Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this weekend beyond enjoying all of the soccer as the World Cup’s group stage comes to a close before the knockout round begins on Sunday. We also have an Orlando City B home game on Sunday, so be sure to go support the Young Lions if able. Now, let’s get to the links!

Maxime Crepeau’s Road to the World Cup

Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau has helped Canada advance to the knockout stage of this year’s World Cup and he gave some insight into how he reached this point of his career. He made the most of his loans at various Canadian clubs before a trade to the Vancouver Whitecaps, where he went on to earn the starting job. Crepeau also gave some insight on the leg injury he suffered in the 2022 MLS Cup final with LAFC that caused him to miss out on the World Cup in Qatar. Now representing his country on the world’s biggest stage, Crepeau and Canada will take on South Africa in the round of 32 on Sunday.

USMNT Falls to Turkiye in Final Group Game

The United States Men’s National Team lost 3-2 to Turkiye in its last game of the group stage on a last-gasp goal deep in stoppage time. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino heavily rotated the squad for this one, having already clinched the group, and Christian Pulisic came off the bench in the second half. The Yanks got off to a hot start thanks to a goal by defender Auston Trusty, but Turkiye scored twice in the first half to take the lead. Another strong start by the U.S. in the second half led to Sebastian Berhalter’s great equalizer, but Turkiye found a winner at the death as Trusty limped around after sustaining an injury with no substitutes remaining. It was the first loss of the tournament for the U.S., which will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday in the round of 32.

NWSL Challenge Cup Takes Place Tonight

While we’re still waiting for the NWSL season to resume, we have the NWSL Challenge Cup to look forward to tonight. Gotham FC will take on the Kansas City Current at 8 p.m. in the latest edition of this event that pits the previous NWSL Championship and NWSL Shield winners against each other. Gotham hasn’t lost against an NWSL team since the Current won 2-1 on April 4. Tonight’s game will be held in Columbus, which was recently awarded an expansion team in the league and is expected to field a team in 2028.

World Cup Roundup

More nations have booked their spots in the knockout round as the group stage winds down. Australia secured its place after a scoreless draw with Paraguay, with Paraguay likely to advance as well. The Ivory Coast shut out Curacao 2-0 to claim second in Group E and qualify for the knockout round for the first time, while Ecuador advanced as the third-place team after winning 2-1 against Germany, which had already won the group. In Group F, the Netherlands beat Tunisia 3-1 to win the group and will face Morocco in the next round. Japan and Sweden battled to a 1-1 draw, with both teams advancing as well.

Today’s action features what should be a good match between France and Norway to win Group I. Senegal and Iran will square off in the other match in that group for a chance to advance as a third-place team. Uruguay’s match against Spain and Cabo Verde against Saudi Arabia should also make for some great viewing tonight.

Free Kicks

• Enjoy this look behind the scenes of Antoine Griezmann getting his medical done by Orlando Health, which also includes Griezmann posing with a rather unique portrait of Robin Jansson.

• The Houston Dash improved its attack by signing Serbian forward Miljana Ivanovic from Malmo FF in Sweden.
• Alexia Putellas will reportedly join the London City Lionesses in the Women’s Super League after 14 years with Barcelona. While she would’ve been a cool addition to the NWSL, I’m not complaining about the Pride not having to face her on the field.
• Emily Sonnett signed a two-year contract extension with Gotham FC that will keep her at the club through the 2028 season.
• Czech forward Patrick Schick announced his retirement from international soccer following his team’s exit from the World Cup.
• Manchester City has reportedly signed English midfielder Elliot Anderson for a club record fee.

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? We’ve reached the part of the World Cup when multiple matches are on at the same time, allowing us to revel in being overwhelmed by soccer. It’s been a fun tournament so far, and I’m hoping we get some dramatic finishes as teams try to make the knockout stage. While we wait for today’s action, let’s get to the links!

