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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 0-0 as Lions Extend Unbeaten Run to Four Games

Lions earn a hard-fought road point in a physical match that felt like a playoff game.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City’s maligned defense got its first shutout of the season. However, the Lions’ league-best attack was also shut out for the first time in a scoreless draw against the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park in Chester, PA. Orlando (3-2-2, 11 points) finishes the season series winless (0-1-1) but took four of a possible six points on its two-game road swing as the Lions extended their unbeaten run to four games (2-0-2) and handed the Union (4-2-1, 13 points) their first draw of the year.

Pedro Gallese made four saves to keep his first clean sheet of the 2025 season, while Andre Blake stopped all three shots on target he faced, including two of the game’s best chances.

“Good result for us. I think we’ll take this point from a difficult place, Philadelphia, with a lot of intensity,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “We knew that our options would be in behind of their backs, and we had two or three options that could have given us the three points. But at the end, I think it was very level in that end. We will take this game as an improvement of our defensive system. It’s our first clean sheet, and we’re happy, but the boys had a lot of personality to come to this hard place and have that result.”

Pareja was forced into some lineup changes as both starting central midfielders — Cesar Araujo and Eduard Atuesta — picked up tightness late in the week and were held out for precautionary reasons. Gallese started in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Joran Gerbet and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson started in central midfield behind the usual attacking line of Ivan Angulo, Martin Ojeda, Marco Pasalic, with Luis Muriel up top.

“”I have to give a lot of credit to Joran and Dagur,” Pareja said. “They had a lot of personality. We didn’t have too much time or frequency in our trainings with both of them, but they adapted to the possibilities that the game brought. Today they did a good job in trying to keep the lines connected, but they were called to be the ones who can absorb that pressure, that pressing, that way that Philadelphia plays, especially at home. And they did a good job.”

The first half was a chippy, physical 45 minutes with neither side covering itself in glory in terms of precision, but the Lions were second best the entire opening period, passing at a dreadful 60.1% and handing possession to the Union in their own half time after time. Orlando defended well as a team, which is the only reason the Lions didn’t trail at the half.

The game plan was to have Brekalo play a hybrid center back/left back role, winning balls in the air when the Union invariably tried to play into the middle. That would, in theory, allow Freeman to roam forward and join the attack, and although sloppy ball placement limited Orlando’s ability to get forward into the wide spaces behind Philadelphia’s fullbacks, the defensive game plan worked as intended. The Union created a few dangerous chances but the defense frustrated the hosts into settling for several long-range attempts.

“I think David did a good job on that part without the ball,” Pareja said. “We knew that Philadelphia had this centralized game, at once direct. Every ball they play goes toward the center. We thought it was a good idea to have David with his presence. His aerial game that is strong helped us in some occasions as a third central back without being installed as a central back all the game. It was a hybrid assignment for him and I think he did a good job. He provided today solidness on that side.”

After a physical start to the game, with several fouls and most of it played in Orlando’s defensive third, the Lions nearly had something going in the 10th minute when Ojeda got into the box. Jakob Glesnes made a desperation lunge to get a touch on the ball and by the time Ojeda got to it and tried to square it across the box, help had arrived to block the pass.

The Union tried to create chances off long throw-ins in the first half and Glesnes got his head to one in the 11th minute but popped up a soft effort that Gallese caught. The danger bells were ringing, however, and Daniel Gazdag nearly picked out Bruno Damiani in front in the 14th minute at the right post.

Freeman blocked a shot by Ian Glavinovich off a corner kick in the 18th minute. Quinn Sullivan then sent a deflected shot out of play for a corner on the recycle. Gazdag sent a scorching ball on frame off the second corner and Gallese fought it off.

In the 30th minute, Jovan Lukic fired from long range after not being closed down. The ball deflected off Schlegel at the top of the box and nearly caught Gallese wrong-footed. The Peruvian recovered and made a diving save to prevent the goal. Philadelphia kept firing from everywhere, with Sullivan, Lukic, and Tai Baribo all sending efforts from deep various degrees off target.

Orlando finally got its only chance of the half in the 41st minute, and it was the best look at goal for either side. Muriel and Ojeda combined off a long ball out of the back by Jansson to play Pasalic in on the right. The Croatian fired with his first touch and put it on frame, but he left it too close to Blake, who still had to make a good diving save to keep the game scoreless.

