Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. The Orlando Pride are finally back in action this weekend, and we’ll get to watch it — unlike the preseason. It’s a good thing too, since Orlando City has been hard to watch. Speaking of the Pride, you won’t want to miss this week’s episode of SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride Podcast and our special guest. Until then, let’s get to the links.

Trio of Missing Lions

Crepeau, Jansson & Gerbet sounds like a law firm specializing in personal injury cases. That is definitely the case when it comes to Robin Jansson and Joran Gerbet, as the two work back from their respective injuries. Fortunately, there’s some progress on that. Both are training off to the side. Hopefully, their recoveries go well and they can return to help Orlando City.

Maxime Crepeau will be absent from Orlando City’s next match thanks to the red card he earned against New York City FC Saturday afternoon. He was also fined by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for not leaving the field in a timely manner. I’d like to say he had a good argument against the sending off, but I can’t, and I’m not the only one.

NWSL Season Approaches

We are days away from the Orlando Pride season opener — and the rest of the NWSL will kick off over the weekend as well. That means it’s time for speculation about the various clubs and how ambitious each was based on its off-season moves. The Pride were not very ambitious, but perhaps the club did not need to be. Despite the supposed lack of ambition, the Pride are still a team to watch, even if others don’t consider the club “must watch” tv.

U.S. National Team Player News & Notes

The fact that there are USMNT players competing in the Champions League is great news in a World Cup year. Johnny Cardoso’s Atletico Madrid beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 with some help from a guy name Antoine Griezmann. Mauricio Pochettino said he also respects MLS players like Sebastian Berhalter. Speaking of Berhalters, former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter said the USMNT is poised for success in the World Cup. We know the team won’t be wearing the denim kit despite Adidas bringing it back.

Free Kicks

• The Lions are not at the bottom of the ESPN MLS power rankings. I am pleasantly surprised.
• Orlando City and the Orlando Pride have renewed the sponsorship with Publix to a new multi-year deal.
• The club also announced a series of single match ticket promotions.
• The Premier League’s new financial rules have others in UEFA a little nervous. It’s not surprising in the arms race for the top players in the world.
• The NWSL announced the formation of the NWSL Health Advisory Council that will take a holistic approach to player health and wellbeing.
• MLS Next has announced a host of new clubs will be joining both tiers of the league.
• Former USWNT player Lauren Holiday is calling for the various women’s leagues to align their seasons much like MLS is doing with the rest of the world.
• The Houston Dynamo are bringing back Ibrahim Aliyu in a trade with the Columbus Crew.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

Good morning, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as Orlando City took a brutal beating on the baseball diamond at Yankee Stadium, while Orlando City B knocked off Chicago Fire II at home to pick up its first win of the young season. We’ve got a busy week ahead of us, as the Young Lions take on Carolina Core on Saturday afternoon, OCSC is at home against CF Montreal later that night, and the Orlando Pride kick off the season against the Seattle Reign on Sunday. We’ve got a lot to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.

MLS Bans Two Players for Life

Major League Soccer has given lifetime bans to Derrick Jones and Yaw Yeboah for violating the league’s gambling policy. The pair “engaged in extensive gambling on soccer,” with the kicker being that they placed bets on games in which their own teams were involved. The bets took place during the 2024 and 2025 seasons, with a particular instance highlighted in the Columbus Crew’s 3-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Oct. 19, 2024, in which both players bet on Jones to be given a yellow card, which he received in the 35th minute. Neither player is currently under contract with an MLS team.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will be playing matches during the working week, and the knockout rounds of continental competitions are once again in the spotlight. Things get going this afternoon when Yunus Musah and Atalanta host Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, while Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid play Tottenham Hotspur in the same competition. Wednesday has Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen playing Arsenal in the UCL, while former Lion Daryl Dike and West Brom take on Southampton in the Championship. Thursday sees Tanner Tessman and Lyon travel to play Celta Vigo in the Europa League, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace take on AEK Larnaca in the Conference League. Things conclude on Friday when Alex Freeman will hope to break a streak of four games as an unused substitute when Villarreal travels to Deportivo Alaves in La Liga.