Antoine Griezmann Arrives in Orlando

After officially signing with Orlando City in March, French star Antoine Griezmann has landed in the City Beautiful. He’s one of the biggest signings in the club’s history and brings plenty of talent and grit to Orlando City ahead of the rest of the season. In a fantastic video shared by the club to introduce him, Griezmann detailed his remarkable soccer journey up to this point in his career. I highly recommend watching it and am incredibly excited for what’s in store for him as a Lion.

Speaking of videos about Griezmann, Atletico Madrid said goodbye and wished the club legend well with a slightly different kind of short film. Atleti should give a raise to whoever made this sendoff for Griezmann that’s equal parts funny and heartfelt.

Caleb Trombino Named to MLS NEXT All-Star Roster

Midfielder Caleb Trombino was the lone player from Orlando City’s academy to be named to the Eastern Conference’s roster for the 2026 MLS NEXT All-Star Game. The 16-year-old scored six goals during last MLS NEXT season and has also made nine appearances for Orlando City B this season. Trombino will be the latest Lion to feature in the event, with Gustavo Caraballo and Dylan Judelson competing in it last year. The game is set to take place on July 27 in North Carolina and will be streamed on the MLS website and YouTube channel.

USMNT Takes On Turkiye Tonight

The United States Men’s National Team will look to make it three straight wins in the group stage when it plays Turkiye tonight in Los Angeles. The Yanks have already won the group after wins against Paraguay and Australia, and a few players have yellow card accumulation concerns, so it will be interesting to see what lineup Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino chooses for this match. Turkiye has already been eliminated and is still searching for its first goal of the tournament. While there’s technically not much to play for in this game, Christian Pulisic spoke on the value of maintaining momentum before the next round.

“When you win your last game, you go into the next one with a little bit extra, a good feeling,” Pulisic said. “That winning mentality feeling sticks with you. You want it for sure going into the knockout rounds.

“We’ll definitely feel better with a win. That’s why we’re going to push for it. It’s an amazing opportunity. Like you said, we don’t necessarily need a win, but it’s a World Cup game, and we all want to give our best and do well.”

Maxime Crepeau and Canada Advance in World Cup

Canada needed a draw or better against Switzerland to win its group at this year’s World Cup, but came up short in a 2-1 defeat. Despite the loss, Canada secured a spot in the knockout stage of the tournament for the first time in program history. Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau had a pair of saves in the match, including a nice one at close range to deny Breel Embolo early in the game. Finishing second in the group means Canada will play the remainder of its games in the U.S. instead of Canada.

As for the other Group B matchup, Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Qatar 3-1 to claim third and is in a good position to advance. In Group C, Vinicius Junior had a brace in Brazil’s 3-0 victory over Scotland to win the group while Morocco won 4-2 against Haiti after a back-and-forth first half. Haiti may have been eliminated, but it made history by scoring and Wilson Isidor scored one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

In the late matches, Mexico made it three wins out of three by defeating Chechia 3-0, while South Africa scored in the second half to edge Korea Republic 1-0. Mexico and South Africa are through to the knockouts, while South Korea will need to sweat out the third-place results.

NWSL Updates Its Competition Rules

The NWSL announced changes to its competition rules and regulations that will take effect starting with this weekend’s NWSL Challenge Cup. One of the more notable changes is the adoption of the rule that may require a player to come off the field for a minute if medical personnel are needed to treat them. Players must also now leave the field within 10 seconds when substituted off, or else the player coming on will need to wait to come on. Changes to the duration of hydration breaks were also made, along with updates to the fan code of conduct that extends it into digital spaces.

Free Kicks

• Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda’s frontrunning pace for the NWSL Golden Boot is one of many notable storylines so far this NWSL season.
• The LA Galaxy have reportedly rejected an $8 million bid from Cruzeiro in Brazil for attacker Gabriel Pec. It’s a pretty low offer considering the 25-year-old has recorded 43 goals and 28 assists in 101 appearances since joining the Galaxy.