“We wanted to have the ball a little longer when we had our sequencing, but it was a very difficult place to have it,” Pareja said. “And I have to admit that they did a good job on their pressing. At the end, we accept that we could have been better with the ball.”

Orlando survived a few more turnovers in the defensive end and the teams went to the break scoreless.

The Union held the halftime advantage in possession (52.9%-47.1%), shots (9-1), shots on target (2-1), corners (4-1), and passing accuracy (71.2%-60.5%).

Looking to keep Philadelphia’s back line a bit more honest in the second period, Pareja introduced Duncan McGuire for Angulo at halftime.

However, Philadelphia created its best chance of the night just momentss after the restart. Gazdag got loose down the right flank and sent a good ball in front for Damiani, who redirected the ball from point-blank range with his first touch. Gallese did well to make himself big and hold his position, making a big stop to open the half in the 47th minute.

“In those moments, I thought we were defending well. We were organized well, and it’s just one of those things where we were solid in front of our own goal and defended it really well,” Gallese said. “Really happy with the shutout today.”

Nathan Harriel sent a soft header directly into Gallese’s arms off a long-range free kick in the 50th minute.

The Lions appeared to have something going when Pasalic broke down the right behind the back line a minute later. Charging hard toward the end line and having a poor angle, Pasalic tried squaring a ball through the six, but he didn’t have any teammates with him and the chance evaporated.

Lukic was left unattended at the top of the box in the 53rd minute. Frankie Westfield beat Ojeda down the line and pulled a good pass back for Lukic, but the midfielder sent his shot just over the crossbar.

Philadelphia kept the pressure on, but could not pay it off. Damiani got under a shot on a training ground set piece in the 58th minutes, sending it high over the crossbar. Two minutes later, a good cross in nearly found Damiani, but Freeman did enough to keep him from making good contact with his header, which sailed over. Fans and Union players wanted a penalty, but referee Ismir Pekmic wasn’t interested and there wasn’t enough contact to warrant a spot kick.

Kyle Smith came on for Pasalic in the 67th minute, stabilizing Orlando’s left side, which the Union were exploiting. After that substitution, the right side of the Union attack was much quieter.

Orlando’s second golden opportunity came in the 70th minute. Ojeda got forward, but didn’t have much help, so he dribbled left to right across the top of the box, waiting for teammates. Muriel arrived and Ojeda slipped him the ball. The Colombian blasted it with his right foot, but again the shot was too central and Blake made another big save.

“We could’ve even had more from the game in the two or three actions that we had with Pasalic, with Martin, and that one with Muriel,” Pareja said.

The Lions had a better spell of possession for a few minutes, including a great turn by Freeman, who sent the ball to Muriel. The Designated Player may have had better options to his right, but he opted to shoot, firing into the defender in front of him in the 75th minute.

Two minutes later, Ojeda looked to have an open shot, but Westfield arrived just in time to deflect it out for a corner. Orlando City couldn’t pay off the set piece, which was initially cleared. The recycled ball in found Smith, who sent a weak header softly into Blake’s hands.

Philadelphia made a late push to find a winner, earning several set pieces — mostly corners — but couldn’t generate much from them. Homegrown midfielder Colin Guske came on for Ojeda just before the end of normal time, making his MLS debut and helping provide fresh legs and another defensive-minded body to see out the road result.

The only late drama was Mikael Uhre feeling contact from Schlegel and going down easily in the box, looking for a penalty call. Again Pekmic wasn’t interested, although between an ensuing scuffle and a yellow card for time wasting on Gallese, the referee allowed the game to go two minutes beyond the four minutes of stoppage time.

It didn’t matter, as neither side could create a chance and the match ended scoreless.

The Union dominated the stat sheet, finishing with the advantage in possession (58.2%-41.8%), shots (20-6), shots on target (4-3), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (80%-65.9%). Nine yellow cards were dispensed in the match, with the Lions getting five of those and all but one — on Jansson — coming in the second half.

