Good morning, everyone. Depending on your preference, I hope you either had a restful holiday weekend or an active and engaging one. We have an active and engaging week ahead of us in the soccer world, with the continuation of the Women’s European Championships and the Club World Cup, and Orlando City and Orlando City B in action at the weekend. That means we have a lot to cover this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Ramiro Enrique Earns Weekly Recognition

Ramiro Enrique played an important role in Orlando City’s 2-2 comeback draw against Charlotte FC over the weekend, and he’s been rewarded with a place on the bench in the MLS Team of the Matchday. Enrique bagged Orlando’s first goal of the evening just four minutes after the Lions went down by a second goal, and his strike helped keep the game from getting away from OCSC. He could have had an even better game if he’d not been denied a second goal due to a goal-line clearance. Still, it’s good to see him finding the back of the net, and here’s hoping he keeps doing so.

Club World Cup Semifinals Preview

The Club World Cup semifinals get started later today with Chelsea taking on Fluminense at 3 p.m. There are several storylines and battles to watch, with a big one being Fluminense’s Thiago Silva facing off against a Chelsea team with which he won the UEFA Champions League back in 2021. He’ll be tasked with shutting down Cole Palmer while teammate Hercules will do battle with Moises Caicedo in midfield. Wednesday’s match has Real Madrid taking on Paris Saint-Germain in a game littered with French stars on both sides. The big storyline here is Kylian Mbappe taking on his former PSG team, but the Madrid squad also features Frenchmen Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, and Ferland Mendy. It would take too long to list all of PSG’s French stars, but Ousmane Dembele is the biggest name to watch, although Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola are more than capable of making huge impacts on matches.

Post-Gold Cup Stock Watch

Now that the Gold Cup has concluded, we can better analyze which United States Men’s National Team players benefitted from the tournament, and which ones saw their stock drop. Two guys who got huge boosts as a result of their play during the competition are Chris Richards and Malik Tillman. Richards already had a great club season but displayed a level of poise and maturity this summer that will ease some concerns about the center back position. Tillman scored or assisted in all but two Gold Cup matches, and his performances combined with the year he had for PSV Eindhoven might just get him a move to Bayer Leverkusen. On the other hand, Matt Turner didn’t play a single minute during the tournament and almost certainly needs regular playing time if he wants to regain the starting role he had at the 2022 World Cup. Despite having a good year with Toulouse, Mark McKenzie was unable to unseat Tim Ream from partnering Richards at center back, and he’s running out of chances to make his case for a starting spot.

Women’s Euros Results

The Women’s European Championships continued on Monday, and fans were treated to a pair of extremely different games in Group B. In one, Portugal needed a last-minute equalizer to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw against Italy. That point gives Portugal a chance to advance to the quarterfinals if it beats Belgium in the final group match and Spain beats Italy, although it also needs to make up a significant gap in goal difference. In the other game, Spain punched its ticket to the knockout rounds in emphatic fashion by trouncing Belgium to the tune of a 6-2 scoreline. Alexia Putellas had a brace, and five different Spanish players found the back of the net as Spain scored four unanswered goals in the second half to cruise through to the next round.

Free Kicks

• The Orlando Pride have announced a series of summer events to help fill the women’s soccer void during the NWSL’s midseason pause.
• Orlando City held fast at no. 10 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
• New York City FC is floating a giant pigeon down the Hudson River today, but a rotating Lion statue it is not.

• Inter Miami is reportedly in talks with Atletico Madrid to sign Rodrigo De Paul.
• Newcastle United has reportedly signed Anthony Elanga pending the completion of a medical.
• Wojciech Szczesny has signed a two-year contract extension with Barcelona, which may open the door for Marc-Andre ter Stegen to leave the club.

That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you all had a great Fourth of July holiday weekend. I was busy working but tried to catch some soccer when I could. The senior Lions and OCB were both in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Come from Behind in 2-2 Draw at Charlotte FC

Orlando City overturned a 2-0 deficit and picked up a 2-2 draw against Charlotte FC Saturday at Bank of America Stadium. The Lions trailed 2-0 late in the second half, but Ramiro Enrique pulled one back for Orlando to make it 2-1. Marco Pasalic scored the equalizer to help Orlando secure a draw. The Lions are unbeaten in their last three matches on the road (2-0-1) but are winless in their last two consecutive matches (0-1-1). Martin Ojeda and Luis Muriel assisted on both goals for the Lions, and Ojeda became the third player in club history to record 50 goal contributions.

Orlando City remains fifth in the Eastern Conference table with 34 points. The Lions will take on CF Montreal Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium but will be without Pedro Gallese and Robin Jansson, who will serve suspensions for yellow card accumulation.

