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Orlando City vs. New England Revolution: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-1 road victory at New England?

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

There is probably a more eloquent Dickensian reference out there I could use about how this match was a tale of two cities halves. The Lions looked poor initially but started to find their footing toward the end of the first half and then came out and really lived up to our great expectations and smashed New England in the second half. A final score of 3-1 means that Orlando City finally won for the first time ever at New England and has now won three games in a row and four of its last five.

The Lions have a short turnaround with a game at Nashville coming on Wednesday, but for now, let’s bask in the glow of another high-scoring win and get to work on the report card. I have my purple pen out, and I am ready to issue those grades, so here we go.

Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated individually in their Eastern Conference matchup.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 6 — The Peruvian international did not have a lot to do during this match, as New England did not really threaten his goal often. The Revolution only had three shots on target all game long, and the one goal they scored was from point-blank range after a defensive breakdown. I think Gallese perhaps could have collected the initial ball over the top from Esmir Bajraktarevic, but that would have been a risky play and he likely did not assume that his defenders would all ball watch and let runners go unmarked right in the middle of the box. Gallese made one save and completed seven passes on the night, but it was a mostly unremarkable game for him.

D, Kyle Smith, 5 — After two consecutive solid games starting in the back four, Smith looked almost subdued in the game Saturday night, completing a lot of short passes but not really accounting (see what I did there?) for any — for lack of a better term — oomph in Orlando City’s attack. He completed 30 passes at an 88.2% rate, but aside from one ball to Iván Angulo towards the left side of the box, there really was not a lot that was memorable about his play in the first half. In fact, he did not record a single defensive statistic, and I was not surprised that Rafael Santos was on the field in place of Smith when the second half started. This did apparently surprise Apple TV’s broadcasters, since they did not realize he was out for a few minutes, but Smith had not put on a Santos disguise, and he had indeed gone off after 45 minutes.

D, Robin Jansson, 6 — New England has an excellent striker in Giacomo Vrioni, but he really did not do a lot to threaten the center of Orlando City’s defense, to the point that neither Jansson nor Rodrigo Schlegel had a tackle. Now, the obvious counter to this is that, you know, Vrioni scored a goal (aside from that whole gunshot thing, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?), but I thought Jansson helped limit Vrioni to really only be a target and not someone that the Revolution played through. On the play that led to the goal, Jansson was marking Jack Panayotou, so I do not think he takes much culpability in that goal, even thought it happened right in front of him. As I mentioned, the Beefy Swede did not have a tackle but he led the team with four clearances and one blocked shot, and he completed 36 passes at a 90% completion rate. It was a quiet night for Jansson after his Man-of-the-Match-level performance last week against D.C. United, but I do not think the captain will mind since the Lions picked up another three points.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 6.5 — I thought Schlegel was excellent for most of the game, except for the three seconds from 22:44 to 22:47. During that time, he followed the ball instead of his man, and Vrioni slipped unmarked into the center of the box and smashed a shot home to give the Revolution the lead. Ugh. However, during the rest of the game, I thought Schlegel was really good, especially around the marking of Vrioni, and he showed why even with the return of David Brekalo from the Euros that Orlando City has not made a change to the pairing of Jansson and Schlegel in the middle. Rodrigo was third on the team with 51 completed passes, compiling a 98.1% completion rate (that’s 51/52, everyone), and he even advanced forward and got two shots off, though neither were on target. He also had two clearances and blocked one shot, and led the team with 11 accurate long balls on 14 attempts.

D, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, 6.5 — I know Thorhallsson is listed as the starting right back, but I really think that D for defender should be a DD for Dagur Dan, because to call him just a defender or just a right back does not really satisfy what he brings to Orlando City. He is a Dagur Dan, and just like Tigger, he is the only one. On Saturday night, he was once again all over the field making plays, and although he did not contribute to any of the goals it was not for lack of trying, as in the first half he got himself into a great scoring position for a cross from Angulo that he just could not place properly to get by Aljaž Ivačič, and he was constantly probing and making runs off the right side of the box and helping to cause worry along the left side of the Revolution’s defense. He also completed 39 passes at an 88.9% completion rate, with one key pass among those passes, and he had one tackle and one clearance defensively. I have to ding him some early defensive mistakes. He was beaten early in the match by Panayotou but Jansson was able to intervene in the 11th minute. He was in position, but still got beat over the top on the cross into the box that led to New England’s only goal. Despite the early defensive errors, I thought on the whole his performance was solid on the evening.

