Happy Friday! The international soccer this week has been pretty nice to watch, with teams all over the world trying to secure a spot in the greatest tournament in sports — the World Cup. The NWSL playoffs return Saturday, making it a nice time to be a soccer fan. I’ll be spending most of the weekend watching soccer and trying to make a pumpkin pie cheesecake. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Re-Sign Luana

Midfielder Luana has signed a new contract with the Orlando Pride that will last through 2026, with a mutual option for 2027. This news comes after Luana scored her first goal for the Pride one week ago, converting a late penalty kick to seal the win against the Seattle Reign. Luana joined the Pride prior to the 2024 season but missed a majority of that season and the 2025 campaign after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and undergoing treatment and recovery. The Pride’s midfield is now fairly set for the 2026 season, with Luana, Angelina, Haley McCutcheon, and Viviana Villacorta all under contract.

Orlando Pride Prepare for NWSL Semifinal

The Orlando Pride will host NJ/NY Gotham FC Sunday in the semifinals of this year’s NWSL playoffs. It will be a clash between the two most recent NWSL champions, with Orlando winning last year and Gotham winning in 2024. Orlando will have to find a way to get past 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Ann-Katrin Berger, while also keeping Gotham’s many talented attacking players from making too much noise. It will be the last Pride game at Inter&Co Stadium this season, so make sure to get out and support the team for this massive game if able to do so.

Marta and Jacquie Ovalle Nominated for Marta Award

The nominees were revealed for this year’s FIFA Marta award, which celebrates the best goal in women’s soccer, and Orlando Pride teammates Marta and Jacquie Ovalle made the list. I’m not surprised to see Ovalle’s “shrimp” goal that she scored while with Tigres nominated, as I’ve never seen anything quite like it and it took some impressive acrobatic skill.

Marta, who won last year, was nominated this year for her goal against the Kansas City Current on Nov. 17, 2024. She sent a pair of Current defenders sliding with a nice cutback move in the box before dribbling around goalkeeper Almuth Schult and scoring to push the Pride into the NWSL Championship.

American midfielder Ally Sentnor was nominated for her screamer for the U.S. during the SheBelieves Cup. While I think Ovalle’s goal is the best of the bunch, there are some pretty good options from around the world so make sure to check them out and vote!

MLS Officially Changes Competition Calendar

A major shift is coming to MLS, as the league’s MLS Board of Governors voted to change the competition calendar to run from summer to spring like most European leagues. This new format is set to start in the summer of 2027, with the league kicking off near the end of July. Prior to that, there will be a 14-game transition season in 2027 from February to May to determine qualifying for the Concacaf Champions Cup, U.S. Open Cup, and Leagues Cup. This is one of the biggest changes in league history and I’m curious about how jarring the breaks in the winter and summer will end up being. Hopefully the benefits regarding the transfer market pan out though!

MLS Season Pass Will End After 2025

Starting in 2026, MLS games will be part of Apple TV’s streaming service at no additional cost to subscribers. As a result, MLS Season Pass will conclude after this year. It’s pretty great news for fans, especially those of us already paying for an Apple TV subscription. Another part of this news is that an Apple TV subscription will be part of full-season ticket packages in 2026. MLS games have been streamed on MLS Season Pass since 2023 as part of a 10-year broadcasting deal between the league and Apple.

Free Kicks

• Former Lion Kevin Molino scored a late equalizer in Trinidad & Tobago’s 1-1 draw with Jamaica in World Cup qualifying. Orlando City’s Tyrese Spicer also started in the match and was denied a goal on a great save in the first half by Andre Blake.

• Here’s everything you need to know about Paraguay ahead of the United States Men’s National Team’s friendly against the South American nation on Saturday.
• The U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team will take on Morocco today in the U-17 World Cup’s round of 32.
• Victor Osimhen scored twice in extra time to help Nigeria beat Gabon in World Cup qualifying. Nigeria will play the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which beat Cameroon 1-0, for a spot in the inter-confederation playoffs on Sunday.
• Roberto Mancini was hired as Qatari club Al-Sadd’s next manager. The former Inter Milan and Manchester City head coach hasn’t been with a team in over a year.

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

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope you all enjoyed the cold weather, as it looks like things will be warming up pretty soon. It’s been pretty nice to exist outside without sweating, and hopefully that trend continues this weekend since it includes an Orlando Pride playoff match in the City Beautiful on Sunday. For now though, let’s dive into today’s links!

Wilder Cartagena Will Stay In Orlando

Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena agreed to a new contract with Orlando City that will last through 2026 with a club option for 2027. The 31-year-old was a key part of Orlando’s midfield in 2024 but missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to an Achilles injury sustained during the preseason. With the status of many defensive players up in the air this off-season, it’s nice knowing that at least Cartagena will be a familiar face holding things down in 2026.

Community Food Drive at Inter&Co Stadium

Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are teaming up with The Ruckus for a food drive to help ensure families have essential items for the holidays. Donations of shelf-stable and nonperishable food items will be accepted Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 26, with locations at the club’s front office and the Gate D lobby at Inter&Co Stadium. This will coincide with other annual food drives to address food insecurity in the community. The holidays can be a rough time for many of us, so let’s make sure to check out ways we can help each other if able.

