Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s a bit odd to be writing the first Lion Links following the news we dropped yesterday that The Mane Land will be ceasing operations after the end of this season. The outpouring of supportive comments we’ve received has been greatly appreciated by all of the staff. We’ve always done this as a labor of love for the the teams we cover, but more importantly, for you, our readers. Of course, we’re not done yet, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City’s Decision-ish Day

Orlando City thankfully heads into the Decision Day match against the New England Revolution already guaranteed a place in the playoffs. That’s not to say that the result doesn’t have ramifications. A win combined with some other results can see the Lions climb back into seventh place, avoiding the play-in match. It won’t be easy, given New England sits in third place in the Eastern Conference. Orlando City is just above the line at ninth, and is No. 18 in the final MLS power rankings of the regular season.

Another Banda Nomination

There were only two NWSL players nominated for the FIFPRO 2026 Women’s World 11, and Barbra Banda was one of them. Gotham FC goalkeeper\ Ann-Katrin Berger was the other. The list was decidedly European, with Banda also being one of only four non-European players making the list. Fortunately, the powers that be didn’t lose their collective minds enough to leave Banda off the list.

Orlando Pride Off-Season Begins

We’re all familiar with the “one weird trick” articles, which is kind of what this article about what one question each already eliminated NWSL club needs to answer this off-season is. For the Orlando Pride, that question is “Can Barbra Banda get some help?” That is an important question, but it’s also only one of a dozen things that need to be addressed starting yesterday. It will be up to Caitlin Carducci do get the ship righted over the next few months.

Hayes Names Preliminary USWNT Roster

USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes named a 51-player preliminary roster for the upcoming Concacaf W Championship matches at the end of the month. Hayes will need to whittle that roster down in the next few weeks. Even former Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams made the list — at least for now. There are some NWSL players that have impressed, and others that have not, for the NWSL.

Free Kicks

• Antoine Griezmann’s jersey is ranked fifth in the Top 10 jersey sales in MLS. I think that is pretty impressive, given he wasn’t here all season.
• Mauricio Pochettino will be selecting a squad for the upcoming Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. He will also need to deal with several injured USMNT players in his selection process.
• AS Monaco has added USMNT striker Folarin Balogun to the squad for the Conference League now that he is staying at the club.
• The Asian Cup has been postponed due to a series of attacks in Saudi Arabia including one at Riyadh’s airport.
• The MLS Disciplinary Committee fined Charlotte FC forward Allan Saint-Maximin for not leaving the field in a timely manner after being sent off in the match against Orlando City.
• The Western Conference also has Decision Day drama with six teams competing for three playoff spots.

That will do it for today.

Good morning, everyone. It was a pretty dreadful weekend for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride, but at least the Lions inadvertently booked a spot in the playoffs. They have a chance to leapfrog the Columbus Crew and FC Cincinnati on Decision Day, but in order to do so, they need to beat the New England Revolution at home and hope the Crew drop points and Cincy loses, which would give Orlando the tiebreaker on wins.

We’ve got plenty to talk about this morning, so let’s get into the links.

MLS Announces Playoff Schedule

Major League Soccer has announced the schedule for this year’s postseason. The playoffs will start on Thursday, Nov. 19 with the single-elimination play-in games for the Eastern and Western conferences. The first round which is played as a best-of-three series will take place from Nov. 20 – Dec. 2, with the conference semifinals held on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6. Conference finals will take place on Dec. 11 and Dec. 12, and the MLS Cup final will be held on Friday, Dec. 18. There will be a break for just under two weeks following Decision Day on Saturday, as the league will observe the November international window.

Forecasting Playoff Matchups

Speaking of the playoffs, there is still some shifting and variability that can happen in both conferences, especially the West, but we’re getting an idea of how the bracket may shake out. Nashville SC is locked into the top seed in the East, and Vancouver has that no. 1 seed in the West. Other than that, there’s a lot of mobility that can still happen on Decision Day, and six teams are fighting for the last three playoff spots in the Western Conference. If the postseason started today, Orlando City would travel to the Columbus Crew for the East’s play-in game, although a win for the Lions combined with the Crew dropping points would instead have Columbus traveling to the purple palace if FC Cincinnati secures a point against Nashville, but if Nashville beats Cincinnati, Orlando wins, and Columbus drops points, the Lions would leap to the last spot above the play-in game. LAFC and San Diego would take part in a clash of California teams, with the winner potentially facing off against the LA Galaxy in the conference semifinals provided the third and final California side manages to upset FC Dallas.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a whole host of American players taking part in games during the working week, and continental competitions are a recurring theme. Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid host Bayern Munich in a marquee UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday, while Alex Freeman and Villarreal take on Paris Saint-Germain in the same competition. Wednesday has Ricardo Pepi, Sergino Dest, and PSV Eindhoven play Club Brugge in the UCL, while Mathis Albert and Borussia Dortmund host Real Betis. Thursday has some American-on-American violence as Tim Weah and Marseille hit the road to battle Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League. We then get more Yank vs. Yank on Friday when Gio Reyna and Strasbourg play Mark McKenzie and Toulouse in Ligue 1 action.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Despite the January transfer window still a way off, there are plenty of rumors flying around that we can sink our teeth into. We start with former Lion Freeman, who is reportedly attracting interest from Manchester United, Manchester City, and Tottenham. Newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane says that he expects to sign a new contract with Bayern Munich “within the next few days.” Barcelona fullback Alejandro Balde is reportedly ready to open to leaving during the winter window, with Manchester United and Manchester City both said to be monitoring his situation. Staying with Barcelona, the Spanish side is reportedly preparing to mount a fresh bid to sign center back Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City held fast at no.11 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
• The Orlando Pride stayed at no. 13 in the same publication’s final edition of NWSL power rankings.
• Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel is in the hospital in stable condition after he suffered cardiac arrest during the team’s game against FC Andorra on Monday. [UPDATE 9:17 a.m. – Sadly, de Miguel passed away this morning after his condition worsened overnight. The Mane Land staff offers our deepest condolences to de Miguel’s friends, family, teammates, and fans.]
• Michael Carrick says he is not worried about Lisandro Martinez’s commitment to Manchester United following his comments criticizing the club’s board.