OCB Wins Penalty Shootout vs. Crown Legacy FC after 2-2 Draw

Orlando City B drew 2-2 against Crown Legacy FC Sunday at the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex. The Young Lions stuck first against the run of play on a goal from Justin Ellis to take a 1-0 lead. Orlando City B held onto the lead through halftime. In the second half, Crown Legacy FC scored twice to take a 2-1 lead. However, Ellis scored the equalizer on a late penalty kick to record his second goal of the match. After 90 minutes, MLS NEXT Pro draws go to penalties, and OCB won the extra point with a 3-1 shootout win. Carlos Mercado was instrumental, as the goalkeeper stopped Crown Legacy’s first three spot kicks. OCB will be back in action Sunday at Osceola County Stadium against Carolina Core FC.

USMNT Falls to Mexico in Gold Cup Final

The U.S. Men’s National Team fell 2-1 to Mexico on Sunday in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup final at NRG Stadium. Mexico won the Gold Cup for the 10th time and repeated as champions. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman started the match and played 90 minutes. The USMNT got off to a great start as a Chris Richards header gave the U.S. the early lead. Later in the first half, Raul Jimenez scored the equalizer for Mexico. In the second half, Edson Alvarez buried his header to pull Mexico ahead 2-1. The goal was initially called offside, but it was awarded after video review. The USMNT fell short of an eighth Gold Cup title but will now shift its focus to preparing for the 2025 FIFA World Cup next summer. The USMNT’s next matches are friendlies against South Korea on Sept. 4 and Japan on Sept. 9.

Club World Cup Quarterfinals Recap

The semifinals are set in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup after four thrilling quarterfinal matches over the weekend. On Friday, Fluminense edged Al-Hilal 2-1 to move on to the semifinals. Chelsea beat Palmeiras 2-1 and booked a spot in the semifinals. Former Lion Facundo Torres started the match for Palmeiras and played 67 minutes. On Saturday, Paris Saint-Germain defeated Bayern Munich 2-0, scoring two late goals in the second half from Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembélé to advance despite finishing the match with nine men. Real Madrid edged Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in a thrilling match to advance. The semifinals kick off Tuesday afternoon as Fluminense faces Chelsea. On Wednesday, Paris Saint-Germain will take on Real Madrid as Kylian Mbappe faces his former club. The Club World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium Sunday.

Free Kicks

• On Saturday, France defeated England 2-1 in its opening match of the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euros in Switzerland. Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was on the bench.

• Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda scored 58 seconds into the match for Zambia in the 2025 CAF Women’s African Cup of Nations against Morocco. Banda also notched an assist, but it wasn’t enough to win as the match ended in a 2-2 draw. Prisca Chilufya and Grace Chanda joined Banda in playing for Zambia.

• San Diego FC midfielder Alejandro Alvarado Jr. and defender Andres Reyes will miss the rest of the 2025 season. Both players will be placed on the season-ending injury list.
• Arsenal has completed the signing of midfielder Maritin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad after triggering his $67 million release clause.
• New York City FC has reportedly signed midfielder Nicolas Fernandez from La Liga side Elche on a Designated Player contract.

Former Chicago Fire and Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran has reportedly joined Fenerbahce on a one-year loan six months after joining Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei was taken off the field in an ambulance just seconds before the end of stoppage time after taking a knee to the head by a Crew player as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

Orlando City clawed its way back from a two-goal deficit Saturday night, earning a point after yet another draw on the road in Charlotte. The Lions looked listless during the first 65 minutes but sharp and formidable in the final 25, but with Charlotte missing several key players, the team probably should have done better than just a draw. That said, coming back from two goals down showed heart and pride, and math is math (I love math), and one point is better than zero points.

