The previously reports are official as Orlando City announced today that the club has loaned Homegrown midfielder Colin Guske to Real Salt Lake for the remainder of the 2026 season in exchange for $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM). Real Salt Lake has the option to make the transfer permanent at the end of the loan deal.

“This is a great opportunity for Colin and an important step in his development,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “As a club, we are committed to doing right by our players and creating opportunities that help them continue to grow. Colin has worked hard throughout our development pathway and this loan gives him the chance to gain valuable experience and consistent minutes at a high level in the short term. It also reflects our continued belief in the pathway from the academy to the professional game. Every player’s journey looks different and we remain focused on providing the right opportunities to help our young players reach their potential, whether that path unfolds in Orlando or through experiences like this one.”

Guske, 19, signed as the club’s 16th Homegrown Player on Dec. 16, 2024, on a deal through 2027 with a club option for 2028. The St. Johns native followed older brothers Owen and Liam into Orlando City’s academy, training with the first team during the 2024 preseason, including the club’s preseason training camp in Mexico. Guske became a starter with OCB during the 2024 season, making his professional debut against Atlanta United 2 on March 16 of that year.

The midfielder impressed, making 24 appearances (23 starts) with OCB in 2024, logging 2,044 minutes and scoring one goal while adding two assists, helping the Young Lions reach the playoffs. One of that season’s highlights was Guske participating in the 2024 MLS NEXT All-Star Game and signing multiple short-term loans to become available for the first team, although he did not play with the senior squad that season.

Guske made his first-team debut during the 2025 season on April 5 in a scoreless draw at Philadelphia, subbing on for Martin Ojeda in stoppage time. As an 18-year-old, Guske appeared in five MLS matches — all off the bench — playing a total of just 13 minutes in the regular season. He made his MLS playoff debut in Orlando City’s 3-1 road loss to the Chicago Fire in the wild card game, playing 15 minutes to eclipse his regular-season total. He also played in the U.S. Open Cup for 45 minutes against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 7, 2025, in Orlando City’s 5-0 road win. The bulk of his season was spent with OCB in 2025, playing 18 games (all starts) and logging 1,376 minutes and recording one assist. He also helped the OCSC Development Academy win the 2025 U-18 Generation Adidas Cup, assisting on Gustavo Caraballo’s game-winning goal in extra time.

The midfielder appeared in six matches in MLS play with Orlando City this season (two starts), logging a career-high 284 minutes, but is still seeking his first goal contribution. He started and played all 90 minutes in the Lions’ Aug. 12 Leagues Cup draw against San Luis and played the full 90 in the 4-3 U.S. Open Cup victory at New England on April 29. He also played 45 minutes off the bench in the team’s 1-0 win at FC Naples on April 15. With OCB, Guske started all three matches in which he appeared with the Young Lions in 2026, playing 228 minutes and providing one assist. He had started playing more center back in 2026, likely due to a logjam of central defenders ahead of him on the depth chart.

“Orlando City has been my home for a long time, and I’m thankful to everyone at the club who has supported me throughout my journey,” said Guske. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue my development through this move and for the trust the club has shown in helping me take this next step. My focus is on improving every day, earning opportunities on the field and helping the team however I can. I’m excited and looking forward to this next challenge.”

On the international stage, Guske has been part of the U.S. youth setup, recently helping the United States U-20 side finish second to Mexico in the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship. The midfielder assisted on a goal in a win over Haiti in that tournament. He has represented his country at the U-18, U-19, and U-20 levels.

What It Means for Orlando City

This move is more about what it means for Guske than the club. Guske found himself behind five other guys in the central midfield depth chart when everyone is healthy — Eduard Atuesta, Braian Ojeda, Luis Otavio, Wilder Cartagena, and Joran Gerbet. As he has progressed past playing that position in a way that will further develop him at the MLS NEXT Pro level, he was getting some minutes at center back, which he played at both levels in an area where the club lacks game-ready depth for the first team.

The question became whether the club could keep Guske around long enough for others on the club to leave. Cartagena and Atuesta are nearing their final pro seasons at age 31 and 29, respectively, but they’re by no means old, even by professional soccer standards. Ojeda is just 26 and in his prime, and he’s a player the club seems to like, even naming him a Designated Player temporarily prior to Antoine Griezmann’s arrival. Otavio has come into his own since the league returned to play after the World Cup, and has at times been one of the better players on the field in recent weeks. Gerbet has just recovered from a serious knee injury and has shown promise almost from the jump after being drafted in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft. That’s a lot of talent ahead of Guske.

The club ultimately decided the logical move was a loan deal to help the player further his career, rather than hoarding central midfielders and letting him stagnate for lack of minutes or play at a level from which he’s already graduated. Orlando City takes a minor hit in its deepest position group by making this deal, while Guske gets a better chance to get first-team minutes, so everyone wins.

