Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I hope you’re recovering from the season opener. I find it best to look for the positives or just pretend none of it ever happened. I’m certain one of those two is a healthy way to process your feelings. The good news is that the season is underway, the Orlando Pride are close to starting their new campaign, and we get to watch the USWNT play tonight. See? It isn’t all bad. Let’s get to the links, but first, let’s wish Pride midfielder Morgan Gautrat a happy birthday.

Tsukada Out for the Season

Yutaro Tsukada has been placed on the Season-Ending Injury list for Orlando City following successful surgery on his left ACL. The young midfielder sustained the injury in the preseason match against CF Montreal. While we expected this news, it doesn’t make it any easier for Tsukada, the club, or any of us. It’s another blow to the depth of Orlando City in a season that has only just begun. We wish Tsukada a full and speedy recovery.

OCB Striker Signing

When I said I wanted Orlando City to sign a new striker, I should have been more specific. The club acquired the SuperDraft Priority to forward Dyson Clapier from Sporting Kansas City. In return, Sporting Kansas City gets Orlando City’s natural second-round pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft. Following the acquisition, Clapier was signed to an MLS NEXT Pro contract through 2025, with a club option in 2026.

SheBelieves Cup Finishes Tonight

The USWNT will need a victory against Japan tonight to win the 2025 SheBelieves Cup. Japan holds the advantage thanks to a plus-seven goal differential as compared to the plus-three goal differential of the U.S. The match is set for 7:30 p.m. at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. There are on air and streaming options available to watch the match. If the USWNT can pull out the victory, it will be the sixth SheBelieves title in a row. Emily Sams got the start and went the full 90 minutes against Australia on Sunday. Hopefully, the Orlando Pride defender will see more action this evening.

Ream is a Believer

With the 2026 World Cup coming up next year, the USMNT wants to make a big splash. Longtime U.S. defender Tim Ream says that Mauricio Pochettino is the right man to do the job. Ream will certainly be an integral part of the next World Cup squad, and he asserts that Pochettino will evolve the USMNT to the next level.

Free Kicks

• Linda Henry has left the ownership group of Boston’s NWSL expansion club. It was the whole “BosNation FC” thing, wasn’t it Linda?
• San Diego FC continues to build its new squad.

• Casey Krueger’s time with the USWNT appears to be done. Emma Hayes is going younger.
• The MLS Disciplinary Committee suspended and fined Chicago Fire midfielder Brian Gutiérrez for one match.

• Gutierrez wasn’t the only player fined by DisCo. The only thing I’m certain of is that the fine wasn’t big enough.

• Congratulations to Chris and Alyssa Mueller on the birth of their new baby.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the match this weekend. As for today, go USA!

Orlando City announced this afternoon that midfielder Yutaro Tsukada underwent a successful surgery on his left ACL. As a result, the young attacker has been placed on the Season-Ending Injury list and will miss the entire 2025 MLS season.

Tsukada went down in the first 20 minutes in a preseason friendly against CF Montreal on Feb. 8. The trainers worked on the left knee of the left-sided midfielder and he came back onto the field. However, he went down again after cutting inside during an attack, going to the ground without contact. This time he was done.

As the young attacker was helped off the field, he pulled his shirt over his eyes, indicating it was a serious injury that would likely see his season end before it began. That fear was confirmed with Orlando City’s announcement this afternoon.

The 23-year-old’s surgery took place Feb. 21 at the Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute in downtown Orlando and was performed by the club’s chief medical officer and orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Craig Mintzer.

Tsukada was drafted by Orlando City with the 25th overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft out of West Virginia University. He subsequently signed with Orlando City B on March 15, 2024, making 22 appearances with 20 starts, scoring seven goals, and adding seven assists with the Young Lions. 

The midfielder signed a short-term MLS contract last May and another in July before signing for the first team on Aug. 15. He made four appearances in his rookie year for the first team — all off the bench — and recorded 26 minutes.

Tsukada’s recovery is expected to take nine months, causing him to miss the entire 2025 MLS season. The club says he’ll be continuously evaluated throughout the rehabilitation process.

