Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I was busy working at Under Armour all week but got to check out some 2025 U.S. Open Cup qualifying matches in Chicago over the weekend. Orlando City has started its playoff journey, and we have plenty to discuss, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Win Playoff Opener Against Charlotte FC

Orlando City got its playoff run off to a good start on Sunday night, defeating Charlotte FC 2-0 at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions won the first game in this best-of-three series for the first round. Orlando scored in each half, with the team’s Designated Players doing well to lift the team to victory. Orlando controlled the match from start to finish, and goalkeeper Pedro Gallese only needed to make two saves to earn his third MLS playoff shutout. The second game in this series will be on Friday at Bank of America Stadium.

Emily Sams Earns Praise While With USWNT

Sports Illustrated featured Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams and her future with the United States Women’s National Team. Although she did not play during the USWNT’s gold medal triumph, she still got to experience it and earn a medal. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines gave insight into how far Sams has come in developing her game and succeeding in her second season with the club.

“[Sams] has been instrumental, and I think everyone can see how far she’s come from the day we signed her last year to where she’s at right now,” Hines says. “She should take a lot of confidence in her performances but also getting her first call-up and going away with the U.S. national team and being in that environment goes a long way. Credit to her because she’s put a lot of work into her craft and we’re just so pleased to have her here.”

Sams has been a critical part of the Orlando Pride’s defense this season. The Pride lead the league in shutouts with 12 clean sheets in the NWSL and have only conceded 18 goals this season. Sams has had 151 recoveries going into the regular season’s final match, which is the fourth most of any defender. The Pride will face the Seattle Reign in their last match of the regular season on Saturday before their NWSL playoff match on Nov. 8.

USWNT Defeats Iceland in Friendly

The United States Women’s National Team defeated Iceland 3-1 on Sunday at GEODIS Park in Nashville. Sams started the match to earn her first cap for the USWNT and played a full 90 minutes. The USWNT was down 1-0 at halftime but turned it around in the second half. Lynn Williams, Lindsey Horan, and Emma Sears scored for the USWNT to help secure another win against Iceland. Sears also added an assist and became the first player to record both a goal and an assist in her first national team match. The USWNT has remained unbeaten for 12 matches since Emma Hayes took charge as the head coach, and its next match is on Wednesday against Argentina at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville.

MLS Playoff First Round Recap

The first round of the MLS Cup playoffs is underway, and we’ve had a few matches played over the weekend. On Friday, Inter Miami defeated Atlanta United 2-1 in the first game of its best-of-three series to take a 1-0 lead. The LA Galaxy dominated the Colorado Rapids 5-0 in their first game, with Riqui Puig and Dejan Joveljic scoring two goals each in their opening matchup. LAFC won 2-1 Sunday night against the Vancouver Whitecaps, with Denis Bouanga and Cristina Olivera scoring. Tonight, the Seattle Sounders face the Houston Dynamo while FC Cincinnati takes on New York City FC. Tomorrow’s matches will feature Real Salt Lake against Minnesota United while the Columbus Crew face the New York Red Bulls.

Free Kicks

• The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly in advanced negotiations with former New England Revolution Head Coach Bruce Arena to name him the club’s next head coach.
• Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Holden Trent passed away over the weekend. We here at The Mane Land offer our condolences to Trent’s family, loved ones, and teammates during this difficult time.

• Julian Carranza scored a goal in Feyenoord’s 2-0 win over FC Utrecht yesterday. He took a moment to pay his respects and express his condolences after the recent news of Holden Trent’s passing.

• Barcelona dominated Real Madrid in El Clasico with a 4-0 win against its La Liga rival on Saturday.
• Darren Fletcher, who coaches on Manchester United’s first team, was charged with misconduct by the English FA after confronting the referees during halftime following the team’s 2-1 over Brentford on Oct. 19.

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

Welcome to Friday, Mane Landers. Congratulations on making it through another week. Hopefully, you’re in the type of job that allows you to have weekends off. If not, then I share your pain. Regardless, there’s plenty of soccer coming up this weekend to watch, including your very own Orlando City. Before we get started today, remember to schedule some time to celebrate, as today marks the anniversary of the USL announcing Orlando City joining the league. OCSC started play in 2011, won a bunch of trophies, later joined MLS, and the rest is history.

Now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Will Host FC Series

Inter&Co Stadium will be the site of a special edition of the FC Series in January. In addition to Orlando City, three Brazilian clubs will take part: Cruzeiro, São Paulo, and Atlético Mineiro. The competition will consist of three matches, with Orlando City playing Atlético Mineiro in the third match. The event will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the series going back to its Florida Cup roots.

USWNT Defeats Iceland

The USWNT won the first of two friendlies against Iceland with a 3-1 victory Thursday night in Austin, TX. The U.S. struck first on an excellent shot by Alyssa Thompson, who netted her first international goal. Iceland equalized in the second half. Jaedyn Shaw gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead late, and Sophia Smith added another goal minutes later. Emily Sonnett earned her 100th cap, while Hal Hershfelt and Yazmeen Ryan made their debuts. Sadly, Emma Hayes didn’t see fit to give the Orlando Pride’s Emily Sams her debut. Hopefully, that is remedied in Sunday’s match.

MLSPA Releases Salary List

The MLS Players Association has released salary data for all the players in MLS. Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi tops the list at $20.5 million which is more than the entirety of Orlando City’s roster put together. The only surprising thing is that Inter Miami doesn’t have more than two names in the Top 10. Luis Muriel is Orlando City’s highest paid player, followed by Facundo Torres. Duncan McGuire rounds out the top three for the Lions, thanks to his new contract.