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a bit of a rough month for all three of Orlando’s soccer teams, but hopefully they can turn things around this weekend. Things haven’t been great, but surely that just means things can only go up from here, right? Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride are on the road this weekend for a match against the Washington Spirit on Sunday. It’s been a cruel summer for the Pride, as they’ve lost four of their past five games and are currently 13th in the league standings. Despite being on a three-game winless streak, the Spirit are second in the standings and will be a tough opponent for the Pride to face on the road. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on where the team needs to improve in order to get a result away from home against one of the league’s top teams.

Changes Reportedly Coming to MLS Playoff Format

For the umpteenth time, MLS is reportedly planning on overhauling its playoff format. The changes would go into effect when the league changes its calendar and they include allowing 20 teams to qualify for the playoffs, with the overall league standings being used to determine those top 20 teams. After a play-in round, the remaining 16 teams will play in a double elimination format that also features reseeding between rounds. If these changes do come to pass, hopefully the league decides to stick with it rather than constantly fiddling it with it.

National Soccer Hall of Fame Finalists Announced

The finalists for the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s class of 2027 were announced, with nine candidates making the list in their first year of eligibility. Former Orlando Pride player Ali Krieger is one of those nine, along with Megan Rapinoe, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore. Central Florida native Graham Zusi was also named as a finalist. The two players who receive the most votes and are on at least half the ballots will make the Hall of Fame, with a third player able to make it if they’re on 75% of ballots.

Storylines Ahead of English Premier League Season

The English Premier League season begins today with Arsenal starting its title defense at home against Coventry City. Arsenal has a talented team once again, but it will be interesting to see how much of a challenge Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City can pose with new managers at the helm. Managers seem to be a focal point this season, as other storylines include whether or not Michael Carrick and Unai Emery can keep succeeding at Manchester United and Aston Villa, respectively. I’m just hoping we have an exciting title race by the time spring rolls around.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City’s Antoine Griezmann tied with Robert Lewandowski for the second-highest rating of all MLS players in EA Sports FC 27.

• The Vancouver Whitecaps added defender Sebastian Ramirez on loan from Fortaleza in Colombia’s top flight.
• American midfielder Brenden Aaronson signed a three-year contract extension with Leeds United.
• Gotham FC signed Tess Boade to a contract through the end of the 2026 season just a day after her contract was terminated with Bay FC.
• The University of Georgia women’s soccer team broke the NCAA soccer attendance record with a crowd of 25,433 for its 6-0 win over James Madison.
• The Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro will host both the opening match and final of the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
• EPL referees will be officiating set pieces more strictly this season due to the amount of holding.

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

An early goal resulting from Orlando City’s sloppy defense and a nearly two-hour lightning delay zapped the hopes of the home faithful, but an equalizing header 10 minutes after play resumed brought the crowd back into it. Unfortunately, a conceded penalty handed the Chicago Fire the winning goal, and Orlando was unable to find another after Chicago packed the box as the Lions fell 2-1 Wednesday night.

Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated in their matchup against the Chicago Fire.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crepeau, 6 — Sometimes, the defense is going to allow shots that you have to be lucky to save. Chicago’s first goal was such a shot. You’re also at a significant disadvantage on penalty shots, which accounted for Chicago’s second goal. Otherwise, Crepeau commanded his box, saved a scorcher from 30 yards, and kept the score tight. Statistically, Crepeau’s distribution was 88% accurate, he had seven recoveries, and he won his only aerial duel.

D, Adrian Marin, 5.5 — Resuming his starting role after Bernardo Rhein’s injury, Marin still has work to do to earn starts in the future. He failed to track Robert Lewandowski early in the buildup to the goal and was caught ball watching, leaving Chicago’s most dangerous player free to try to connect a pass. He tallied one block and passed with 83% accuracy. He was subbed off after the rain delay for Tiago (officially, but it was Zakariah Taifi who took his left back position initially).

D, Robin Jansson, 4.5 — The captain has one of his worst nights that I can remember. He gave away the penalty for Chicago’s second goal on a bad slide tackle while trying to block Lewandowski, even though he had already forced him wide to the baseline. He was partially responsible for the first goal because he was busy arguing offside with the assistant referee while David Brekalo badly mis-cleared the ball. This left him not defending anyone when the shot was taken. He picked up an unnecessary yellow card arguing the penalty when he clearly didn’t get the ball until well after the foul. He passed at a 90% clip, had one clearance, one block, one conceded penalty, and one failed argument with the assistant referee. Although he wasn’t consistently as poor as Marin, conceding the winning penalty cost him extra points.

