How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s been a pretty hectic week for me and I’m looking forward to some rest and relaxation over the next few days. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City winger Gaston Gonzalez! He turns 23 today and is currently on loan with Nacional in Uruguay.

OCB Draws, Wins Shootout Against Atlanta

Orlando City B dueled Atlanta United 2 to a 2-2 draw that featured the dramatic finish we’ve grown to expect from the Young Lions. OCB led but collapsed in the second half, only to equalize late and go on to win the shootout for another point. Regardless, points were left on the table and the Young Lions had plenty of chances to put the game to bed. It was the team’s third straight draw and it went all of June without a win. OCB’s next match is scheduled for July 14 against Inter Miami II.

USWNT Olympic Roster Unveiled

United States Women’s National Team Head Coach Emma Hayes called up 18 players for the team’s Olympic roster, along with four alternates. It will be the third trip to the Olympics for goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, midfielder Lindsey Horan, and forward Crystal Dunn . It will be the first Olympics for nine of the players called up, including Naomi Girma and Sophia Smith. The two most notable exclusions in my eyes are former Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan and 17-year-old Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes. NWSL rookie Croix Bethune, who leads the league in assists, was named as an alternate alongside fellow Washington Spirit rookie Hal Hershfelt.

Pride defender Emily Sams won’t be headed to Paris, but was called up for the USWNT’s training camp in New Jersey next month. It’s the first call-up for Sams and is definitely deserved given her role in the Pride’s success this season.

USMNT Takes on Panama Tonight

The United States Men’s National Team will play its second game of this year’s Copa America when it takes on Panama tonight at 6 p.m. in Atlanta. A win would all but guarantee the USMNT a spot in the knockout stage, while a draw would complicate things with a match against Uruguay looming on Monday. The last time these two Concacaf sides met was in the semifinals of last year’s Gold Cup, with Panama advancing on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw. The Yanks will need to be efficient on both sides of the ball to avoid a similar fate against a Panama side that knows how to grind out results.

Euro 2024 Round of 16 is Set

Georgia needed a win to advance in its first major tournament and got just that in a huge 2-0 win over a heavily rotated Portugal side. Portugal still ended up winning the group, while Turkey also advanced after a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic. Group E wrapped up with a tense pair of draws, as Belgium and Ukraine battled to a scoreless result while Romania and Slovakia drew 1-1. All four teams finished the group with four points, with Romania topping the group and Belgium and Slovakia also moving on. It’s an unfortunate end of the tournament for Ukraine, which did not lose a game but came in last in the group due to goal differential.

The knockout stage begins on Saturday, with Italy taking on Switzerland and Germany playing against Denmark. France’s match with Belgium on July 1 should be another great game to keep an eye out for. Orlando City’s David Brekalo and Slovenia will take on Portugal on July 1 as well.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City forward Facundo Torres did not win MLS Goal of the Matchday, with Charlotte FC’s Patrick Agyemang receiving the honor. Torres finished in third with 21.2% of the voting, behind both Agyemang (39.9%) and Cucho Hernandez (27%).
• FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga is out for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
• Roger Espinoza, who has 399 appearances across all competitions with Sporting Kansas City and took part in two World Cups with Honduras, announced that he is retiring.
• Senior Vice President of MLS Game Schedule Management Brad Pursel stated that MLS will take a break in the summer of 2026 due to the World Cup. Despite how this would add congestion to the schedule, he does not think Leagues Cup will be paused, although it may be modified for that summer.
• Mexico will officially be without its captain for the remainder of Copa America, as West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez sustained a hamstring injury in the team’s opener.
• Speaking of Mexico, it lost 1-0 to Venezuela. As a result, Mexico now has to win against Ecuador on Sunday.
• Phil Foden has temporarily left England’s squad for the birth of his child, according to reports.
• The assistant referee who collapsed in the Copa America match between Canada and Peru due to dehydration earlier this week has been discharged from the hospital and is stable.

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

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I have returned from my trip down to the City Beautiful having enjoyed two victories, six points, 10 total Orlando goals, and a bunch of great memories. I’m not saying that I had anything to do with the results, but I’m not not saying it either.

