Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. For those that celebrate Christmas, we’re only a week out, so I hope you’ve gotten your shopping done. If not, no judgement from me, just encouragement. I know you can do it! I think we can all do with a little more encouragement these days. For now, let’s get to the links.

Torres Deal Done?

WESH is reporting that the Facundo Torres to Palmeiras deal is done. As of this writing, there has been no confirmation from either club, but it is reasonable to think where there’s this much smoke, there’s fire. Torres may have scored his last goal in purple, and will leave as the club’s all-time leader in that category after three seasons. According to the report, Torres signed a five-year deal with the Brazilian club. We will provide updates as information becomes available.

Marta Wins Marta Award

In the most appropriate award selection in history, Marta has won the inaugural FIFA award for the best goal in women’s soccer, aptly named The FIFA Marta Award.

The award winning goal came in Brazil’s international friendly against Jamaica in June, as the Brazilian made a nice move to clear a defender and then sent in a long-range shot. Check it out.

Marta received the award at FIFA’s “The Best” Award ceremony in Doha, Qatar.

USWNT Legend Becky Sauerbrunn Retires

Former USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn is retiring from professional soccer. The legendary defender has played in the NWSL in every year of it’s existence. She retires having won three championships, one NWSL Shield, multiple Women’s World Cups, and Olympic medals. Sauerbrunn is definitively one of the best to ever wear a U.S. jersey.

NWSL, MLS NEXT Pro Expand

The NWSL is entering into exclusive negotiations with a Denver-area group regarding the league’s next expansion franchise. Denver was picked above both Cincinnati and Cleveland. The expansion fee is in the $105-$120 million range.

MLS NEXT Pro is also adding another new team. Until a new name, logo, and brand are settled on, the team will be called West Michigan Soccer. The team will be the sixth independent club in MLS NEXT Pro. Orlando City B won’t have the opportunity to play the new team until 2027.

Free Kicks

• Torres’ goal against Nashville made it into a compilation of volleyed goals from the MLS Twitter account.

• Vitor Pereira will be the new coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers following the departure of former boss Gary O’Neil. Pereira will have his work cut out for him getting Wolves out of the relegation zone.
• Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been suspended after testing positive for a banned substance in a recent drug test. Mudryk stated he has never knowingly used such substances, and hopes an investigation will clear up the matter.
• The Washington Spirit have signed free agent midfielder Narumi Miura to a two-year contract. Miura spent the last two years with the North Carolina Courage.
• The Columbus Crew re-signed goalkeeper Evan Bush through the 2025 season.
• New name, same idea. The European Super League is back as the “Unity League.” A proposal has been submitted to UEFA and FIFA.

That will do it for today. Keep checking in as our Orlando City and Orlando Pride Season in Review pieces continue. Vamos Orlando!

Orlando City signed fullback Kyle Smith on Dec. 21, 2018 when James O’Connor was Orlando City’s head coach. Since his arrival, Smith has proven time and again that he’s a valuable Swiss Army knife-type player, earning a new contract on March 29, 2021 through the 2022 season with a 2023 club option. Orlando City picked up his 2023 option at the end of the 2022 season but then signed Smith to a new one-year contract for 2023 just weeks later with an option for 2024. That sixth season concluded earlier this month, and it’s hard to imagine anyone (except perhaps Smith himself) expected him to still be getting lots of minutes with the Lions and sitting second on the club’s all-time list for appearances.

Let’s look back at the sixth MLS season — all in Orlando purple — from the man Oscar Pareja calls El Soldado.

Statistical Breakdown

Smith matched a career high with 29 appearances in the regular season in 2024, starting 12 matches and playing 1,143 minutes. He didn’t score a goal in the regular season, but he matched last year’s career high with three assists. The Cincinnati, OH native attempted just five shot, which is a career low, as was his single shot on target, which can account (see what I did there?) for his lack of goals in the 2024 regular season. He completed a career-high 83.7% of his 1,143 passes, which includes eight key passes, seven successful crosses, and 20 completed long ball. Although his seven successful crosses weren’t a career high, his 41.2% accuracy on cross attempts was the best success rate of his MLS career. The defender recorded 22 tackles, nine interceptions, 17 clearances, and three blocks. Smith committed 13 fouls on the season, drew 11 from his opponents, and picked up three yellow cards.

