Happy Friday, Mane Landers! Counting today, there are just 20 days left of 2025. This year has felt like forever, but I also can’t seem to wrap my head around 2026 being just around the corner. I’m hoping to knock out a majority of my errands over the next few days to help ease into the coming weeks. Let’s get to the links!

NWSL Reportedly Approves New Roster Mechanism

The biggest storyline of the NWSL off-season so far is where Trinity Rodman will be playing next year, making the salary cap a notable talking point. The league’s NWSL Board of Governors reportedly approved a roster mechanism that would allow clubs to pay certain star players beyond the current salary cap. Clubs would be able to pay “High Impact Players” up to $1 million over the salary cap, with only a portion of that salary being a cap hit.

In order for players to qualify as a High Impact Player, they would have to meet commercial and sporting benchmarks. It’s a similar concept to Designated Players in MLS, with the limit to how much NWSL clubs can go over the cap being the biggest difference. All in all, this would help NWSL clubs compete with offers from clubs abroad for the league’s top players.

USMNT Will Face Senegal in May

The United States Men’s National Team will host Senegal on May 31 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte for its penultimate game before the World Cup. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two nations and it should be a good match between the U.S. and one of the top African teams. Senegal is currently ranked 19th in the FIFA men’s rankings and went undefeated in World Cup qualifying, winning seven games. Following this match, the USMNT will take on Germany in Chicago on June 6 for its send-off match before the tournament.

USWNT Remains Second in FIFA Rankings

The latest FIFA women’s rankings were released and the United States Women’s National Team maintained its spot in second place, although the gap between it and first-place Spain has widened. The U.S. won four of its five games this past window, but still lost points due to its 2-1 defeat to Portugal on Oct. 22. Spain benefitted from beating Sweden and Germany en route to winning the UEFA Nations League. Brazil, which beat England, Italy, and Portugal, moved up a spot to sixth in the rankings. Meanwhile, Canada fell to 10th after losing all four of its games.

Europa League Roundup

The latest round of Europa League action wrapped up and six teams have secured a spot in at least the knockout stage. Lyon, Midtjylland, and Aston Villa all won and are tied at the top with 15 points, while Real Betis, Freiburg, and Ferencvaros were victorious to remain unbeaten and claim spots in the next round as well. Roma edged closer to qualifying by beating Celtic 3-0, and Nottingham Forest also picked up three points after winning 2-1 against Utrecht in the Netherlands. Only two matchdays remain in the league phase and things are still far from certain for most clubs, which should set up for a fun finish next month.

Free Kicks

• Goalkeeper Evan Bush re-signed with the Columbus Crew for the 2026 season. The 39-year-old was out of contract following this past season, but it looks like he’ll continue to serve as Patrick Schulte’s backup in Columbus.
• Boston Legacy FC signed Japanese goalkeeper Hannah Stambaugh to a two-year contract. The 26-year-old became a free agent after two years with Angel City FC.
• The Denver Summit signed defender Camryn Biegalski to a one-year contract as the expansion club continues to build its roster for 2026.
• Vancouver and the Vancouver Whitecaps have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for exclusive negotiations next year in regards to building a new stadium.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday!

How’s it going, Mane Landers? It may not be snowing, but the cooler weather has been helping me get in the festive spirit. While things remain a bit busy as the holiday season wears on, I’ve thankfully been able to enjoy some moments of peace here and there and finally accomplished my reading goal for the year. But enough about me, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Trades Dagur Dan Thorhallsson

Dagur Dan Thorhallsson was traded to CF Montreal on Wednesday, with Orlando City receiving a hefty sum of $500,000 in General Allocation Money in exchange. Orlando will retain a sell-on percentage and could also receive an additional $125,000 in GAM if performance metrics are met. Thorhallsson has played the past three seasons in Orlando and has been a Swiss Army knife of sorts for the Lions, helping the team reach the Eastern Conference finals in 2024. This amount of GAM is nothing to sneeze at and should give Orlando some flexibility when it comes to constructing its roster for next season. Orlando fans might see Thorhallsson in action again as soon as March 14 when the Lions host Montreal, although it will be weird not seeing him in purple.

Keeping Up With Orlando City Transfer News

According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic ($), the Lions are reportedly finalizing a deal for Brazilian winger Tiago to join from Bahia for a $4 million transfer fee. The 20-year-old has done well when on the field for Bahia in Brazil’s top flight and had a hat trick in the Copa do Nordeste final. Hopefully he can make an impact as an MLS U22 Initiative winger in Orlando.

Another interesting bit of news is that Orlando is reportedly close to transferring center back Rodrigo Schlegel to Atlas in Liga MX for a fee around $600,000, which is higher than what the Lions paid to sign him. The times definitely seem to be changing in the City Beautiful. Bogert also noted that Orlando’s $3.5 million deal for 18-year-old midfielder Luis Otavio is still on, and that the club is interested in moving on from Designated Player Luis Muriel.