MF, César Araujo, 7 — The Uruguayan defensive midfielder had another typical game, generally short on flash but long on making a difference in the middle of the field. Cesar was second on the team in passes completed (54), tackles (3), and shot-creating actions (3), with one of those shot-creating actions being the assist for the second goal when his header back into the middle of the box was knocked in by Ramiro Enrique in the 58th minute. The midfield pairing of Araujo and Wilder Cartagena has been excellent during the recent three-game winning streak. I do not think it is a coincidence that as soon as Cartagena returned from the Copa America tournament, the team got hot. Araujo and Cartagena know how to play with and off of one another, which showed Saturday night. I think it is instructive to look at this heatmap from whoscored.com in between the grades for Araujo and Cartagena, because you can see just how well they balanced each other with their play during the match.

MF, Wilder Cartagena, 7.5 — Saturday night’s performance was another outstanding showing from the Peruvian midfielder, as he was once again all over the field making plays and bossing the game with midfield partner Araujo. Wilder led the team with 60 completed passes at a 93.8% completion rate, and he also led the team with 16 completed passes in the attacking third, five tackles, two fouls suffered, and one (friendly) face slap of Facundo Torres, after Torres scored his second goal. I will be tracking friendly, and unfriendly, face slaps for the rest of the season, do not worry. I thought Cartagena dictated the game with his play in the center of the field, and though he did not play a major role in any of Orlando City’s three goals, he was the best two-way player on the field, and was definitely a candidate for the Man of the Match.

MF, Iván Angulo, 7.5 — During the first part of Saturday’s match it seemed like everyone wearing Orlando City colors was sluggish except one player, and that player was Angulo. As he seems to do every game, Angulo looked like he was perpetually playing on turbo mode, making runs up the sideline and getting around defenders to create opportunities. Orlando City was profligate in front of the net for most of those, but eventually his hard work paid off, as it was his driving run into the box and pass to Torres that led to the latter’s tying goal in the 51st minute. Angulo led the team in progressive carries (7), shot-creating actions (6), and key passes (4), and he completed 31 passes at an 81.7% rate. He chipped in a tackle and an interception defensively before coming off for Brekalo in the 84th minute in a defense-for-offense substitution, but the Colombian winger had well earned a few minutes of rest after another strong effort.

MF, Martín Ojeda, 6 — The Lions went with the same attacking midfield group that had been starting during the last few matches, but on Saturday night Ojeda just did not seem to have the same juice as he had brought during those other recent wins. As usual, this was not due to lack of effort, but something just was off from the Argentinean midfielder. Despite playing nearly 70 minutes, he only completed 27 passes, though he did complete them at a 96.4% rate, and he only crossed the ball four times all match, unusually low for him, completing two. He did play the corner that led to Enrique’s goal, and that was a well-placed corner kick to Araujo’s head that then came right back into the middle for the tap-in (one of Ojeda’s two key passes), but on the whole I thought it was just a muted performance by Ojeda on the night.

MF, Facundo Torres, 8 (MotM)— Facu is so hot right now, not unlike how Hansel was during Zoolander. Since the official first day of summer, Torres has five goals in five matches, and he has now moved into a tie with Nani for third all-time on the Orlando City goal-contribution list (career goals + assists = 44). On Saturday night he started slowly, but as the first half came to a close he started to pick up. Then, in the second half, he was excellent. Hmm, sounds a lot like how Orlando City’s overall game flow was, too. Coincidence? No. Facu’s two goals were absolutely perfectly hit curling balls from the right side of the box that went exactly where every soccer coach tells you to shoot — low and hard to the far corner. Torres also put a third shot on target that was saved well by Ivačič, so he put all three of his shots on frame. The Uruguayan winger completed 44 passes at a 91.7% rate with two key passes. He also compiled a dribble, a tackle, and an interception. As he goes, so will this offense, and I think there is very little that we as fans love more than to see Facu over by the corner flag with his pretend phone up doing the Selfie Celebration with his teammates.