“Very tough game, coming here on the road,” Gallese said. “We know that Philly’s having a good year, but we came here with the the intentions to win, but still a good result from our side. We knew that we couldn’t go through the start of the year like we have in the past years, and that in these moments, we need to start getting points and continuing to push ourselves up the table in this early portion of the season. And I think the team’s good right now. We’re in a spot where we’ve got things that we have to fix, but things that we know we can fix and continue to get better ourselves. And, we’re just in a point where there’s a lot of confidence in this group right now.”

“I’m very pleased to see the boys evolving — the youngsters, Freeman, absorbing these types of games,” Pareja said. “I think his character today raised as well and he understands much better what is this game about. I think the team is developing new ideas. I told them in the locker room that this was really a playoff game. That’s what we felt.”


After four road matches in a five-game span, the Lions will return to Inter&Co Stadium a week from tonight to host the New York Red Bulls, wrapping up a second season series against an Eastern Conference opponent in a two-week span.

Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Inter Miami CF: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 3-0 road win over Inter Miami?

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City went on the road and claimed a huge three points against Inter Miami CF in Fort Lauderdale last night, winning 3-0. The Lions took advantage of Miami’s poor defending, getting behind the back line and scoring three times. It’s the club’s first win against the South Florida team in over two years.

Let’s take a look at how the individual Lions performed in this big win.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 8 (MotM) — Gallese was awesome in this game, keeping the Lions in it and maintaining their lead. The two most notable saves were a 22nd-minute, one-handed stop on Lionel Messi and a second big save in the 62nd minute on the same player from point-blank range. The Lions’ number one saved all four shots he faced for his sixth clean sheet this season. He touched the ball 36 times, completing 58.6% of his 29 passes and seven of his 19 long balls. His most notable pass came in the 43rd minute, when he assisted Luis Muriel’s goal on a long ball up field. Overall, it was a great night for Gallese.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5 — Brekalo is the more defensive of the two outside backs, allowing Alex Freeman to go further forward. The natural center back was terrific defensively, helping his team earn a clean sheet on the road. He had 45 touches and completed 90.9% of his 22 passes. The left back didn’t have an impact offensively, but he was great defensively. He finished the game with two tackles, a blocked shot, an aerial duel won, and a team-high eight clearances.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 — Orlando City was on the back foot for much of the game, conceding a significant amount of possession. It put a lot of pressure on the center backs, including Jansson. The Swede had 35 touches in the game and completed 66.7% of his 24 passes, including three of his 10 long balls. He didn’t push into the attack at all but was part of a center back pairing that was excellent. He recorded a tackle, a blocked shot, and five clearances.

D, Rodrigo Schlegel, 7 — While Jansson was good in this game, Schlegel was the better of the two Orlando City center backs. He touched the ball 30 times and completed 89.5% of his 19 passes, but his lone long ball didn’t find its target. The Argentine also took one off-target shot, but it was his defense that shone. Schlegel ended the game with two tackles, an interception, three clearances, a blocked shot, and two aerial duels won.

D, Alex Freeman, 7 — This was one of Freeman’s best games since joining the first team. He had a team-high 64 touches and completed 83.8% of his 37 passes, including a team-high four key passes and three of his five long balls. The right back put one of his three shots on target and nearly set up a goal in the 88th minute, but Ramiro Enrique hit the post. Defensively, Freeman had an interception, four clearances, two blocked shots, and two aerial duels won while defending primarily Jordi Alba.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 — Angulo didn’t have much of an impact on this game, only recording 18 touches and completing 80% of his 10 passes. However, he did have a key pass and completed his lone long ball. His only shot was on target, though it was on a breakaway and he perhaps could have done better. He helped defensively with two tackles and a blocked shot before being replaced by Kyle Smith in the 61st minute.

MF, Cesar Araujo, 6.5 — The defensive midfielders played key roles in this game and were one of the team’s strengths. Araujo — the veteran of the two — had 52 touches and completed 85.7% of his 42 passes, including a key pass and two of his five long balls. He didn’t take any shots but was active defensively with a tackle, two clearances, a blocked shot, and two aerial duels won.