I want to thank those listeners of The Mane Land PawedCast and all the readers of this site that I was able to meet with over the weekend. It was truly a pleasure to see you all. Now, let’s get to today’s links.

Lions Move Up in Power Rankings and Standings

It’s amazing what a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Fire can do for a team following a mid-week draw against Western Conference powerhouse LAFC. Those four points moved Orlando City up seven spots to 20th in the MLS power rankings. More importantly, those results have moved the Lions into 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, and they are knocking on the door of the playoff picture. Orlando City will need to continue on this trajectory if the season is to be salvaged. Hopefully, this is the time of the season when Facundo Torres catches proverbial fire.

Pride Make Headlines

We here at The Mane Land have covered the Orlando Pride through the bad and now through the good. Now, the Pride are so good that the team is getting noticed elsewhere. The contributions of Barbra Banda and Marta are a big reason for that. The Pride are battling for the top spot with the Kansas City Current, with a showdown between the two powerhouses set for July 6. ESPN.com has the two teams holding steady, with the Current on top of its power rankings and the Pride sitting in the second spot. Banda is also in a race with Sophia Smith for the Golden Boot, with both players currently on 10 goals.

OCB in Action Tonight

Orlando City B takes on Atlanta United 2 tonight in what feels like an important match for the Young Lions. OCB will be without defender Abdi Salim as he has been loaned out to Detroit City FC, and others are on international duty or with the senior team. The Young Lions have won their last two matches against the Baby Five Stripes — or should they be called the Two-And-A-Half Stripes? Regardless, there will still be plenty to watch in this MLS NEXT Pro match.

Copa America Rolls On

Pedro Gallese and Wilder Cartagena both got the start for Peru in a 1-0 loss to former Lions Cyle Larin, Richie Laryea, and Kamal Miller and their Canadian teammates. Peru was playing a man down after Miguel Araujo was shown a red card in the 59th minute. The match also saw a linesman collapse from the heat and be taken off by the medical staff.

The USMNT is back in action on Thursday against Panama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Yanks have a winning record against Panama, and a win over Panama will go a long way to helping the U.S. advance since there is a match against Uruguay still to come. Here is everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Euros Entertain as Group Stage Nears End

The UEFA European Championship matches were a mixed bag on Tuesday. France and Poland played to a 1-1 draw, meaning France placed second in the group behind Austria. Kylian Mbappé scored first for France on a penalty kick, but Robert Lewandowski evened the match with his own penalty kick goal to earn a point for Poland. Speaking of Austria, it earned first place in Group D with a 3-2 victory over the Netherlands. I don’t think anyone had Austria beating the Netherlands, let alone topping the group, on their bingo cards, but here we are.

The later matches were not nearly as fun to watch, with England and Slovenia playing to a 0-0 draw. The other match was equally exciting, as Denmark and Serbia also played to a 0-0 draw. Despite the results, England, Denmark, and Slovenia all advance to the knockout round, with England topping the group. This will keep David Brekalo from returning to Orlando City for a bit longer.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City President of Business Operations Jarrod Dillon will appear on the fourth episode of Boating with Brandon, a 10-part video series hosted by Osceola County Commissioner Brandon Arrington.
• The USMNT will play friendlies against Canada, New Zealand, and Panama this fall.

• Portland Thorns and USWNT midfielder Olivia Moultrie is out due to injury. As such, she is unlikely to make the Olympic roster.
• Brazilian fans are mad after Brazil’s 0-0 draw with Costa Rica. They now agree with Ronaldinho’s pre-tournament assessment of the squad.
• Much to the consternation of many Manchester United supporters — and the joy of other clubs’ supporters — Erik ten Hag is set to sign a new contract with Manchester United.

• Keep your eyes peeled for the USWNT Olympic roster dropping today.

• Finally, congratulations to the Pride’s Cori Dyke on receiving the Big Ten Medal of Honor.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City match this Friday and the Orlando Pride match on Sunday. Don’t forget to check out the OCB match later tonight as well. Vamos Orlando!

