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Orlando City Introduces Nani to the Media

Published

8 years ago

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Optimism abounds around the grounds of Orlando City Stadium, and for good reason — Luis Nani is officially a Lion and today marked his first “day in the office.”

The Lions’ new No. 17 is expected to make an immediate impact both on and off the field, as his natural role as a leader will prove vital to success after an abysmal 2018 season. Not only will his leadership benefit the club’s players, staff, and supporters, but his preferred role as an attacking winger with a strong knack for holdup play and taking on defenders could be the difference between another depressing year and the club’s first-ever MLS playoff appearance.

With Nani’s arrival set in stone and his boots on the training grounds, today also marked the 32-year-old Portuguese icon’s first press conference as a Lion at Orlando City Stadium. Let’s dissect that presser and take a bit of a dive into what we could expect from the club’s newest addition.

The Beginning

This wasn’t a deal that’s been negotiated for very long. It was just one month ago that the process began.

“I don’t think this was something that was going on before I arrived,” said OCSC Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations Luiz Muzzi said. “It came to my attention — I would say the possibility was like maybe a month, a month and a half ago when we started working on it. Of course it’s not something simple. It’s not something that you just make a phone call and it’s done. It took me a little bit of time to get it all done. We were able to move it forward because of the goodwill of a lot of people and because of the wish of the player.”

For such an important signing to be closed, privately, over such a short duration of time highlights just how highly the club viewed the Portuguese winger. It also shows that the club’s ambitions are as high as ever, with Nani easily the most notable name on the roster. The marquee signing has everyone excited, especially Nani, who looks forward to being a part of what he described as a “beautiful project” here in Orlando.

The Appeal

Nani emphasized that Major League Soccer has taken tremendous strides in growth and quality, and said he feels that he left his former club, Sporting CP, at just the right time, having just recently claimed the domestic Taça da Liga Cup in Portugal. He also captained his former side to a fourth-place finish — good enough to qualify Sporting for the Europa League.

“My feeling told me it was the time to move on,” Nani said. “I was doing very well at Sporting. I was happy there, but as I said, I like the challenge. I like the opportunity to be part of this project in Orlando. Orlando gave me an opportunity to have a new dream.”

Nani made sure to express that artificial turf will be no hindrance to his availability either, despite his unfamiliarity with the surface.

“We are footballers and we adapt to anything. It will not be a problem for me,” he said.

That’s good to hear, because it was a fear for some supporters. Nani confidently stated that he is still able to play at the highest levels.

Bringing in a Winner

Orlando City clearly wanted to bring in a player with experience winning, which Nani has done in his career with four EPL titles and a Champions League crown among his accomplishments. Muzzi described the newest Lion as a guy “who has won everything, has won a number of titles, international titles. He’s had a career across a number of clubs. He’s conquered the world with Manchester United, with the Portuguese National Team, and, above all, a great person, a great human being who has the pleasure and joy of playing the game. A player in the prime of his career that has chosen MLS and has chosen Orlando City as the next step and the next challenge in his career. As I said, he conquered the world in many different places, and now it’s time to conquer America.”

Happy to Be Here

Nani said multiple times he was looking forward to integrating with the team and working toward winning trophies.

“I play to win. I play to compete. I play to achieve big things,” he said. “And this was all my life, in my career, I’ve been giving all my best (for) every team. And of course, I will always like to win trophies, and Orlando (has) given me a chance to have a new dream, to continue to believe I can perform at the high level. MLS has been improving in the last years, and they’ve given me the conditions to show my football to this big country. In Orlando, I see the team, the club, is growing up. They have a beautiful project in the future. They want to be a championship team, a team to compete to win. That’s why I was very excited to come and join this club.”

Availability to Play

Muzzi said the club is still awaiting Nani’s work visa and his International Transfer Certificate but was optimistic that the paperwork would arrive in time for the Portuguese winger to be available to play come the start of the 2019 MLS regular season. The club’s EVP of Soccer Operations also said that getting below the three-DP limit would be “easy” for Orlando and that Targeted Allocation Money would be used to get there. As we’ve previously reported, The Mane Land sources say that Sacha Kljestan’s DP-level contract will be bought down with TAM to achieve that.