F, Ramiro Enrique, 7 — The one change in the starting lineup from the last two matches was Enrique in for Duncan McGuire, and that was most definitely not a like-for-like swap. Enrique is not as adept at holdup play and winning long balls to create possession for the offense, but what he does bring, which showed on Saturday night, was an extra burst of quickness and shiftiness to get something on the ball and create plays. This manifested in the first goal, when Angulo slipped a pass to a cutting Ramiro who then played it back, and it eventually made its way across the box to Torres. Enrique then made the dashing run on the second goal to beat everyone to Araujo’s header back across the box, tapping it into the net for his second goal in the last two games. Enrique had no key passes or defensive stats, only had 23 touches, and only completed seven passes on the night (87.5% rate), but he still contributed majorly to Orlando City coming from behind to take the lead before he made way for Luis Muriel in the 69th minute.

Substitutes

D, Rafael Santos (46′), 6 — Santos checked in after halftime and provided a spark that had not been there in the first half from the left back position. The raw stats show that Smith completed more passes and at a higher percentage, and that neither left back made many plays defensively, but Santos definitely looked more composed and threatening on the ball during the second half than what the Lions got from that position during the first half. His hustle to get to a ball that he nearly lost after a heavy touch led to the third goal for Orlando City, and while his passing accuracy (87%) was among the lowest on the team, the danger he brought to the field with his play during the second half definitely contributed to the second half comeback.

F, Luis Muriel (69′), 6.5 — The Colombian Designated Player had one of his best games as a Lion on Saturday night, which is both good news and bad news for Orlando City. I am writing grades specifically for this match, but it is hard not to also take a step back and consider that the fact that an appearance off the bench with one assist against a bottom of the conference team is one of the best games for Muriel this season does raise some questions. That said, I thought Muriel looked dangerous in this match and made the right decision with the ball on most of his possessions — in particular, his perfect pass to Torres for an assist on the third goal that effectively iced the game for Orlando City. He unselfishly played the ball with the outside of his foot to a sprinting Torres, and the weight of the pass allowed Facu to curl that ball in without ever breaking stride. That was the first Muriel-to-Torres combination for a goal, and I, for one, would enjoy seeing many more of those this season. I recommend they do this again on Wednesday. Muriel put his only shot attempt on target, forcing a save, had one key pass, and won an aerial duel.

MF, Nico Lodeiro (69′), 6 — I think the role of supersub off the bench fits Nico well, and he turned in another strong performance in his 21 minutes Saturday night. The Uruguayan took over for Ojeda and completed 14 passes at a 93.3% rate, including hustling to win a loose ball that he then played to Muriel that then went on to Torres for the backbreaking third goal from Orlando City in the 81st minute. Lodeiro was active throughout his minutes on the field, also making one tackle and intercepting one pass.

D, David Brekalo, (84’), N/A — The Slovenian international came on for Angulo shortly after the Lions took a two-goal lead, moving the team to a five-man back line and playing as the right center back in between the Nordic duo of Jansson and Thorhallsson. Brekalo made one interception and completed four of his five passes, including one long ball, but he did not contribute enough in his short outing to earn a grade this week.

MF, Jeorgio Kocevski (90 +2′), N/A — Jeorgio subbed in for Araujo during stoppage time to help close out the game. He was able to get four touches of the ball and complete two passes, but he was not on the field long enough to earn a grade this week.

That’s how I saw the individual performances on Saturday night. What did you think? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and vote in the poll below for your Orlando City Man of the Match.

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2025 Orlando City Season in Review: Luis Muriel

The Colombian forward showed more quality in his second season in Orlando, but his form faded down the stretch.

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10 hours ago

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November 8, 2025

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Image of Luis Muriel dribbling up the field against Charlotte.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City signed Colombian forward Luis Muriel as a Designated Player on a three-year contract through 2026 on Feb. 15, 2024. Muriel had some growing pains in adjusting to his new surroundings during his first season in Orlando, showing glimpses of the player fans thought the club was getting from Italian Serie A side Atalanta, but never really seizing a starting position with the club or showing enough consistency to be relied upon as an offensive threat.

His five goals and seven assists in 33 appearances (14 starts) during his first year in purple were not exactly the DP-level numbers anyone expected, but he was part of a good Orlando side that finished in the top four in the Eastern Conference and reached the conference semifinal in the playoffs. With a full season in the league behind him, it was reasonable to expect more from the crafty attacking player in his sophomore season in the City Beautiful.

