Orlando City
Orlando City vs. New York City FC: Final Score 1-1 as Lions Improbably Advance on Penalties
Things looked dire when Pedro Gallese got a second yellow during spot kicks but Rodrigo Schlegel’s save (really!) and Benji Michel’s goal see Orlando through to Round 2.

Only a madman would try to sort through what just happened in a first-round MLS playoff match between Orlando City and New York City FC at Exploria Stadium. So here goes…
The Lions advanced to the second round after an improbable shootout victory following a 1-1 draw against the Pigeons, which included:
- Ruan getting sent off in the 87th minute.
- Tesho Akindele missing a sitter in the 10th minute of stoppage time that would have seen Orlando City win, 2-1.
- Maxi Moralez hitting the crossbar with the first shot of the penalty shootout.
- Starting Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese getting sent off with a second yellow card after making a save in penalty kicks that appeared to win the game — video review showed he came off his line a little early.
- Orlando City being allowed to sub on goalkeeper Brian Rowe, who was then sent back to the bench after a lengthy delay, then brought back on, then sent back off, because there were no subs allowed during spot kicks.
- Center back Rodrigo Schlegel replacing Gallese in goal and allowing Valentin Castellanos to tie the shootout at 4-4 with one Orlando shooter remaining.
- Nani, the fifth OCSC shooter, having his penalty saved by Sean Johnson to force sudden death penalties.
- Schlegel saving a shot by Gudmundur Thórarinsson, knocking it off the left post.
- Benji Michel making the ensuing penalty to send Orlando through to the second round of the MLS playoffs.
The game was utter madness. A movie about it would be seen as too unbelievable. And yet, somehow Orlando City survived all of the insanity to advance past its fellow 2015 expansion side into the second round of the MLS playoffs.
Nani made an early penalty and New York City FC nearly immediately canceled it out with a Maxime Chanot set piece goal off a corner, and then neither team could find the net for 122 minutes of normal, stoppage, and extra time.
“I think we need more time to calm down and reflect [on] what happened tonight,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “The analysis of the game may wait for tomorrow when we can analyze the soccer side. What just happened at the end, I never saw it before. And this is the beauty of this game…but today the ball bounced our way. We are proud to win and beat one of the best teams in Major League Soccer with 10 men on the field,”
“I think we deserve it, after a difficult game with a lot of emotional moments during the game.” Nani said. “I think our team did great. We wanted to win from the first minute. We worked so hard during this week to prepare ourselves to be able to perform well. And our fans were amazing.”
Pareja’s lineup included Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of Kyle Smith, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Ruan. Uri Rosell returned to the starting XI after missing 13 games with an undisclosed injury. Joining him in the midfield were Junior Urso, Mauricio Pereyra, and Chris Mueller, with Nani and Daryl Dike leading the attacking line.
The Lions started brightly, with some early passing sequences into the attacking third. Those paid off when a penalty was awarded four minutes into the match. Mueller sent in a cross for Nani at the back post and the captain’s header deflected off the outstretched arm of Anton Tinnerholm for an obvious handball. Nani stepped up coolly and had an agonizingly slow run-up before sending Johnson the wrong way and scoring inside the right post to make it 1-0 just under five minutes in.
New York City answered immediately. Off the ensuing restart, the Pigeons worked the ball into the box and forced Gallese to make a big stop but the ball skipped out for a corner. Chanot scored on the set piece, freeing himself with a two-handed push on Urso while Jesus Medina’s delivery was in flight, and sending his header in to make it 1-1 in the eighth minute.
Urso’s complaints went unheeded and it was simply the way the game was called all day. Allen Chapman was consistently inconsistent, and you never knew what was or wasn’t going to be called.
Dike tried to restore the lead in the 15th minute with some nice moves to free himself in the box before sending a spinning shot toward the near post. Johnson was there to scoop it up and the rookie may have been better served trying the far side, where there was more traffic, but also no goalkeeper.
New York City FC then started to get most of the good chances for the rest of the half. A deflected cross fell perfectly for an onrushing Medina, who fired but had his shot well saved by Gallese in the 24th minute. Two minutes later, El Pulpo denied Keaton Parks after a collision with no whistle set up a NYCFC transition opportunity.
The game got sloppy on both sides for about the next 15 minutes. NYCFC struggled to connect down the wings, while Orlando City wasted numerous good forays into the attacking third by dribbling straight into the visitors’ traps while ignoring runners to either side.
