How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve spent most of my week so far reading after going a bit overboard at a book sale near me. It’s been a nice way to spend the wait before Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are back in action. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Thomas Williams!

Duncan McGuire Will Reportedly Sign New OCSC Contract

An agreement has reportedly been reached between Orlando City and forward Duncan McGuire for him to sign a new contract that will last through 2027, with an option for 2028. The Lions have been trying to secure McGuire’s signature throughout the year, and McGuire endured a whirlwind of a transfer saga in February involving a failed loan to Blackburn Rovers. McGuire scored 13 goals as a rookie last season and has seven to his name so far this season. He didn’t exactly turn heads at the Olympics this summer, but he can finish the year strongly with the Lions.

Lions Near Deal for Heine Gikling Bruseth

Orlando City is reportedly close to signing Norwegian midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth from Kristiansund BK in Norway’s top flight for a $1 million transfer fee. The 20-year-old would join the Lions as an MLS U22 Initiative player if the move comes to fruition. The talks between the two clubs were reported on earlier this month but reportedly broke down for a bit due to the fee. I’m interested to see what role the young midfielder would have with the team this year should he become a Lion.

Pride’s Grace Chanda Out for the Season

Zambian midfielder Grace Chanda won’t be making her Orlando Pride debut this year after being placed on the season-ending list due to a ruptured quadriceps tendon sustained while at the Olympics. It’s tough news for Chanda, who missed out on last year’s World Cup and most of Real Madrid’s season due to an illness. Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter did not mince words in detailing how Zambia’s mismanagement contributed to Chanda’s injury.

Chanda’s contract with the Pride lasts through 2025 and hopefully she has a smooth healing process. The Pride will now have to hold onto the top spot in the league without their big summer signing while other teams have spent this break in the season upgrading their rosters.

Chicago Fire and Xherdan Shaqiri Part Ways

Swiss midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri’s time with the Chicago Fire has come to an end, with the two sides agreeing to terminate his contract. In 75 appearances across all competitions since joining in 2022, Shaqiri recorded 16 goals and 20 assists. Chicago is currently 14th in the Eastern Conference and Shaqiri has not played for the club since May. The 32-year-old is now a free agent after an underwhelming spell in MLS, while the Fire will have an open Designated Player spot to help turn things around in 2025.

Free Kicks

• Orlando will host one of five Talent ID Events announced by MLS NEXT to give players outside of MLS NEXT a platform to show their skills. The first event is on Wednesday in Denver, and the last event will be in Orlando on Nov. 15.
• Real Salt Lake added Polish winger Dominik Marczuk as an MLS U22 Initiative player. The 20-year-old heads to MLS with 128 professional appearances already under his belt.
• The Fire traded away $75,000 in 2024 General Allocation Money to CF Montreal in exchange for Costa Rican forward Ariel Lassiter.
• Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes signed a contract extension with Manchester United that will keep him at the club through 2027, with an option for 2028 as well.
• Kylian Mbappe scored in his Real Madrid debut to help the Spanish club beat Atalanta to win the European Super Cup, which pits the most recent winners of the Champions League and Europa League against each other.
• The English Premier League has a plan in place to make video review more effective by making the threshold for VAR intervention higher and improving clarity on decisions.
• Mounir Nasraoui, the father of 17-year-old Barcelona player Lamine Yamal, has reportedly been hospitalized after being stabbed multiple times. He’s in stable condition and Barcelona police are investigating the incident.

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. We are knee deep in a week bereft of an Orlando City or an Orlando Pride match with the teams playing at the end of next week. Not only that, but the Olympic soccer tournament is also over, making it that much worse. Fortunately, we still have some news to share. Let’s get to the links.

Leagues Cup Comments

It’s been a few days since Orlando City exited the Leagues Cup despite not losing a match. Yes, the Lions lost for the first time on penalty kicks — no one here is to blame, despite what some people might say — but the Lions were wasteful with their chances throughout the match. Oscar Pareja and Robin Jansson conveyed as much following the match. Still, there are positives the team can take from the competition as the MLS regular season resumes next week.

Getting to Know David Brekalo and Haley McCutcheon

I love that the club puts out these “Getting to Know” videos introducing Orlando City and Orlando Pride players. I always find out a little something new and cool. This go-around we get to know Orlando City center back David Brekalo and Orlando Pride defender Haley McCutcheon.

USMNT Updates

Weston McKennie isn’t long for Juventus as the club’s new manager, Thiago Motto, has explicitly stated he and two others need to look for a new club. Now, it looks like Fiorentina is interested in the midfielder. Frankly, McKennie is too good for some club not to pick him up, though it seems he might be staying in Serie A. Of course, he’s not the only USMNT player who could use a change of scenery.

Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic is so important to AC Milan’s plans that new head coach Paulo Fonseca kept the U.S. captain out of Tuesday’s match against Monza to allow the American to deal with a knock. If all goes well, Pulisic may be able to feature in this weekend’s match against Torino. Pulisic will try to follow up an outstanding first season with the Serie A club.

Tim Ream was the oldest USMNT player in the last Olympics at 36 years old. Now that he has made the move to Charlotte FC from Premier League side Fulham, he is targeting a spot on the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup. Ream will be 38 years old when the next World Cup comes around

USWNT Post Olympics

The Olympics may be over, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start thinking about the 2027 Women’s World Cup, and which players might make the squad in three years. Personally, I’m hopeful that the Pride’s Emily Sams will get to actually play in that competition. Of course, following up a Gold Medal performance won’t be easy for Emma Hayes and the USWNT. The remainder of the world is catching up.

Free Kicks

• Manchester City will potentially face justice regarding the 115 breaches of Premier League rules that have been brought against the club. The independent panel hearing is scheduled for Sept. 16. I say “potentially,” because while I hope Manchester City receives the full penalty for all the shenanigans, I don’t actually expect it to happen.
• Schedule fixture congestion is only getting worse, especially for the teams that make all the competitions. While we love watching soccer whenever possible, burnout is a real possibility for the players.
• The North Korean Women’s Soccer team is a mystery. The team showed up big in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but then fell off and missed out on this year’s Olympics. The story behind all of it is fascinating.
• Manchester United has acquired Noussair Mazraoui and Matthijs de Ligt from Bayern Munich on four- and five-year contracts, respectively.
• It’s a good thing that Ryan Reynolds has the number one movie in the U.S. right now, because his football club, Wrexham AFC, got knocked out of the Carabao Cup, thanks to a 4-2 loss to Sheffield United.

That will do it for today. I suppose you can get your fix by playing some FIFA on your console of choice. Or, just perhaps, venture outside. If you do that, I recommend something like swimming or kayaking. Whatever you do, check back with us regularly, as you never know when the news will hit. Vamos Orlando!

Happy Tuesday, everyone. Our Orlando soccer viewing schedule takes a brief respite, as both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride won’t be back in action until next weekend. Orlando City B continues with its regularly scheduled programming though, and there’s still plenty happening elsewhere in the soccer world. That means we have plenty to talk about today, so let’s get going.

MLS Transfer Happenings

With just two days left to go in Major League Soccer’s summer transfer window, deals are flying thick and fast (unless you’re Orlando City). We start in the world of rumors, with Charlotte FC reportedly trying to pull off a deal to bring Miguel Almiron back to MLS.

Moving to confirmed deals, CF Montreal traded former Lion Ruan to FC Dallas in exchange for $50,000 in 2024 General Allocation Money. The New England Revolution signed midfielder Alhassan Yusuf from Royal Antwerp on a deal running through 2027, with an option for 2028. Finally, the New York Red Bulls are reportedly putting the finishing touches on signing Felipe Carballo from Gremio.

Vinicius Jr. Linked With Move to Saudi Arabia

In an extremely surprising piece of news, it’s being reported that Vinicius Jr. is considering a proposal to move to the Saudi Pro League. There have been concrete talks between Real Madrid and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund about the move, though Madrid understandably does not want the Brazilian winger to leave. At the moment, no formal offer has been submitted, but Vinicius did not reject the possibility of moving when the PIF spoke with his representatives. If he does move, he would be the highest-profile player in his prime to make the jump to the league, and Real Madrid would stand to receive a boatload of cash.

European Transfer Roundup

Transfer season in Europe is just as hectic as in the U.S., if not more so, and there are a few big items to highlight. In a dizzying series of events, Chelsea has pivoted from signing Samu Omorodion from Atletico Madrid, and is now targeting Joao Felix, with Connor Gallagher set to move the opposite direction. Following the reported collapse of the Omorodion deal, the Blues may be back in the hunt for Napoli’s Victor Osimhen. Brentford has signed attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool, providing some extra punch in the attack. Finally, Julian Alvarez has moved from Manchester City to Atletico Madrid in a transfer reportedly worth $104 million.

Kevin Durant Buys Stake in PSG

After winning Olympic gold in Paris on Saturday, Kevin Durant took care of a different kind of business in the French capital, as he has bought a stake in Paris Saint-Germain. There are no concrete numbers as to the amount of Durant’s investment, but he purchased his stake through Arctos Sports Partners, an investment group that bought a 12.5% stake in the club several years ago. Durant will likely make some money, PSG gets its already high profile in the United States raised even more, everyone wins.

Free Kicks

• A number of United States Men’s National Team players will be in action during the week, so make sure you have everything marked down on your calendar.

• Georg Heitz will depart from his position as sporting director of the Chicago Fire at the end of this season.
• Adidas has dropped third kits for some of the bigger clubs that it outfits.