Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s a big week for all three teams, with Orlando City needing to get back winning ways to make the playoffs, the Orlando Pride taking on a red-hot NJ/NY Gotham FC, and Orlando City B riding a two-match winning streak. I hope you’re looking forward to all the action as much as I am. Let’s get to the links.

Pride File Formal Complaint over Zambia’s Handling of Chanda Injury

The Orlando Pride have filed a formal grievance with FIFA over the poor handling of Grace Chanda’s injury by the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ). The complaint was filed by Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager, Haley Carter. Chanda suffered a ruptured quadriceps tendon in her right leg during the Olympics. Carter expressed her frustration with the FAZ at the time, and has now made it official. Chanda will miss the remainder of the 2024 NWSL season as a result of the injury.

Pickett’s Happy Return

Carson Pickett has been gone from the Orlando Pride since 2021. The club is in a much different place now than when she was last here. It’s not just the Pride topping the NWSL standings that has changed, but the entire culture of the club. Carter and Head Coach Seb Hines have transformed the Pride into a club where players want to be, including Pickett. She said she feels like she has joined a new club rather than just returning to Orlando.

OCB Ready for NYCFC II

The Young Lions are riding a two-match winning streak, and a four-game undefeated streak heading into tonight’s meeting with New York City FC II. OCB is looking to move up the standings with a second win over the “Squabs” — that’s what you call baby pigeons. OCB defeated NYCFC II 3-2 in their last match on August 18. The match is at 5 p.m. this evening at Belson Stadium in New York. Check back for our match recap.

USMNT News

American midfielder Tanner Tessmann has signed a five-year deal with Lyon in France’s Ligue 1. Tessmann helped Venezia get promoted to Serie A last season. The deal is worth approximately €6 million.

Elsewhere, Gio Reyna is expected to stay with Borussia Dortmund after positive talks with the club. Reyna did not have any other offers and is expected to understand and accept his role with Dortmund. There are also some Americans making appearances in the EFL Cup.

USWNT Alternates Importance

I was disappointed when the Pride’s Emily Sams didn’t see the pitch for the USWNT at the Olympics, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t contribute and earn her gold medal. In fact, Emma Hayes specifically addressed the alternates regarding their contributions to the team. You can check out her comments and more in this video posted a few days ago.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City has dropped to 17 in the MLS Power Rankings thanks to the loss to Sporting Kansas City.
• Vancouver Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld has been called up by Scotland for the first time in 10 years. The 28-year-old might finally get his first cap with his national team next month.
• The Philadelphia Union have transferred Damion Lowe to Saudi Pro League side Al-Akhdoud.
• Two goalkeepers are hanging up their gloves. Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has retired following his mutual departure from Juventus. Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo is also retiring with 20 titles to his name in his long career.
• Champions League is up and running with Young Boys defeating Galatasaray 1-0 among other results.
• There are plenty of Brazilians in the Premier League, but not a lot of young attackers. The newer generation is hoping to change that.
• San Diego FC is expected to sign Mikey Varas as the club’s first manager according to Tom Bogert.

• Cristiano Ronaldo stated that Al-Nassr of the Saudi Pro League will “probably” be his last team. He expects to play a few more years at the club before retiring. That oil money must be pretty good.
• The National Soccer Hall of Fame has announced the semifinalists for veteran and builder ballots. Next, the screening committee will narrow the list down to 10 finalists.
• MLS Commissioner Don Garber recently celebrated 25 years in his current position. I suppose someone is happy about it.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the matches this weekend. I’d say try to stay cool, but it is still August in Florida.

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I hope you had more enjoyable weekends than I did, as I currently find myself in a walking boot with a grapefruit-sized ankle after a series of unfortunate events on the basketball court on Saturday morning. Regardless, life goes on one way or another, and that means we have a lot to talk over this morning. Let’s wish Shak Mohammed a happy birthday, and jump into today’s links!

Major League Soccer Stock Watch

The end of the MLS season is drawing closer and closer, and it’s a good time to check in on which way teams are trending. The LA Galaxy have won three straight league games and are heading in the right direction. The Seattle Sounders are up to fifth in the Western Conference, having lost just once in the team’s last nine league games. FC Dallas is riding a four-game unbeaten streak and its improved play may be enough to get the team over the line and into the postseason. The same can’t be said for Nashville SC, however, as the team has lost seven straight league games and hasn’t looked much like the side that performed so well during its first few years in the league.

The Good and Bad of Leagues Cup

The 2024 edition of Leagues Cup is in the books, and it’s fair to say that this year’s tournament had its ups and downs. There were some good things, like the excellent atmosphere at the final between the Columbus Crew and LAFC at Lower.com Field, and the fact that average attendance was up by 1% from last year. There were some spots that weren’t so bright however, with a high number of midweek matches and short turnarounds exacerbating attendance issues in a number of games, including knockout fixtures. Then there were the widespread fan protests and boycotts over the deprioritizing of the U.S. Open Cup. Combine everything and it was far from a perfect tournament, and there are surely things that can be done to improve it going forward.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans set to play this week, so make sure you have everything marked down on your calendars. Americans will face off later today when Josh Sargent and Norwich City play against Chris Richards and Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup. Thursday has Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis trying to secure a spot in the Europa Conference League when the club hosts Ukrainian club Kryvbas with a 2-0 aggregate lead. The week then finishes up with Tanner Tessmann, Gianluca Busio, and Venezia hosting Torino in Serie A play on Friday.