D, David Brekalo, 5.5 — Brekalo’s poor clearance led to the first goal as it fell right to David Poreba, who slotted it to a wide open Puso Dithejane. Brekalo then made up for it by slamming home a header off an Antoine Griezmann corner to square the match. That duality resulted in a middling grade for the Slovenian center back; he was fairly clean for the rest of the game but also added nothing of value. He had two clearances (and I think they are counting the poor one), two shots on target, hit all but six of his passes for an 89% mark, and won both his aerial duels. It’s not a good sign for the team that the central defender led Orlando City in shots on target, with two.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 6 — The right back was more noticeable when he was out of position than for anything positive he did. He was way out of position on one Chicago break in the first half when his attacking play had taken him to the center of the Chicago box — upon recovering the ball, Chicago drove right down the gap left by him and he looked winded getting back. That isn’t necessarily a criticism of Dorsey as he’s playing the role given, but it’s noticeable when it happens. While Dorsey was certainly active, he had five touches in the Chicago box, and only generated one blocked shot, one shot off target, and one failed cross. He finished with a tidy 94% passing rate and came off in the 79th minute for Eduard Atuesta as Orlando tried to push for an equalizer.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, 5.5 — Spicer had a fairly typical game, using his speed and strength to open up opportunities but failing to capitalize on them. He only had two touches in the opposition box, so he really didn’t cause enough trouble, and his crosses were either too early or too off line. He finished with 15 total touches, was 0-for-2 on crosses, and passed with only 67% accuracy before being replaced after the delay by Marco Pasalic.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 6 — In his first MLS start since the season opener, when he was injured, Cartagena showed flashes of the old eraser we were used to seeing. He stopped three different Chicago possessions and looked a bit like his old self. He was subbed off after the rain delay and replaced by Taifi, though his position was occupied by Ivan Angulo with Taifi occupying the left back spot. The Peruvian completed 93% of his passes, showing he can still connect, and won both of his ground duels, showing that eraser mentality.

MF, Luis Otavio, 6.5 — The young Brazilian had a rough start, as his name appeared negatively in my notes twice in the first three minutes due to some bad giveaways, but he settled and grew into the game. The World Cup break has done wonders for him; he came back from that and has nailed down a starting spot. He had the most touches on the team with 91, yet still passed at a 93% rate. He connected on all nine (!) of his long balls, the next closest teammate connecting on four. He also added a tackle and a recovery.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — While Angulo has remade himself after the World Cup break as a roaming playmaker, Wednesday’s game involved a lot of running and effort that resulted in little impact. While he connected the team well, hitting 93% of his passes, he created only two chances and had only one touch in Chicago’s box. His sole shot was just high but right at the goalkeeper if it had been on frame. He added three tackles and a clearance, showing he will work at both ends and give you everything he’s got.

F, Antoine Griezmann, 6.5 (MotM) — The summer signing continued to show he can impact the game and create chances out of thin air. His corner to Brekalo was dangerous and accurate, giving Brekalo something to work with. He created five chances, including an intelligent chipped pass to a streaking Justin Ellis, a deft flick that nearly gave Tiago a tap-in at the back post, and multiple magical passing moments in possession. Griezmann had seven touches in the box, and three shots (one on target). It’s one of the shots off target he’ll be thinking about, though. Daryl Dike hit a long through ball to an open Griezmann, who was run down by Jonathan Dean, which forced Griezmann to shoot wide from the top of the box as the defender closed in.

F, Justin Ellis, 6.5 — While we pile on the superlatives for Ellis, as they are well deserved, his development won’t be complete until he can start finishing more regularly. He had eight touches in the box, many earned with his touch and his movement, but he only managed one shot on target, with other sgetting blocked out front. He passed at an 86% rate and added a tackle defensively. Dike replaced him in the 64th minute to change the complexion of the offense.

Substitutes

D, Zakaria Taifi (44′), 5.5 — Taifi was reported as substituting for Cartagena but lined up at left back for 30 minutes before shifting to right back when Dorsey was subbed off. He was visibile in the wrong ways while at left back, getting beaten badly down his side a few times. He had a chance to get into the box late while at right back as Orlando was chasing the game, but he went down under light contact, likely trying to draw a call, but there was none. Taifi finished with an 83% passing rate, adding a tackle and two interceptions, but didn’t really show much.

MF, Marco Pasalic (44′), 6 — Subbing in for Spicer, it took some time for Pasalic to affect the game but there was a 10-minute span as the game closed out where he was starting to feel his chances. He took his trademark path, starting on the right, dribbling to the top of the box, and firing at the goal. On one, he scorched a swerving shot just over the bar, and he couldn’t get his hips around the second one, sending it right at the keeper. He added two tackles and passed at a 76% rate.

MF, Tiago (44′), 5.5 — We tend to be pretty hard on Tiago here, as he shows a lot of flash but it rarely converts into anything. He was perfect on all 19 of his passes but didn’t create any chances. His more positive stats were on the defensive end with two clearances and an interception, although he conceded an unnecessary set piece. A bit better anticipation on the aforementioned flick from Griezmann and the Brazilian would have scored.

F, Daryl Dike (64′), 5.5— Dike’s score was boosted by the one pass he hit to Griezmann, freeing the Frenchman up on a run that resulted in nothing. Otherwise, Dike’s physical presence was felt but he’s still lacking chemistry with the team. He had one shot off target zero touches in Chicago’s box, and won an aerial duel.

M, Eduard Atuesta (78′), N/A — Brought on for Dorsey to add an offensive touch, Atuesta found himself all over the field, sometimes dropping to right back and also showing up in the middle to drive the attack. He only connected on 76% of his passes and added a recovery, but didn’t really play long enough to garner a grade, which might be best based on the lack of accuracy on his efforts to connect with the forwards over the top.

That’s what I’ve got for the players in a soggy, disjointed game. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.