Orlando City and the Orlando Pride returned from the FIFA World Cup break heading in different directions. But both teams are missing a striker they can rely on in key moments.

For the Pride, the absence has been impossible to ignore.

Barbra Banda is away on international duty, leading Zambia in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. In her absence, the Pride have struggled to find the back of the net. They’ve been shut out in four of their last six games, including losses to Angel City FC, Boston Legacy FC, the Utah Royals, and the North Carolina Courage. The most recent loss dropped them out of the playoff positions.

The results have shown more than just a lack of goals. They’ve shown how much Banda impacts the way the Pride play.

Banda’s value goes beyond her ability to finish chances. Her speed, strength, and movement force opposing defenses to adjust. She creates space for teammates, stretches back lines, and gives the Pride a constant attacking threat.

Without her, the Pride have had to find different ways to generate offense. Apart from the 3-0 win over the Kansas City Current on July 10, it’s been a struggle. The only other game in which they’ve scored was a 1-0 victory over Chicago Stars FC on July 24, and it took until the 88th minute and more than 20 shots to finally convert.

The encouraging part for this team is that the answer is already on the roster.

Once Banda returns from international duty, the Pride will regain one of the league’s most feared attacking players. The striker still leads the league in goals with 12, two ahead of Ashley Sanchez. The recent struggles have only highlighted how important she is to the team’s success, and how the team must find a play style that allows other attacking players to be successful — with or without Banda in the lineup.

Orlando City’s situation is different.

The Lions haven’t experienced the same scoring drought as the Pride. They’ve continued to create chances and find goals from different areas of the field. But Saturday night’s 3-2 loss to the New York Red Bulls showed why having a dependable goal scorer can still make the difference.

Orlando City created enough opportunities to change the outcome. The Lions hit the woodwork three times and had late chances to find an equalizer. But they couldn’t find the finishing touch needed to turn those opportunities into goals.

Those are the moments when teams rely on a player who can change a game with one chance. It’s the role Orlando City hopes Daryl Dike can once again provide.

During his first stint with the team, Dike gave the Lions something they’d been searching for — a true target forward who could lead the attack. His physical presence allowed the team to play more directly, hold possession higher up the field, and create more danger inside the box.

Dike’s ability to battle defenders, win aerial duels, and finish chances made him one of Major League Soccer’s most promising young forwards before Orlando City sold him to West Bromwich Albion in January 2021.

Replacing that production has proved to be easier said than done.

The Lions initially attempted to fill that role by signing Ercan Kara in January 2022 as a Designated Player. But the Austrian striker never became the consistent attacking presence the team needed. Orlando City eventually found more promise with Duncan McGuire, selecting the Creighton forward with the sixth overall pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. McGuire quickly showed why the club believed he could be the long-term answer, providing the type of penalty-box presence and finishing ability the team had been searching for.

But his path in Orlando changed.

A proposed move to Blackburn Rovers fell through in January 2024, and later that season McGuire suffered a dislocated right shoulder during the playoffs. After returning, he struggled to regain the same form, and another setback came in May 2025 when he tore the labrum in his left shoulder against Atlanta United.

The injuries changed the trajectory of McGuire’s time with the Lions, and Orlando City moved him to the Houston Dynamo on July 10.

Once again, Orlando City found itself searching for a dependable center forward.

The Lions have still found goals over the past two seasons thanks largely to Martin Ojeda. The attacking midfielder scored 20 goals in 2025 and leads the club again this season with 11, becoming Orlando City’s primary offensive threat.

Ojeda’s recent absence has only made his value more apparent. Orlando City has been without its leading scorer because of a recent thigh injury as he continues his pursuit of club history. Ojeda enters the stretch run with 44 career goals, three shy of Facundo Torres’ club record of 47.

But even with Ojeda producing at an elite level, Orlando City has continued searching for a traditional number nine who can occupy center backs, win aerial battles, and finish chances inside the box. That’s where Dike can make the difference.

Dike is back in Orlando, signing with his original professional club on July 17. The challenge is whether he can return to the player Orlando City fans remember. Injuries have slowed his progress in recent years, but the Lions believe he can once again become the striker who gave the team a different dimension.

That’s where the two Orlando teams differ.

The Pride know exactly what they’re getting back. Banda has already proven she can be the focal point of a championship-caliber attack. Her absence has been temporary, and her return should immediately change the way defenses approach the Pride.

For Orlando City, the answer is less certain. The Lions know what Dike was during his first stint with the team. Now they are waiting to see if he can become that player again.

The circumstances are different, but the lesson is the same. A dependable, go-to striker can transform a team.

The Pride are waiting for theirs to return. Orlando City is hoping its answer has arrived.

