Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s matchday in the City Beautiful, and I will be joining all of you lovely supporters at the stadium this evening. I know it’s a midweek match, but why not come on out and bring some friends or family? That’s what I will be doing, as my nieces and nephews from the area are coming with me. There’s still time to get tickets, but for now, let’s get to the links.

Lions Welcome the Union

Orlando City hosts the Philadelphia Union tonight at Inter&Co Stadium. The Union need results as they currently sit ninth in the standings and in the final play-in match position for the playoffs. As such, they still control their own destiny. The Lions are looking to maintain their fourth position and home field advantage to start the playoffs. It should be a hard-fought match.

Doyle’s New Contract

The Orlando Pride signed midfielder Julie Doyle to a new contract through the 2026 NWSL season. Doyle adds depth and energy to the Pride’s attack. The three-year deal is exactly the type of business that Haley Carter and the club are becoming known for — locking in players with new contracts before the current contract is up. The strategy has been integral in building the Pride into the successful club we see today.

Marta’s Resurgence

At 38 years old, no one should expect Marta to be doing as well as she is this season, especially after coming back from injury last year. However, the Pride captain has seven goals and looks better than she has in years. While she isn’t the same player she was in the past, she is an integral part of Orlando’s success this season. Her leadership, play, and heart show in every match as the Pride continue to take on every challenge put in front of the team.

Champions League Results

The Champions League is underway. Arsenal defeated PSG 2-0 thanks to goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. Fellow English Premier League side Manchester City utterly dominated Slovan Bratislava 4-0. Honestly, it’s lucky it was that close. You can check out all of the other results here. The Champions League continues today. Here is everything you need to know about Wednesday’s matches.

Free Kicks

• Emma Hayes has brought the fun back to the USWNT, according to the players. So far, the results are pretty good.
• The WSL will look to avoid any further postponements while scheduling around the Women’s Champions League after having to do so with the match between Chelsea and Manchester United.
• The Houston Dash have officially parted ways with Fran Alonso. Alonso has been absent since June with Ricky Clarke acting as Houston’s interim head coach. Clarke will continue in that role through the end of the season.

• Bruno Fernandez will be available for Manchester United’s next three matches after successfully appealing his sending off against Tottenham Hotspur.

That will do it for today. Check back after the match for our match recap, players grades, and five takeaways. Vamos Orlando!

Happy Tuesday, everyone. All three of Orlando’s soccer teams have made the playoffs for the first time ever. With Orlando City back in action tomorrow we don’t have any time to rest on our laurels. Before we get into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B defender Zakaria Taifi.

Lions Earn Weekly Recognition

A pair of Lions were rewarded for their performances in Saturday’s 3-1 win over FC Dallas with starting spots in the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. Rodrigo Schlegel gets the start on the left side of a back three, while Ramiro Enrique gets the nod as the right midfielder. Enrique nabbed the game’s first goal with an outstanding flicked header from a Rafael Santos cross despite being one of the shortest players on the field, and he also stole the ball and provided the assist for Facundo Torres’s goal. Schlegel scored the game’s second goal with another header from a corner, beating Dallas defenders to send the ball home. Andrew DeSalvo gave Schlegel an 8 out of 10 and Ramiro an 8.5 out of 10 and Man of the Match honors in his player grades, so it’s nice to see them get some more widespread recognition as well. Keep it up, boys!

Angelina Up for Goal of the Week

Continuing the theme of Orlando players being recognized for their performances over the weekend, Angelina’s strike against the Houston Dash has been nominated for NWSL Goal of the Week. With the Pride leading the game in the 51st minute, the ball fell to Angelina on the edge of the area. She took a couple touches to set herself before firing her shot past Jane Campbell and into the net. It’s a worthy contender for NWSL Goal of the Week so make sure you go cast your vote for her!

MLS Stock Watch

With just a handful of games left in the MLS regular season, form matters now more than ever, and that makes this a good time to check in on which way various teams are trending. LAFC won the U.S. Open Cup and then beat FC Cincinnati on the road all in the span of a few days, so it’s definitely going in the right direction. So too are the Seattle Sounders, who are 10-2-2 in their last 14 league games, and Orlando City, which sits in fourth in the Eastern Conference and will need to keep winning in order to stay there. The same can’t be said for the Chicago Fire, Sporting Kansas City, and St. Louis City SC, as all three have been eliminated from postseason contention. The plights of those teams pale in comparison to the San Jose Earthquakes though, as not only are they locked in as the team that will receive the Wooden Spoon, but they’re also in real danger of setting some unfortunate league records in the process.