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

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I had a busy week at work, but spent Halloween weekend catching up with friends in Orlando at Walt Disney World. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira (at least according to past social media posts by the club), who completed another lap around the sun on Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Shut Out at Charlotte FC, Clinch Playoff Spot

Orlando City fell 4-0 to Charlotte FC on the road on Saturday at Bank of America Stadium. Henry Kessler scored Charlotte’s opening goal six minutes into the match. In the second half, Allan Saint-Maximin, Abdoulaye Doucoure, and Rodolfo Aloko all scored to seal back-to-back wins. Orlando City failed to capitalize on its chances up front, and its back line struggled to slow Charlotte’s attack throughout the match. That result dropped Orlando to ninth in the Eastern Conference table with 43 points, however, with Sunday’s losses by the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC, Orlando City has clinched a playoff spot for the seventh straight year — the longest streak in MLS.

The Lions will return to action on Saturday for their regular-season finale at home against the New England Revolution.

Pride Fall at Seattle Reign on Decision Day

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to Seattle Reign FC in the season finale on Sunday at Lumen Field. After a scoreless first half, Jordyn Bugg scored the lone goal in the match for Seattle to win and clinch the final playoff spot. Orlando struggled on offense and finished the game with zero shots on goal. The Pride end their 2026 season with two consecutive losses, finishing 11th in the NWSL table with 36 points.

NWSL Decision Day Recap

In other NWSL results, one playoff spot remained up for grabs entering Decision Day on Sunday, but the Seattle Reign locked up the eighth and final playoff spot with their win over Orlando. That result eliminated both the North Carolina Courage and the Denver Summit from playoff contention despite the Courage beating Denver 1-0. The Washington Spirit defeated the Chicago Stars 2-0, the Kansas City Current beat Racing Louisville 2-0, and the Portland Thorns shut out the Houston Dash 2-0. Angel City cruised to a 4-1 win against Boston Legacy, the San Diego Wave shut out Bay FC 1-0, and Gotham FC beat the Utah Royals 2-0 to clinch the 2026 NWSL Shield. The 2026 NWSL playoff matches are set with Gotham FC facing the Seattle Reign. The San Diego Wave will host the Utah Royals, the Washington Spirit will take on the Portland Thorns, and the Kansas City Current will battle Angel City.

Americans Abroad

Christian Pulisic scored the opener for AC Milan in a 3-1 victory against Inter Milan over the weekend, ending their rivals nine-match unbeaten run in Serie A. Two Americans faced off in the English Premier League as Tyler Adams and AFC Bournemouth took on Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United. Adams played a full 90 minutes while Aaronson came off the bench late in the second half as AFC Bournemouth defeated Leeds United 2-0. In Ligue 1, Folarin Balogun scored for AS Monaco but his side fell 3-1 to Paris FC. In the EFL Championship, Sebastian Berhalter scored his third goal of the season and added an assist for Middlesbrough in a 3-0 win against Charlton Athletic. Jack McGlynn scored his third goal of the season for Stoke City in a 2-0 win over Preston North End.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City forward Yutaro Tsukada, who is on loan at Rhode Island FC, scored a penalty kick, but his side lost 5-4 on penalties to the Charleston Battery after a 1-1 draw in the USL Championship playoff quarterfinals on Saturday.

• The NWSL announced on Friday its roster-building mechanisms for its next expansion teams, Atlanta City FC and Columbus, as both clubs prepare to build their inaugural rosters and begin league play in 2028.
• The MLS NEXT Pro Cup final is set as LAFC 2 defeated Ventura County FC 1-0 on Friday and will face Chattanooga FC, which edged Columbus Crew 2 3-2 on Sunday.
• On Sunday, in the third round of qualifying for the 2027 U.S. Open Cup, two Florida teams clashed as UPSL side Harbor City FC, based in Melbourne, defeated USL League 2 side Shark Coast FC 1-0 to advance to the final round of qualifying later this month.

• Kai Havertz’s first-half goal lifted Arsenal to a 1-0 win over Liverpool and to the top of the English Premier League table.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.