Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s MLS All-Star time, and if you’re like me, you think that the MLS All-Star Game should pit players from the Eastern Conference versus the Western Conference so that fans of the MLS teams can see more of the players in MLS compete. There could even be some sort of reward for the conference that wins the match. Wouldn’t that be cool? Unfortunately, that isn’t what we get. Since I can’t change it, let’s get to the links.

It’s Good to Be Alex

It’s been a heck of a year for Alex Freeman. He made his first start for Orlando City in March, earned his first call-up to the USMNT, got his first cap and first start for the USMNT, and now will appear in the MLS All-Star Game. Even for those of us that follow Orlando City, it’s been a meteoric rise for the defender, and there’s every expectation that he still has room to improve. His next opportunity to shine comes tonight.

Goalie Wars/Skills Challenge

MLS defeated Liga MX in the MLS All-Star Skills challenge in the last event — the crossbar challenge. Freeman provided crosses in the first competition, and then beat iShowSpeed — an online personality — in the “Speed” passing contest. Carlos Mercado did Orlando City B proud, making it to the final of Goalie Wars. Unfortunately he lost to Pedro Cruz of Houston Dynamo 2.

Almost All the All-Stars

The MLS All-Stars take on the Liga MX All-Stars in the MLS “All-Star” Game at 9 p.m. on Apple TV. Freeman won’t be the only USMNT player in the competition. The many story lines around the match include USMNT representatives facing some of their Mexican National Team rivals in the match. I’m certain that the promoters have been hyping Lionel Messi’s inclusion in the match. Unfortunately for them, he may miss the match despite being invited.

Marta and Brazil Victorious

The Brazilian Women’s National Team defeated Paraguay 4-1 in a first-round Group B match of the Copa América Femenina. The Orlando Pride’s Marta got the start for her country, though Angelina did not. Yasmim scored a brace for Brazil with Amanda Gutierres and Duda Sampaio adding the other two goals. Paraguay’s Camila Gomez was sent off in the 50th minute, making things easier for Brazil, which will face Colombia in its second match Friday at 8 p.m.

Free Kicks

• The Denver NWSL expansion team now has an official identity — Denver Summit FC. I like the logo, but they missed an opportunity to be The Denver Summit and forego “FC.” Oh well, it’s definitely better than some others.

• It turns out that NWSL teams can sign new players right now to improve their rosters. Who knew? The Houston Dash, that’s who. The club completed the transfer of Canadian international Clarissa Larisey from Crystal Palace FC.
• I don’t usually recommend taking lessons from FIFA on…well, anything, but perhaps there are some things MLS can take from FIFA’s Club World Cup.
• LA Galaxy and LAFC players received fines for violating the leagues mass confrontation policy.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for Orlando City’s match this Friday against the Columbus Crew. Vamos Orlando!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! What a happy Tuesday it is too, as Orlando City got back to winning ways over the weekend after a string of frustrating results. There’s a ton going on right now with MLS All-Star events galore and Orlando City and Orlando City B both back in action on Friday. That means we’ve got a lot to discuss this morning, so let’s get after it.

Martin Ojeda Garners Weekly Honors

As seems to usually be the case lately, Martin Ojeda has been recognized for his efforts over the weekend with a place in the starting XI of the MLS Team of the Matchday. Ojeda powered Orlando City to a 2-1 win over the New England Revolution by scoring both of the team’s goals. That now gives him 12 goals and 10 assists for an extremely respectable 22 goal contributions in 24 games, which apparently still isn’t good enough for a place on the All-Star Team. Regardless of that snub, he’s a worthy inclusion in this week’s team, and we certainly hope he keeps up the good work!

OCSC Well Represented at All-Star Week

Despite Ojeda not being at All-Star Week, Orlando City as a club is heavily represented. In fact, the Lions are the only club to have representation from every level of the club’s structure. Youth players Dylan Judelson and Gustavo Caraballo participated in the MLS NEXT All-Star Game Monday night, with Caraballo’s golazo helping the East win 4-3 over the west. Check out the 16-year-old’s thunderous strike from distance.

