerland match at halftime (or before), I don’t blame you. The Swiss scored four goals in a devastating first half for the USMNT. I’m not saying it happened because Orlando City’s Alex Freeman did not get the start, but I’m not, not saying it either. Things got nominally better in the second half, considering the U.S. did not give up any more goals, but the 4-0 final score was still very, very bad. It was not what fans were hoping to see in the send-off match heading into the Concacaf Gold Cup.

Club World Cup Struggles

I’m not certain if you know that the FIFA Club World Cup starts this weekend, including matches in Orlando at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium in the coming weeks. What I do know is that across the various venues the response can best be described as…meh.

If you weren’t interested in going because the price was too high, you might want to check again. There are several former MLS players in the competition, including former Orlando City attacker Facundo Torres with Palmerias, though he won’t be playing in Orlando. There are several good matchups, including Manchester City versus Juventus at Camping World Stadium.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City B players Justin Ellis, Colin Guske, and Jackson Platts were members of the U-18 United States Men’s National Team that won the 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup in Nyon, Switzerland on Tuesday. The U.S. and Portugal drew 1-1 in the final before heading to penalties, where the Yanks won 3-2. Unfortunately, Guske had his attempt from the spot saved in the shootout, but his teammates bailed him out.

• USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes will be giving the European-based players a break following the end of their season. Instead, the team’s training camp later this month will be made up of exclusively domestic players.
• U.S. Soccer will have a committee look at the college soccer system for ways to better integrate it into the the modern soccer ecosystem.
• USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah’s time at AC Milan may be coming to a close as Serie A champions Napoli may be interested in the American.
• This article came out prior to the 4-0 beatdown, but it still raises some interesting questions about whether Mauricio Pochettino’s style will work with the USMNT.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!