Americans in Midweek Action

It’s a busy time of year when it comes to the soccer calendar, and that means there are a number of Americans who will be taking part in games during the week. Things kick off in the Champions League today, as Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan face Bayer Leverkusen, while Malik Tillman, Richie Ledezma, Ricardo Pepi, and PSV Eindhoven face Sporting CP. Wednesday features Folarin Balogun and Monaco facing off against Dinamo Zagreb, while Weston McKennie and Juventus will take on Red Bull Leipzig. Things finish on Friday with Joe Scally and Borussia Mönchengladbach in action against Augsburg, and Gianluca Busio’s Venezia traveling to play Hellas Verona.

Free Kicks

• The Orlando Pride rightly remained at the top of ESPN‘s NWSL power rankings.
• Orlando City rose three spots to 10th place in the same outlet’s MLS power rankings.
• Antoine Griezmann has retired from playing for the French national team.
• Ousmane Dembele has been dropped for Paris Saint-Germain’s upcoming Champions League game against Arsenal after an argument with head coach Luis Enrique.

That’s all for me this morning, vamos Orlando!

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I finished working all the Chicago Cubs baseball games at Wrigley Field for the season and will cover some high school girls volleyball later this week. Over the weekend, Orlando City and the Orlando Pride both won, while OCB was off. Before we get into today’s links, let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City midfielder Felipe.

Lions Win On the Road Against FC Dallas

Orlando City went on the road and defeated FC Dallas 3-1 at Toyota Stadium Saturday. That was Orlando’s first-ever road win against FC Dallas, and it also clinched a playoff spot for the Lions for the fifth straight year. Ramiro Enrique, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Facundo Torres all scored for Orlando in the team’s fourth win in its last five matches. Orlando City is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 46 points, just two ahead of New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls. The Lions will have a quick turnaround with a midweek matchup at home on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union.

Pride Complete Sweep of Houston Dash

The Orlando Pride extended their unbeaten run with a 3-1 victory against the Houston Dash in front of a club Inter&Co Stadium crowd Saturday. Carson Pickett scored the opener for the Pride in the first half. Angelina’s goal extended Orlando’s lead early in the second half. The Houston Dash pulled one back, but Marta put the match away with a goal in stoppage time to seal the win for the Pride. The win extends the club’s unbeaten streak to 23 matches dating back to last season, and Orlando stays atop the NWSL standings with 54 points. The Pride will return to Inter&Co Stadium Sunday to face the Washington Spirit and a win would clinch the NWSL Shield.

Orlando to Host FIFA Club World Cup Matches

Camping World Stadium and Inter&Co Stadium were both announced over the weekend as two of the 12 venues that will host matches in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup next summer. Orlando is the only city chosen to have two venues hosting matches. Below are the other cities and stadiums selected by FIFA to host matches throughout the tournament.

The tournament, which will feature 32 clubs from around the world, will kick off in June and run through July. The draw will be in December, and MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will host the final.

Americans Abroad in Europe

It was a good weekend for many Americans in action over in Europe. Christian Pulisic continued his stellar form, scoring a goal for the fourth straight match for AC Milan, which defeated Lecce 3-0 in Serie A. Josh Sargent added two assists for Norwich City over the weekend as his side beat Derby County 3-2 on the road in EFL Championship action. Folarin Balogun played 90 minutes and scored a goal for AS Monaco, which edged Montpellier 2-1 in Ligue 1. Ricardo Pepi made a rare start and took advantage, scoring two goals for PSV Eindhoven in a 2-0 win against Willem II 2-0 as his side remains atop the Eredivisie.

Free Kicks

• During Saturday’s match, the Orlando Pride celebrated defender Celia Jimenez’s nomination for the Lauren Holiday Impact Award for her work in the community with Spacekids Global.

• On Friday, Portland Thorns forward Christine Sinclair announced that she will retire from playing professional soccer at the end of the 2024 NWSL season.

• The UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage draw has been announced. Barcelona has Manchester City in its group, Chelsea has Real Madrid, and Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Arsenal are all in the same group.
• The Madrid derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid ended in a 1-1 draw. The match was temporarily suspended for 20 minutes due to fans throwing lighters and plastic bottles on the pitch.
• Osasuna stunned Barcelona with a 4-2 win over the weekend and snapped its perfect start in La Liga, ending its seven-match unbeaten streak.

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