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Top 10 Moments of 2024: Orlando City Wins Tight Best-of-Three Playoff Series against Charlotte FC

In our No. 6 moment of the year, Orlando City made the fans sweat it out but eventually advanced past Charlotte in the best-of-three series.

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1 year ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

As we count down to the new year of 2025 — which will be Orlando City’s 11th in MLS, the Orlando Pride’s 10th in the NWSL, and OCB’s third in MLS NEXT Pro — and say goodbye to 2024, it’s time to look back at the club’s 10 best moments of the year as selected by The Mane Land staff via vote.

I believe Major League Soccer is unique among the world’s leagues in using a best-of-three series to determine a winner in the knockout round of a tournament, and while I do not like it, I did like the result from Orlando City’s three-game series against Charlotte FC during the opening round of the 2024 MLS playoffs, because the Lions advanced by winning games one and three, eliminating Charlotte and moving on to the conference semifinals.

Orlando City entered the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in MLS, having won 10 of its last 14 games and vaulting all the way up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte had been hot as well, but not for as long, as the North Carolina-based club had only won five of its last 14 games, but four of those wins were in the team’s most recent five games. However, Charlotte had scored an impressive 13 goals during those four wins. On the season, the teams ended up separated by only one point, as Orlando City ended with 52 and Charlotte finished with 51. The teams met twice during the regular season, drawing 2-2 on June 19 in Charlotte and Orlando City winning 2-0 at home on Sept. 18.

As with any series between the two teams closest in seed, analysts were split on who they thought would advance, but with home field advantage in two of the three games, including the tone-setting game one, the Lions held the advantage in the betting markets, with better odds to advance than their opponents from North Carolina.

Those in favor of Orlando City pointed to the recent hot form, the consistent starting lineup with players who knew their roles coming in off the bench, the recent win head-to-head, the advantage in goals scored (+13 for the season), and the aforementioned home-field advantage. Those who favored Charlotte pointed to the even more recent hot form; the team’s stingy defense, which had conceded the second-fewest goals in MLS; its counterattacking style that was a good antidote to Orlando City’s penchant for winning the possession battle; and a recent 1-1 draw against MLS Shield winners Inter Miami, showing that Charlotte could hold even the best offenses to very little.

As a fan of several other sports that employ best-of-[insert odd number here] playoff rules, I felt confident in Orlando City advancing, because the history of playoff series’ is that the team with the better seed, and therefore the team that has home-field advantage, wins most often. There is a reason the Lions had the better seed, and it is that they had a better regular season. As is seen in college basketball every March, in one game, anything can happen, but over time in a series, the better team usually wins, and I thought that Orlando City was a much better team.

The opening game of the series went much as I had expected it to, and I felt even more confident in my thought that Orlando City would advance. The Lions came out and really took it to Charlotte from the opening whistle, dominating possession, peppering the Charlotte goal with shots, and only allowing two shots on goal all game long for Pedro Gallese to save, earning a comfortable 2-0 victory and placing themselves one win from advancing to the conference semifinals.

Facundo Torres opened the scoring in the first half with a spectacular volley in the 32nd minute, and that early goal forced Charlotte to have to play differently for the final two-thirds of the game, because now the visitors had to engage and could not just sit back and hope for a smash-and-grab win.

Fellow Designated Player Martín Ojeda put the game to bed with his goal nearly 32 minutes into the second half, almost perfect symmetry with the first goal in terms of minutes after the beginning of the half.

Orlando City’s performance looked a lot like we had seen during the final few months of the season, and while any game on the road is always difficult, it seemed like the Lions had found an excellent game plan to defeat Charlotte and should go with something similar on the road for game two.

They most certainly did not do this.

Orlando City’s offensive performance on Nov. 1 was one of the worst I have ever seen by the club, and the data backs it up. I am not a member of the cult of xG (expected goals), who thinks it is the be-all, end-all of statistics, but I do think xG is a good indicator of the health of a team’s offense and whether it was getting shots in good locations. Orlando City’s xG in Game 2 was 0.3, the team’s worst of the season and tied for eighth worst since Opta started tracking xG in MLS games in 2018. For context, Orlando City has played more than 230 MLS games since the beginning of the 2018 season, so Game 2’s xG is in the bottom 4%.