Caraballo’s blast made it 2-1 at the time. The West came back twice, tying the match at 2-2 and 3-3, but a late penalty for a handball in the box allowed the East to claim the victory for Orlando City U-18 coach and academy director Javier Carrillo.

In addition to Carrillo and the academy kids helping the East win the MLS NEXT All-Star Game, Orlando City B’s Carlos Mercado is taking part in Goalie Wars, and Alex Freeman will be in the Skills Challenge and alongside Marco Pasalic in the All-Star Game. It’s great seeing every level of the club get a chance at the spotlight this week.

Predicting the U.S. World Cup Roster

With the 2026 World Cup less than a year away, the good folks over at Stars and Stripes FC took an early stab at predicting what the 26-man roster will look like for the United States Men’s National Team. We know it isn’t completely accurate because they didn’t project Alex Freeman to make the plane, but hey, no one’s perfect. Patrick Schulte gets the nod as the third goalkeeper along with Matt Freese and Matt Turner, while they believe Max Arfsten, Malik Tillman, and Diego Luna all did enough at the Gold Cup to secure spots. Gio Reyna is projected to make the cut, which might be generous considering how the last year has gone for him, but I really love the inclusion of Alex Zendejas, and hope he gets a chance under Mauricio Pochettino to show what he can do.

European Transfer Roundup

The summer transfer window is in full swing, and we need to catch up on which European teams are busy doing business ahead of the upcoming campaign. We start with Manchester United, which has completed the signing of Bryan Mbuemo from Brentford for a deal reportedly worth over $94 million. Liverpool is said to be putting a bow on a deal for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, with a transfer fee that could reportedly rise to $106 million if potential add-ons are met. That’s good news for the Reds, because Luis Diaz is reportedly determined to leave the team this summer and is hoping that Bayern Munich will make a new offer for him after Liverpool rejected a bid last week. Moving to the continent, AC Milan has reportedly agreed to sign Pervis Estupinan from Brighton and Hove Albion, while Paris Saint-Germain is reportedly considering a move for Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa due to Gianluigi Donnarumma continually rejecting new deals.

Free Kicks

• The Orlando Pride’s Sept. 19 home match against the North Carolina Courage has been flexed to stream nationally, which means the kickoff time has been moved to 8 p.m.
• Orlando City held fast at no.11 in the MLS power rankings, and is at the same exact spot in ESPN.com’s version of the rankings.
• Marta has been vocal in her frustrations about the conditions the players are facing at this year’s Copa America.

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

Orlando City ended a four-game winless run, defeating the New England Revolution 2-1 on the road. Martin Ojeda’s brace was the difference in this one as the Lions were able to hold onto their one-goal lead, something they were unable to do in the two previous matches. It’s a big three points as they look to climb back up the table.

Let’s take a look at the individual performances in this crucial win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — The shot stopper didn’t have a lot to do in this game since New England only put four shots on frame. He could’ve done better on the goal and was a little lucky that another shot hit the post. But Gallese made saves when he needed to, helping to get the win. He ended up saving three of the four shots he faced, giving up a goal. The goalkeeper had 34 touches, completing 54.2% of his 24 passes, including seven of his 18 long balls. It wasn’t his best game, but Gallese definitely helped claim all three points.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5 — Brekalo started at left back once again, touching the ball 51 times and completing 80% of his 30 passes, including seven of his nine long balls. He was strong defensively, recording a tackle, two interceptions, three clearances, and a blocked shot. The defender also had a shot in the attack that went off target.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — Jansson had 44 touches in this game, completing 74.3% of his 35 passes, including six of his 12 long balls. Defensively, he recorded an interception, five clearances, and two blocked shots. The center back only went forward once before pulling back and came off with a slight knock for Kyle Smith in the second-half stoppage time.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6 — Schlegel had 41 touches, completing 85.7% of his 28 passes, including one of his two long balls. He recorded a tackle and a team-high seven clearances with two blocked shots defensively. He stepped up to challenge Tomas Chancalay on the New England goal, but it was half-hearted defending, allowing the attacker to shoot at Gallese’s near post. But, overall, it was a strong performance by Schlegel.