• Qatar midfielder Assim Madibo was suspended for five games for the serious foul play that resulted in Canadian midfielder Ismael Kone’s broken leg.
• Ronaldinho retired from professional soccer over a decade ago but has now signed with Revanna in Italy’s Serie C at age 46.

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

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! The USMNT group stage concludes Thursday, and I am anxious to see what line up Mauricio Pochettino starts, given the team has already won the group. It’s not a position the U.S. is accustomed to in World Cup play. Of course, there are plenty of other matches before then to enjoy. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Friendlies Announced

Orlando City will play a pair of friendlies in July to prepare for the return of the MLS season. The Lions will host the Tampa Bay Rowdies Wednesday, July 8, at Inter&Co Stadium and will take on FC Dallas on Wednesday, July 15, at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium. Before you get too excited about the Rowdies match, it is only open to Season Ticket Members and the Supporters Groups. We will bring you whatever coverage of these matches we are able.

Freeman Heritage

Are you tired of Lionel Messi coverage? I know I am. Are you tired of Alex Freeman coverage? Me neither! You might have seen recent interviews with Alex’s dad, retired NFL wide receiver Antonio Freeman. To say that the elder Freeman is proud of his son is a gross understatement. Unsurprisingly, he is his son’s biggest supporter. I think Alex might be the answer to the question of what it looks like when our best young athletes choose soccer instead of football, basketball, or baseball.

USMNT News

The USMNT will face Türkiye Thursday night in a group stage match with no implications whatsoever. The U.S. won the group after defeating Australia and Paraguay defeated Türkiye. Mauricio Pochettino has the luxury of sitting the four players with yellow cards and giving some other players some minutes. Is that what he will do?

On the player front, Tyler Adams said this team has a belief that they’ve never had at a World Cup. I’ve long believed that Weston McKennie is one of the most important players for the USMNT. It’s seems that Zlatan Ibrahimović agrees with me.

World Cup Roundup

Portugal started off the day with a dominating 5-0 win over Uzbekistan. Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace, making him to the first player to score goals in six World Cups. Ronaldo earned Man of the Match and posted that he was back before deleting that and posting a more team-centric message.

England was riding high after a 4-2 win over Croatia in its first match, but was unable to score against Ghana. England took 19 shots in the match and even Harry Kane missed a golden chance late in the match. Credit to Ghana on a determined defensive effort to earn a point in a 0-0 draw with the Three Lions. The result meant that if there was a loser in the Croatia versus Panama match, the losing squad would be eliminated.

Orlando City’s Marco Pasalic got the start for Croatia against Panama. Pasalic supplied the hockey assist on Croatia’s goal, but he was unable to convert on a near perfect breakaway when he tried to chip the keeper. Everyone knows he needs to shoot it full power to score. Croatia held on for the 1-0 win in a special match, as it was Luka Modrić’s 200th cap.

Free Kicks

• The not at all money-motivated Gianni Infantino state that FIFA will consider keeping hydration breaks for future World Cups. I’m certain that additional ad revenue has nothing to do with fundamentally changing the game.
• U.S. venues aren’t the only ones with outrageous pricing this World Cup. Mexican supporters are creating their own watch parties in the streets.
• The USWNT isn’t hosting the 2027 World Cup, and unlike the men, will need to qualify. Here’s how that can happen. Assuming the Yanks qualify — which is a good assumption — what can we expect in the lead-up over the next year?
• The NWSL Challenge Cup takes place Friday between 2025 NWSL champions Gotham FC and the 2025 NWSL Shield winners, the Kansas City Current.
• The Iranian National Team will be allowed to enter a whole two days before its match versus Egypt in Seattle rather than the one day previously allowed. I’m certain that geopolitics aren’t affecting the team’s play in the World Cup. Were you able to detect my eyes rolling?
• “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver is the official post-match song for a USMNT World Cup victory, and I could not be happier about it. If you don’t get chills listening to this you may want to consult a physician.

That will to it for today. I’m going to switch things up just a bit today. Go USA!