As with the regular season, Smith posted a career high in postseason appearances, playing in five games (although without a start) but logging just 51 minutes off the bench. He did not record a goal contribution and his lone shot attempt was off target. Smith completed 80.5% of his 41 passes with one key pass and two successful long balls but no completed crosses. He recorded a clearance on the defensive end, committed two fouls in the playoffs, suffered one, and did not pick up a booking.

In the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, Smith started all four of Orlando City’s matches, logging 323 minutes. He scored a goal in the 3-1 home win over Cavalry FC but did not register an assist in the competition, attempting just the one (on-target) shot. Smith completed 81.5% of his 146 passes with two key passes, however none of his three crosses found the target. On the defensive end, he recorded five clearances. He committed five fouls, suffered two and received one yellow card.

In Leagues Cup, Smith appeared in two of Orlando City’s three matches, starting both but playing just 113 minutes because he was sent off against San Luis for denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, suspending him for the Cruz Azul game. He didn’t register a goal, assist, or a shot in the competition, passing at a 91.1% rate on his 79 attempts and tallying one key pass and one successful cross on two attempts (50%). He added a clearance on the defensive end, committed one foul without suffering any, and picked up the one red card.

Best Game

With any defender who only scores one goal across all competitions, it’s tempting to select the game in which he scored. In Smith’s case, his one goal was a well-worked give-and-go on the left side with Facundo Torres in the Concacaf Champions Cup home match against Cavalry FC.

It was an important goal, providing insurance late and helping propel the Lions into the second round against Tigres. However, I’m not choosing that match as Smith’s best.

The defender’s best match finished with the same 3-1 scoreline, but it came in his return home this year, as Orlando City traveled to face FC Cincinnati on Oct. 5.

Smith helped the Lions get the party started just 10 minutes into the match, sending a gorgeous, curling cross that wrapped beautifully around the back line and onto the run of Ramiro Enrique, who knocked it past Roman Celentano with his right foot to make it 1-0.

After Luciano Acosta tied the match just before halftime, Smith also played a role in the second goal of the game to put the Lions back in front in the 66th minute. Smith again picked out Enrique in the box with a great cross, but this time the striker had his back to goal. Enrique touched it back to Ivan Angulo, who got a bit fortunate that Celentano made a mess of the bouncing shot, letting it sneak into the net to make it 2-0.

Smith’s two assists were his only cross attempts of the match, making him 2/2 (100%), and his primary assist earned him a key pass. Those were the bright spots offensively, as the right back (in this game, anyway) did not attempt a shot and passed at just a 62.5% rate in his 81 minutes. However, Smith also was a force on the defensive end, finishing the match with a season-high four interceptions — his only multi-interception game of the season — to go along with a tackle and a clearance. He committed two fouls, suffering one, and he was not booked. It was a terrific homecoming for the veteran defender.

2024 Final Grade

The Mane Land awarded Smith a composite score of 6.5 out of 10 for the 2024 season. This equals the highest rating we’ve given him, which took place after the 2021 season. His grades haven’t fluctuated a ton from year to year, as he earned a 5.5 in 2019, again in 2020, and once more in 2022. He earned a 6 out of 10 in 2023. So, in six years, Smith’s score has been within a single full point on our 10-point rating scale. That’s the kind of remarkable consistency you want out of your accountant, and it’s what The Accountant has brought with his gritty, blue-collar style of play for Orlando City.

2025 Outlook

Although he was out of contract after the 2024 season, Orlando City immediately looked to re-sign the veteran defender to a new contract and did just that on Friday. Smith is back for 2025 on a new one-year deal. The 32-year-old, who will turn 33 on Jan. 9, will likely fill the exact same role he’s held for his entire Orlando City career. He’ll fill in wherever he’s asked, spending time in the starting lineup when other players’ injuries or form require his services. He’ll be solid but not spectacular nearly every outing, and occasionally he’ll be overmatched by a pacey opponent. But he won’t short you on his effort and he’ll make it hard for Pareja to leave him on the bench for the entire match, regardless of whether the team is ahead or behind.