D, Alex Freeman, 5.5 — Freeman had 47 touches from his right back position, connecting on 79.3% of his 29 passes, including a key pass. However, he didn’t convert on either of his long balls. He attempted one shot, sailing it well over the crossbar. Defensively, he added a tackle and three clearances. The 20-year-old looked a little lost defensively early in the second half, losing his man multiple times, including on the goal. That knocks his grade down a little in this one.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6.5 — This was one of Angulo’s better games. He had 41 touches and completed 88.5% of his 26 passes, including two key passes and his lone long ball. He didn’t take any shots but made a great run in the 58th minute to beat his man, get into the box, and find Ojeda for the game-winning goal, earning himself an assist. Defensively, Angulo added four tackles and an interception while being a key contributor to the win. His game ended in second-half stoppage time when he came off for Rafael Santos in a defensive change.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6 — Araujo touched the ball 47 times and completed 91.4% of his 35 passes, including two key passes, his only cross, and one of his two long balls. His only shot was off target, but he contributed defensively, adding a tackle and a clearance. It wasn’t a stellar game, but a solid one nonetheless.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6.5 — Atuesta was the better of the two defensive midfielders in this game, touching the ball 54 times and completing 78.6% of his 28 passes. He had three key passes and connected on one of his two long balls but none of his three crosses. However, it was his excellent long ball forward in the 18th minute that resulted in the opening goal by Ojeda. Neither of his two shots were on target, but he was active defensively, recording three tackles, an interception, and two clearances.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 — Pasalic had a strong performance, touching the ball 30 times and completing 73.7% of his 19 passes, including three of his five long balls. One of his three shots was on target, and he added an interception defensively. Pasalic’s impact on the game wasn’t all captured statistically as he dribbled at the Revs’ defense, causing problems for the back line and creating opportunities for his teammates. Pasalic was replaced by Zakaria Taifi in the 78th minute as Oscar Pareja looked to hold onto the one-goal lead.

F, Martin Ojeda, 7.5 (MotM) — Ojeda was without question the best player on the field in this game. He had 51 touches and completed 76.7% of his passes with a team-high four key passes. All three of his crosses and two of his three long balls found their targets. The attacker put four of his seven shots on target — both team highs — netting a brace. I’m sure it won’t surprise you that he’s my Man of the Match — and probably everyone else’s.

F, Luis Muriel, 5 — Muriel touched the ball 42 times in this game, completing 56.3% of his 32 passes with a key pass. He didn’t complete his lone cross but was successful on two of his three long balls and his only through ball. However, strikers are judged on goals and Muriel only had one off-target shot in this game. It was another one where you wonder where your Designated Player was when you needed him.

Substitutes

D, Zakaria Taifi (78′), 6 — Taifi was the first change in a surprise move, replacing Pasalic in the 78th minute. The 19-year-old touched the ball nine times and completed 85.7% of his seven passes, including his lone long ball. To his credit, Taifi sent a dangerous ball in from the right that was just beyond the reach of Muriel. Defensively he added a tackle in a game that should give the academy product some confidence moving forward.

D, Kyle Smith (90′ + 2), N/A — Smith came on for Jansson in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. He didn’t touch the ball in his few minutes on the field.

D, Rafael Santos (90′ + 4), N/A — Santos replaced Angulo in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, touching the ball once. It was a complete long ball and the only time he was noticed on the field in his short appearance.

That’s how I saw Orlando City’s 2-1 win over the New England Revolution. Let us know how you saw the game and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.