(For the masochists out there, April 24, 2022 and July 18, 2019 are the club’s two worst offensive performances in the xG tracking era, both with 0.1 xG. The less said about those games the better. I have already said too much.)

Back to Game 2, Orlando City just did not seem to bring any energy to the game, even knowing that a win would push the team through to the next round, and earn a bye week with no need to play a Game 3. With the huge safety net of a guaranteed home game if they lost, the Lions should have played freely and openly, but instead they played defensively, almost as if they were playing more so to keep Charlotte from scoring than to actually go out and win the game themselves.

Even the team’s substitution patterns seemed off, as while the usual Duncan McGuire-for-Ramiro Enrique swap took place around the normal time of 60 minutes (specifically the 56th minute in this game), Oscar Pareja subbed Nico Lodeiro, and not Luis Muriel, for Ojeda in the 74th minute, and he brought Muriel in for Iván Angulo in the 88th minute. Muriel had been one of the team’s most dangerous players in recent months, a supersub off the bench who unlocked defenses with his vision and passing ability, but Pareja only gave him three minutes and stoppage time in this game, despite knowing that Charlotte was not much of a threat offensively and that one goal would likely be too much for hosts to overcome.

Even with their seemingly defensive focused performance, Orlando City almost managed to get a late winner anyway, but a tight offside call nullified a brilliant strike by Torres in second half stoppage time, wiping out what likely would have been the series-deciding goal. On replay review it looked incredibly tight, so the call on the field would likely have stood had they called it a goal, but they called it offside, and with that, it was wiped off the board, and the game went to penalties.

Historically Orlando City had been great in penalty shootouts, but the same team that showed up disinterested in scoring goals during open play also showed up during the penalty kicks, with Lodeiro getting his shot saved, Robin Jansson missing his kick over the bar, Muriel scoring (maybe should have brought him in sooner, just saying), but then McGuire getting saved, and since Charlotte did not miss any kicks, that was that, and the Lions lost 0-0 (3-1 on penalties). The loss wiped out the second straight shutout by the defense, including several outstanding saves by Gallese, as the Lions demonstrated that in MLS the old axiom of you can’t lose if they don’t score does not always apply.

Orlando City returned home for the winner-take-all Game 3, but although the Lions were far more lively on offense (19 shots, much better than that putrid three from the prior game) they could not get anything past Charlotte’s Kristijan Kahlina. An unexpectedly high bounce on a clearance by Charlotte went over Jansson’s head, and Charlotte took advantage with a quick counter, ending with a cross and a goal by Karol Swiderski on a shot that deflected in off of Rodrigo Schlegel. It is hard to tell if Gallese would have been able to save the ball if not for the deflection. He did seem to be well-placed to at least have a chance, but that did not matter as the deflection went away from where he was and went into the back of the net.

The Lions then started getting even more aggressive and pushing everyone forward, but to no avail. They used their final substitution to bring on David Brekalo for Schlegel, seemingly a like-for-like substitution instead of offense-for-defenese, but with Brekalo’s technical ability and ability to win aerial duels, he was probably the best option to try to get a goal, despite being a central defender given the bench options available.

As the game went to the dying minutes, Cesar Araujo just missed with a rocket from 28 yards, but then the offensive push paid off, as Wilder Cartagena put a cross into the danger zone right in the center of the box, and Charlotte defender Djibril Diani pulled McGuire down as he went to try to win the cross, earning Orlando City a penalty after an excruciatingly long video review delay and due to the fact that McGuire dislocated his shoulder on the foul.

The penalty was (finally) given, but after the poor performance in the shootout the game prior, there was a sense of excitement but concern, and it was warranted as Kahlina made yet another huge save, diving low to his right to block Torres’ penalty. Thankfully for the good guys in purple, the rebound went right back to Torres, and he made no mistake on his second shot, tying the game at 1-1 and sending it to another penalty shootout moments later when the full time whistle blew.

Both teams probably felt good going into the penalty shootout — Charlotte due to its dominant penalty performance in Game 2 and Orlando City due to the momentum of having found an equalizing lifeline just moments earlier. History does not always repeat itself, but it does often rhyme, and just as Kahlina was on fire with two saves in the previous shootout, Gallese was up to the task in Game 3, saving penalties one and two in front of The Wall.