Nani will be introduced to the fans tomorrow, after Orlando City’s warm-ups prior to the Orlando City Invitational match against the New England Revolution.

Working with a Top Quality Player

“I’m obviously very excited to work with Nani,” Head Coach James O’Connor said. “I’d like to welcome Nani to Orlando. I’m sure you’re going to be a thriving success and so I think for us, as a football club, it’s very, very exciting and we’re genuinely really, really pleased to welcome a player of this quality to our club.”

O’Connor said that he had yet to coach a player of Nani’s caliber, although he had played with a few guys at that level in the past.

Kaká Consultation

Nani touched on the fact that he reached out to the Lions’ first-ever captain and Brazilian legend Kaká to get his opinion and thank him for his support. The two have not met, apparently, but Nani said he looks forward to meeting a man he views as a “fantastic person” and “world class footballer.”

Taking on a Leadership Role

O’Connor said he intends to pick the brain of his new signing, noting that the club’s current construction includes several young, promising players that will benefit from having a globally established leader guiding them. Whether or not the former Sporting captain is handed the Lions’ armband is yet to be decided, but there’s no doubting the fact that he will be looked to for leadership.

“His leadership will be something we’ll be able to utilize,” said O’Connor.

Other Opportunities

“I had some teams in the past approach me to try to bring me to MLS or other countries, but I didn’t feel it was the time,” Nani stated. “At this time, Orlando arrived in the right moment. I’m a person who feels my feelings, and my feeling told me it was the time to move on.”

More Additions?

The question was asked if the addition of Nani was the final move for the Lions before the season begins, and no concrete answer was truly provided. Muzzi stopped short of saying the team was complete, but said the club was happy with the off-season and with the players on the roster, and “extremely happy with the culture and the way the players have worked with each other.”

O’Connor stated that, ideally, the roster is complete when “we win the MLS.” He added, “I think we’re pretty close to where we need to be.”

What did you take away from the press conference? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 144: Gotham Rewind, Seattle Preview, and More

The Pride finished their home schedule with a loss to Gotham and hope to finish their road schedule with a win in Seattle.

Published

1 week ago

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October 28, 2026

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Image of Solai Washington running onto a ball behind the Gotham defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

The Orlando Pride tried to send their fans home happy in their regular-season home finale, but despite an impressive overall performance against the league leaders, the Pride wasted numerous chances in front of goal and paid for two big mistakes at the back in what ultimately ended as a 2-1 loss in a season filled with far too many defeats. Solai Washington did so many things well, but despite a month’s worth of chances, she could only muster one goal. Still, it was a promising outing albeit in a developing story that won’t continue much longer this year.

We discuss the key plays, players, and moments, look back at our score predictions from last week, and select our Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Marta, the reasons for the Pride’s struggles in 2026, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we look ahead to Sunday’s season finale at the Seattle Reign. The Pride opened their 2026 season with a home loss to the Reign but would like to close it with a road win over Seattle to enter the off-season on a positive note. It won’t be easy, as the Reign are clinging to the last playoff spot and trying to catch rival Portland as multiple teams are trying to catch them. We look at Orlando’s attempt to play spoiler, check back on the series history, compare the teams’ positions in the table, provide our key matchups, and more.

Here’s how Episode 144 went down:

0:15 – The Pride finished their home schedule with a good performance but another poor result against the league’s top team.

20:07 – Our mailbagbox has questions about the GOAT.

38:26 – Seattle was the first 2026 opponent and will be the last 2026 opponent. We preview for the last time this season.

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Podcasts

SkoPurp Soccer Episode 140: Bay FC Rewind, San Diego Preview, and More

The Pride keep their playoff hopes alive by eliminating Bay FC but things get tougher with San Diego visiting Friday.

Published

1 month ago

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September 30, 2026

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Image of Jacquie Ovalle dribbling toward the Bay FC defense.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

The Orlando Pride remained perfect on the road against Bay FC with a 3-1 win on Sunday. Deuces were wild, as Haley McCutcheon, who wears jersey No. 2, scored in the second minute of both halves, and her two goals in California gave the midfielder her second brace of both the 2026 NWSL season and her career. Barbra Banda figured heavily in pulling defenders out of position on two of the three Orlando goals and assisted on Jacquie Ovalle’s right-footed thunderbolt in stoppage time to put the game away. But make no mistake, it’s not as if the Pride played well, turning the ball over often and conceding 28 shot attempts to the hosts.