The Pigeons nearly took the lead in the 43rd minute but Gallese made two incredible saves to keep the game at 1-1. Castellanos fired a rocket from the top of the area that Gallese stopped but the Peruvian couldn’t control the rebound. Parks came in from the right to tuck it home and Gallese stuck up one of his eight arms at the last second to deny the shot.
Orlando’s last good look came at the beginning of first-half stoppage time when Dike set up Mueller at the top of the area. Unfortunately, Mueller got way under his shot and skied it into the roof over the north end of the stadium.
New York City dominated in chance creation in the first half, outshooting the Lions 11-6 (5-2 on target), and winning more corners (6-2). Orlando held more possession (53%-47%) and passed better (83%-75%) or the game could have gotten away from the Lions quickly.
The Lions tried to come out of the locker room quickly, with Rosell firing over the bar two minutes after the restart and Dike getting a shot blocked at the top of the area in the 50th minute. Four minutes later, Ruan toe poked the ball through the box, perhaps expecting Urso to continue his run, but the Bear had checked up and it was an easy collection for Johnson.
Orlando started to make sloppy passes that resulted in turnovers and it nearly was costly in the 64th minute when Gallese bailed out his teammates with a save on a rocket by Medina.
Nani nearly scored in the 71st minute with a deflected shot that was dipping under the bar when Johnson pushed it up and over at the last second.
Ruan was sent off as full time approached. Already on a yellow card for running over Anton Tinnerholm 10 minutes earlier, Ruan was taken down by Gary Mackay-Steven on the sideline. Mackay-Steven then pushed both of his hands into the Brazilian’s abdomen and used Ruan to push himself up off the ground. Ruan took exception to the dirty play by kicking out at Mackay-Steven. Chapman showed a yellow to the NYCFC winger and a red to Ruan. The kick was an obvious and automatic straight red, so the earlier yellow was irrelevant.
Due to numerous stoppages for injuries and slow restarts after fouls, there were 10 minutes of stoppage time added to the end. Ismael Tajouri-Shradi fired wide in the seventh minute of stoppage time but it was Orlando with the best look of injury time. Nani was sent down the left and sent in a deflected cross to Akindele at the back post. The entire net was available with Johnson stuck at his post but the Canadian hit his shot over the bar with just a few seconds remaining in stoppage time and the game went to extra time.
New York City led in shots (20-13), shots on goal (6-3), corners (9-3) and possession (50.9%-49.1%), while Orlando was slightly more accurate in passing (80%-78%).
Tajouri-Shradi had a couple of chances early in extra time, having a shot deflect into the outside netting and then firing wide of the far post from the right side in the opening minutes of the first extra period. Castellanos blasted a volley over the bar in the 99th minute.
Orlando got the last decent chance of the first half of extra time when Akindele got the ball wide on the left side and tried to pick out Urso between two defenders, but the midfielder couldn’t get a clean touch on the ball in traffic.
In the second half of extra time the Lions generated a good chance when second-half sub Kamal Miller dribbled down the left, passed to Nani, then continued his run. The captain gave him the ball back and the defender brought it down with his back to goal. Miller turned and fired a shot just wide of the far post in the 107th minute.
That was the last good look for either side in the second 15 minutes of extra time. The teams were largely spent and there were several stoppages for cramping on both sides.
After the extra 30 minutes with the extra man, New York City dominated the stat sheet, leading in shots (26-16), shots on goal (7-3), corners (11-3), passing accuracy (82%-80%), and possession (55.7%-44.3%). But the game was still tied.
All that was left at that point was spot kicks. Moralez banged the first one off the crossbar to hand Orlando City the advantage. From there, four straight Lions scored — Akindele, Andres Perea, Carlos, and Urso. Meanwhile, Medina, former Lion Tony Rocha, and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi scored for NYCFC. When Gallese stopped Castellanos with a diving save, the team celebrated, but the play was reviewed for El Pulpo coming off his line early.
A lengthy delay ensued, in which Gallese was booked for a second time in the game, and backup goalkeeper Rowe came on, was sent off, came back on, and then was sent back to the sideline a second time. Schlegel came on.
Pareja said that in addition to Schlegel — who had played goalkeeper at the academy level — that Perea volunteered to go in goal. Gallese suggested to the coach that Schlegel get the nod and he did.
Castellanos buried his second chance to put the pressure on Orlando City.