His offensive partners also delivered, as Muriel was again unflappable scoring the first, and then unexpectedly it was Kyle Smith who stepped up for the second. If he shoots all his penalties as he did the one he took in this game, he should be in contention to take them all the time, because he put that ball in an unstoppable location at pace. Torres made up for his miss during regulation by making his shot in the shootout, but Charlotte answered, though Gallese again went the correct direction and nearly made it three straight saves.

Up 3-1 and with the ability to win the game and move Orlando City to the conference semifinals, it was another defender, Rafael Santos, who stepped up to the ball. After a routine that involved moving backwards, sideways, jumping and nearly stopping, Santos ripped a shot to the lower corner, and though Kahlina went the correct way, the ball was hit with too much pace, and Orlando City had won and advanced to the next round.

This series will not be one that is fondly recalled as the years go by, especially the strangely poor performance in Game 2, but there were moments of greatness that will go down in Orlando City lore. The dominant Game 1 victory, McGuire suffering a dislocated shoulder to earn a penalty (and then getting it popped back in in the locker room and sprinting to try to get back onto the field during the shootout), the last-gasp goal to put Game 3 into a shootout in the most Cardiac Cats way possible, Gallese’s shootout heroics, Muriel’s unflappability, and the left back and right back hitting perhaps the best penalties of the season are all moments I will definitely remember from this series. It’s also a big part of why winning that playoff series finished at No. 6 on our list of top 10 moments of 2024.

Come back through New Year’s Eve as we count down the remainder of the top 10 moments of 2024 for Orlando City, the Orlando Pride, and OCB.

Previous Top Moments of 2024

10. Orlando City’s massive second-half surge clinches top-four spot in Eastern Conference.

9. The Orlando Pride sign Zambian international striker Barbra Banda ahead of the 2024 season.

8. Facundo Torres scores his 47th goal for Orlando City, breaking the Lions’ all-time goal record.

7. Marta’s magical goal pushes the Orlando Pride past Kansas City and into the NWSL Championship.

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    Orlando City vs. New England Revolution, 2026 U.S. Open Cup: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

    The Lions head to Rhode Island looking to advance in the U.S. Open Cup against the Revs.

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    5 hours ago

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    April 29, 2026

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    Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
    Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

    Welcome to your match thread for a Wednesday night U.S. Open Cup matchup between Orlando City and the New England Revolution at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, RI (7:30 p.m., Paramount+). This is the first meeting between the two MLS Eastern Conference rivals this season, with two scheduled league matches still left to play in 2026.

    Here’s what you need to know for the match.

    History

    The Lions are 6-7-8 in the regular-season series against New England and 7-8-8 in all competitions. On the road, Orlando City is just 2-6-2 against the Revs, with all of those prior meetings coming in the MLS regular season. Orlando City has faced the Revolution once before in U.S. Open Cup play, winning that prior meeting (more on that below).

    The most recent meeting between the teams was also in New England, but it was at Gillette Stadium, the Revs’ usual home. Martin Ojeda’s brace led the Lions to a 2-1 victory on July 19, 2025 — just the team’s second road win in the series. Thomas Chancalay scored for New England.

    The first match between the sides last year was a wild 3-3 draw in Orlando on May 10. The Lions squandered two leads in that match, including a 2-0 advantage. Ojeda scored Orlando’s first hat trick since 2015 in that game, but those three goals were offset by strikes by Alhassan Yusuf, Matt Polster, and Carles Gil. One of Ojeda’s goals and Gil’s strike were penalties.

    Prior to that, the teams met on Sept. 14, 2024, with the Lions completing their first-ever sweep of the Revs with a 3-0 win. Rafael Santos, Facundo Torres (from the penalty spot), and Duncan McGuire provided the offense in a dominant performance. The teams also met on July 13 at Gillette Stadium that year, where the Lions won for the first time, handing the Revs a 3-1 home loss. Torres’ brace led the way to an Orlando comeback, with Ramiro Enrique also scoring to overturn an early 1-0 deficit provided by Giacomo Vrioni.

    The teams met in Orlando on Oct. 7, 2023, with the Lions winning 3-2 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Orlando City clinched second in the Eastern Conference as McGuire and Torres built a 2-0 lead. Pedro Gallese gave up a soft goal from distance to Gil, but Ivan Angulo pulled that one back three minutes later. Gil added a second goal deep in stoppage time to improve the result cosmetically.