Hello, Mane Landers! I can’t believe it’s August already, and I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been keeping myself busy at work and catching up on Ted Lasso before the new season drops on Apple TV later this week. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Poor Start Dooms Lions in Loss at New York Red Bulls

Orlando City fell 3-2 to the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday. Mijahir Jimenez scored the opener for New York in the first half. The Red Bulls added another goal to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Tyrese Spicer pulled one back for Orlando, but Jimenez responded with his second goal of the match. Griffin Dorsey pulled the Lions back within one, however, New York held on for the win, and Orlando has not beaten the Red Bulls in its last seven matches. Orlando City’s next match will be its Leagues Cup opener Wednesday against Liga MX side Monterey at home.

Pride Suffer Heavy Defeat at North Carolina Courage

The Orlando Pride were blown away 5-0 by the North Carolina Courage on the road at First Horizon Stadium on Friday. Evelyn Ijeh recorded a hat trick, and Lauryn Thompson and Ashley Sanchez each added a goal apiece as the Courage dominated the Pride. Orlando’s offensive struggles continue as the club has lost three of its last four matches. The Pride will be home for their next match Friday to face Racing Louisville FC.

OCB Falls at Connecticut United

Orlando City B fell 4-2 to Connecticut United FC on the road at Reese Stadium in New Haven, CT, on Saturday. Landon Okonski scored the opener in the first half for the Young Lions. However, Connecticut scored two goals to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. In the second half, Connecticut scored twice again to take a 4-1 lead. Matthew Belgodere added a goal for the Young Lions in stoppage time, but Connecticut sealed its fifth consecutive victory. OCB has lost back-to-back matches and will have to wait until next week, on Aug. 11, to face New York City FC II on the road.

Latest MLS Transfer Roundup

Atlanta United has loaned forward Emmanuel Latte Lath to Union Berlin of the Bundesliga ahead of the 2026-2027 season. The loan deal is for one year and includes a purchase option. Meanwhile, the Columbus Crew are reportedly set to transfer wingback Max Arfsten to EFL Championship side Middlesbrough for a $7.5 million transfer fee. Hull City of the English Premier League has reportedly reached an agreement with the Colorado Rapids to sign defender Lucas Herrington.

FIFA Abandons Plans to Sell Stakes in World Cup

On Friday, FIFA announced it will not proceed with plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private equity investors after facing significant backlash. FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s proposal had received strong opposition from the UEFA, Concacaf, and AFC confederations. If the plan was to move forward, UEFA stated that all 55 of its members would boycott FIFA competitions, including future World Cups. According to reports, UEFA and Concacaf have questioned Infantino’s future leadership in FIFA, raising the possibility that he may face a challenger in the 2027 elections, while other associations such as Wales have reportedly withdrawn support for his re-election.

Meanwhile, UEFA has reportedly threatened legal action against FIFA over its recent proposal to sell off the World Cup.

Free Kicks

• Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda played 90 minutes for Zambia in a 1-0 defeat to Nigeria on Saturday in the 2026 Women’s African Cup of Nations. Zambia will face Malawi in its final group stage match on Wednesday.
• Gotham FC defender Emily Sonnett will miss the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season after undergoing surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in her left knee.
• Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha will be allowed to display his nickname on his jersey when he joins Colo-Colo after organizers of Chile’s Primera Division amended a league regulation requiring players only to display surnames on their jerseys.
• Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been cleared to play after his four-year doping ban was successfully appealed at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
• An ownership group led by former Vancouver Canucks owner Arthur Griffiths has reportedly submitted an offer to purchase the Whitecaps.

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

The Lions had chances to make it three wins, or at least three results, from their first three post-World Cup matches, but the defense let them down as they were swept by the Red Bulls this season, losing 3-2 on Saturday night. The second half was much better than the first half, in particular on the left side of Orlando City’s attack and defense, but the 2-0 halftime hole was too deep and Orlando City could not ever get back level after falling behind.

I have my purple pen out and am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their matchup with an Eastern Conference opponent.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 6.5 — Orlando City’s defense did no favors for the Canadian, as it would have taken world-class saves for Crépeau to keep out any of the three goals scored by New York. Perhaps he could have gotten a hand on the second or third third goal, but few goalkeepers, if any, save any of the chances that New York converted. On the whole, Crépeau was excellent, making four saves (most sites had him with five, but the official stats on the MLS website only credited him with four) and completing 90.9% of his passes. He gave the Lions the opportunity to get back into the game with his strong play throughout.