MLS Players Stand Out With USMNT

Orlando City defender Alex Freeman is one of many MLS players who have made a strong case for being included on the United States Men’s National Team’s roster for next year’s World Cup. The 21-year-old was named MLS Young Player of the Year and is competing for a starting spot with the USMNT. Max Arfsten, Diego Luna, and Cristian Roldan are all in contention as well, and it’s been nice to see Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino give MLS players chances to shine.

NWSL Transfer News Roundup

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher agreed to a new contract with the Chicago Stars, signing a one-year contract. The 37-year-old has been with Chicago for the past 10 years and she is one of three active players who have been in the league since its inaugural season in 2013.

The North Carolina Courage signed Nigerian forward Chioma Okafor to a three-year contract through 2028 with an option for 2029. She helped Nigeria win the 2024 Women’s African Cup of Nations and just finished her collegiate career with the University of Connecticut, where she scored 30 goals over 57 appearances. Speaking of collegiate players joining the league, NJ/NY Gotham FC signed forward Talia Sommer, who recorded 28 goals and 24 assists over the past four years with Butler.

Free Kicks

• Thorhallsson isn’t the only player CF Montreal has been wheeling and dealing for. The club sent $1.2 million in GAM to Real Salt Lake for defender Brayan Vera, with another $350,000 in GAM heading RSL’s way if performance metrics are met.
• Houston Dash defender Katie Lind announced her retirement from professional soccer after a career that included 193 appearances across all competitions.
• The United Super League is reportedly proposing a $55,000 minimum salary that would increase in future years as part of the collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the league and the USL Players Association.
• If you’re intending to visit a World Cup host city next summer, make sure to plan accordingly for obscene price gouging.

• Arsenal remained perfect in its UEFA Champions League campaign after beating Club Brugge 3-0. Elsewhere, Manchester City won 2-1 against Real Madrid, Napoli fell 2-0 to Benfica, and Newcastle United battled to a 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen.
• Tatjana Haenni, who was the NWSL’s chief sporting director from 2023 until May of this year, will oversee Leipzig’s men’s and women’s teams as the club’s new chief executive.
• Former Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini was announced as the new head coach and general manager of the Halifax Wanderers.

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

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. ‘Tis the season for company holiday gatherings, commercialism, and soccer. Of course, it’s always soccer season somewhere, which makes dealing with the rest just a little bit easier. For now, let’s get to the links.

MLS Off-Season Kicks Off

Major League Soccer’s “silly season” is upon us. MLS has released the End-of-Year Waivers list and the dates of when the 2025 MLS Re-Entry Draft will occur, including the list of eligible players and the list of eligible free agents. Obviously, we know that former Orlando City players like Pedro Gallese and Cesar Araujo are available for other teams. Looking through the lists does make one wonder who — if anyone — Orlando City might try to sign.

Orlando City Tickets on Sale

It’s never too early to start planning for next season and you can do exactly that as single match and “Hat Trick Packs” tickets are available for purchase now that the schedule is out. The Hat Trick Packs are for three different and specific sets of matches, not just any three you want. Of course, each of the packs does include at least one match against actual “rival” clubs. It might seem a long way off, but the season kicks off on Feb. 21, so it’s not actually too far out if you know what your schedule looks like.

USMNT Players Abroad

The World Cup draws ever closer and now that the USMNT knows (most of) its opponents for the group stage, it’s not too soon to look at how U.S. players are doing. There were several standout performances by Americans in Europe over the weekend, including Christian Pulisic’s brace. A couple of Americans made the grade Monday with Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun scoring goals in the Champions League.

You love to see it. There are more chances to watch Americans in Europe over the next couple of days, including a potential showing by former Orlando City striker Daryl Dike.

USWNT Schedule Update

The USWNT will finish the January camp with a friendly against Chile on Jan. 27. The match will take place at at Harder Stadium in Santa Barbara, CA. This is the second announced match for the camp, with the team also playing Paraguay on Jan. 24. This is the first time that the team will play in Santa Barbara, which is an example of how Emma Hayes is trying to take the national team to new markets around the country.

Free Kick

• Is the World Cup “group of death” dead? Even if it isn’t, there’s a bit of interesting history behind the concept.
• MLS announced the top 45 invitees for the 2025 MLS College Showcase taking place in Mesa, AZ. Orlando City’s Joran Gerbet was an invitee in 2024.
• LAFC exercised the permanent transfer option on midfielder Mathieu Choinière from Grasshopper Club Zürich of the Swiss Super League. 
• Breaking News! FIFA’s Gianni Infantino being investigated by the ethics committee. Also, grass is green.

• Congratulations to the Florida State University women’s soccer team for winning its fifth national championship Monday night with a 1-0 win over Stanford.

That will do it for today. Check back as we finish our Orlando Pride Season in Review pieces. Vamos Orlando!