It was a good weekend to be an Orlando soccer fan as the Orlando Pride and Orlando City combined to score 10 goals in the team’s two games, while taking all six points. Things aren’t going to slow down this week, as all three of Orlando’s teams are in action, and the United States Men’s National Team will play its second match of Copa America. Let’s jump into today’s links.

Lions Make MLS Team of the Matchday

A pair of Lions were rightfully rewarded for their performances in Orlando City’s 4-2 win over the Chicago Fire with a place in the MLS Team of the Matchday. Facundo Torres gets the nod in the midfield, while Mason Stajduhar was chosen between the sticks. Torres hit a pair of missiles from distance to spark OCSC’s offense to its highest goal output of the season. Stajduhar’s 10 saves tied a club record while helping the Lions get over the line with all three points secured. Nic Josey gave Stajduhar and Torres an 8 and 8.5 out of 10, respectively, in his player grades from the match‘, and it’s nice to see the duo get the recognition they deserve. Here’s hoping there’s more to come.

Brianna Martinez Signs New Contract

The Orlando Pride announced they have signed defender Brianna Martinez to a new two-year contract. That means she’ll be at the club through the end of the 2025 season, as the Pride got their business done early and ensured it has one less item to take care of in the off-season. Martinez has played in 12 games this season, starting in nine of them, so Orlando is locking up a developing player, who’s been an important part of the team’s success this season.

Californian Coaching Carousel Keeps Spinning

Coaching is a profession with no room for sentimentality, as was proven on Monday when a pair of California teams parted ways with their skippers. First up, the San Jose Earthquakes are comfortably the worst team in Major League Soccer, and club leadership decided to make a change by firing Luchi Gonzalez. Considering the Earthquakes are on 11 points through 19 games, with 51 goals conceded, it’s hard to argue with the decision. On the other hand, unless ownership invests more in the squad, simply changing the coach likely won’t make enough of a difference. Regardless, Ian Russell has been named interim coach, and faces a tough task in trying to reverse San Jose’s fortunes.

Moving down the coast by a few hundred miles, the San Diego Wave executed a much more shocking move by firing Casey Stoney. After 14 matches, the Wave are just one point outside a playoff position, but they’ve also scored a paltry 12 goals and haven’t won a game since beating the league-worst Utah Royals 2-0 all the way back on May 8. Winning the NWSL Shield last year and making a semifinal playoff appearance in each of the team’s first two seasons weren’t enough to keep her at the helm, and she’s been replaced by Paul Buckle as interim coach.

Euro & Copa America Updates

It was another exciting day of action in both Euro 2024 and Copa America play, so let’s catch up on everything that took place. In the Euros, Spain grabbed an early goal from Ferran Torres and coasted to a comfortable 1-0 win over an Albanian side that gave a good account of itself at the tournament. Spain won all three of its group games and advanced atop of Group B. Meanwhile, Croatia looked sure to advance in second place thanks to a goal from Luka Modric, but Italian substitute Mattia Zaccagni scored a beautiful curler with the last kick of the game to level the match at 1-1, break Croatian hearts, and send Italy through with four points to Croatia’s two.

Moving stateside, James Rodriguez pulled the strings for Colombia as a sea of yellow in Houston cheered Los Cafeteros to a 2-1 win over Paraguay. Rodriguez had two first-half assists to propel Colombia to its ninth straight win across all competitions. In the later game, Brazil and Costa Rica battled to a physical 0-0 draw in Los Angeles. Brazil had 73% of possession, and took 19 shots to Costa Rica’s two, but only put three shots on target and ultimately couldn’t find a way past Patrick Sequeira.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City has officially announced Abdi Salim’s loan to Detroit City FC, and it will be through the end of the 2024 season.
• The Pride dropped one place to second in CBS Sports‘ NWSL power rankings.
• Orlando City rose three places to 18th in ESPNs MLS power rankings.
• The Pride are one of five teams in NWSL history to have more than 30 points through 14 games.

• Sporting Kansas City has parted ways with Brian Bliss, the team’s technical director.
• Gregg Berhalter hailed Christian Pulisic’s leadership in the United States Men’s National Team’s 2-0 win over Bolivia.

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