I have my purple pen out and I am ready to issue some grades, so here we go. Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their Eastern Conference matchup.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — Orlando City’s No. 1 conceded the free kick that led to Charlotte’s second goal after coming way outside the box and trying to clear a ball with his head. The header did not go far enough, so he followed it up, committing a foul and giving Charlotte a free kick, which it took advantage of to double the lead. Conceding a free kick, however, is not the same as conceding a goal, and if the back line hadn’t been beaten over the top both on that play and multiple earlier ones, Gallese would likely not have felt the need to intervene. It is not Gallese’s fault Bill Tuiloma was not properly marked on the set piece, and there was little he could do to prevent the second goal from point-blank range on the free kick. The goal that put Charlotte on the board in the first half was not one that I think he should have saved, as Pep Biel’s shot was placed perfectly into the inside netting at the far post while curling away from Gallese’s outstretched fingertips. El Pulpo controlled the box and made three saves during the rest of the game, including a big stop on a rocketed volley by Kerwin Vargas halfway through the first half. He also completed a season-high 30 passes during this match, only misplaying one pass, for a 96.8% completion rate.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5 — Brekalo was by far the most active Lion during his 45 minutes on the field, and was unlucky to receive what I believe was an inappropriately given yellow card, on a play when Charlotte’s Brandt Bronico actually fouled him. The foul knocked Brekalo off balance, and his arm flailed out as he tried to avoid falling, catching Bronico. That yellow card put him at risk of a second yellow. He was Orlando City’s most potent offensive threat in the first half, with three shots taken, including the team’s best opportunity — a header on a great ball from Marco Pašalić that forced Charlotte goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina into a reaction save. Brekalo was also engaged defensively, making one tackle and four clearances, but he was slow to close down Nick Scardina on Charlotte’s first goal and owns some of the blame for the Lions falling behind late in the first half. He completed 86.1% of his passes during the first half, and came off for Rafael Santos at halftime, in an effort to get a wide player outside of Martin Ojeda, allowing the team’s No. 10 to move from the left flank to the channel between the wing and the middle, where he was able to pull the strings much more effectively.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — The captain came off injured in the second half, making Saturday night’s game the first time all season that he did not play the entire game. Prior to that, he had been solid, but he was bailed out by Gallese in the first half when he was caught way upfield and Charlotte played a ball over the top that turned into a great scoring opportunity. Jansson completed 91.4% of his passes, including six accurate long balls, and contributed his usual variety of defensive actions, including two tackles, one interception, and three clearances. He also picked up a yellow card, which means whether injured or not, he will be out for Orlando City’s next game due to suspension for yellow card accumulation. Kyle Smith came on almost immediately after Jansson went down. Oscar Pareja said after the match that he believes Jansson’s knock is not serious, and hopefully the Beefy Swede returns to his customary place after sitting out just the next game.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel was the only starter on the back line to play the full 90 minutes, and by the time the game ended he was flanked by an unlikely back line partnership of Santos and Smith on his left and Iván Angulo on his right. The Argentine came close to a season high for completed passes, finishing with 71 on the night at a 93.4% completion rate, but with Orlando City trailing for most of the game and throwing the outside backs forward, most of those passes were simple redirects, as Schlegel was dropped deep next to Jansson or Smith. He added three tackles, one clearance, and one blocked shot on defense and was a calm quarterback for the back line for the final minutes of the game after Jansson had to go off due to his injury.

D, Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, 6 — The Icelandic defender made it bookend outside backs who did not go the full 90 minutes, as he came off after Charlotte’s second goal, having only played 65 minutes. This was not one of his better games, as although he completed 91.2% of his passes, he did not really contribute any threatening plays offensively. Defensively, Charlotte played more down the right than its left when he was on the field, so he did not have many chances to make tackles or interceptions and start a counterattack. He made one tackle but that was his only defensive action, and aside from that it was a relatively quiet evening for Thórhallsson before he was subbed out for Angulo with the Lions chasing a two-goal deficit.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 7 — The Argentinean Designated Player racked up another two assists in this game, taking him to 18 goal contributions on the year with an even split of nine goals and nine assists. With Angulo starting on the bench, Ojeda shifted out to the left wing, and when Santos came on, he drifted inside more on the left, and that really opened up the team’s offense. In the first half, Ojeda really only created one chance, a driving ball across the middle that got past Kahlina but found no teammates at the back post, but in the second half he created many more opportunities, finishing with a game-leading six key passes and bringing Orlando City back into the game. He completed 84.6% of his passes and partnered well with Santos on the left side, a combination we may see again next week.

MF, César Araújo, 6.5 — Like many of his teammates, Araújo was much better in the second half than the first, in particular because the first goal the Lions allowed was due to a late recovery run by the Uruguayan, who was caught ball watching and was unable to get back to prevent Biel from taking an unencumbered shot to put Charlotte on the board. With Orlando City chasing the game, Araújo stepped up though, initiating more offense from a deeper role and even playing as almost a third center back at times, due to how far Santos and Angulo were pushed up as Orlando City tried to get back into the game. He completed a game-high 85 passes at a sparkling 92.4% completion rate, and the reason it was sparkling is that he was not just playing short, easy passes. He completed 15 progressive passes (passes of 10+ yards in the attacking area of the field), the second most of any Lion in any game this season. Araújo also drew a game-high five fouls and took a yellow card on a professional foul to prevent Charlotte from executing a late counterattack with only minutes remaining.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 7.5 (MotM) — Despite not having a goal contribution, the Colombian midfielder was my Man of the Match (if you disagree I would love to know why in the comments), as he made play after play all over the field and should have had an assist on one of the best passes of the season when he played a wonderful through ball to Enrique, but a heavy touch allowed Scardina to sprint back in front of his goal and clear the shot off the line. Atuesta pulled the strings on the offense all game long, completing 94% of his passes, including five key passes and seven accurate long balls, while also winning five take-on attempts off the dribble. He put his only shot attempt on frame in the first half. On the defensive side of the ball, he made three tackles and added two clearances, and he added nine recoveries of loose balls as well. Late in the game his midfield partner Araújo started dropping deeper and deeper to help initiate the offense with the outside backs pushed way up, leaving Atuesta to fend for himself in the middle, and fend he did, as he bossed the middle just as much playing solo as he had been in tandem with Araújo. Atuesta was outstanding, and while I am sure some will quibble, I thought he was the best player on the field for the Lions.