What It Means for Orlando City

It’s been a tough few months for Orlando City. The Lions sold their best player in Facundo Torres, lost starting striker Duncan McGuire until midseason with shoulder surgery, and lost starting defensive midfielder Wilder Cartagena for the year. Now they lose a depth piece with Tsukada.

The midfielder’s loss isn’t quite as significant as the other three, as he would’ve backed up Ivan Angulo in the regular season. However, he showed tremendous promise last year with OCB, and the club seemed excited to see what he could do with a full season with the first team.

Instead, it’s another setback for another Lion. Hopefully he’ll make a full recovery and we’ll be able to see what the young Japanese player can do at the MLS level.

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It was a rough start to the season for Orlando City, but that (hopefully) means that there’s nowhere to go but up. Regardless of if that proves to be true or not, the only way out is through, which means we need to start getting ready for Toronto FC on Saturday. We have lots to talk about today though, so let’s get into the links.

Marco Pasalic Recognized on TotM Bench

Marco Pasalic made his competitive debut for Orlando City in the team’s 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Union on Saturday and was one of the bright spots in a rough performance as he scored both of the team’s goals. He was justifiably rewarded with a place on the bench in the first MLS Team of the Matchday of the 2025 season. In addition to the goals, the Croatian was a threat all evening, as he put four of his seven shots on target and also provided two key passes. Sean Rollins named him Man of the Match for his performance, and it’s nice to see him getting some love on the larger stage as well. Hopefully this is just the first of many times he earns weekly recognition like this.

Americans in Midweek Action

We’ve got a lot of Americans who will be taking part in games during the working week, so make sure you get everything you want to see marked down on your calendar. Things start Wednesday with Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace hosting Aston Villa in the Premier League, while Antonee Robinson and Fulham travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers. Wednesday sees Richy Ledezma and PSV Eindhoven host Go Ahead Eagles in the KNVB Cup semifinals, while PSV’s other three Americans remain out injured. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus will also host Empoli in a Coppa Italia quarterfinal. The other big match of the week is on Thursday, as Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan try to bounce back from a wobbly run of form as they visit Bologna in Serie A play.

U.S. Announces Preliminary Nations League Roster

Along with the other three semifinalists in the competition, the United States Men’s National Team has released its preliminary roster for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League semifinals. Currently standing at 60, the roster will be cut down to 23 by March 10, with the USMNT taking on Panama on March 20. The usual suspects are all present, like Pulisic, McKennie, Robinson, Tyler Adams, and Matt Turner, with plenty of young names like Aidan Morris, Diego Kochen, Jackson Ragen, and Jack McGlynn. The most intrigue will take part at striker. While Josh Sargent is almost surely a lock to make the team, any one of Patrick Agyemang, Brandon Vazquez, and Jordan Morris could easily find themselves included or missing out.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Despite most winter transfer windows being closed, there are still plenty of rumors we need to keep tabs on. First up, AC Milan is said to be monitoring the contract situations of stars Mike Maignan, Theo Hernandez, and Rafael Leao, and could be open to selling all three of them if the club does not qualify for the UEFA Champions League this season. Elsewhere, Vitor Roque’s proposed transfer from Barcelona to Palmeiras is reportedly off, as La Liga rules prevent Roque’s loan at Real Betis being cut short since the league is currently not in a registration period. Meanwhile, Manchester City has reportedly identified FC Porto netminder Diogo Costa as the man to replace current goalkeeper Ederson. Finally, Real Madrid is allegedly one of the teams in regular contact with Yamine Lamal’s agent, although Los Blancos have reportedly been told that Barcelona (unsurprisingly) refuses to sell him to its Spanish rivals.

Free Kicks

• Former Orlando City manager Adrian Heath took a trip down memory lane during his time at the season opener on Saturday.

• Inter&Co Stadium opened its doors just over eight years ago.

• The Seattle Sounders have announced an initiative to try to get more new fans to attend games.

• This is a very worthwhile read about Black Players for Change, the organization that fights for equality both inside and outside of Major League Soccer.
• Manchester United will make another 200 positions at the club redundant in the latest round of cost-cutting measures.

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!