The 2024 Major League Soccer season has barely had time to breathe, but Orlando City opened preseason training on Monday. If it feels like time has flown by, that’s because it has. Hell, we’ve already got a whole working week’s-worth of practices in, and things are only going to pick up from here. With that being the case, I wanted to stop and reflect on a couple things that I liked, and a couple things that I disliked from the first week of the Lions’ preseason.

Likes

The Boys Are Back in Town

First and foremost, it’s good to be back in soccer mode. Its always nice to reflect on fond memories from the most recent season — particularly when its a successful one like the Lions just had, but reminiscing only takes you so far. But now we’re getting daily looks at OCSC’s preseason work and are able to check in with the familiar faces we know and love while also getting to know a few new ones. Videos like this one are always nice and help build excitement for the games to come.

Games Just Around the Corner

Speaking of games, we aren’t too far from Orlando’s first game of 2025. The Lions will play a preseason match a little over a week from today on Jan. 25, when they take on Atletico Mineiro at home in the FC Series. It may be only a preseason game but it still provides us with our first glimpse of what Orlando City will look like during the 2025 season. We’ll presumably get to see some of the team’s draft picks in action and should get some clues as to how the positional pecking order is starting to shape up.

Dislikes

The Wait for Reinforcements

It isn’t out of the norm for Orlando City to take its time making off-season signings when compared to its fellow MLS teams, and that’s been the case once again this year. Granted, there are plenty of teams that have more spots to fill than the Lions and some teams are in the midst of outright rebuilds. Still, OCSC has several spots that are in need of strengthening, depth, or both, not to mention a Facundo Torres-sized hole out on the right wing. There’s absolutely work to be done, and while I’m all for taking the time to make sure you sign the right players, there’s also something to be said for giving those players as much time in preseason as possible to adapt to their new teammates and unfamiliar surroundings. Here’s hoping that some moves start getting made soon.

The Departure of Mason Stajduhar

I won’t lie to you guys, when the news came through on Wednesday afternoon that the Lions had traded Mason Stajduhar to Real Salt Lake for General Allocation Money and a draft pick, it was a tough blow and one that I’m still having trouble coming to terms with. Professional soccer is a business, and I understand that, but it’s tough to see a guy like Mason head out the door. The team’s fourth Homegrown Player had been around since 2015 and beat cancer, made his MLS debut, got his first MLS wins and shutouts, helped OCSC hoist the club’s first silverware as an MLS team, and got engaged and then married — all while wearing Orlando purple. As our editor Michael Citro put it, we watched him grow up from a teenager into a young man, and it’ll always be tough to watch someone leave who has been around for 10 years and has been a consummate professional for each one of them. I’ll miss him but wish him all the best.

What did you guys make of the first week of the 2025 preseason? Are there any things that you’re keeping a particularly close eye on as we begin building towards the match against Atletico Mineiro? Be sure to have your say down in the comments, and I’ll see you next week. Vamos Orlando!

Happy Friday! Maybe it’s just because I’m a San Jose Sharks fan when it comes to hockey, but I sure do miss being able to watch Orlando City and the Orlando Pride win games. Thankfully it won’t be much longer until Orlando’s soccer teams are back in action, although I wish the Lions would make some moves to get us excited for 2025. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Mariana Larroquette Heads to Argentina on Loan

The Pride have loaned forward Mariana Larroquette to Newell’s Old Boys Women in Argentina. The loan lasts through July 1, so Larroquette may still provide some attacking depth for the Pride later in the season. This should be a good opportunity for her to get some minutes in her home country after only making four appearances for the Pride last season. Larroquette joined the Pride back in July of 2023 on a contract through 2025, so this is a solid chance for her to get some consistent playing time to showcase her talent before her current contract ends.

USMNT Prepares for Friendly Against Venezuela

The United States Men’s National Team will play its first game of 2025 when it takes on Venezuela Saturday at 3 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale. This is just the seventh meeting between the two nations, with Venezuela winning the most recent match 3-0 back in 2019. Goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez started for Venezuela in that shutout and is expected to get the nod in goal again, with Orlando City’s Javier Otero backing him up. The Yanks will be without multiple players who were called up, as Jesus Ferreira, John Tolkin, Jalen Neal, and Drake Callender will no longer be available. The USMNT will be back in action on Tuesday for a friendly against Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium.