Nani tried to go to the same side that he had earlier with a slow run-up, but this time Johnson got his hand to it and things looked dire for the Lions with a center back in goal and new life for New York City.
“I knew that was the important penalty,” Nani said. “But you know, it’s always harder to take the second penalty on the game. You need to take a side and you need to think and play with the goalkeeper’s mind, because you already took one penalty, so it looks more easy for the goalkeeper. I tried to delay the most I can to try to see if he [made] a move and beat him on one side. He did great. I went for the same side and the top of the goal but he did a great save.”
Nicolas Acevedo scored on the next penalty to put the pressure on Orlando City but Jansson buried the team’s next kick, which brought up Thórarinsson. Schlegel got his hand on the Icelandic defender’s shot to send it off the left post and the Lions celebrated again, but the match wasn’t yet over.
The officials cleared the field and Michel stepped up to take the next kick. He made no mistake with his chance and his goal pushed Orlando into the second round. The third celebration was the one that counted.
“I mean that’s that’s football,” Schlegel said through an interpreter after the match. “One minute you think that you’ve won and the next you don’t. What matters is the end result.”
“Well deserved,” Pareja said of the penalty kick shootout win. “The boys showed today the heart of this franchise. They showed all that intensity and sacrifice after we lost Ruan. What happened today, that will keep in my memory forever.”
The Lions have been incredible in shootouts — or incredibly lucky, depending on your point of view. Orlando City is now 5-0 in penalty shootouts in the MLS era and 2-0 against New York City FC. The Lions won via shootout in U.S. Open Cup action in 2015 at Charleston, in 2018 at D.C. United, and last season at home against NYCFC. Orlando knocked LAFC out of the MLS is Back Tournament on penalties July 31.
The upshot of all the insanity is that Orlando City is through to the second round and now must wait for an opponent.
The Lions will next play in the Eastern Conference semifinals, which start Nov. 29, against an opponent to be determined.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 9/27/23
Orlando City falls in power rankings, OCB will take on Columbus Crew 2 in MLS NEXT Pro playoffs, U.S. Open Cup final preview, and more.

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all is well with you down in Florida. There’s not much new with me, I’m just staying busy at work lately and hoping to catch some soccer this weekend. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Orlando City Drops Two Spots in Power Rankings
The latest MLS power rankings have been released and Orlando City fell two spots to fourth. The Lions lost their midweek matchup 2-0 on the road against New York City FC last Wednesday and closed out the weekend with a 1-1 draw against rival Inter Miami at Exploria Stadium. It wasn’t all bad this past week for the Lions, as Duncan McGuire scored his 11th goal of the year across all competitions. Despite losing to NYCFC a week ago, the Lions remain in second place in the Eastern Conference and are two points ahead of the Columbus Crew, Philadelphia Union, Atlanta United, and the New England Revolution.
OCB Will Take On Columbus Crew 2 in MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs
Orlando City B’s opponent for the first round of the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs was announced on Tuesday, as it will go on the road to take on defending champion Columbus Crew 2 on Oct. 1 at Historic Crew Stadium. As part of the new playoff format that lets higher seeds choose their opponents, Columbus chose to host OCB in the quarterfinals. The Young Lions closed out their regular season this past weekend with a 2-1 win against FC Cincinnati and finished fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Columbus Crew 2 finished its regular season with a 3-2 win against Atlanta United 2 to place third. The clubs split the regular season series, with OCB winning 4-1 on Aug. 27 and Columbus winning 4-0 on May 14. The conference semifinals will be on the following weekend, and the MLS NEXT Pro Cup final is set for Oct. 22.
U.S. Open Cup Final Preview
The 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will conclude tonight with the final at DRV PNK Stadium as Inter Miami takes on the Houston Dynamo. The match will kick off at 8:30 p.m. and you can watch the match on Paramount+ or CBS Sports Network. Inter Miami’s journey included edging out Nashville SC 2-1 in the Round of 16 and needing to go all the way to penalties to knock out FC Cincinnati after a thrilling 3-3 draw in the semifinals. The Houston Dynamo began their run with a pair of 1-0 wins against the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Sporting Kansas City. Since the Round of 16, the Dynamo cruised past Minnesota United, the Chicago Fire, and Real Salt Lake to get to the final. Houston was on a seven-match unbeaten run before losing to Sporting Kansas City this past weekend. The Dynamo will look to add another U.S. Open Cup title after winning it back in 2018. Lionel Messi will reportedly be a game-time decision for tonight’s final after he didn’t play in Miami’s draw with Orlando.