D, Adrián Marin, 4 — Marin’s lack of pace was painfully obvious during the first half on Saturday, and New York attacked repeatedly down his side to take advantage of it. The game’s first goal came via an attack on his side, and the Spaniard was probably lucky it took as long as it did for the Red Bulls to score, because they had been feasting on his area up until the goal. That feast continued after the first goal, and the Red Bulls’ second goal came after Marin failed to step up to Cade Cowell quickly enough and Cowell was able to find Emil Forsberg alone in front of goal. On the other side of the field, Marin got forward and helped to create some offense, but his final product was not impactful when he had chances to engage. He completed 85% of his passes and added one tackle and one clearance on defense, but it was not a surprise when he came off at halftime for Bernard Rhein, as the Lions needed to make a change on the left side of the defense.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — The Beefy Swede came inches away from scoring a late goal to earn the Lions a point, and even though he could not convert that chance and the defense allowed three goals, it was still a solid night for the captain. Jansson cleaned up a few messes with sliding stops, including a great recovery run that prevented a breakaway for Mijahir Jiménez and actually turned into an Orlando City goal kick. He led all played with 85 completed passes, at a 91.4% completion rate, and his long ball over the top to Tyrese Spicer helped create Orlando City’s second goal. Jansson added one tackle, one interception, one block, and two clearances in a solid game in central defense.

D, David Brekalo, 5.5 —Brekalo stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high eight defensive contributions (one tackle, four blocks, and three clearances), but he was directly involved in both the first and third goals and could not contain Jiménez. He was not quick enough to get in front of the Red Bulls striker on the first goal and did not close down the Panamanian quickly enough on the third, and while he is not solely at fault on either, he definitely owns part of the responsibility. On the plus side, Brekalo’s four blocks were crucial and he completed 93.5% of his passes, including 22 into the attacking half of the field.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 6.5 — Orlando City’s right back bombed away against New York, with a heatmap that was much hotter in the attacking third of the field than defending third, despite Dorsey playing on the back line. His flicked header across the face of the goal helped to set up Orlando City’s first goal, and after timing his run perfectly to the back post, he scored the second goal with a tap-in, and he almost scored a goal in the first half as well, missing just wide from a shot on the right side of the box. Dorsey gave away the ball cheaply a few times in the attacking third, but he completed 81.3% of his passes and added two tackles, one interception, and one clearance on defense before coming off for Zakaria Taifi in the 72nd minute.

MF, Tiago, 4 — It was another start and another quiet performance from Tiago, who had a few chances to make plays but never was able to put anything together to really challenge New York. The official stats said he only completed two of his four passes, but he completed a few more than that, however every pass that he completed was toward his own goal, which is less than ideal from a wing player. He had one tackle and one interception on defense, and with New York repeatedly attacking Orlando City’s left side and finding great success, it was no surprise when Tiago came off at halftime for Tyrese Spicer.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 5 — Atuesta nearly opened the scoring early in the first half with a cannon shot off the underside of the crossbar, but aside from that near moment of magic, he brought little to the table on Saturday and actually took some things off the table on the defensive end. He completely lost Gustav Berggren on New York’s first goal, allowing the Red Bulls midfielder a free look to pick out a teammate across the box, and then he was saved by the offside flag after slowing down his recovery run and not getting all the way back to step in front of an uncovered Forsberg. In the second half, he again did not recover deep enough, allowing Jiménez enough room to sneak right in between Brekalo and Atuesta to score what turned out to be the game-winning goal. He came off immediately after that goal, having completed 86% of his passes and making one interception and one clearance, but really playing a mostly empty game.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 7.5 —Among the starting midfielders and attackers, Ojeda played the best all-around game, contributing three key passes, including an assist on a perfectly placed header to Spicer and a beautiful through ball that put Spicer in on goal, as well as two tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance. He also led all field players with 11 loose ball recoveries, while completing 72 passes at a 93.5% completion rate. The Paraguayan picked up all of the slack that he could from Atuesta while partnering with the Colombian and had a strong partnership with Luís Otávio when he came on to replace Atuesta for the final 30 minutes. “Defensive” Ojeda was everywhere, accumulating 93 touches while staying in perpetual motion on offense and defense, and despite a few loose touches in the attacking third, he was a strong contender for Man of the Match.

MF, Iván Angulo, 6 —The Colombian had two decent chances to bag a goal and continue his hot streak coming off the World Cup break, but it was not his night. Justin Ellis found him with an incisive pass early in the game, but Angulo had his shot blocked. Late in the game, the Colombian freed himself for a left-footed shot from the top of the box but hit it straight at New York goalkeeper Ethan Horvath. He completed 95.5% of his passes and led all players in tackles with four, but there were moments when he looked like early season Angulo with wayward touches and passes instead of the player from recent games who had looked like another number 10 on offense. Angulo’s pace and hustle were there, but overall he regressed from how he played last week, as it was more positive than negative, but only moderately positive.