Catching Up On MLS Transfer News

Every MLS team apart from Orlando City seems to be making major moves in preparation for the 2025 season. Austin FC is reportedly signing Albanian forward Myrto Uzuni as a Designated Player, which would trigger a $12.3 million release clause in his contract with Granada. Uzuni has scored 14 goals in 18 appearances for the Spanish club this season. Austin also added midfielder Nicolas Dubersarsky from Instituto in Argentina’s top flight. He will be a U22 Initiative Player and signed a five-year contract with the club.

New York Red Bulls left back John Tolkin was officially transferred to Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga for a reported $3 million transfer fee. The New England Revolution continued to strengthen their attack, signing veteran forward Maxi Urruti to a one-year deal with an option for 2026. Atlanta United and Middlesbrough have reportedly reached a verbal agreement on a deal for forward Emmanuel Latte Lath, although Atlanta still has to finalize personal terms with him.

Chelsea Reportedly Leads Race for Naomi Girma

One of the biggest questions this NWSL off-season is whether or not San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma will remain with the club. The 24-year-old is under contract through 2026, but European teams are reportedly willing to pay up to secure her talents. Chelsea is the reported frontrunner, with Arsenal and Lyon also in the mix to sign her. Girma is one of the best defenders in the world and was a major reason behind the United States Women’s National Team winning Olympic gold last year. Speaking of Girma, she will not be in attendance for the USWNT training camp in Florida due to a minor injury.

Free Kicks

• Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter followed through on her promise to dye her hair after a historic season.

• In news that impacts Orlando City duo Pedro Gallese and Wilder Cartagena, Jorge Fossati is no longer Peru’s head coach. Peru only won one of its six CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers with Fossati at the helm and is last in the standings.
• Former Lion Chris Mueller spoke on the importance of mental health and the resources available to help.

• You’ll need to use a translation tool for the full details, but Brazilian forward Kerolin is reportedly set to join Manchester City.
• Amad Diallo scored a hat trick to help Manchester United come back and win against Southampton.

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

The start of preseason training for Orlando City got me thinking about what I’m hoping to see in the upcoming 2025 season. I know that everyone wants to see some signings. It’s frustrating when you see other clubs making moves, but that is way too speculative for me to consider. Instead, let’s look at the pieces that are already in place.

More from Muriel

There are those who want Luis Muriel to be shown the door. As of now, I’m not one of them. I’ve spoken many times on The Mane Land PawedCast that it takes some players longer to adapt to MLS than it does others. Muriel is one of those who needed more time. We saw everything finally starting to click for the attacker in the final third of the season last year, and I expect him to pick up where he left off and expand on it.

I want more from him considering the Lions will be without Duncan McGuire for longer than we’d like. Muriel isn’t a like-for-like replacement for McGuire, but he brings quite a bit when sitting deeper than a traditional striker. If he can find some chemistry with Ramiro Enrique or whoever Orlando City brings in, he can increase his number of goal contributions. Ben Miller gave us a more detailed piece on the possibilities.

Dagur Dan Defense

Dagur Dan Thorhallsson is not a natural right back, but that is where he plays for Orlando City. I’d like to see him continue to get better on the defensive end of the pitch. He’s pretty good when pushing up the pitch into the attack, but he has the occasional lapse when tracking back. This is not an indictment of what he has done. I think he has grown into the position more and more in his time here, but I want him to up the level just a bit more.

A Flexible Pareja

It is well-known that Oscar Pareja sticks with a lineup once he finds one that works. I understand why he does that, but I feel there are times when he’s too rigid in that practice. For example, if having a bigger striker against a pair of really good center backs is the right move, don’t give Enrique the start just because he started the last few matches.

I think mixing things up a little more would also keep some legs fresher heading into the playoffs. It is important to be clicking as a team in the postseason, but doing so more rested is just as important. I don’t expect Pareja to do any of this, but it’s worth asking.

A Quick Start

The last few seasons, Orlando City has gotten off to a slow start. Whether it was fixture congestion or new pieces needing to adjust, the Lions found points hard to come by before the summer, especially at home. I want the club to break out of that habit, while still finding even better form during the summer. It’s easier to ask for something like that than to get it, but it’s my wish list, so why not?

Those are some of the things I want to see in 2025, but I want to know your thoughts on these points. Perhaps you have some wishes of your own. Let me know if the comments below. Vamos Orlando!