Spain Wins First Home Match Since World Cup Victory
Spain’s women’s national team won its first match since lifting the World Cup trophy last month, cruising to a 5-0 win against Switzerland in a UEFA Nations League matchup. After dealing with the fallout of former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales and players boycotting call-ups to the national team before a deal was reached last week, the team wore wristbands that read “Se Acabo,” meaning “this is over,” and players from both teams held a banner with the same phrase before the match. Spain celebrated its win in front of a record-breaking crowd of 14,194 fans that came out to support the team at Nuevo Arcangel Stadium.
Free Kicks
- Carrie Lawrence and the Orlando Pride were hard at work preparing for the match on Monday against Angel City FC.
- Angel City exercised its club option to extend former Pride forward Sydney Leroux’s contract through the end of the 2024 NWSL season.
- The Canadian Women’s National Team defeated Jamaica 4-1 on aggregate to book a spot in next summer’s Olympics.
- The Seattle Sounders have unveiled their new crest for next year.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Wednesday and I’ll see you next time.
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Player Grades and Man of the Match
How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 home draw against the Herons?

Draws are never satisfying but there’s at least a much better feeling when your team scores the final goal that earns the point rather than conceding so the other team takes two away. Thus was Orlando City’s 1-1 draw at home against Inter Miami on Sunday. It feels better to score the last goal, despite the fact that the same number of goals are scored either way. It’s a grand illusion.
Duncan McGuire’s blast through the legs of Drake Callender at least kept the Pepto-Bismol-colored team from winning at the purple palace and added another point to Orlando’s fine 2023 total.
Here’s how I saw the individual performances from a feisty affair at Exploria Stadium.
Starters
GK, Pedro Gallese, 7.5 — It was another standout game from the Peruvian shot stopper, who made four saves on the night, including a big one to stop a Leonardo Campana attempt from just a couple yards out. Gallese couldn’t do much about the lone goal conceded, as it came off a rebound of a wicked Josef Martinez shot, offering Gallese little opportunity to control the rebound due to the angle and pace. El Pulpo also recorded a clearance and passed at an 81.8% rate, connecting on five of his nine long balls.
D, Rafael Santos, 6.5 — After a couple of somewhat underwhelming performances, the Brazilian had a solid night. He didn’t have a shot attempt, but he managed two key passes despite completing only 71.4% of his passes. He connected on three of his eight long balls and one of his four crosses, but that latter number says more about his teammates not getting onto some good-looking balls into the area. Defensively, he provided two clearances and an interception, committing just one foul and completing a dribble. He even led the team in touches (60).
D, Robin Jansson, 7.5 (MotM) — In the first half, Jansson was the best player on the pitch and, in my opinion, it wasn’t close. The Beefy Swede vaccuumed up almost everything sent forward by Miami that was intended for Campana and Martinez on his side of the field. He finished the night with two tackles and two interceptions but it seemed like more than that. His passing was magnificent, as he completed 89.4% of his 47 passes, including six of seven long balls and his only through ball attempt. He had a key pass as well. He didn’t attempt a shot but he completed one dribble and drew a foul as he stymied the Miami attack. He did his best to cover Martinez’s quick, incisive run to the opposite side but couldn’t block the shot with his sliding effort. His biggest blemish was getting yet another yellow card for dissent — something he’s mostly been able to avoid this season.
D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 5.5 —While I thought Schlegel had a much better night Sunday than he had in the previous two games, it was far from where he was just a week or two earlier. The quick transition gave him a tough choice of backing off Campana and allowing a dangerous shot or doing what he did — stepping out and allowing a through ball. His closeout wasn’t tight enough. His marking on set pieces also left a lot to be desired at times. His passing was mostly accurate (91.5%), and he connected on two of three long balls, but there were a few dicey ones in his own end. He recorded two aerials won, one tackle, two interceptions, and a clearance. He committed three fouls and picked up a yellow card, conceding a dangerous free kick. His lone shot attempt was an off-target header.
