Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Did you know the NWSL season is almost upon us? I’d all but forgotten since we haven’t really heard much from the Orlando Pride, but that changes today — sort of. If recent soccer events have you feeling down, just remember that we’re supposed to get season four of Ted Lasso sometime this summer. That’s pretty cool, right? Until then, let’s get to the links, but not before we wish Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos a happy 22nd birthday.

Orlando City Reflects

I know you want to move on from Sunday’s match between our beloved Lions and Inter Miami. I also want to put it behind us, but it’s my job to share information on the club. We did learn some things from the post-match presser. The coaches and players are as disappointed with the result as we are, but Oscar Pareja rightly took some positives from the loss while acknowledging the challenges facing the team — injuries mostly — are still no excuse. I think Marco Pasalic summed it up nicely when he said, “Now we have to train more, do everything we can to win the next game, and stay positive. I’m not positive at all right now, but I will be.” I also hope to get to positive before the next match, but we’ll see.

Scarf the City is Back

We’re not far out from the start of the NWSL regular season and we finally got some news from the Orlando Pride. No new signings, or training updates, or anything like that. Instead, the club announced that the Scarf the City scavenger hunt is back. The event will kick off at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, March 10. There will be 3,000 scarves hidden throughout the city, including the return of some golden scarves. Those are worth four season tickets for the 2026 season. Good luck for those who are participating.

USMNT News

The 2026 World Cup is only months away, meaning it’s a good time to take a look at the state of the USMNT. There will be a lot of pressure to perform as hosts, and how far this team goes in the competition will be highly scrutinized. We know that the final roster will be announced at the end of May.

There are players like Yunus Musah who are still hoping to make the squad even though he hasn’t received a call up since Concacaf Nations League back in March 2025. Meanwhile, Noahkai Banks is still trying to decide if he will represent the U.S. or make the switch to represent Germany.

USWNT Notes

USWNT supporters were rightfully worried when Trinity Rodman was injured in second-half stoppage time on Sunday against Argentina. Rodman was holding her lower back after Milagro Martin fouled her. Fortunately, USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes said that Rodman is fine and fully training for the next SheBelieves match against Canada. That match is tonight at 6:30 p.m. in Columbus, OH.

Free Kicks

• West Ham United’s Adama Traore has been banned from lifting weights at the training ground by manager Nuno Espirito Santo. If anyone doesn’t need to put on more muscle it’s Traore.
• Former Orlando City center back Antonio Carlos was fined by the MLS Disciplinary Committee after not leaving the field quickly enough after his red card.

• Toronto FC is shoring up the center back position with Chile international Benjamin Kuscevic. Must be nice.

• The Antione Griezmann drama continues. Take stuff like this with a big grain of salt, given that both clubs, the player, and his manager are all negotiating the particulars. In other words, don’t panic.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for Orlando City’s match against New York City FC this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

Good morning, everyone. It was a rough end to the weekend for reasons I’m sure you’re well aware of, but this week is a busy one that holds plenty of possibility. The United States Women’s National Team will continue its SheBelieves Cup campaign, while Orlando City and Orlando City B will both be back in action on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. We’ve got plenty of things to talk about this morning, so let’s get right into the links.

Martin Ojeda Earns Recognition

Martin Ojeda grabbed his first goal of the 2026 season during Sunday’s match, and his first-half strike earned him a nomination for the MLS Goal of the Matchday. Ojeda received a layoff from Griffin Dorsey inside the box and hit a fantastic trivela with his left foot into the far corner that doubled Orlando City’s lead. While that lead ultimately wouldn’t last, it was still good to see him open his 2026 account, especially considering that he did so with such an inventive strike. Here’s hoping that it’s the first of many this season.

Young Lions Drop Opener

Orlando City B was not able to get its 2026 season off to a winning start, as it dropped its opening match to Hunstville City FC 3-1. Former Lion Shak Mohammed got the scoring started just inside of half an hour, and Jordan Knight deepened OCB’s misery just four minutes later. Harvey Sarajian got one back for the Young Lions in first-half stoppage time after receiving a pass from Gustavo Caraballo, cutting back onto his right foot and tucking the ball into the far corner. Javier Otero saved a penalty 10 minutes after the second half began to keep OCB in the game, but Mohammed bagged his brace in the 62nd minute off an Otero giveaway while outside the box, and despite the home side pushing for more goals as the game went on, that’s how things ended. The Young Lions will be back in action on Sunday evening when they host Chicago Fire II.