Previous Season in Review Articles (Date Posted)

• Alex Freeman (12/5/24)
• Michael Halliday (12/6/24)
• Yutaro Tsukada (12/7/24)
• Mason Stajduhar (12/8/24)
• Javier Otero (12/9/24)

• Jack Lynn (12/11/24)
• Shakur Mohammed (12/12/24)
• Luis Muriel (12/13/24)
• David Brekalo (12/14/24)
• Facundo Torres (12/14/24)
• Rodrigo Schlegel (12/15/24)
• Rafael Santos (12/16/24)

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope you all had a good weekend, and haven’t been putting your Christmas shopping off until the last minute, which is something I’m definitely guilty of. Despite it being the off-season, we have plenty of Orlando soccer news to cover today, so let’s jump right into the links.

Orlando City Signs Homegrown Player

On Monday afternoon, Orlando City announced that the club has signed midfielder Colin Guske to a Homegrown Player contract. Guske is a defensive midfielder who spent the year with Orlando City B this season, playing 2,044 minutes across 24 appearances in MLS NEXT Pro. With Felipe and Jeorgio Kocevski leaving and Heine Gikling Bruseth getting pinched in the MLS Expansion Draft, there’s a need for depth in the midfield. Whether or not that’s what the club is intending for Guske this year remains to be seen, as he’s still only 17 years old. That being said, he was with the senior side for its preseason training camp this year, played well enough to make the MLS NEXT Pro All-Star Game, and has represented the United States at the youth level, so he does have potential. Either way, he becomes the Lions’ 16th Homegrown Player signing.

Orlando City Linked With Midfielder Noah Levis

According to Transfermarkt‘s Manuel Veth, Orlando City has signed young midfielder Noah Levis. The 18-year-old currently plays for Mikkelin Palloilijat in Finland’s second division and would reportedly join OCB to develop. Only time will tell if Levis will become a Lion, but he would give Orlando a young player who could hopefully make an impact with the first team down the line.

Barbra Banda Wins CAF Women’s Player of the Year

Barbra Banda was named 2024 CAF Women’s Player of the Year. The award caps an outstanding year for her, as she helped the Orlando Pride win the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship, was included in the league’s Best XI, was named BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, and also made the FIFPRO World XI. She also scored four goals for Zambia in the Olympics this summer, and she’s the first Zambian player to win this award. Banda was up against NWSL MVP Temwa Chaminga, whose Kansas City Current were beaten by the Pride in the semifinals. Congrats to Banda on a deserved win!

Orlando City B Announces Roster Updates

Orlando City B announced the roster status of its squad following the 2024 season. Contracts have expired for six OCB players, but they could still sign new deals and return to the team next season. Zakaria Taifi, Jhon Solis, and Gustavo Carballo remain under contract, while, as mentioned earlier, Guske has been signed to the first team. As is usually the case, next year’s OCB roster will be largely composed of academy players and guys who have been signed to contracts with the senior side.

MLS Transfer Roundup

There are a few pieces of MLS transfer news that we need to catch up on. First, the Chicago Fire officially signed defender Jack Elliott as a free agent. He’s been handed a deal that runs through 2025 and has an option year for 2026. Up next, D.C. United signed winger Joao Peglow on a deal that runs through 2027 with an option for 2028. The 22-year-old joins from Polish side Radomiak Radom and is a former Brazilian youth international. Finally, the Philadelphia Union have put a contentious subject to rest by re-signing club captain Alejandro Bedoya on a one-year deal.

Free Kicks

• Plenty of American players will be playing midweek games, so make sure you have everything noted down on your calendar.

• Folarin Balogun will miss around four months after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder. As a result, he will likely be unavailable for the Concacaf Nations League next year.
• The draw for the UEFA European Women’s Championship is complete and England was drawn into a tough group with France, Wales, and the Netherlands.
• Lamine Yamal will miss up to a month after injuring his right ankle.

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