Happy Memorial Day, Mane Landers! There is a whole lot of soccer to cover today, following a weekend full of news, including your local teams in purple having matches, although not the results we wanted with the Lions allowing a late goal to draw 1-1 and the Pride falling in Chicago. The English Premier League came to an exciting close Sunday. The Young Lions have a match of their own tonight. So, while Mondays can often bring the work week blues (for those who don’t have today off, anyway), at least you have a whole lot of soccer reading to get you up and at it this week.

But before we dive all the way in, please join me in wishing former Orlando City defender and current Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines a happy birthday. Now, let’s get down to it in the links!

Oscar Pareja Disappointed for Fans

Following the Lions late draw on Saturday night, Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja showed some strong feelings towards the disappointing result. He said the team has to do better for its supporters and grind out wins after good performances.

“I have to say that we played well today and I want to congratulate that group of players that pushed that match and that energy. That’s the team that we want to see. The other part is the frustration of giving up another goal at the end and not walking away with the three points. At that part, the equation gets through things, soccer, fútbol, concentration, many things. But we want to see that team more often and we want to see that energy more often. We want to see that Orlando City. And to our fans, that support deserves much, much more.”

Check out the full post game press conference, which also featured interviews with goal scorer Kyle Smith and Orlando City defensive midfielder Wilder Cartagena.

Pride’s Loss Mars Doyle’s Return to the Pitch

The Orlando Pride dominated play but could not score on Saturday night, and that led to the end of the club’s four-game unbeaten run. With her start, Marta tied former teammates Ashlyn Harris and Toni Pressley for most regular-season appearances in Pride history with her 81st league match. Meanwhile, forward Julie Doyle also made her return to the field as a second-half substitute. Doyle had not played since the beginning of April due to an ankle injury. Head Coach Seb Hines said he was disappointed with the result but glad to see Doyle return to the lineup. Here’s what Hines had to say about Doyle:

“She’s an exciting player, she’s always active. We felt like it was the right time to bring her in, chasing the goal. She’s always on the move, making defenders defend and it’s nice to have another attacking option come off the bench, along with Ally Watt and Summer Yates. It just shows that we were being more aggressive towards the end again to try and get ourselves back in it. We felt that with the likes of Julie and Ally, Adriana, Marta, and Summer, we had an opportunity to get back in the game and ultimately win the game at the end, but we fell a little bit short. I can’t fault the players’ efforts. They put a lot into it, they’re working extremely hard and we have to just keep going and look forward to the next game away at Houston.”

Orlando City B Hosts New York Red Bulls II

The Young Lions of OCB are ready to host the Young Red Bulls tonight at Osceola Heritage Park. Leading the way for the team is forward Jack Lynn in red-hot form. Lynn has found the back of the net three times in the last two matches, with a game winner against intrastate rivals Inter Miami CF II on Thursday night. Lynn now leads the Young Lions in goals scored this campaign, with five in 2023, and has 20 goals total in his MLS NEXT Pro career. OCB will look to maintain its unbeaten record at home this season tonight, entering the match with a 3-0-2 record at Osceola County Stadium.

Premier League Relegation Battle

Heading into Matchday 38 of the English Premier League campaign, one team was already sure of its fate regarding relegation. Southampton was a good distance behind Leicester City and Leeds United, but both of those clubs had a chance to jump Everton in the standings. Southampton didn’t go quietly into the night though, as the team played to a 4-4 draw against Liverpool. Ultimately, Leicester City and Leeds United were relegated from the EPL on the final day of the season after Everton ensured its own survival with a narrow victory on Sunday. Leicester City fought to a 2-1 victory over West Ham United, while Leeds suffered a 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Everton extended its unbroken 69-year tenure in the English top flight as midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure’s stunning strike earned the Toffees a 1-0 victory over Bournemouth as they avoided relegation on the final day of the season.

