Happy Tuesday, everyone! We’ve had a busy few days with the Orlando Pride advancing to the NWSL Championship in style, and games continuing to come thick and fast during the international break. Things aren’t slowing down around here though, as the Pride will play for a trophy on Saturday, and Orlando City faces Atlanta United in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday. Today also marks 11 years since Orlando City was announced as the 21st MLS club. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Pride Players Named to NWSL Best XI

On top of advancing to the NWSL Championship, a number of Orlando Pride players have been honored with places in the league’s Best XI First Team and Best XI Second Team. Emily Sams, Marta, and Barbra Banda made the cut for the First Team, while Anna Moorhouse and Kerry Abello were chosen for the Second Team.

Sams started in all 13 of the Pride’s shutouts, while Marta had 10 goal contributions on the year and Banda bagged 13 goals and six assists in her first year in the league. A big congratulations to all five players!

USMNT Routs Jamaica

The United States Men’s National Team ran riot over Jamaica in the second leg of its Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series, winning by a score of 4-2 in St. Louis. The Yanks used a dominant first half to put the game away early, with two Christian Pulisic goals and Ricardo Pepi’s second goal in as many games giving the Americans a 3-0 lead at halftime. In the first 45 minutes, the USMNT enjoyed 70% possession and took six shots to the visitors’ two, with the majority of the action being played in Jamaica’s half. The game opened up more in the second half with Demari Gray grabbing a brace, but the Yanks were never truly threatened and advanced to the Concacaf Nations League semifinals.

USWNT Roster Announced

The United States Women’s National Team has announced its roster for upcoming friendlies against England and the Netherlands. Emma Hayes has named a 24-player roster for the two games, both of which will take place overseas. The roster features a familiar face, as the Orlando Pride’s Sams was named to the squad as a center back. The team also features Lily Yohannes, who recently announced her decision to play for the USWNT, and she will face the other team she was eligible to declare for in the Netherlands. To date, Sams has made two appearances for the USWNT and could be in line to double that number. The Yanks will face England at Wembley on Nov. 30, and then take on the Dutch on Dec. 3 at ADO Den Haag Stadium.

UEFA Nations League Roundup

The international break continued yesterday and there are a number of results to catch up on. In Europe, Croatia and Portugal both advanced to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after a 1-1 draw, and Scotland used a late goal by Andy Robertson to beat Poland 2-1, with the result sending the Scots to a playoff that will determine if they’ll be relegated from League A, while Poland dropped into League B. San Marino won just its second game in 20 years by beating Liechtenstein 3-1 to move up into League C. Finally, Denmark advanced to the quarterfinals courtesy of a scoreless draw with Serbia.

Free Kicks

• Come meet Duncan McGuire tomorrow and enjoy some chicken to boot.

• The USMNT will kick off its 2025 schedule with a match against Venezuela on Jan. 18 at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale.
• Honduras must play its next match behind closed doors after Mexico’s head coach was struck in the head by a beer can during Honduras’ 2-0 victory in San Pedro Sula on Nov. 15.
• Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis have announced that the couple is pregnant with their first child.

That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I was busy working at Under Armour all week but spent the weekend checking out the Northwestern and Ohio State college football game at Wrigley Field on Saturday. Yesterday, I watched some third-round 2025 U.S. Open Cup qualifying action between Chicago House AC and Wisloka Chicago. Let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City goalkeeper Javier Otero. We have plenty to cover today so let’s get to the links.

Pride Advance to NWSL Championship

On Sunday, the Orlando Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-2 at Inter&Co Stadium to advance to the NWSL Championship. The Pride trailed in the first half before Haley McCutcheon buried an equalizer to get them on the board. In the second half, the Pride added to their lead with goals from Barbra Banda and Marta. The Current scored another goal to make it close, but the Pride held on for the win and reached their first-ever final. The Pride will face the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Championship as the top two teams battle for a trophy at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City on Saturday.

Spirit Beat NJ/NY Gotham FC in NWSL Playoffs

The Spirit defeated the defending NWSL Champion NJ/NY Gotham FC in penalties after a thrilling 1-1 draw at Audi Field on Saturday to punch their ticket to the NWSL Championship. Washington trailed 1-0 early in the second half after Esther Gonzalez put Gotham ahead. The Spirit’s equalizer didn’t come until stoppage time, as Hal Hershfelt scored to send the game to extra time. In the penalty shootout, Ashley Hatch, Lena Silano, and Tara McKeown converted from the spot for the Spirit, while goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury made three consecutive saves to seal the win. The Spirit return to the final for the first time since 2021, when the club won its first NWSL Championship.

USMNT Takes on Jamaica in Nations League Tonight

The United States Men’s National Team will be back in action tonight, taking on Jamaica in the second leg of the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals at City Park in St. Louis. The USMNT defeated Jamaica in Kingston last week in the first leg with a 1-0 victory, with Ricardo Pepi scoring the lone goal. The USMNT did what it needed to do to put itself in an excellent position to move on to the semifinals going into the second leg. Jamaica must change its strategy to be more aggressive instead of trying to score on counters or set pieces to have a shot of an upset. Jamaica will be without center back Mason Holgate, who received two yellow cards in the previous match against the USMNT and will be suspended for tonight’s match. The semifinal round of the Concacaf Nations League will kick off in March, with the final set for March 23 at SoFi Stadium.