Carson Pickett Selected for NWSL Skills Challenge

The NWSL unveiled details about this year’s NWSL Skills Challenge, and Orlando Pride defender Carson Pickett is one of seven players slated to participate. Players who are set to play in the NWSL Championship won’t take part in the event though, so hopefully that’s the case for Pickett. Other players set to participate include Croix Bethune and Racheal Kundananji, with the rosters for each of the two competing teams set to be revealed later. The winning team of the Skills Challenge will get $30,000 of prize money to split and this year’s competition will feature a crossbar challenge, a relay race, and a gauntlet involving scoring on mini goals.

Atlanta Officially Receives an NWSL Team

The NWSL officially awarded an expansion club to Atlanta and the club will be owned by Arthur Blank, who also owns Atlanta United. This team in Atlanta will be the closest one to the Pride in terms of distance, so we’ll see if a rivalry of sorts develops between the two. It’s all still a few years away though. The club is set to begin play in 2028 and will play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with modifications expected and a capacity of about 28,000 people. The NWSL’s expansion has been steady, with the Denver Summit and Boston Legacy set to take the field for the first time next year. I’ve been enjoying the balanced schedule in the league in recent years but am curious how the league will adjust to having Atlanta and possibly another team in the mix in 2028.

Free Kicks

• American defender Walker Zimmerman’s time in Nashville will reportedly come to a close once his contract expires this winter. I can think of one team that could use some help at center back.

• San Jose Earthquakes winger Cristian Espinoza is reportedly a free agent as well. The MLS veteran had four goals and 12 assists this year and is a creative player to keep an eye on as teams look to keep up in the league-wide arms race for talented attackers.

• MLS owners are once again expected to vote on changing the league schedule to run from fall to spring. As an avid romance novel reader, I’m used to this “will they, won’t they” rigmarole from the league about this and won’t believe anything until the Lions are up to their manes in snow for a January game in Colorado.

• Wolverhampton hired Rob Edwards as its next manager and he has his work cut out for him. Dead last in the English Premier League, Wolverhampton has yet to win a game this season and has only scored seven goals in 11 matches.
• World Cup qualifying is back and many eyes will be on Victor Osimhen as he aims to lead Nigeria towards qualification. Nigeria will take on Gabon in a semifinal today, with the winner taking on whichever team prevails between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• The 2028 Euros will be hosted across the United Kingdom and Ireland, with the opener taking place in Cardiff City and the semifinals and final set for Wembley Stadium in London.

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! I hope you’ve enjoyed our Orlando City Season in Review pieces because we’re almost done with them. Fortunately, the Orlando Pride aren’t finished yet, so you’ll have to wait for the Pride Season in Review pieces. For now, let’s get to the links.

Pride Playoff Picture

The Orlando Pride will host Gotham FC Sunday with a chance to advance to the NWSL Championship match. The defending champs aren’t at the top of anyone’s list to win the whole thing, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a chance. We know for sure that the Pride have a better chance of winning back-to-back titles than the Kansas City Current have of winning the double (because they’re already eliminated). Having the Pride in the NWSL Championship match might not be very enticing for anyone but Pride supporters, but I’m not allowing that kind of negativity in my life right now.

Marta Claps Back

For those who hadn’t heard, former NWSL midfielder and commentator McCall Zerboni said the Orlando Pride have “arguably one star” on the Attacking Third podcast on the CBS Sports Golazo Network heading into the match against Gotham FC. A generous person would say she means above the crest, but since that is a fact and not “arguable,” she obviously meant that star was Marta. The GOAT took exception with the comment.

What Zerboni said may even be factual, but when talking about the defending champions, one must be prepared to face the wrath of Marta. If the Pride can win two more matches this year, then there will be two stars over the crest no matter how many stars are on the team.

USMNT News

Weston McKennie was not called up for the November USMNT camp, but it’s not what you think. Mauricio Pochettino is actually looking out for McKennie, as there is yet another new coach at Juventus. Pochettino knows McKennie’s quality but wants Juventus’ new coach, Luciano Spalletti, to keep playing the midfielder.

Matt Freese is at the camp and he is looking to secure the top goalkeeper spot for the USMNT ahead of the World Cup. Others, including Gio Reyna, are also trying to prove they should make the cut for 2026. The team plays friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay on Nov. 15 and Nov. 18, respectively.

U-17 USMNT Wins Group at U-17 World Cup

The U-17 U.S. Men’s National Team topped its group with a 1-0 over Czech Republic. The team won all three group matches, with Mathis Albert scoring the winning goal for the U.S. in the 78th minute on Tuesday. It’s the first time in 34 years that the team has won all three group stage matches. The U.S. heads into the Round of 32 to face Morocco, which finished third in Group B.

Free Kicks

• Galatasaray defender Eren Elmali is one of over 1,000 players who were suspended by the Turkish Football Federation in a betting scandal. Elmali contends he bet on a game about five years ago that did not involve his own team.
• The Orlando City Council gave the final approval of a $400 million renovation project for Camping World Stadium (a.k.a. the former home of Orlando City and the Orlando Pride).
• The NWSL announced the finalists for the 2025 awards. There are some folks who are upset that Gotham’s Emily Sonnett was nubbed. No Pride players made the list, which is just another reason to beat Gotham and go win the NWSL Championship.
• The Vancouver Whitecaps are looking for a new place to play, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber is trying to help. Relocation could be on the table for the new ownership, though everyone is saying they don’t want that.
• We’ve already shared which Orlando City players will be on international duty. Here’s a list for the rest of MLS.

That will do it for today. I will be at Inter&Co Stadium Sunday for the Pride’s match against Gotham FC. I hope you’ll join me. Vamos Orlando!