D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6.5 — After a couple of tough games, the Icelandic midfielder-turned-fullback acquitted himself pretty well, considering Inter Miami attacked his side quite a bit. He passed well, connecting 82.5% of the time with one key pass and hitting the target once on two crosses, four times on six long balls, and sent a marvelous through ball that should have resulted in an Ivan Angulo goal, but the winger flubbed his lines. His lone shot attempt was a difficult one and did not threaten goal. He did not record a single defensive stat, although much of the time his opponent curled in toward the top of the area and was passed off to another defender.
MF, Cesar Araujo, 5.5 — The young Uruguayan had a quiet night, without recording any defensive statistics in his 45 minutes before being subbed out at the break for Martin Ojeda. He managed only 23 touches and his passing rate of 73.3% was much lower than his usual standard and he completed one of his two long balls. He also drew two fouls and completed a dribble. He simply wasn’t able to impact the game to the extent we’re used to seeing.
MF, Wilder Cartagena, 7 — It was a good night for the Peruvian midfielder, who was constantly getting under the opponents’ skin. He drew yellow card fouls on Dixon Arroyo and Benjamin Cremaschi — the latter after a slick nutmeg move — and had a steal that was set to ignite the break called back for a foul that I don’t agree was committed. Defensively, he recorded a tackle, a clearance, and an interception. He passed at a 91.1% success rate, created one scoring chance, and completed both of his long-ball attempts.
MF, Ivan Angulo, 5 — Whether it’s a lack of confidence and/or composure or being intimidated by a good goalkeeper, the Ivan Angulo who shoots in warmups is not the same guy in front of goal once the game is underway. He completely flubbed his lines when Thorhallsson sent him in behind for a 1-v-1 chance against Callender. The number of times he gets into dangerous spots and either a bad pass, shot, or decision keeps Orlando City from generating a scoring chance from it is maddening. Angulo failed to get any of his three shot attempts on target. His passing rate was just 60%, he did not have a single key pass, and neither of his two crosses were on target, although his single long ball was. He also didn’t record a single defensive statistic. There are many things Angulo does well, and his speed is tantalizing, but the final product is often lacking.
MF, Mauricio Pereyra, 6 — The captain had a mostly quiet match except when he was scissored down from behind by David Ruiz, somehow only producing a yellow card for the Miami midfielder. Pereyra produced only one key pass and no shot attempts, starting at central attacking midfielder before dropping into central midfield in the second half to pull the strings from a deeper position. He passed at an 80.5% success rate, completing one of three crosses and two of five long balls. He did not record any defensive stats and committed two fouls while drawing three.
MF, Facundo Torres, 6.5 — Torres led the Lions in shots (4), putting two on target, contributing one key pass and winning an aerial. He passed pretty well overall (81.5%), though he did not complete either of his two crosses or his lone long ball. He contributed an interception and a clearance defensively. Miami concentrated on double-teaming the Designated Player whenever possible. Torres still created some opportunities for himself and others, but it was a fairly quiet night overall.
F, Duncan McGuire, 7.5 — The rookie is still getting back to form after returning from injury, so he managed only 18 touches on the night but he did well with the touches he had. Both of McGuire’s shots were on target and both were rockets. Unfortunately, both were right at goalkeeper Callender. Fortunately, the second of those went through the keeper’s legs for the equalizing goal — his ninth of the MLS season. He also created a chance with a key pass, completed 83.3% of his pass attempts, and connected on his only long ball. He even contributed a defensive clearance. It was a good night for the rookie striker, although he wasn’t able to get that many touches.
Substitutes
MF, Martin Ojeda (46′), 6.5 — The Argentine Designated Player came on at halftime for Araujo to give the Lions more attacking presence and an extra playmaker on the field. He continues to grow in recent games, as he put his only shot attempt on target, created a chance with a key pass, and completed two dribbles, although he did have four unstable touches and was dispossessed once. He completed 89.5% of his 19 passes and all three long balls, but missed on his only cross attempt. He helped with the ball back with two tackles, and added a clearance.
MF/F, Ramiro Enrique (74′), 5 — Enrique came on for Angulo, which I thought at the time was the exact sub that was needed, but the Argentine didn’t offer much for the second straight game after winning Player of the Matchday. He did not attempt a shot or create a key pass and managed only seven touches on the night, passing at an 83.3% clip. He chipped in a clearance.
D, Michael Halliday (77′), 5 — The Homegrown defender spelled Thorhallsson but didn’t offer much, despite completing all four of his passes on 13 total touches. He had two unstable touches and was dispossessed once, which is not what you want to see from your fullback in the final 15 minutes of the match. Defensively, he blocked a shot, but he also conceded an unnecessary late corner when he pulled up, thinking he’d won a foul that didn’t end up getting called.