UEFA and Concacaf Nations League Recaps

We had some notable international soccer action across the globe to recap from the weekend. Spain defeated Denmark 2-1 to secure the top spot in its group in the UEFA Nations League. Portugal cruised past Poland with a 5-1 win, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice in the match as his side clinched a spot in the quarterfinals. France defeated Italy 3-1 to win its group on goal difference. England shut out Ireland 5-0 to earn promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League, while Erling Haaland scored a hat trick as Norway dominated Kazakhstan 5-0. Today, we have more UEFA Nations League action with notable matchups featuring Croatia facing Portugal, Serbia hosting Denmark, and Spain taking on Switzerland.

We had other quarterfinal matches over the weekend in the Concacaf Nations League. Canada defeated Suriname 1-0 in the first leg, while Mexico lost 2-0 on the road to Honduras. The second leg of those matches will be tomorrow, while we have another second leg quarterfinal matchup tonight as Panama takes on Costa Rica in the second leg with a 1-0 advantage.

Free Kicks

• Rhode Island FC, led by former Orlando Pride assistant coach Khano Smith, defeated the Charleston Battery 2-1 in the playoffs to advance to the USL Championship final.
• Former Orlando City B player Joe Gallardo was named MVP of the USL League One final, as Union Omaha defeated the Spokane Velocity 3-0 to win its second USL League One Championship.

• The U.S. Men’s Deaf National Team defeated Mexico 4-0 to finish third in the 2024 Pan American Deaf Games and qualify for the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics.
• Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC defeated the Las Vegas Lights 1-0 in the 2024 USL playoffs over the weekend and will host Rhode Island FC in the USL Championship final on Nov. 23.

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

Happy Friday! I hope the week hasn’t been too rough on you as we gear up for what should be an exciting weekend. There aren’t too many plans lined up for me, but I’m still looking forward to being able to relax a bit over the next few days. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to our favorite Beefy Swede, Robin Jansson!

Barbra Banda on Playing With Marta

It’s an understatement to say it’s been a fantastic year for the Orlando Pride, and NWSL MVP finalists Barbra Banda and Marta have been major reasons for the team’s success. Marta has been with the Pride since 2017 and is thriving in what may be the twilight of her legendary career. Meanwhile, it’s Banda’s first year with the Pride and she’s taken the league by storm alongside Marta. In an interview with Futbol W, which is co-hosted by former Pride player Ali Krieger, Banda spoke about how motivating it is to play with the greatest women’s soccer player of all time.

Battle of the Rebuilds in NWSL Playoffs

Of the four teams remaining in the NWSL playoffs, only NJ/NY Gotham FC was in the playoffs last year. Not only are this year’s semifinalists a testament to how much things can change each year, but it’s also an interesting showcase of the different ways clubs can build a team capable of winning in this league. The Pride capped off a patient and smart rebuild by signing international players like Banda, while the Current have benefited greatly from adding Temwa Chawinga. After winning the NWSL Championship last year, Gotham added several American stars like Rose Lavelle and Crystal Dunn in free agency to do it again. Meanwhile, the Washington Spirit have leaned on a strong rookie class and other young players to reach this point.

USMNT Beats Jamaica in Nations League

The United States Men’s National Team got its quarterfinal series started with a solid 1-0 win over Jamaica in Kingston. Ricardo Pepi scored the lone foal of the game early on with a nice strike after a silky smooth assist from Christian Pulisic. Matt Turner came up with a great save on a penalty kick in the first half, earning a clean sheet the hard way. It wasn’t exactly a comfortable victory for Mauricio Pochettino and the Yanks, but winning on the road in Concacaf is hardly ever comfortable. The two teams will reconvene in St. Louis on Monday with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

Keeping Up With International Soccer

The U.S. obviously isn’t the only nation taking part in the international break, with teams all around the world in action. Paraguay arguably had the biggest win of the day, beating Argentina 2-1 in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying. Venezuela also had a decent result, drawing 1-1 against Brazil in a match that included a missed penalty by Vinicius Junior.

In 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, Nigeria, Tunisia, South Africa, Uganda, and Gabon all booked their tickets to next year’s tournament after the latest round of matches. Saudi Arabia and Australia battled to a scoreless draw in AFC World Cup qualifying, while South Korea moved closer to qualifying after a 3-1 win over Kuwait that featured Son Heung-min’s 50th international goal. There weren’t too many surprises in the UEFA Nations League, with England cruising past Greece and Italy beating Belgium. France was held to a scoreless draw against Israel but still qualified for the quarterfinals.

Free Kicks

• Sporting Kansas City will look a bit different next year, with the club announcing that goalkeeper Tim Melia and captain Johnny Russell won’t be with the team in 2025.
• Angel City FC announced that it will have the largest performance center dedicated just for an NWSL team completed for next year’s preseason.
• Pablo Pinones-Arce’s relatively short time as the Houston Dash’s technical director is reportedly over after the team finished last in the standings this year. Former Pride general manager Erik Ustruck has been with the Dash as a consultant, so time will tell if he’ll be part of the club’s future.
• Claudio Ranieri was named AS Roma’s head coach for the third time in his career. He is now Roma’s third coach this season, as the Italian side sits 12th in Serie A with just three wins from 12 matches.
• Spanish midfielder Aitana Bonmati spoke on the difference in how women’s soccer players are treated in Spain compared to in the NWSL or Women’s Super League.

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