Dike Returns from Injury

Former Orlando City striker Daryl Dike is finally making his way back from a ruptured Achilles tendon injury suffered last season. His time at West Bromwich Albion has been marred with injuries that have kept him on the sidelines for the majority of his tenure with the club. Dike is training with the club’s Under-21 squad. He’ll next train with the senior squad before getting playing time with the Under-21s and finally making his return to play for the senior team. We wish him luck.

Free Kicks

• The USMNT will be the subject of a multi-part documentary series produced by HBO Sports Documentaries. It will be about the preparation of the team heading into the 2026 World Cup.
• Melchie Dumornay from Haiti and Adalberto Carrasquilla from Panama have been named 2023-2024 Concacaf Women’s and Men’s Players of the Year, respectively. Congratulations to them both.
• The Seattle Sounders have signed Head Coach Brian Schmetzer to a contract extension. The club has not announced specific details on the multi-year contract.
• Utah Royals FC took the “interim” tag off now head coach Jimmy Coenraets. Much like the Orlando Pride’s Seb Hines, Coenraets started out as an assistant for the club.
• Alex Morgan received the key to the city from San Diego officials for her athletic contributions and advocacy for equal pay in women’s sports.
• I’ll leave you with these sentiments from Haley Carter. Well said.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for Orlando City’s upcoming playoff match against Charlotte FC on Sunday. Vamos Orlando!

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this Thursday finds you well as we get ready for Orlando City to kick things off in the playoffs this weekend. There’s also plenty of international women’s soccer to enjoy over the next few days. Let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

USWNT Takes On Iceland Tonight

In its first match since winning gold at the Olympics in Paris this summer, the United States Women’s National Team will take on Iceland tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Q2 Stadium in Austin. Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams may make her first appearance for the USWNT tonight and she’s one of six uncapped players called up by Head Coach Emma Hayes. The USWNT will be without some notable players from its Olympic roster, including Croix Bethune, Trinity Rodman, and Crystal Dunn. This will be the 16th meeting between the two nations and the first since the USWNT beat Iceland 5-0 in the 2022 SheBelieves Cup. The U.S will play Iceland again on Sunday before a friendly against Argentina on Wednesday.

MLS Reportedly Considering Calendar Changes

A major overhaul could be coming in MLS. According to The Athletic ($), the league is reportedly considering flipping its season’s schedule so that it runs from fall to spring. This would reflect the schedules in Europe, with breaks during the winter and summer. As a result, the thinking is that MLS teams would be able to be a bit more proactive in the summer transfer window. It would also move the playoffs to a time of the year where it doesn’t have to compete with football. The biggest question mark to the plan in my opinion would be how matches can be expected to be played in the north during the winter. It’s still early days in planning though, and MLS Executive Vice President of Sporting Product and Competition Nelson Rodriguez spoke on how the league is exploring the idea.

“We have been engaged, really, since January, and it’s been very extensive and exhaustive and deliberate,” Rodriguez said. “It’s still too early. We’re still asking questions. We’re still collecting and analyzing some data. We’re still formulating models. Some of those models are for formats themselves, some of those models are how to assess the information that we get.”

The Chicago Red Stars Rebrand

In a decision that feels odd to announce right before the playoffs, the Chicago Red Stars have rebranded themselves as just Chicago Stars FC. Despite the name change, the red star is still the center of the team’s new crest but is now on a soccer ball. While I do like how the new crest’s shape reflects the iconic marquees of the Chicago Theater and Wrigley Field, it’s a fairly lukewarm redesign. It also doesn’t scream Chicago to me, and feels more like a logo for a team in D.C. or New York. The most brilliant part of this decision was to announce it right after the BOS Nation FC debacle.

Nick Cushing Linked With Arsenal Women’s Coaching Job

New York City FC Head Coach Nick Cushing is reportedly Arsenal’s primary target for the head coaching job with the women’s soccer team. Jonas Eidevall stepped down as Arsenal’s manager with two years left on his contract, with Renee Slegers now serving as the interim coach. Cushing has a wealth of experience coaching women’s soccer in England, helping Manchester City win the Women’s Super League title in 2016 and the FA Cup in 2017. He currently has NYCFC gearing up for a playoff series against FC Cincinnati after finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference. Arsenal’s coaching job is lucrative, but it will be interesting to see if Cushing chooses to stay with City Football Group after nearly 20 years there.

Champions League Roundup

The third round of matches in the Champions League wrapped up and I’m still trying to get used to the new format. The matchups feel a bit sporadic to me and I feel like this year’s tournament will lack tension until the final couple of weeks. This week’s heavyweight match was between Barcelona and Bayern, with Raphinha netting a hat trick and Robert Lewandowski scoring against his former club in a 4-1 win for Barcelona. Liverpool won 1-0 over RB Leipzig to stay perfect so far, Manchester City cruised to a 5-0 win against Sparta Prague, and Inter Milan needed a late equalizer from Marcus Thuram to claim a 1-0 victory against Young Boys. Benfica was notably upset at home in a 3-1 loss to Feyenoord as well.

Free Kicks

• The Philadelphia Union signed 20-year-old midfielder Quinn Sullivan to a contract extension through 2027 with an option for 2028. The American was eighth in this year’s 22 Under 22 list and helped the U.S. reach the quarterfinals of last year’s U-20 World Cup.
• Haji Wright, Cade Cowell, and Auston Trusty were a few of the Americans playing abroad who stood out this week.
• Over 200 Penarol supporters were detained after altercations with law enforcement ahead of the team’s Copa Libertadores semifinal against Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro.
• Madrid and Baku are the two teams in the running to host the 2027 Champions League final after Milan was stripped of hosting last month. If Baku is chosen, it will be the first time Azerbaijan has hosted a Champions League final.

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