We break down a road win that may have been more exhausting to watch than to play in (although I wouldn’t bet on it), check back on our score predictions, and make our selections for Player of the Match.

This week’s mailbagbox asked us about Haley McCutcheon, where to most strongly place the blame for the Pride’s disappointing season, and more. Remember, you can ask us anything by hitting us up on Twitter at either @TheManeLand or @SkoPurpSoccer and using the hashtag #AskSkoPurp. You can use that same hashtag and hit @TheManeLand.bsky.social up on Bluesky. Or you can visit our show page, scroll down, and fill out the handy form. We’d also appreciate any ratings or reviews you can leave wherever you get your podcasts, and if you do that on Apple Podcasts, we’ll find them easily and read them on the show.

Finally, we looked ahead to Friday, when Orlando will host San Diego Wave FC, looking to both complete a season sweep and to keep its faint playoff hopes alive. We look at the series history, provide our key matchups for the contest, and make our predictions for the final score.

Here’s how Episode 140 went down:

0:15 – The Pride improved to 2-1-1 under Yolanda Thomas, but a lot of good Cosette Morche saves were required to get that second win.

20:00- The mailbagbox asks us to play the blame game.

33:36 – The Pride continue to face California-based competition, but Friday’s opponent is much higher in the table than Sunday’s was.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. San Jose Earthquakes: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Orlando City restarts its 2026 MLS campaign late tonight out west at San Jose.

Published

4 months ago

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July 22, 2026

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Image of Braian Ojeda taking a shot in a friendly against FC Dallas.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to your match thread for a late night midweek matchup tonight between Orlando City (4-9-2, 14 points) and the San Jose Earthquakes (10-3-2, 32 points) at PayPal Park (10:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the only scheduled meeting between the teams in 2026 and the first time the teams have met since 2024.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of tonight’s match.

History

Orlando City is 3-1-3 in the previous seven MLS meetings with the Quakes since the club joined Major League Soccer in 2015. The Lions got their only away win in the series in the last meeting and enter tonight 1-1-2 on the road against San Jose.

The teams last met on May 18, 2024, with Jack Lynn coming off the bench to score the game’s only goal. Lynn’s strike in the 89th minute broke the scoreless deadlock and lifted the Lions to a 1-0 victory.

The teams met in Orlando most recently way back on June 22, 2021, with the Lions beating the Quakes down, 5-0. Orlando got things started with an early penalty kick goal by Nani, followed by braces from Benji Michel and Daryl Dike to easily put the game away. The lasting memory from the game is Michel’s celebratory dance wearing a cowboy hat that came out of the stands.

Prior to that Orlando City romp, the last time the teams met was on Aug. 31, 2019 when the Lions got freight trained 3-0 at Avaya Stadium, giving the Quakes their first win in the series. San Jose’s offense came via a Chris Wondolowski brace and an early opening goal by Magnus Eriksson. Orlando looked flat and weary out of the gate.

The Lions were victorious in Exploria Stadium in the 2018 meeting on April 21, a 3-2 Orlando win. It was the first win in the series for either side after three straight draws. Chris Mueller, Sacha Kljestan, and Dom Dwyer gave the Lions a 3-0 lead before Florian Jungwirth pulled two back in the game’s late stages.

The Lions led all of the first three matches in the second half only to see San Jose pull level, with two of those tying goals coming late. In the 2017 meeting, Carlos Rivas finally broke the scoreless tie and gave Orlando City the lead in the 81st minute, but Wondolowski spoiled the Lions’ night with an equalizer two minutes later as the teams drew at Avaya Stadium, 1-1.

In 2016, the Lions were gut-punched in the 94th minute in an emotional match that ended in a 2-2 draw. It was the first home match following the Pulse nightclub tragedy and what appeared to be a storybook ending to a cathartic win turned sour on a last-gasp equalizer by Shea Salinas. Seb Hines — now the Orlando Pride’s head coach — opened the scoring for Orlando, only to see Chad Barrett tie it up. Julio Baptista restored the lead in stoppage time, but Salinas ruined everything.