Free Kicks

• Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris exited his team’s match in the first half after injuring his groin on the same play in which he scored a goal.
• The Angel City Brigade chanted “we want better” as the LA Galaxy players and Head Coach Greg Vanney went over to have a conversation with the supporters group following their match.
• D.C. United Head Coach Wayne Rooney said he wishes he had 11 subs to make amid his frustrations following the 2-1 loss to a struggling Toronto FC.
• Arsenal won 5-0 against Wolverhampton Wanderers led by a in Granit Xhaka brace in what is expected to be his final game of after seven years at the club.
• Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe was named Ligue 1 player of the season for the fourth time in a row after helping the capital club win a record 11th French title. He claims he’ll return to PSG next season.
• Club legends Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba bid tearful farewells to Barcelona on Sunday on an emotional evening as the La Liga champions ran out 3-0 winners against Mallorca.
• Bayern Munich’s firing of club great and former CEO Oliver Kahn after winning the Bundesliga title has led to a public dispute between the two parties.
• Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Sergio Rico is in intensive care following a horse riding accident.
• With the Premier League season behind us, check out all the stats behind this year’s use of VAR in the league.

I hope you have a great week, Mane Landers. Do something special for someone today. And, best of luck to the Young Lions tonight. Vamos Orlando!

Happy weekend, everyone! Today is a very busy day, as Orlando City hosts Atlanta United at 7:30 p.m. at Exploria Stadium, while the Orlando Pride will travel to face the Chicago Red Stars at 8 p.m. There’s a lot to talk about today, so let’s jump into it.

U-20 USMNT Beats Slovakia

The U-20 USMNT was victorious in its final game of the Under-20 World Cup group stage. Orlando City’s Michael Halliday got his second start of the tournament, as the baby Yanks took out Slovakia, 2-0, to finish the group stage undefeated and finish top of Group B courtesy of a perfect three wins from three. Cade Cowell scored the opening goal and Niko Tsakiris got the second late in stoppage time to hand the Americans a third straight victory. They will advance to the Round of 16 and play a third place team from Group A, C, or D, with the exact opponent being determined once the other groups have concluded play.

Toronto FC Discord

Following comments from Frederico Bernardeschi and later Bob Bradley earlier this week, the drama with Toronto FC has continued with Bradley leaving Bernardeschi out of the squad for this weekend’s match. The Italian was also absent from training on Friday, and Bradley emphasized that the decision was not a disciplinary one. According to a report from The Athletic, tensions at the club have been increasing for some time, with Bernardeschi, Lorenzo Insigne, Bradley and son Michael Bradley at the heart of things (paywall). Things haven’t been good on the field for Toronto either, as the club has just three wins in 15 matches and hasn’t scored in more than 400 minutes.

Ivan Toney’s Suspension Reduced

The English Football Association has reduced Ivan Toney’s ban from playing from 15 months to eight, following him being diagnosed as a gambling addict. The FA took into account both his plea of guilt and his diagnosis as an addict when making the decision. It has also emerged that Toney placed 13 bets on teams he was playing on to lose during a period of roughly a year and a half, although he did not play in any of the 13 matches.

Swansea Reportedly Interested in Gregg Berhalter

Welsh club Swansea City is reportedly interested in hiring Gregg Berhalter to fill the team’s upcoming managerial vacancy. Current boss Russell Martin is close to joining Southampton, and the Championship club’s American ownership is reportedly interested in Berhalter, along with several other names. Former Swansea manager Chris Davies and current Plymouth manager Steven Schumacher are also reportedly under consideration for the role. It would be very interesting if Swansea did decide to go that route, especially as the United States Men’s National Team has not yet named a new head coach, and recent reports suggested that Berhalter had not yet been eliminated from contention.

Free Kicks

• Spend some time getting to know Ally Watt a little better before this weekend’s Orlando Pride match.

• Former Lion Chris Mueller has had season-ending hip surgery.

• Alexandre Pato has signed with Sao Paulo in his native Brazil, reuniting him with another former Lion in Sebas Mendez.

• FC Cincinnati has signed Homegrown Player Gerardo Valenzuela to a contract through the 2026 season.

That’s everything I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!

Good morning! I’ve had a pretty busy week, but it also hasn’t been too bad as I’m housesitting for some friends and they have pets. It took some time, but I’ve earned the cat’s trust. Before we get to today’s news, we want to thank Paul Lott and John Strickland for their support in our Buy Me a Coffee premium membership program. We look forward to bringing you lots of extras to maximize your TML experience. Now, let’s get to the links!