    New England got the better of the Lions in the previous matchup of the 2023 season, winning 3-1 at Gillette Stadium on June 17. After a scoreless first half, the Revs went up by two with goals from Emmanuel Boateng and Gustavo Bou 18 minutes apart. McGuire pulled one back late, but Gil scored the dagger five minutes later.

    These teams met at Exploria Stadium on Aug. 6, 2022, and the previously struggling Revolution whipped Orlando City, 3-0. New England got goals from unlikely sources, as central midfielders Polster and Wilfrid Kaptoum and center back Henry Kessler provided the offense. The teams met at Gillette Stadium on June 15 of that year, and the Revs went ahead on a Gil goal, but the Lions pulled that back with a Robin Jansson strike en route to a 1-1 road draw.

    New England went unbeaten in the 2021 season series. The teams played to a 2-2 draw at Exploria Stadium on Oct. 24, 2021. The Lions built a 2-0 lead through goals by Nani and Daryl Dike, but two late Adam Buksa goals allowed the Revs to steal a point. The teams met at Gillette Stadium just over a month prior to that draw in Orlando, with Nani’s missed penalty a costly one in a 2-1 Revs home win. The Revolution jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a goal by Buksa and an own goal off of Rodrigo Schlegel. Dike pulled one back for the Lions and later won a penalty, but Nani’s attempt to go down the middle was read at the last second by Matt Turner, who got his shoulder to it to preserve the lead.

    The Revolution ended the Lions’ season at Exploria Stadium in the 2020 playoffs, knocking Orlando City out of MLS Cup contention in the conference semifinal round on Nov. 29, 2020. That 3-1 win by the Revs was the first road win for either side in the series in any competition. Gil put the Revs up early from the penalty spot after a call against Uri Rosell, and Bou doubled the lead eight minutes later, finishing a play that started with a Nani turnover. Junior Urso pulled a goal back before the halftime whistle, but Mauricio Pereyra was sent off for a studs-up challenge on Polster at the hour mark. Still, Nani had a chance to equalize from the spot, but a poor penalty was saved by Turner. Bou added a late insurance goal.

    In the final year of the pre-pandemic times, the Revs went 1-0-1 in the season series. The Lions and Revolution met at Exploria Stadium on Sept. 14, 2019, with Orlando overcoming a Tesho Akindele own goal and two deficits — the second by two goals — and rallying for a 3-3 draw. Shortly after Akindele’s own goal opened the scoring, Nani tied things up. Cristian Penilla and Bou scored goals five minutes apart just before halftime to seemingly give the visitors control. But Dom Dwyer pulled one back after the restart and Nani tied it up.

    The teams also met at Gillette Stadium in 2019 on July 27, and the Revs put the Lions on full blast, 4-1. Bou scored within the first two minutes of the game, and the Revolution got goals from Penilla, Gil, and Diego Fagundez. Akindele scored to avoid the shutout.

    The teams also met at Exploria Stadium in U.S. Open Cup action that year on June 19, with the Lions scoring twice in a 30-minute extra time session and holding on for a 2-1 victory. Benji Michel and Akindele staked Orlando to a 2-0 lead before Justin Rennicks pulled one back off a Gil back-post cross. City was able to see the game out.

    The last meeting of 2018 saw the Revs top a depleted Orlando side, 2-0 in Gillette Stadium on Oct. 13. In the first matchup of 2018, the teams combined for six goals in a 3-3 draw at Orlando City Stadium on Aug. 4.

    Orlando City and New England split the season series in 2017. City completed a 6-1 demolition of 10-man New England at home Sept. 27, 2017. New England won at Gillette Stadium that year by a 4-0 count.

    The Lions went 1-0-2 in the series in 2016, winning 3-1 at home on July 31. The teams played a controversial 2-2 draw in Orlando on April 17, 2016. The second 2016 meeting reached the same final score on April 30 in New England.

    The teams met twice in 2015, with Orlando City rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the final 17 minutes to draw 2-2 at the Citrus Bowl in April. The Sept. 5 rematch at Gillette Stadium didn’t go as well, with New England taking a 3-0 win. Fagundez, Agudelo and Chris Tierney scored for the Revolution.

