How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope you all enjoyed the cold weather, as it looks like things will be warming up pretty soon. It’s been pretty nice to exist outside without sweating, and hopefully that trend continues this weekend since it includes an Orlando Pride playoff match in the City Beautiful on Sunday. For now though, let’s dive into today’s links!

Wilder Cartagena Will Stay In Orlando

Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena agreed to a new contract with Orlando City that will last through 2026 with a club option for 2027. The 31-year-old was a key part of Orlando’s midfield in 2024 but missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to an Achilles injury sustained during the preseason. With the status of many defensive players up in the air this off-season, it’s nice knowing that at least Cartagena will be a familiar face holding things down in 2026.

Community Food Drive at Inter&Co Stadium

Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are teaming up with The Ruckus for a food drive to help ensure families have essential items for the holidays. Donations of shelf-stable and nonperishable food items will be accepted Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Nov. 26, with locations at the club’s front office and the Gate D lobby at Inter&Co Stadium. This will coincide with other annual food drives to address food insecurity in the community. The holidays can be a rough time for many of us, so let’s make sure to check out ways we can help each other if able.

Carson Pickett Selected for NWSL Skills Challenge

The NWSL unveiled details about this year’s NWSL Skills Challenge, and Orlando Pride defender Carson Pickett is one of seven players slated to participate. Players who are set to play in the NWSL Championship won’t take part in the event though, so hopefully that’s the case for Pickett. Other players set to participate include Croix Bethune and Racheal Kundananji, with the rosters for each of the two competing teams set to be revealed later. The winning team of the Skills Challenge will get $30,000 of prize money to split and this year’s competition will feature a crossbar challenge, a relay race, and a gauntlet involving scoring on mini goals.

Atlanta Officially Receives an NWSL Team

The NWSL officially awarded an expansion club to Atlanta and the club will be owned by Arthur Blank, who also owns Atlanta United. This team in Atlanta will be the closest one to the Pride in terms of distance, so we’ll see if a rivalry of sorts develops between the two. It’s all still a few years away though. The club is set to begin play in 2028 and will play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with modifications expected and a capacity of about 28,000 people. The NWSL’s expansion has been steady, with the Denver Summit and Boston Legacy set to take the field for the first time next year. I’ve been enjoying the balanced schedule in the league in recent years but am curious how the league will adjust to having Atlanta and possibly another team in the mix in 2028.

Free Kicks

• American defender Walker Zimmerman’s time in Nashville will reportedly come to a close once his contract expires this winter. I can think of one team that could use some help at center back.

• San Jose Earthquakes winger Cristian Espinoza is reportedly a free agent as well. The MLS veteran had four goals and 12 assists this year and is a creative player to keep an eye on as teams look to keep up in the league-wide arms race for talented attackers.

• MLS owners are once again expected to vote on changing the league schedule to run from fall to spring. As an avid romance novel reader, I’m used to this “will they, won’t they” rigmarole from the league about this and won’t believe anything until the Lions are up to their manes in snow for a January game in Colorado.

• Wolverhampton hired Rob Edwards as its next manager and he has his work cut out for him. Dead last in the English Premier League, Wolverhampton has yet to win a game this season and has only scored seven goals in 11 matches.
• World Cup qualifying is back and many eyes will be on Victor Osimhen as he aims to lead Nigeria towards qualification. Nigeria will take on Gabon in a semifinal today, with the winner taking on whichever team prevails between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• The 2028 Euros will be hosted across the United Kingdom and Ireland, with the opener taking place in Cardiff City and the semifinals and final set for Wembley Stadium in London.

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

Orlando City answered one of the questions about the Lions’ 2026 midfield today with the club announcing that veteran Wilder Cartagena has agreed to a new contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027. The club announced the new agreement today.

“Wilder is one of those players who brings so much more than just his performance on the pitch,” Orlando City SC General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “He’s a true leader in our locker room; someone our players look to both in moments of intensity and in everyday preparation. His experience at the international level and his commitment to excellence make everyone around him better. We’re proud to have him back, he was missed in our 2025 campaign, and know he’ll continue to be a driving force in our pursuit of success and championships.”

The 31-year-old native of Lima, Peru missed the entire 2025 season after sustaining a torn left Achilles tendon in the Lions’ preseason opener against Atletico Mineiro on Jan. 25. He underwent surgery days later and was ruled out for the season.

Orlando City initially acquired Cartagena on loan through the 2022 MLS season. After a successful end of the year, the club exercised the option to extend the loan through the 2023 season. He became a key player in the starting lineup for the Lions that season, resulting in the club signing him to a permanent deal on Dec. 14, 2024. 

The midfielder entered 2025 having enjoyed a solid 2024 season. He appeared in 27 matches during the regular season (25 starts) that year, playing 2,192 minutes. He did not score a goal but recorded an assist and took 24 shots, putting eight on target. He completed 89% of his passes with 16 key passes, one successful cross, and 25 completed long balls. On the defensive side, he recorded 76 tackles, 20 interceptions, 42 clearances, and nine blocks. He committed a team-leading 48 fouls, suffered 28, and received seven yellow cards and one red card, which he picked up after the conclusion of the game against Minnesota United.