What to Watch For in Orlando’s Rivalry Match

The Lions will play their sixth and final match of a hectic May when they host Atlanta United on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. It will be the first match between the two rivals this year and both teams have been leaning on their European strikers in recent weeks. Ercan Kara has scored in three straight matches for Orlando, while Greek forward Giorgos Giakoumakis scored a brace for Atlanta last week and has eight goals to his name this season. As for Orlando’s other Designated Players, Martin Ojeda leads the Lions in goal contributions this season and Facundo Torres could make his 50th start across all competitions for Orlando on Saturday. It should be an exciting rivalry match at Exploria Stadium.

Orlando City B Takes On Inter Miami II Tonight

The Young Lions are on the road but not far from home as they take on Inter Miami II tonight at 7 p.m. and you’ll be able to watch on MLS Season Pass. These two teams last met on April 9 at Osceola County Stadium, with OCB winning 2-0, thanks to goals from Jack Lynn and Favian Loyola. Lynn also came off the bench to bag a brace in OCB’s comeback draw with Atlanta United 2 on May 19. Midfielder Cristian Medina and forward Moises Tablante were also key attackers in that result. Hopefully the Young Lions can bring the firepower again tonight and return to Orlando with bragging rights and all three points.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Birmingham Legion Win in U.S. Open Cup

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup dream lives on for the USL Championship’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Birmingham Legion after they both defeated their MLS opponents to reach the quarterfinals. The Riverhounds beat the Columbus Crew 1-0 at home, with former OCB forward Albert Dikwa scoring the game’s only goal. In Alabama, the Legion won 1-0 against Charlotte FC, which had to play a man down for most of the second half after Adilson Malanda was given his second yellow card in the 51st minute. They are the only teams outside of MLS left in the competition.

MLS’s Diversity Stands Out Among Pro Leagues

MLS features players from over 81 different countries, making it the most geographically diverse men’s professional league in North America. It’s the second straight year that MLS has players from over 80 countries and it is also the most globally represented league among the top men’s soccer leagues around the world. Other than the U.S. and Canada, Argentina has the most representatives in MLS, with 37 players. MLS also has the youngest player pool among the top five men’s pro leagues in North America, with an average age of 26 years and 129 days old.

Free Kicks

• Orlando Pride forward Amanda Allen was set to start for Canada in the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship, but the day’s games were postponed due to weather.

• Bongokuhle Hlongwane won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his late winner over the Portland Timbers. Orlando’s Rafael Santos finished third with 9.8% of the vote, beating out Miami’s Leonardo Campana.
• OL Reign Head Coach Laura Harvey stated that American midfielder Rose Lavelle may not feature for the club before the Women’s World Cup this summer due to her knee injury.
• The Chicago Fire signed Homegrown Player Mauricio Pineda to a contract extension that will keep him in Chicago through the 2026 season, with an option for 2027 as well.
• CF Montreal reached the Canadian Championship final after beating Forge FC 2-0.
• D.C. United defender Mohanad Jeahze had his suspension lifted by MLS and can resume team activities.

• U.S. Soccer Sports Director Matt Crocker fielded questions on how the search for the USMNT’s next coach is going and how the USSF is helping its teams prepare for the Women’s World Cup, Nations League, and Gold Cup.
• The USL Academy League announced the launch of inaugural girls divisions this summer, with additional boys programs also coming this year.
• Inter Milan won the Coppa Italia for the second straight year after beating Fiorentina 2-1, with Lautaro Martinez scoring twice in the first half.
• Brighton & Hove Albion booked its spot in next year’s Europa League after a 1-1 draw with Manchester City.
• Amid reports of a player revolt regarding his tactics, Ruud van Nistelrooy has quit as PSV Eindhoven’s manager.
• Spanish defender Jordi Alba will depart FC Barcelona this summer after 11 years at the club. The 34-year-old’s final home match for Barcelona will be this Sunday against Mallorca.

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