    Overview

    Orlando City is coming off a road loss at D.C. United on Saturday. The Lions came from behind to take a 2-1 second-half lead, but then Orlando melted down in the final six minutes, allowing two goals to throw away all three points. City’s only win away from home this season came in the team’s 1-0 round-of-32 U.S. Open Cup match at FC Naples on April 15, but that was far from easy as the USL League One side dominated the game’s final 30 minutes.

    The Lions are 19-11-5 all-time in the U.S. Open Cup, 11-7-5 since becoming an MLS side. Away from Orlando, the Lions are 8-6-2 in the U.S. Open Cup, 5-2-2 since joining Major League Soccer.

    The Revolution are coming off a 1-1 draw at Inter Miami over the weekend, with Gil scoring for New England. The Revs are 4-0-2 in their last six matches in all competitions and reached this round of the U.S. Open Cup by outlasting USL Championship side Rhode Island FC in penalties after a 1-1 draw on April 14. Fagundez scored shortly after halftime, but Rhode Island’s J.J. Williams equalized in the 11th minute of stoppage time to send the match to extra time and, ultimately, spot kicks.

    It seems a bit of a flex for the Revs to return to Rhode Island FC’s stadium to host its round-of-16 match, but they earned the right, so fair play to New England.

    “Of course it’s different playing in the U.S. Open Cup, or in every match that is do or die, win or go home,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “It’s a different context that changes the game, but we have experience in these kinds of competitions and we’re ready for it. We like to compete, we are competitors, so we’re happy and excited.”

    Match Content

    Projected Lineups

    Orlando City (4-4-2)

    Goalkeeper: Javier Otero.

    Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, Iago, Zakaria Taifi.

    Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Colin Guske, Braian Ojeda, Tiago.

    Forwards: Tyrese Spicer, Justin Ellis.

    New England Revolution (4-3-3)

    Goalkeeper: Matt Turner.

    Defenders: Will Sands, Mamadou Fofana, Ethan Kohler, Ilay Feingold.

    Midfielders: Alhassan Yusuf, Carles Gil, Brooklyn Raines.

    Forwards: Peyton Miller, Dor Turgeman, Griffin Yow.

    How to Watch

    Match Time: 7:30 p.m.

    Venue: Centreville Bank Stadium — Pawtucket, RI.

    TV/Live Stream: Paramount+.

    Social Media: For rapid reaction and live updates, follow us on Bluesky Social at @themaneland.bsky.social or follow Orlando City’s official Twitter (@OrlandoCitySC) or Bluesky (@OrlandoCitySC) feed.

    Enjoy the match. Go City!

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    Lion Links

    Lion Links: 4/29/26

    Orlando City plays New England tonight, the Orlando Pride are recognized, USMNT news, and more.

    Published

    9 hours ago

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    April 29, 2026

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    Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

    Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s match day with Orlando City taking on the New England Revolution in the U.S. Open Cup tonight. The fixture congestion is real as this is the third match for the Lions in just eight days. I’m sure that it will be fine since Orlando City doesn’t have any injury or depth issues…err…let’s get to the links.

    Orlando City’s Open Cup Continues

    Orlando City is in Rhode Island to take on the New England Revolution in the next round of the U.S. Open Cup. As always, it will be interesting to see which regular starters play and which youngsters get the start, though the difference between those two is not as stark as in the past. The Lions also have a trip to play Inter Miami this weekend to consider. I don’t think it will happen, but I say go all in on the Open Cup and play Orlando City B against Miami.

    Orlando Pride Earns Recognition

    Zara Chavoshi is the Orlando Pride’s nominee for the Lauren Holiday Impact Award for 2026. Chavoshi’s chosen community partner is Habitat for Humanity Seminole-Apopka. Each of the 16 NWSL teams are represented with a panel of judges, including Holiday, determining the winner. In other news, the Pride are still in the top three of SI.com’s NWSL power rankings. Shockingly — I say with tongue planted firmly in cheek — Barbra Banda didn’t make CBSsports.com’s NWSL Team of the Week despite scoring a brace.

    Griezmann Continues Champions League Chase

    Orlando City’s next Designated Player, Antoine Griezmann, has unfinished business with current club Atletico Madrid. Griezmann and Atletico face Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semifinals this afternoon. As much as I’m looking forward to Griezmann’s arrival in Orlando, I am also all for him winning hardware before he leaves Atletico.