Previewing USWNT vs. Canada

The United States Women’s National Team has its second match of the SheBelieves Cup Wednesday when it takes on Canada in Columbus, OH. The Canadians are coached by former defender Casey Stoney, and she named a roster of 24 players that is missing a few names, including former Orlando Pride center back Shelina Zadorsky. Stoney lines her team up in a 4-3-3, with Kailen Sheriden backstopping things as the woman who the USWNT will need to beat in between the sticks. The Canadians try to be direct and aggressive when they have the ball, while also adopting a high press in defense and attempting to win the ball back quickly. Key players to watch include Vanessa Giles, the reigning and back-to-back player of the year for her country, and Evelyne Viens, who has been on a great run of form with Roma this season.

MLS All-Star Game Details

Major League Soccer has announced the details for this summer’s All-Star Game, which will take place at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The game itself is slated for Wednesday, July 29, while the All-Star Skills Challenge will take place the day before at Truist Field. The opponent for the MLS All-Stars will once again be the LIGA MX All-Stars, with this marking the fifth overall meeting between the two teams and the third meeting in a row. The MLS team will be made up of 11 players picked by fan voting, 13 players picked by the head coach of the side, and two picked by MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

Finalissima Location in Doubt

The Finalissima match between Spain and Argentina is set to be played in Doha, Qatar on March 27, but UEFA is keeping a close eye on what is currently happening in the Middle East, and a venue change might not be out of the question. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has gone on the record that he thinks changing the location is a good idea, and games set to take place in the area have already been postponed. The Qatar football federation has postponed all matches and tournaments until further notice, and Al Nassr has also had its Asian Champions League games postponed indefinitely. UEFA put out a statement on Monday which read, “UEFA is monitoring and carefully assessing all developments of the situation in cooperation with CONMEBOL and the [local organizing committee]”, but have not made any specific statements about moving the location of the game.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City slipped a spot to no.25 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
• Orlando City’s academy teams had a largely successful time in their games over the weekend.

• OCB midfielder Dylan Judelson scored from the penalty spot in stoppage time as the Canadian U-20 Men’s National Team defeated Aruba 2-0 Monday night in Concacaf U-20 Championship qualifying.

• Atlanta United has signed defender Matias Galarza on loan from River Plate.
• Weston McKennie has signed a new deal with Juventus that will keep him with the club until 2030.
• Jose Mourinho says Gianluca Prestianni’s career at Benfica will be over if he is found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius Jr.

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

Orlando City continued its disappointing start to the 2026 MLS season with a 4-2 loss to Inter Miami. The Lions took a 2-0 lead in the first half despite conceding most of the possession, but fell apart in the second 45 minutes. It ended a two-loss, two-game homestand in which the team was outscored 6-3.

Let’s take a look at how the Orlando City players performed individually in this game.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crepeau, 5.5 — If this was a 45-minute game, Crepeau would’ve had a much higher score. He was stellar in the first half and a primary reason the Lions had a two-goal halftime lead. But it was a game of two halves as he conceded four goals in the second period of play, including three from outside the box. In total, the Canadian faced eight shots, saving four. He completed 67.9% of his 28 passes and three of his 12 long balls. A 5.5 grade might seem a bit harsh after his first 45 minutes, but it’s hard to give a good grade to a goalkeeper when he conceded four times.

D, Tahir Reid-Brown, 6 — It was a first-team debut for Reid-Brown, who had 46 touches in 90 minutes. The 19-year-old Homegrown left back completed 88.9% of his 36 passes, including one of his three long balls. He ended the game with a tackle, an interception, and a clearance without doing anything on the attacking end. I’m taking into account that it was his first-team debut, but he was pretty solid, even if he were a veteran.

D, David Brekalo, 5.5 — Brekalo started again at center back, touching the ball 55 times. He completed 88.1% of his 42 passes, but none of his four long balls. The veteran recorded an interception, a blocked shot, and a team-high six clearances, winning a team-high four aerial duels. He had two shots on the attacking end with one on target and hit the woodwork. However, probably his most impactful moment came in the 85th minute when he slipped, allowing German Berterame to get to the end line and set up the go-ahead goal. That mistake drops his grade a little in my view.

D, Nolan Miller, 6 — The other half of the center back pairing started a professional game for the first time and played well. He had 39 touches, completing 96.8% of his 31 passes, including his lone long ball. The rookie had four clearances and a blocked shot, doing a terrific job on Lionel Messi in the first half. Unfortunately, he came off injured in the 59th minute right after the game-tying goal and was replaced by Iago. Miller and Brekalo have looked good together so far and Miller has been very good in both games he’s played in so far. Hopefully this injury won’t keep him out for long.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 6 — Dorsey had another week under his belt before this game and it showed. The right back looked much more comfortable with his new club, touching the ball 46 times and completing 77.8% of his 27 passes. He also completed a key pass — his first assist as a Lion — one of his two long balls, and one of his two crosses. Defensively, he had a tackle, an interception, two blocked shots, and won an aerial duel. The defender took one off-target shot in the attacking end. His biggest impact came in the 24th minute when the right back made a strong run into the Miami third before finding Martin Ojeda just inside the box. After receiving the ball back, he laid it off for the attacker, who doubled the team’s lead, recording his first assist with his new club. This is the type of game Orlando City fans hope to see regularly from Dorsey and will take some of the sting out of losing Alex Freeman.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 —  Angulo got the start in this game after a strong second half against the New York Red Bulls last week. He touched the ball 35 times and completed 89.7% of his 29 passes, including a key pass. The attacking midfielder didn’t attempt any shots or crosses, largely because the team conceded so much possession and he dropped defensively to the outside on the left, giving Orlando a fifth defender. However, his cross to Marco Pasalic at the top of the box in the 18th minute set up the game’s first goal. The attacker was replaced in the 79th minute with Eduard Atuesta. After sitting in the first half against New York, Angulo has now had three quality halves for the Lions.