During the 2024 MLS playoffs, Cartagena started all five of Orlando City’s matches, playing 431 minutes with no goals or assists. He took two shots, putting one on target, and he completed 87.2% of his passes in the postseason with one key pass. Defensively, he recorded nine tackles, four interceptions, 11 clearances, and one block. He drew eight fouls and committed nine, and he was booked twice, with both being yellow cards.

For his performance across the 2024 campaign, The Mane Land gave Cartagena a season grade of 7.5 out of 10. That was the same grade we gave him in 2023 after not playing enough minutes to earn a grade in 2022.

In his first three seasons in Orlando, Cartagena scored one goal and added three assists in 59 games (52 starts). More importantly, he formed one of the more cohesive central midfield partnerships in the league with Cesar Araujo and provided Orlando City with a defensive shield in the middle to protect the back line. Beyond that, Cartagena also filled in on the back line at times.

In addition to league play, Cartagena has scored a game-winning goal for Orlando City in the 2023 playoff series against Nashville SC, and it was one of the most unforgettable goals in the club’s history.

Cartagena scored another game winner in the 2023 Leagues Cup match against Santos Laguna. He was also one of the key members of the club’s 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship team.

Prior to joining Orlando City, Cartagena appeared in 238 competitive matches in his 10-year professional career, scoring seven goals and adding seven assists. The product of Alianza Lima in Peru was promoted to the first team in January of 2012. He transferred to Portuguese club Vitória Setúbal FC in 2014 but did not play during the 2014-2015 season before returning to Lima to play with Universidad San Martín, where he logged 100 appearances and scored three goals from 2015-2017.

Cartagena moved on to Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz in Mexico, playing 24 matches in 2018 before returning to Alianza Lima, where he made 30 appearances in 2019. He then spent 2020-2021 in Argentina with CD Godoy Cruz, where he scored three goals in 20 appearances before moving on to Al-Ittihad Kalba SC in July of 2021. 

On the international stage, Cartagena has amassed 40 caps with the Peruvian National Team, where he was teammates with recently departed Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, making his debut on Sept. 5, 2017 in a World Cup qualifier against Ecuador. He has made appearances in the Copa America and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

What It Means for Orlando City

Re-signing Cartagena is a major piece of Orlando City’s off-season puzzle. Both he and Araujo were out of contract and Eduard Atuesta has only an option year remaining, which as of this writing has not officially been picked up by the club. Gallese has already exited Orlando, center back Rodrigo Schlegel is out of contract, and fellow center back and team captain Robin Jansson, like Atuesta, has an option year remaining. As a result, the team’s defensive end is in flux. Cartagena will be coming off a nasty injury, so there’s no guarantee the 31-year-old will quickly return to form, but if he does, he’s a major addition to the 2026 roster, as he can play the No. 6 role or even play at center back if needed.

The Peruvian adds more bite to an Orlando central midfield that got pushed around more in 2025 than in previous years, as Araujo missed time with injuries, and Atuesta simply isn’t as physical in his own end as either Araujo or Cartagena. That showed in the second half of 2025, when the Lions failed to keep a clean sheet after June 14. Central midfield wasn’t the only reason for a lack of OCSC shutouts, but it was a factor.

With Cartagena in the fold and Araujo reportedly on his way out, it seems logical Orlando will pick up Atuesta’s option year. Rookie Joran Gerbet played well when called upon in his first pro season, but he’ll likely be on the shelf for the start of 2026 after sustaining a knee injury late in the year. Orlando will likely pick up Gerbet’s 2026 contract option, but he won’t be able to help immediately. That will either force Moreira to add another central midfielder or Oscar Pareja may need to elevate Homegrown Colin Guske and hope he’s ready if he’s called upon.

The next eight to 12 weeks will reveal Orlando’s defensive plan for 2026. A new goalkeeper is needed, the center back situation must be sorted out, and the Lions will need to make contract option decisions on Atuesta and Gerbet while possibly looking to add one more body in that position group.

Orlando City acquired Eduard Atuesta via transfer on Feb. 10, 2025 from Palmeiras in Brazil’s Serie A. He signed a contract through the end of the 2025 season with a club option for 2026. Terms of the contract were not released, and as of this writing, Orlando City has not yet announced if the club will pick up that club option.

Let’s take a look back at the midfielder’s debut season with the Lions.

Statistical Breakdown

Orlando City had not been in the market for a central midfielder, but Wilder Cartagena’s season-ending injury required the Lions to find a replacement to partner with César Araújo in the middle of the field. Enter Atuesta, the former LAFC and Palmeiras player, who joined the club and stepped right into the starting lineup as a center midfielder. He played in three of the four competitions Orlando participated in during the 2025 season, missing the U.S. Open Cup but appearing in the regular season, the MLS playoffs, and Leagues Cup.

