Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight

The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.

Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch

Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.

Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup

This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.

The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.

Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player

The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.

Free Kicks

• Kissimmee SC of the United Premier Soccer League thanked Orlando City for hosting a friendly between the two sides.

• CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
• Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.

• American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
• The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.

• MFK Karvina, which won the Czech Cup to claim a spot in the fourth round of Europa League qualifying, has been banned from European competitions next season by UEFA for match fixing.
• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated that pubs in England will stay open until 5 a.m. there on the night of England’s World Cup match against Mexico.
• Santi Cazorla has announced his retirement at age 41 after spending the past three seasons with his boyhood club, Oviedo.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!

USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance

The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.

The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.

Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.

European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks

This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City B remained in eighth in the MLS NEXT Pro power rankings following its draw and shootout loss to Columbus Crew 2.
• Boston Legacy FC bolstered its defense by signing American center back Deja Davis on a free transfer. Davis has spent the past two seasons with Paris FC.
• Bayern Munich signed Moroccan attacker Ismael Saibari from PSV Eindhoven for a transfer fee reported to be around $63 million. Saibari has scored three goals so far for Morocco this World Cup and was named Eredivisie Player of the Year after recording 15 goals and eight assists last season.
• Despite its precarious financial situation, Chelsea signed Italian fullback Marco Palestra from Atalanta for a reported $57 million transfer fee. The 21-year-old showed plenty of pace with Atalanta and signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea.
• Sebastian Beccacece stepped down as Ecuador’s head coach following the team’s loss to Mexico at the World Cup.

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

Good morning, everyone! It’s matchday for the United States Men’s National Team with a spot in the Round of 16 on the line. We’ve got a lot to talk through today, so let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B defender Clovis Archange and get into the links!

USMNT Injury Updates

With the USMNT set to take on Bosnia and Herzegovina tonight at 8 p.m., we have some health updates to go through for some American players. First and foremost, talisman Christian Pulisic spoke before Tuesday’s training session and said he feels good and is ready to go the full 90 minutes after being limited to just 77 minutes across the USMNT’s three group stage games due to an ankle injury. Given how dangerous the team looked once he was introduced against Turkiye in the third game, that’s a welcome piece of news. Mauricio Pochettino also provided updates on Auston Trusty, Mark McKenzie, and Cristian Roldan. There seems to be a chance that Trusty will be ready to go, while the outlooks are less positive for McKenzie and Roldan.

World Cup Results Roundup

We were treated to another exciting batch of World Cup matches on Tuesday. In the early game, Norway used an 86th-minute Erling Haaland goal to power past a second-half equalizer from the Ivory Coast and knock off the African side 2-1 to book a spot in the Round of 16. That sets up a tantalizing Haaland vs. Vinicius Jr. showdown against Brazil on July 5 in New Jersey. The second game of the day wasn’t as close, as a Kylian Mbappe brace powered France past Sweden for a 3-0 win that really could have seen the French score a boatload of additional goals. France took 25 shots, with 16 coming from inside the box, and put 12 of them on target. The score almost certainly would have been much uglier if not for some wasteful finishing and an admirable goalkeeping effort from Jacob Zetterstrom. The final match of the day between Mexico and Ecuador concluded after our editorial deadline with the start delayed by weather.

Questions for Final 16 Teams

A number of teams have booked their spot in the next round of knockout games, but questions still remain when it comes to their performances. For Paraguay, will the team continue to be successful if it can’t score the first goal? Doing so against Turkiye and Germany allowed Paraguay to sit back and play on the counterattack, while conceding early against the USMNT opened floodgates that the South Americans were never able to close. Brazil doesn’t seem to have a concrete plan aside from getting the ball to the best players and letting them cook, and it’s fair to ask questions about how much mileage that strategy has left. Then there’s Canada, which isn’t short on energy and work rate, but has been limited by Alphonso Davies’ availability (or lack thereof). Will he be available for what looks to be an extremely tough test against a Morocco side that beat Canada 2-1 at the 2022 World Cup?

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Transfer season never stops, it simply rumbles along in the background. Today’s rumblings start with Folarin Balogun, who is reportedly on Paris Saint-Germain’s shortlist to replace Goncalo Ramos, who has signed with AC Milan. Moving to England, Tottenham has reportedly agreed to a club record-deal of $112 million to sign midfielder Mateus Fernandes from West Ham. Manchester United is also keen on raiding the relegated Hammers for players, and is said to have identified winger Crysencio Summerville as a player they want to sign. That said, the Red Devils’ ability to due so will likely hinge heavily on whether or not they can resolve the situation with Marcus Rashford, who is scheduled to return from loan.

Free Kicks

• Reagan Raabe’s time with the Orlando Pride has concluded.

• Austin FC has signed winger Przemyslaw Placheta on a free transfer.
• Toronto FC is reportedly putting the finishing touches on a signing of its own.

• Julian Nagelsmann says his Germany side is not a “first-class team” anymore after being knocked off by Paraguay on penalties.
• Ronald Koeman has stepped down as head coach of the Netherlands after the team lost to Morocco on penalty kicks.

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