MF, Colin Guske, 5 — Similar to Angulo, Guske got his first MLS start after playing well in the season opener. The 19-year-old had 57 touches and completed 73.9% of his 46 passes. However, all six of his long balls failed to find their intended target. He recorded two interceptions and four clearances defensively while drawing three fouls in the attack. It was a solid performance, but he suffered two yellow cards for his first sending off of his MLS career. While the first was a booking for pulling Messi back on a counterattack, the second was very questionable. Regardless, he put himself in a position for the fouls to be called. It might be a bit harsh, but his grade dropped due to the late sending-off.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 6.5 (MotM) — Ojeda touched the ball 62 times in his second Orlando City game, completing 93.8% of his team-high 48 passes. He completed four of his five long balls while putting his only shot off target. The midfielder also contributed defensively with a tackle, two clearances, and an aerial duel in arguably the strongest Orlando City performance. His completion percentage in a game where the team struggled to keep possession and overall play earns him my Man of the Match.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6 — Pasalic was much better than last week, touching the ball 34 times and completing 70% of his 20 passes, including a key pass. His biggest moment on the attacking end came in the 18th minute when he brought an Angulo pass down well and placed it inside the near post to give the Lions a 1-0 lead. Defensively, the Croatian had two tackles and two interceptions before being replaced by Tiago in the 79th minute. This is more of what Orlando City fans expect from Pasalic and is a good sign moving forward.

F, Martin Ojeda, 6 — Like Pasalic, Ojeda was better in this game. He had 48 touches and completed 69% of his 29 passes, including a key pass, two of his three long balls, and one of his two crosses. He took a team-high four shots and put a team-high three on frame. In the 24th minute, he used the outside of his left foot to curl the ball into the far corner after a quick one-two with Dorsey, doubling the Orlando City lead. He also had two clearances in his 90 minutes of action. It was good to see Ojeda get on the scoresheet and he was a much larger part of the attack, something the Lions need if they have any offensive production this year.

F, Duncan McGuire, 5 — McGuire was disappointing for the second consecutive game. The big man only won one aerial duel, losing several throughout the game. He touched the ball 22 times and completed 75% of his 16 passes, including a key pass. Despite being a striker, he didn’t take a single shot and was completely invisible in the final third. He did draw two fouls and record two clearances, but the second poor performance makes you wonder how long it will be until Oscar Pareja goes to Tiago or another player up top.

Substitutes

D, Iago (59’), 6 — Iago entered the game in the 59th minute for an injured Miller and had the best performance since joining the club, including preseason. He had 28 touches in 31 minutes, completing 95.7% of his 23 passes with a long ball. Despite his lack of playing time, he equaled Miller and Guske’s four clearances — second-most on the team. He also drew a foul in what was a solid game, despite being a center back for two goals from the opposition.

F, Tyrese Spicer (66’), 5.5 — Spicer replaced McGuire in the 66th minute, moving up top initially before dropping into the midfield. He had 16 touches and completed 71.4% of his seven passes without any key passes, crosses, or long balls. His lone shot was off target and he had an interception, but didn’t create the offensive spark for which he was brought on.

MF, Eduard Atuesta (79’), 5 — Atuesta made his season debut after missing the first game with an injury shortly before kickoff. He came on in the 79th minute for Angulo, touching the ball 22 times and completing 70.6% of his 17 passes, including one of his three long balls. The defensive midfielder had three interceptions in his 11 minutes, but the most important thing was to see him healthy on the field as Orlando City’s injury list continues to increase. His decision to let a ball run through the midfield rather than play it was costly late in normal time, as the turnover led to Guske’s second yellow and the fourth Miami goal.

F, Tiago (79’), 5.5 — Tiago came on with Atuesta as Orlando City’s final two subs, replacing Pasalic. Playing up top, he touched the ball seven times and completed 75% of his four passes. He didn’t take any shots, but had a tackle and an interception in what was a largely invisible performance for the forward.

This is how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s two-goal loss to their in-state rivals. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.