    USMNT News

    The World Cup is just around the corner, and there are many players in MLS who will be representing their respective countries. Matt Turner is making an excellent case that he should be the first-choice keeper for the USMNT. Stepping outside of MLS, is Weston McKennie the player who the U.S. can least afford to lose heading into the World Cup? McKennie has been playing well this year for club and country. Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic has been in a bit of a slump. Hopefully, he can turn it around before the World Cup.

    Free Kicks

    • Rodrigo Schlegel visited Orlando City’s training this week. I’m not saying I want him to start, but a short-term contract for depth might be nice.

    🚨 Jose Mourinho preferred candidate of Florentino Perez to become next Real Madrid head coach. Support not universal inside #RMFC but president driving process so 63yo strong contender. Time-sensitive ~€3m break clause in Benfica contract 🚨@theathleticfc.bsky.socialwww.nytimes.com/athletic/723…

    — David Ornstein (@david-ornstein.bsky.social) 2026-04-28T11:49:11.588Z
    • Sometimes there’s a light of hope in the dark forest that we’re travelling through. Believe.

    That will do it for today. Check back for our coverage of Orlando City’s match tonight. Vamos Orlando!

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    Lion Links

    Lion Links: 4/28/26

    Takeaways from MLS matchday 10, Americans in midweek action, Vancouver Whitecaps may be relocated, and more.

    Published

    1 day ago

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    April 28, 2026

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    Image of Martin Ojeda with the ball against Nashville.
    Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

    Good morning, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as Orlando City B was the only one of the three sides to get a result. We’ve got another busy week ahead of us as Orlando City will be in action twice, the Orlando Pride face the Washington Spirit on Saturday, and OCB takes on Crown Legacy to round off the week on Sunday. We’ve got plenty to discuss today, so let’s jump into the links.

    MLS Matchday 10 Lessons

    Matchday 10 is officially in the books for Major League Soccer, so what did we learn from the weekend’s action? For one thing, the Vancouver Whitecaps seem to have done a very good job of reloading from the off-season losses of Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson. New faces Cheikh Sabaly and Bruno Caicedo have been finding their feet and both had goal involvements in Vancouver’s 3-1 win over the Colorado Rapids. Matt Turner looks to be rediscovering some of his best form as he made nine saves in the New England Revolution’s 1-1 draw with Inter Miami. New York City FC’s Matt Freese has been the frontrunner to start in goal for the United States Men’s National Team at the World Cup this summer, but based on his league performances, Turner could make a late charge.

    Americans in Midweek Action

    Plenty of Americans will be taking part in games during the working week, so let’s have a look at the schedule. Things get started Wednesday, when Tim Ream, Luca de la Torre, and Charlotte FC play Atlanta United in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16. Wednesday has Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid hosting Arsenal in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals. On Thursday, Chris Richards and Crystal Palace will travel to Shakhtar Donetsk for the first leg of a UEFA Conference League semifinal. The action wraps up on Friday when Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United host Burnley in a Premier League tilt.

    Relocation Possible for Vancouver Whitecaps

    A special committee of MLS owners reportedly met earlier in April to discuss the potential relocation of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Specifically, Las Vegas is said to have been the primary relocation option discussed at the meeting. It’s been two decades since a team was relocated, as the last franchise to move were the San Jose Earthquakes, who went to Houston and became the Dynamo before being replaced with another San Jose expansion team two years later. Other cities said to be interested in landing a team include Phoenix, Indianapolis, and Sacramento, with Phoenix reportedly one of the main candidates being considered for relocation alongside Vegas. In the meantime, the Whitecaps remain up for sale while the team tries to find an in-market stadium solution, as the team’s lease with BC Place expires at the end of the year.

    High Profile Injuries Continue

    The 2025-2026 European season has seen a number of high profile injuries, and that’s a trend that unfortunately continued over the weekend. Xavi Simons suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, and he will undergo surgery that will sideline him for a significant amount of time. Real Madrid confirmed on Monday that Kylian Mbappe has a left hamstring injury, and he could reportedly miss the May 10 Clasico match against Barcelona as well as the rest of the La Liga season. AC Milan midfielder Luka Modric fractured his left cheekbone in the team’s 0-0 draw with Juventus on Sunday and had surgery to repair the damage. His club season is over, but Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic is confident that he will be healthy in time for the World Cup.

    Free Kicks

    • FIFA will reportedly increase the number of times that yellow cards are wiped away at this summer’s World Cup.

    That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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