The two teams also drew in the first meeting, a 1-1 affair at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, with the Lions down to 10 men after Brek Shea was sent off in the first half. Kaká and Wondolowski each scored from the penalty spot four minutes apart in that initial meeting.

Overview

The teams meet tonight to get their post-World Cup portion of the season started. Orlando City has been terrible on the road all season long, keeping only one MLS opponent under two goals all year away from home and allowing five goals twice (at New York City FC and Nashville) and six goals twice (at LAFC and in the team’s most recent match away at FC Cincinnati just before the break).

Orlando City is a putrid 1-6-1 on the road this season, and now the Lions must face the Western Conference co-leaders tonight before coming home to face Supporters’ Shield-leading Nashville SC at home on Saturday. They’ll have to play at least tonight’s game without Martin Ojeda, who is out with a thigh injury sustained some time between his first-half goal a week ago in a friendly against FC Dallas and the time the availability report dropped on Tuesday.

But it isn’t all bad news for the Lions, who should have both Antoine Griezmann and Dike in the lineup. Griezmann was the club’s highly prized and widely publicized summer Designated Player signing, while Dike’s return to Orlando came together more recently, following his departure from West Bromwich Albion. They’ll help the club’s offense, but the attack hasn’t been the issue in 2026 — it’s been the historically porous defense, which is on pace to shatter the MLS record for goals conceded.

Meanwhile, San Jose is one of the first half of the season’s biggest surprises, as the Quakes have been outstanding in 2026. Scoring 34 goals while conceding just 15, San Jose is among the league leaders in goals scored (tied for third), goals conceded (third), and goal differential (+19, third).

The Earthquakes are 4-2-1 at home and are coming off a 3-1 road win at Portland in their last game prior to the World Cup break. San Jose boasts Golden Boot challenger Preston Judd, who leads the Quakes with 11 goals, adding two assists in his 15 appearances. Ousseni Bouda has chipped in five goals and three assists. Niko Tsakiris leads the team with seven assists to go along with his two goals, but he’s still recovering from a lower body injury and is not available tonight. However, the arrival of Timo Werner (four goals and five assists in just seven games) has truly elevated Bruce Arena’s Quakes, and he’ll need to be one of the main focal points for the Orlando defense.

To have any shot at taking something from this game, the Lions will need to play better road defense than they have all season. Orlando can score goals, but with Ojeda out, Griezmann will need to adapt quickly, and someone other than the team’s leading scorer will need to find the net.

The Lions will play without Ojeda (thigh), Joran Gerbet (knee), Nolan Miller (knee), Colin Guske (international duty), and Clovis Archage (international duty). In addition, Marco Pasalic may or may not have returned to the team after the World Cup. He was not in training Monday, although interim head coach Martin Perelman said he expected the Croatian back soon. The Earthquakes will be without Nonso Adimabua (lower body), former Lion Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), and Tsakiris (you guessed it, lower body…come on, San Jose).

Match Content

Official Lineups:

Orlando City (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.

Defenders: Adrian Marin, David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Griffin Dorsey.

Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Braian Ojeda, Eduard Atuesta, Tiago.

Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.

Bench: Javier Otero, Bernardo Rhein, Tahir Reid-Brown, Zakaria Taifi, Iago, Wilder Cartagena, Luis Otavio, Harvey Sarajian, Tyrese Spicer

San Jose Earthquakes (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Angus Gunn.

Defenders: Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Benjamin Kikanovic.

Defensive Midfielders: Beau Lerouox, Ronaldo Vieira.

Attacking Midfielders: Timo Werner, Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda.

Forwards: Preston Judd.

Bench: Jonathan Gonzalez, Dave Romney, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Jack Jasinski, Ian Harkes, Francesco Montali, Max Floriani, Darius Johnson.

Referees

REF: Elijio Arreguin.
AR1: Adam Wienckowski.
AR2: Mike Nickerson.
4TH: Timothy Ford.
VAR: Jose Carlos Rivero.
AVAR: TJ Zablocki.

How to Watch

Match Time: 10:30 p.m.

Venue: PayPal Park — San Jose, CA.

TV/Live Stream: Apple TV.

Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).

Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

Enjoy the match. Go City!

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