MF, Marco Pašalić, 7 — Ho hum, another game and another goal for Pašalić, making that four goals in his last three games and an even 10 goals for the season. The Croatian did not bring his dazzling dribbling boots in this game, recording zero take-on wins, but he completed 90% of his passes, including one key pass and was a constant threat on offense. He showed once again that when he gets his shot off cleanly and on goal he is absolutely lethal. Pašalić does not seem to have the same chemistry with any of the right backs who have filled in for Alex Freeman while the young defender is with the U.S Men’s National Team, but that has not stopped him from contributing to the offense and tallying goals for the Lions. He looked threatening throughout the second half, and had Charlotte not blocked his shots, he may have scored more than once.

F, Luis Muriel, 7 — After a subdued first half, Muriel stepped up in the second half, assisting on both of Orlando City’s goals and looking threatening with the ball at his feet. The two assists he provided showed the depth of his abilities, as the first came on a perfectly placed one-two pass with Martín Ojeda, with Muriel spinning as he played Ojeda through, before his fellow Designated Player crossed the ball into the middle to Enrique get the Lions on the scoreboard. The second assist was likely one of the easiest of Muriel’s career but still required the perfect soft touch, as the Colombian laid the ball back to an onrushing Pašalić, who slammed the shot into the corner to tie the game. Muriel’s passing line was not great — only 24 completed passes at a 68.2% completion rate — but many of the passes that went incomplete were probing attempts to unlock the defense and that is a critical part of the Orlando City offense.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 6.5 — The Mane Land’s Sean Rollins apparently had his crystal ball out earlier this week when he wrote about Enrique’s inconsistency, as the Argentine showed a great nose for the goal with his perfectly timed run to end up in the right spot for Orlando City’s first goal, but he also had a heavy touch on a breakaway that put him too far wide and allowed a recovery run by Charlotte to prevent a shot into an open net. That miss was costly, as Charlotte scored just moments later, a two-goal swing. I thought Enrique was mostly nonexistent in the first half aside from one great pass to Ojeda that led to a dangerous cross, but he was much better in the second half, and on another day he might have had multiple goals. He completed 89.5% of his passes and was the only Lion to put more than one shot on target. His goal changed the game for Orlando City as from that point on the Lions dominated play.

Substitutes

D, Rafael Santos (46′), 6 — We saw the full Santos experience during this game, with some excellent offensive contributions in the attacking half of the field slightly offset by some abysmal marking in the box that led directly to Charlotte’s second goal. I thought Orlando City looked a lot more potent with him on the field, and it was his hustle to keep the ball inbounds that led to the team’s first goal. But his defensive performance, or lack thereof, meant that this was not a fully positive performance for the Brazilian left back. Santos played 45 minutes but did not register one defensive action, and while he was pushed way up the field and Orlando City had a lot of the ball, it is still not a great look to play 45 minutes at left back and have zero tackles, interceptions, and clearances. He was lively offensively though, completing 22 passes at an 81.5% completion rate while putting seven crosses into the box, and it will be interesting to see if he did enough to earn the start at left back next week with Jansson suspended and Brekalo presumably moving over to replace him.

D, Iván Angulo, (66′), 5.5 — After 55 straight MLS starts, Angulo came in off the bench in this match, and instead of his usual left wing position, he came in as the right back, replacing Thórhallsson. Back during the preseason I had wondered whether Angulo would be a candidate to play in a defensive role, using his speed in a way similar to how Ruan did when he was a Lion, and we saw that on display Saturday night when the Colombian came on and constantly pushed up the field with Orlando City chasing Charlotte. The Lions primarily attacked down the opposite side of the field while Angulo was on the field though, limiting him to only nine touches, but he used those touches to complete eight of his nine passes for an 88.9% completion rate.

D, Kyle Smith, (77’), N/A — Smith’s merry-go-round of defensive positions brought him to center back again during this game, coming in for Jansson after the captain suffered an injury. The Kyle-of-all-trades did what he always does, busting his butt on defense and playing solid soccer throughout his shift. Despite only playing 13 minutes, he completed more passes than Enrique and nearly as many as Santos, connecting on every one of his passes and going a cool 18 for 18. Orlando City had the ball for most of the final minutes of the game, so The Accountant was not called into action on defense at all, but he held his shape well in the middle of the field and helped the Lions salvage a point on the road.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 2-2 draw against Charlotte FC. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.