F, Antoine Griezmann, 6 — The spotlight will always be brighter on Orlando City’s highest profile player, and while he was by no means poor, he did not deliver on Saturday. There were moments that could have changed that, in particular when Griezmann found Spicer with a beautiful ball but the winger’s shot went just wide, but while he was credited with an assist on a ball he barely touched on its way to Dorsey, the French superstar was not majorly involved in either goal (he took the corner kick that led to the first goal, but that ball eventually went all the way across the goal and then back before it went in). Late in the game, Griezmann showed his unselfishness by dummying a ball to allow it to go to Angulo, but with respect to the Colombian, the better play for the Lions would have been for Griezmann to make an attempt himself. He completed 86.4% of his passes, including two key passes, and tried to create all over the field, but it was not his night.

F, Justin Ellis, 6.5— The young attacker roamed the field looking to create attacks, with equally hot spots on his heatmap from both the right and left sides of Orlando City’s attacking third of the field. Ellis led the team with five key passes and completed 83.6% of his passes overall, but despite his great vision, in particular on passes to Angulo in the first half and Spicer and Taifi in the second half, none of his key passes turned into assists. Ellis also dropped deep to help Orlando City connect passes to get the ball out of its own defensive third and made one slaloming run on his own to progress the ball out himself. Saturday night was devoid of dribbling flash, but Ellis was solid and his class was evident. His teammates just could not turn their shot attempts into goals against New York.

Substitutes

MF, Tyrese Spicer (46′), 7.5 (MotM) — Spicy T did it again, coming off the bench hot to score a goal and contribute an assist. If there was an MLS award similar to the Sixth Man Award in the NBA for the best contributors who rarely start, he undoubtedly would be a major contender, and he nearly contributed even more, because he ripped a right-footed shot right at Horvath and a left-footed just off the outer part of the post, and with slightly better placement, both of those might have gone in. As it was, he got himself into a dangerous position early in the second half and nodded in a header to get Orlando City on the board, and then pulled the Lions within one goal once again a few minutes later after whipping in a nice cross that Dorsey finished with a tap-in. Spicer has outplayed Tiago on the left wing since the season resumed in July, perhaps during Leagues Cup we will see how he does as a starter. He put four of his five shots on goal and completed 93.8% of his passes and nearly turned the game completely around after entering at halftime.

D, Bernardo Rhein (46′), 5.5 — The Homegrown left back was an upgrade over Marin at left back during his minutes on the field, and while he still has a lot of room to grow, he made his case again that he should be the starting left back going forward. Going forward is what Rhein does best at the moment, as he likes to get into the attack and create chances and did so against New York, completing 88% of his passes, including one excellent cross to Dorsey for a big chance that was blocked, while also pushing way forward and getting a shot blocked himself as well. Rhein’s swashbuckling offense partnered well with fellow sub Spicer’s, and the left side looked much better offensively in the second half. The young left back learned a few hard lessons on defense, however, and he was culpable for New York’s third goal, as he failed to clear a ball that he, pardon the pun, clearly should have been able to extricate from danger, and the Red Bulls punished him for his mistake for the game-winning goal. His defensive partners helped him escape a second punishment later in the half, and while these lessons and reps will pay dividends later in the season, the mistake that led to the goal was costly on Saturday night.

MF, Luís Otávio (62′), 6 — Otávio was excellent off the bench, outperforming the man he replaced (Atuesta) and nearly getting the Lions back level. He competed 84.4% of his passes and doubled Atuesta’s defensive contribution tally in approximately half the minutes, logging one tackle, two interceptions, and one clearance in only 29 minutes. The Brazilian went all out throughout his shift, and with the Lions stretched trying to find an equalizer, his hustle and backtracking were key in keeping the team at only a one-goal deficit.

D, Zakaria Taifi (72′), 5.5 — The Homegrown Zak-of-all-trades came on at right back in this one, and just as Dorsey did, he made a great effort to get deep into the attack while also recovering well to get back on defense. Taifi’s one big chance came just minutes after he entered, as Ellis found him alone in the box with a cross-field pass, but Taifi’s first touch was not ideal and he was unable to recover and get his shot on target. He completed 80% of his passes and added two interceptions, one critical block, and one clearance, but his big moment was on that shot attempt, and he was unable to convert it to tie the game.

F, Harvey Sarajian (87′), N/A — The rookie came on late for Ellis but did not have many opportunities to influence the game. He completed one of his two pass attempted and hustled around the field, but nothing came of it. He picked up a yellow card for a rough aerial challenge on a 50/50 ball just moments after entering the game.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 3-2 loss on the road at New York. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.