European Transfer Roundup

With the end of the European transfer window upon us, we have a number of things to catch up on and monitor. We’ll start in the realm of rumor, where Liverpool is reportedly weighing a surprise move for Juventus forward Federico Chiesa, who had reportedly been close to a move to Barcelona earlier in the month. Speaking of Juventus, the Italian side may face competition from Chelsea when it comes to signing Jadon Sancho. Staying in the English Premier League, Joao Cancelo is reportedly closing in on a move to Al Hilal from Manchester City. Moving to the realm of fact, Rayo Vallecano has officially announced the signing of James Rodriguez following his outstanding showing at the Copa America. Finally, Victor Osimhen’s agent has publicly stated that the striker has no intention of joining Al-Ahli, despite Napoli negotiating with the Saudi Arabian club.

Free Kicks

• It should be little surprise, but the Orlando Pride have retained the top spot in ESPN‘s NWSL power rankings.
• Orlando City, however, dropped two spots to 16th in ESPN‘s MLS power rankings.
• Ethan Horvath is facing pressure at Cardiff City, as the team is at the bottom of the Championship after three games and has conceded a league-worst eight goals.
• The Philadelphia Union have officially transferred midfielder Jose Martinez to Corinthians.
• The NWSL released its list of players who will be free agents as of Sept. 1, with those players allowed to begin contract negotiations for the 2025 season at that time.
• A long-term injury to Andreas Christensen will allow Barcelona to register Dani Olmo for La Liga, after the new signing had missed the team’s first two games.

That’s all I have for this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at Under Armour all weekend and will work the Pearl Jam concert at Wrigley Field later this week. There’s plenty to cover today after a week filled with soccer, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Falls at Sporting Kansas City

Orlando City lost 3-0 to Sporting Kansas City at Children’s Mercy Park on Saturday and saw its eight-game unbeaten run across all competitions come to an end. The Lions were unable to find any offensive rhythm throughout the entire match. Even though Sporting Kansas City went down to 10 men late in the second half and the match had 12 minutes of stoppage time, the Lions couldn’t capitalize by creating opportunities to get back into the match. Orlando is in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 34 points. The Lions’ next match will be at Inter&Co Stadium Saturday against Nashville SC.

Orlando Pride Defeat the Houston Dash

The Orlando Pride returned to NWSL action Friday night with a 1-0 victory against the Houston Dash at Shell Energy Stadium. Summer Yates scored the lone goal in the match, and the victory set a new NWSL regular-season record as the Pride reached 18 consecutive games unbeaten in the league. The win keeps Orlando at the top of the NWSL table with 41 points. The Pride will return to Inter&Co Stadium for their first league home game since June 21 to take on NJ/NY Gotham FC on Sunday.

OCB Beats Atlanta United 2 On the Road

Orlando City B cruised to a 4-1 win Friday against Atlanta United 2 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, securing its second consecutive win. There were four different goal scorers for the Young Lions, as Yutaro Tsukada, Imanol Almaguer, Luca Petrasso, and Shak Mohammed all found the back of the net. OCB has now scored seven goals across its last two matches and is in ninth in the Eastern Conference with 34 points, sitting just one point behind Chattanooga FC for the last playoff spot with a match in hand. There’s a quick turnaround before OCB’s next game, with a road match set for Wednesday against New York City FC II.

Columbus Crew Win Leagues Cup

The 2024 Leagues Cup concluded Sunday as the Columbus Crew defeated LAFC 3-1 in a rematch of last year’s MLS Cup final. Cucho Hernandez scored the opening goal for the Crew just before halftime. In the second half, Olivier Giroud scored his first goal for LAFC to equalize. The Crew then scored two late goals in stoppage time, as Hernandez added another goal and followed up with an assist minutes later on Jacen Russell-Rowe’s goal to seal the win and lift the trophy. Both teams have qualified for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.

Free Kicks

• Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse broke her record and secured her eighth clean sheet of the season after Friday’s win over the Houston Dash.

• Orlando Pride Vice President and General Manager Haley Carter’s soccer journey was highlighted, sharing how she got to the Pride and providing insight into the club’s success this season.

• The Colorado Rapids qualified for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup after winning a penalty shootout against the Philadelphia Union after a 2-2 draw in the Leagues Cup third-place match.
• Christian Pulisic scored the equalizer for AC Milan in the second half, but his side lost 2-1 to Parma over the weekend.

• Josh Sargent scored for the second straight week for Norwich City as his side fought to a 1-1 draw against Sheffield United. Sargent has two goals and an assist in three EFL Championship matches.
• Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham will be sidelined until mid-September after he suffered a muscular injury in his right leg while training on Friday.

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