MF, Gaston Gonzalez (84′), N/A — As the MLS U22 Initiative attacker works his way back to fitness, he got a late runout, replacing McGuire, which pushed Enrique to the top of the formation. He conceded a free kick, but I honestly thought his challenge was clean and should have led to an Orlando counterattack. He put his only shot on frame, but it was a weak dribbler right at Callender. He did not complete his only pass attempt of the match.
MF, Junior Urso (84′), N/A — The Bear entered for Pereyra and was active, gettin 12 touches in late. His 90% passing rate on 10 attempts was solid, missing only on his only attempted long ball. He didn’t record any defensive stats, but he also didn’t make any mistakes in his brief spell.
That’s how I saw the individual performances by Orlando City on Sunday night at the stadium. Let me know where I got things right or wrong in the comments below and be sure to vote for your Man of the Match in our poll below.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 9/26/23
Pedro Gallese honored, Orlando Pride and Lions celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Campeones Cup preview, and more.

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I won’t lie to you, I’m dragging a bit to start this week. I’m still recovering from being sick and frankly had to fight the urge to take Monday off. I’m soldiering on though, and there’s plenty of soccer happening this week to help keep me entertained and in good spirits. Let’s have a look at today’s links.
Pedro Gallese Recognized
Pedro Gallese turned in another superb performance during Orlando City’s 1-1 draw with Inter Miami on Sunday, and he’s been rewarded with a place in the most recent edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. El Pulpo made four saves on the night, including a fantastic stop on a header from close range, and helped the Lions stay in the game until they could find the equalizer. Congratulations to Pedro, and here’s hoping he keeps up the good work!
Orlando Pride and Orlando City Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Orlando Pride defender Celia fielded questions for fans to learn more about both her and Spain. Celia is from Alicante, a port city in southern Spain, and shared her favorite food, music, and activity while in her home country. She also spoke on a common misconception about spices used in Spain being spicy.
Orlando City’s Facundo Torres also shared the meaning behind some of his tattoos, which include the Uruguayan flag and La Paz, the city he grew up in. Orlando City’s match with CF Montreal on Saturday will also be Hispanic Heritage Night at Exploria Stadium.
Campeones Cup Preview
You can be forgiven if you forgot that the Campeones Cup is still a thing, because I know I did. Here’s a little refresher on the annual match. It’s being played tomorrow night at BMO Stadium between LAFC and Tigres, the reigning MLS and Liga MX champions, respectively. The MLS representative has won three out of the four contests, with Tigres beating Toronto FC 3-1 in the first iteration of the competition in 2018. This match will also be a rematch of the 2020 Concacaf Champions League final, which saw Tigres emerge victorious 2-1 at Exploria Stadium.
Americans in Midweek Action
A number of Americans will be taking part in games for their clubs this week. Tim Weah and Weston McKennie’s Juventus will take on Lecce today in Serie A, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace face Manchester United in the Carabao Cup. Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah have a league match when AC Milan plays Cagliari tomorrow. PSV Eindhoven has a game against Go Ahead Eagles tomorrow as well, which means Ricardo Pepi, Sergino Dest and Malik Tillman could all be involved. Friday closes out the week with Hoffenheim taking on Borussia Dortmund, which could see John Brooks matched up against Gio Reyna depending on Reyna’s fitness.
Spanish Players Will Testify Against Rubiales
Alexia Putellas, Irene Paredes, and Misa Rodriguez have all been called to testify as witnesses in the case against Luis Rubiales. Jenni Hermoso’s brother and a friend of the player both testified on Monday afternoon, as Rubiales is facing charges of sexual assault and coercion. Rubiales has already testified and maintains he did nothing wrong amid uproar that has led to a number of Spanish players refusing to return to the team until changes are made, and a general overshadowing of Spain’s victory at the Women’s World Cup. Putellas, Paredes, and Rodriguez will testify next Monday.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City B came in 10th in the latest edition of the MLS NEXT Pro power rankings.
- Edgar Paez, the president of Colombian team Tigres, was shot and killed following the team’s loss on Saturday.
- Jadon Sancho’s Manchester United teammates have reportedly urged him to apologize to Erik ten Hag.
That’s all I have for today. Y’all stay safe out there!
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