His season started off brightly enough and he seemed to hit his stride in August, when he scored five goals over two matches, but Muriel’s performance tailed off at the end of the season. He was by no means the only Lion who seemed to run out of steam in the final two months of the year, but the drop-off in his scoring was partly responsible for Orlando’s tumble from fourth to ninth in the final standings.

Let’s take a look back at Muriel’s second season with Orlando City.

Statistical Breakdown

Muriel played in all four of the Lions’ competitions in 2025. He again appeared in 33 of Orlando City’s 34 regular-season games, but he started 25 times during his second year as a Lion, nearly doubling his total from the previous season, and played a total of 2,114 minutes — an increase of 532 minutes year over year. The 34-year-old scored nine goals and added nine assists. It was reasonable to expect double digits in both columns as he entered September needing just one goal and three assists to reach those totals, but he notched only two assists without a goal after Aug. 23. Muriel completed 72% of his 653 passes in 2025 — a surprising drop from his 81% passing in 2024 on three fewer attempts (despite playing 500+ more minutes), but he increased his number of key passes from 37 a year ago to 42 in 2025, with 13 successful crosses and 14 completed long balls. Defensively, Muriel chipped in 32 tackles, four interceptions, and a blocked shot. He committed 26 fouls, suffered 22, received one yellow card and was sent off once with a straight red.

The veteran attacker came off the bench in Orlando City’s playoff match against the Chicago Fire, playing 21 minutes without a goal contribution, a key pass, or a shot attempt, completing 71% of his 14 passes, although he was accurate on his one long ball. Muriel did not record any defensive stats in the match, did not commit a foul, and was not fouled or booked.

In the club’s U.S. Open Cup run, Muriel appeared in one match off the bench — the Lions’ 3-2 home loss to Nashville on May 21 — playing 29 minutes. He did not contribute to a goal, creating one scoring chance on 64% passing (7/11) with an accurate cross on his lone attempt. On the defensive end, Muriel contributed two clearances. He committed one foul and drew one on Nashville and was not booked in the match.

Muriel made appearances in all six of Orlando City’s 2025 Leagues Cup matches, starting the last four and playing 310 minutes in the competition. He scored three goals and added one assist in the Lions’ Leagues Cup run, putting five of his seven shots on frame. Muriel completed 71.7% of his 99 passes in the tournament with six key passes and one successful cross on three attempts. Defensively, he contributed seven tackles, three clearances, and one block. Muriel committed two fouls, suffered one, and was not booked in the competition.

Best Game

It’s hard not to select Muriel’s first-half hat trick in Orlando City’s 5-1 Leagues Cup win over Necaxa on Aug. 6. It was just the fourth hat trick in the club’s MLS era, joining Martin Ojeda’s from earlier in the season and the two Cyle Larin scored in 2015. However, that was a comfortable win for the Lions and it’s likely Orlando would have won big with a different player in that spot.

Where I think Muriel made a difference in the outcome of the match was his next appearance for the club, City’s 4-1 home win over Inter Miami on Aug. 10. Muriel picked up where he left off against Necaxa, scoring just two minutes into the match on his way to a brace, adding an assist as the Lions swept their Tropic Thunder rivals from South Florida. His first goal of the game was one of Orlando’s best team goals of the season, with Muriel taking a pass from Alex Freeman that Ojeda allowed to go through his legs. Muriel and Ojeda then worked a beautifully timed give-and-go before the Colombian held off a defender and slotted past Oscar Ustari to open the scoring.

After Miami had tied the game, Muriel untied it in the 50th minute. Accepting a short corner from Ojeda, Muriel made a sweet move at the end line to get around a well-positioned defender and then fired a shot from a tight angle that Ustari couldn’t handle, restoring Orlando’s lead.

After scoring Orlando’s first two goals himself, Muriel turned playmaker on the third, sending Ojeda down the right side. Ojeda used his defender as a screen and blasted a shot just inside the near post to make it 3-1.

