Orlando City announced this afternoon that the club has signed Orlando City B midfielder Yutaro Tsukada to a first-team contract. The deal runs through the 2025 MLS season with club options for 2026 and 2027.

“Yutaro has shown us a lot so far this year, both on the field and off, during his time with Orlando City B and has proven the importance of our development pathway,” Orlando City Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi said in a club press release. “He has demonstrated his ability to impact games with his speed and flair but has also shown his abilities to improve the team as a whole with hard work and effort off the ball. We look forward to him continuing his development with the first team and are excited to see him level his game up even more.”

Tsukada was selected by Orlando City with the 25th overall pick of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft out of West Virginia University. After spending preseason with the club, the first-round pick signed a one-year MLS NEXT Pro deal to play with OCB. The 23-year-old Tokyo native has made 14 appearances with the Young Lions, starting 13 games and recording 1,068 minutes. He’s scored four goals and recorded four assists in those appearances.

Additionally, Tsukada has been signed to multiple short-term deals with the first team this year, making the team sheet for three MLS games and three Leagues Cup games. He made his first-team debut on May 15 against Inter Miami, coming on in second-half stoppage time for Facundo Torres. His second appearance was on July 26 against CF Montreal in the Leagues Cup when he came on in the 84th minute for Martin Ojeda.

“I am extremely honored to become a part of the first team. I would like to thank the club and all of the fans for the amazing support that I have received since being drafted here to Orlando,” Tsukada said in the club’s press release. “I’m excited to continue the hard work and competing for this club.”

Tsukada began his soccer-playing career in his native Japan with FC Tokyo. He played at Daytona State in 2020 and 2021 before transferring to West Virginia University, where he played for two seasons before entering the MLS SuperDraft.

The left-sided midfielder made 40 appearances with the Division 1 West Virginia Mountaineers with 31 starts. His breakout season came in 2023 when he scored 12 goals with nine assists, earning him All-America Third Team and All-Southeast Region First Team honors by the United Soccer Coaches.

What This Means for Orlando City

Tsukada has been a key playmaker for OCB this season, causing problems for opposing defenses. His play on the left has been noticed by Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja, resulting in the 23-year-old receiving multiple short-term contracts with the first team and appearing in two games.

The Young Lions typically focus on the left side when Tsukada starts due to his ability to create scoring opportunities. Despite being third on OCB with four goals this year, the main benefit of having him in the team is his ability to set up teammates. Tsukada is willing and able to take on defenders one-on-one, often drawing others to him and opening space for other attackers.

While Tsukada won’t supplant Ivan Angulo on the left side of the Lions’ attack, he’ll likely be on the bench frequently for the first team and make late-game appearances when necessary. Meanwhile, he’ll still be able to gain valuable minutes for OCB, where he’s been a mainstay for the majority of the season.

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!