In MLS regular-season play, Atuesta appeared in 28 of Orlando’s 34 matches, starting 25 and playing a total of 2,271 minutes. Unlike in any of his previous MLS seasons, he did not score any goals, but he contributed seven assists. He attempted 28 shots and put seven on target. Atuesta completed 88% (remember this percentage) of his passes and was second on the team with 57 key passes. On the defensive side, he compiled 39 tackles, 22 interceptions, 31 clearances, and six blocks. He committed a team-high 52 fouls (16 more than the next highest player) and suffered 42, the second most on the team. He received six yellow cards but did not receive a red card.

Atuesta started the Eastern Conference wild card game alongside Araújo in the center of the midfield, going the full 90 minutes. He did not take any shots but matched his regular-season average by completing 88% of his passes with one key pass. He added two tackles and one interception on defense, and committed two fouls (earning a yellow card for one) while suffering none.

The Colombian missed two of the group stage games but played in the other four matches during Leagues Cup, starting all four of the games in which he played and playing 327 minutes. He did not score a goal or contribute an assist, and he took one shot during regulation play but did not put it on target. Atuesta had an opportunity to convert a penalty kick attempt in the game against Pumas that went to a penalty shootout, but he was unable to score. Stop me if you have heard this before, but he completed 88% of his passes, with four of them being key passes, and on defense he was highly involved, contributing seven tackles, eight interceptions, two clearances, and two blocks. He both committed and suffered eight fouls in the competition and received three yellow cards.

Best Game

While he was the Man of the Match four times in our player grades, I think Atuesta’s best game was one when he did not receive that honor. The Lions defeated St. Louis City 4-2 and Atuesta was involved in all four goals, providing the primary assist on three of them. Two of his assists were to Marco Pašalić and the other was to Ramiro Enrique, and it was the pass to Enrique that was one of my favorite passes of the entire season. Atuesta took advantage of a poorly played pass by St. Louis and combined an interception and an assist into one play, hitting a perfectly weighted no-look pass with the outside of his right foot to put Ramiro Enrique in alone on goal. Enrique made no mistake to put Orlando City up 3-0.

The Colombian created a season-high seven shots for his teammates against St. Louis and was outstanding all over the field as Orlando City earned three points on the road in a City SC vs. City SC derby.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land awarded Atuesta a composite rating of 6.5 out of 10 for his 2025 season, his sixth season in Major League Soccer but first with Orlando City. There were times when the Colombian’s play was reminiscent of that of another South American who pulled the offensive strings in Orlando, Mauricio Pereyra, but Atuesta struggled with consistency, and really fell off toward the end of the season. He failed to deliver a goal contribution after the New England match on July 19, which piled the pressure on the attacking group to carry the offense during the final three months of the season. Atuesta often showed flashes of immense skill, especially on the offensive end of the field, but his on-again, off-again overall performance left a bit to be desired in his attempt to replace Cartagena in the central midfield, where he was not a destroyer like the Peruvian or Araújo.

2026 Outlook

Atuesta’s deal includes a 2026 club option that may be picked up by the club or triggered due to hitting certain performance thresholds during 2025 — or it could be declined. All signs point to Araújo departing, and with Cartagena out of contract like Araújo, Joran Gerbet out with an ACL injury for at least part of the 2026 season, and Colin Guske still finding his footing at the senior level, it seems likely that the Lions will bring back Atuesta in order to have some consistency year over year in the middle of the field. Kyle Smith and Dagur Dan Thórhallsson played in the middle as well, but neither of them are the true central midfielder that Atuesta is.

If Atuesta comes back, he would slot in as a starter in the central midfield, playing as the more attacking member of the center midfield duo (the No. 8) that Óscar Pareja likes to deploy in his starting lineup. I think that the club will trigger his option and bring him back for 2026, if only to keep some consistency in the middle of the field. At $600,000 base salary and $725,000 in total compensation, the Colombian is expensive for someone who did not deliver many goal contributions and was not a defensive destroyer either, and if he is once again inconsistent during the first part of 2026, the club may look to move him in the summer transfer window and give his minutes to some younger players.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

• Colin Guske (10/25/25)
• Joan Gerbet (10/26/25)
• Zakaria Taifi (10/27/25)
• Gustavo Caraballo (10/28/25)
• Javier Otero (10/29/25)
• Shakur Mohammed (10/30/25)
• Thomas Williams (10/31/25)
• Adrian Marin (11/1/25)
• David Brekalo (11/2/25)
• Tyrese Spicer (11/3/25)
• Kyle Smith (11/4/25)
• Nico Rodriguez (11/5/25)
• Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (11/6/25)
• Ivan Angulo (11/6/25)
• Duncan McGuire (11/7/25)
• Luis Muriel (11/8/25)
• Cesar Araujo (11/9/25)
• Alex Freeman (11/10/25)
• Rodrigo Schlegel (11/11/25)