Muriel came within inches of scoring hat tricks in consecutive games, and the one that didn’t go in would have been a dandy. The Colombian volleyed a poor Ustari clearance toward goal from near midfield in the 20th minute. The shot sliced to the right and hit off the post, denying him consecutive hat tricks. However, it was still his best overall performance of the season. He put four of his five shots on target — his only off-target attempt hitting the post — passed at an 81.3%, created three scoring chances for his teammates, and finished with goal contributions on three of Orlando’s four against the team’s most bitter rival. For his efforts, our Sean Rollins correctly named him Man of the Match in our Player Grades post for the game.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff awarded Muriel a composite rating of 6.5 out of 10 for his 2025 season. This is half a point higher than his 2024 rating of 6. There’s no doubt that Muriel took a step forward in 2025, and he was a dominant player a few times. In August, he was playing his best soccer and it looked like Orlando City might even make a run at the Supporters’ Shield. However, like a few others, Muriel tailed off. Unlike those others, he faded more dramatically down the stretch, earning just a 4.5 rating in three of his last six matches of the year. While the back-to-back games in which he totaled five goals and an assist was perhaps an unsustainable level of form, he largely lived up to the expectations that come with his Designated Player tag up to that point in the season. After August, he hardly played at the level one might expect of a TAM player. Again, he wasn’t the only one who slipped in form, but the team didn’t look as dangerous with him as it did without him over the final six weeks of the season, which prevented a higher grade.

2026 Outlook

Muriel is under contract for one more season, but it might be in the club’s best interests to try to transfer him out before that deal expires. At 34, Muriel’s best years are behind him, and although he was downright lethal at times in 2025, Orlando City might better be served by freeing up that Designated Player slot and using it on someone who can more consistently provide the game-changing plays that the club needs from its DPs. Ojeda and Marco Pasalic (if the latter doesn’t transfer out with reported interest from the Bundesliga) both scored more goals than Muriel and lived up to DP expectations more consistently despite making far less money than Muriel’s $2.5 million base salary and $4 million guaranteed total compensation.

He showed what he can do when he’s at his best, and when he’s at that level, he’s worth being the club’s most expensive player. But if Muriel returns for 2026, the Lions will need him to maintain his form and his consistency during the critical final weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs. Otherwise, that is money that could be better spent.

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2025 Orlando City Season in Review: Duncan McGuire

The MLS SuperDraft pick was limited by injuries during his third year in purple.

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1 day ago

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November 7, 2025

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Image of Duncan McGuire celebrating his winning goal against Nashville SC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City chose Duncan McGuire with the sixth overall selection in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. He then spent his rookie year locking down the starting striker position and played well enough to get a contract offer from Blackburn Rovers, only for the deal to never materialize due to some issues with the paperwork.

Blackburn’s loss was Orlando City’s gain during the 2024 season, as McGuire contributed 10 goals and three assists to the cause, and earned a new contract in the process. He suffered a shoulder injury in the playoffs that required off-season surgery, meaning that he started the 2025 season on the sidelines as he worked his way back to full fitness. Unfortunately, he then had another shoulder surgery in June of this year, which kept him out until late August.

Let’s take a look at Big Dunc’s 2025 season.

Statistical Breakdown

McGuire made 18 regular-season appearances for Orlando in 2025, with six of them coming as a starter, and accumulated 726 minutes on the field. That limited time in action meant that his numbers took an understandable dip, and he finished with three goals and two assists. He attempted 19 shots and put five of them on target. The big striker passed the ball with 72% accuracy while completing 19 key passes, one cross, and one long ball. Defensively, he recorded one tackle, one interception, and 13 clearances. He also committed eight fouls while suffering 12 and picked up one yellow card.

McGuire started the wild card game up top alongside Martin Ojeda in a 4-4-2, and went the full 90 minutes. He took one shot, which he put on target, and passed the ball with 75% accuracy while also completing one key pass. Defensively, he contributed one clearance and drew one foul.

He appeared in both of Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup matches as a substitute, compiling 51 minutes on the field. He scored one goal, which came in the 5-0 rout of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and took two shots (one on target). He contributed one interception and passed with 94.5% accuracy. McGuire committed one foul and was not booked.

The striker made two substitute appearances in Orlando’s Leagues Cup campaign and totaled 23 minutes of action. He took one shot, which was off target, and provided a key pass while distributing the ball with 83.5% accuracy. He contributed one clearance but did not record any other defensive stats.

Best Game

McGuire got his first league goal of the season in a 1-0 home win over the Portland Timbers on May 24. The big forward started up top alongside Luis Muriel and was withdrawn in the 67th minute after smashing a 39th-minute game winner past Maxime Crepeau with authority.