Sergino Dest Injury Update

Sergino Dest went down in the 55th minute of PSV Eindhoven’s league win over AZ Alkmaar on Saturday and had to be helped off the field while putting minimal weight on his left leg. PSV coach Peter Bosz confirmed that it was a hamstring injury, and while the club has made no official statement about how much time he might miss, the fullback said in a statement that he is confident he’ll be fit again near the end of the season. His injury means that the right back situation for the USMNT is suddenly a more interesting one, as Freeman hasn’t been playing much with Villarreal, and guys like Joe Scally will be keen on seizing any potential opportunities.

Iranian Soccer Players Granted Asylum

Five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have been granted humanitarian visas to remain in Australia after they escaped from the people assigned to keep an eye on them following the team’s final match in the Women’s Asian Cup. The group, which includes team captain Zahra Ghanbari, had been in contact with Australian officials for a number of days, who made it clear that the remaining members of the team would also be welcomed by the country if they chose to stay. The five players that chose to leave are now protected by the Australian Federal Police and consented to have their names and faces published. It is not currently known when the remainder of the team is set to depart from Australia.

Free Kicks

• Marco Pasalic has been called up to represent Croatia.

• United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly on the shortlist to replace Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa before next season.
• The FA Cup quarterfinal draw is complete, with highlights of the next round including Manchester City hosting Liverpool and League One side Port Vale travelling to take on Chelsea.

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

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work. It was a rough weekend for our beloved Lions, but OCB got a win over the weekend. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando City defender Nolan Miller, who turned 22 Sunday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Suffer Heavy Defeat at New York City FC

Orlando City fell 5-0 to New York City FC on the road Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau received a red card early in the first half. New York capitalized on the man advantage and the Lions trailed 3-0 at halftime. Keaton Parks scored twice in the second half as New York City FC secured its second straight win, while Orlando remains winless after three matches to start the season. The Lions were shut out for the first time in 25 matches. Orlando City will face CF Montreal at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday. Before the match, Orlando City announced it had signed midfielder Dylan Judelson to a short-term contract as Colin Guske was suspended after picking up two yellow cards against Inter Miami.

Orlando Pride Beat Fort Lauderdale United in Preseason Finale

In their final preseason match, the Orlando Pride beat USL Super League side Fort Lauderdale United 2-1 Saturday at Beyond Bancard Field in Fort Lauderdale. Seven Castain scored the opener in the first half, and Summer Yates added another from outside the box in the second half. Fort Lauderdale United pulled one back, but Orlando held on for the win.

The 2026 NWSL season will kick off this weekend as the Pride hosts the Seattle Reign Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Pride also announced that goalkeeper McKinley Crone, who was on loan with Fort Lauderdale United, has returned to the club by mutual consent.

OCB Beats Chicago Fire FC II

Orlando City B defeated Chicago Fire FC II 2-1 at Osceola County Stadium Sunday to secure its first win of the season in MLS NEXT Pro. Pedro Leao scored the opener for the Young Lions, however, Chicago equalized just before halftime. In the second half, Justin Ellis scored to give OCB the lead and the Young Lions held on for all three points. OCB’s next match will be on the road, taking on Carolina Core FC Saturday at Truist Point Stadium.

USWNT Wins SheBelieves Cup

The U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Colombia 1-0 to win the 2026 SheBelieves Cup Saturday at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ. Alyssa Thompson scored the lone goal for the U.S. and was named the SheBelieves Cup MVP. With the win, the USWNT claimed its eighth title in the competition, went undefeated in the tournament, secured an eighth straight shutout, and finished atop the group with nine points. Canada finished second with five points after defeating Argentina 3-2 on penalties following a scoreless draw. Colombia finished third and Argentina came in last.

Free Kicks

• Major League Soccer announced its 2026 General Allocation Money available to each of its clubs. Orlando City has $655,360 amount of available GAM.
• Sportico unveiled its valuations for teams in the WNBA and NWSL. The Orlando Pride was valued at $133 million.

• Morocco National Team manager Walid Regragui has quit from his role just over three months before the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins. Mohamed Ouahbi will take over as the new manager.
• Iraq National Team manager Graham Arnold has reportedly asked FIFA to reschedule its World Cup playoff match later this month due to the ongoing war in the Middle East.
• Louisville City FC and Racing Louisville FC unveiled their first-ever mascots, inspired by Muhammad Ali. Float, a butterfly, represents Racing Louisville, while Louisville City’s mascot is Sting, a bee.
• Despite being in last place in EFL League One, Port Vale defeated Sunderland 1-0 in the fifth round of the FA Cup and booked a spot in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1954.

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