Aside from the goal, McGuire took two shots on the night (one on target), completed one dribble, and passed with 77.8% accuracy while delivering a key pass. Defensively, he contributed one tackle, one interception, and one clearance.

That performance earned him a grade of 7.5 out of 10 from our Nic Josey in his Player Grades piece, and he narrowly missed out on the Man of the Match award to Eduard Atuesta, who also earned a score of 7.5.

2025 Final Grade

The Mane Land staff awarded McGuire a composite grade of 6 out of 10 for the 2025 season, which is a point lower than he earned in 2024, and a point-and-a-half lower than 2023. That being said, context is very important here, as McGuire played almost 900 fewer regular-season minutes than he did in the Lions’ previous campaign. While some of that can be attributed to Luis Muriel keeping him out of the team during a hot start to the campaign, the two months he spent recovering from injury are an extenuating circumstance that can and should be considered.

2026 Outlook

We know that McGuire is under contract with the club through the 2027 season, so barring a sale or trade, he will be in an Orlando City uniform next season. As things currently stand, the striker position isn’t very deep following the departure of Ramiro Enrique, and it could get even shallower if the front office decides to move on from Muriel. The club will presumably target attacking help during the off-season, but McGuire is a known quantity to Oscar Pareja and has shown himself to be capable of scoring goals across multiple seasons, so he figures to have a role to play in the team’s plans at striker.

The biggest question with Duncan right now is whether or not he can stay healthy. Having labral repairs in both shoulders inside a calendar year isn’t exactly a common occurrence, but it’s still never good for a guy to spend that much time on the shelf. He’s been able to score when he’s getting consistent minutes on the field, and that’s the key for him next year. Stay healthy and available, and the goals will likely come.

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Lion Links: 11/7/25

Alex Freeman called up, Orlando Pride host Seattle tonight, Pride players nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s 11, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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November 7, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Not only is it Friday, but it’s also game day! The Orlando Pride’s playoff campaign kicks off tonight and I’m a bundle of nerves and excitement. If you’re headed to the stadium for tonight’s game, make sure to stay warm and hydrated. Have fun too! Let’s get to the links.

Alex Freeman Called Up for Friendlies

Orlando City right back Alex Freeman was one of 25 players called up by United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino for friendlies against Paraguay and Uruguay this month. Freeman has made 11 appearances for the USMNT this year, but we’ll see how much action he sees with both Sergino Dest and Joe Scally returning to the fold. Giovanni Reyna is also back with the team, while Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Tim Weah are a few of the notable omissions. The USMNT will take on Paraguay in Pennsylvania on Nov. 15 before coming to Florida for a friendly against Uruguay in Tampa on Nov. 18.

NWSL Playoffs Kick Off Tonight

The Orlando Pride host the Seattle Reign at 8 p.m. tonight in the first game of this year’s NWSL playoffs. Although the Kansas City Current are the favorites heading into the postseason, any team can make a run at lifting the trophy. The defending champion Pride enter tonight’s game on a five-game unbeaten run with some needed momentum for a tough match against a Reign side that has found results despite struggling to create chances this year. Orlando will need to be at its best this month in order to win it all for the second year in a row.

Pride Players Nominated for FIFA Awards

The Pride’s Barbra Banda, Marta, Emily Sams, and Anna Moorhouse were all nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s 11, which honors the top performers in the world from Aug. 11 of 2024 to Aug. 2 of this year. The Pride had a historic season last year, with Banda, Marta, and Sams all being named to the 2024 NWSL Best XI First Team. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines is nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Coach as well, while Moorhouse is also nominated for The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper. Make sure to vote!

Bradley Carnell Named MLS Coach of the Year

Speaking of awards, Philadelphia Union Head Coach Bradley Carnell was announced as the winner of the 2025 Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year Award. In Carnell’s first year as head coach, the Union won a club-record 20 games this season and won the Supporters’ Shield. Philadelphia’s defense conceded just 35 goals this season and the team only lost once at home. Carnell garnered 37.78% of the total vote to win the award, with Vancouver Whitecaps Head Coach Jesper Sorensen coming in second with 26.53% and San Diego FC Head Coach Mikey Varas finishing third with 19.82%.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City defender David Brekalo was called up for Slovenia’s World Cup qualifiers against Kosovo and Sweden this month. Slovenia is third in the group and will need a win against Kosovo on Nov. 15 to remain in contention to qualify.

That’s all I have for you all this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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