MF, Joran Gerbet, 7 — The rookie had a tough task defending Messi in this game and was terrific in doing so. He registered 47 touches and completed 90.9% of his 33 passes, including two key passes and his lone long ball. He didn’t take any shots but was excellent defensively with three tackles, an interception, four clearances, a blocked shot, and an aerial duel won.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 6.5 — Pasalic had 33 touches, completing 68.4% of his 19 passes. He was in the right place at the right time and had a little bit of luck in the 53rd minute, when a Martin Ojeda cross was deflected right to him. The midfielder sent a hard shot that deflected off Maximiliano Falcon’s leg and headed right at Oscar Ustari, who should’ve stopped it. But the ball slipped through and in to make it 2-0. It wasn’t a pretty goal, but it was an important one. Pasalic also helped defensively with an interception and was replaced by Dagur Dan Thorhallsson in the 70th minute.

F, Luis Muriel, 7.5 — Muriel had 35 touches and completed 78.6% of his 14 passes, including two key passes and his lone cross, but not his only long ball. He put two of his three shots on target and did well to finish the breakaway in the 43rd minute that gave the Lions the lead. He added a tackle, a blocked shot, and an aerial duel won before being replaced by Enrique in the 70th minute.

F, Martin Ojeda, 6.5 — Ojeda had a good game, touching the ball 37 times and completing 68.2% of his 22 passes, including three key passes, two of his four crosses, and three of his four long balls. He added a tackle and would’ve had a much higher grade if he hadn’t missed two golden opportunities to score. His night ended in the 89th minute when he came off for Duncan McGuire.

Substitutes

D, Kyle Smith (61’), 5.5 — Smith came on in the 61st minute for Angulo and made an impact. He had 14 touches but only completed 28.6% of his seven passes, missing on his lone long ball. However, he got a secondary assist by sending McGuire down the left on Thorhallsson’s late goal. Smith also didn’t record any defensive statistics in his 29 minutes of play.

F, Ramiro Enrique (70’), 5 — Enrique replaced Muriel in the 70th minute. He touched the ball 12 times, completing 60% of his five passes. The striker nearly had a chance in the 78th minute, but his touch was too heavy. In the 88th minute, his shot was saved off the post on what should’ve been the third goal. Overall, it was the missed chances that doomed Enrique’s performance in this game.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson (70’), 6.5 — Thorhallsson replaced Pasalic in a double substitution, entering with Enrique. He touched the ball 16 times, completing 90.9% of his 11 passes, though his lone long ball was incomplete. His big moment came in second-half stoppage time, when he placed a perfect McGuire pass behind Ustari to make it 3-0.

F, Duncan McGuire (89’), N/A — It was a short appearance for McGuire, entering for Ojeda just before stoppage time. But the big striker took advantage of his minutes, touching the ball four times. He only had two passes, but he completed both, including a perfect pass across the six-yard box for Thorhallsson, providing the fellow substitute with an easy tap-in. McGuire took one shot of his own, but it was off target.


That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 3-0 win over Inter Miami. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote on your Man of the Match.

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Orlando City

Orlando City vs. Inter Miami: Five Takeaways

Here’s what we learned from an enjoyable 3-0 victory over Inter Miami.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

After dominating Tampa Bay in the U.S. Open Cup and now Inter Miami in MLS play, I think it is safe to remind everyone that, as we all have always known, Florida is purple. Orlando City thrashed the Herons 3-0 on Sunday night, and the Lions could, and probably should, have scored five or even six goals with all the breakaway chances they squandered during this game. Nevertheless, they still walked away from the greater Miami area with three big, beautiful points, and here are my five takeaways from the latest edition of Tropic Thunder.

El Pulpo Pulverized the Herons

Orlando City fans have come to expect great performances from Pedro Gallese in terms of keeping the ball out of his own net, but on Sunday night El Pulpo not only did that, but he also created the game’s opening goal with a perfectly placed bomb of a pass that looked like it might have been thrown by Dan Marino in his Miami Dolphins heyday. But this was Fort Lauderdale, not Miami, and it was Gallese, not Marino, who arced the ball through the night right onto the foot of Luis Muriel, and Muriel’s first touch was just as perfect as Gallese’s aim. Then the Colombian was off to the races before giving the Lions the lead with a well-placed shot to the far post. Gallese collected his second career assist with that pass and then went back to his standard practice of saving everything, stopping four shots and partnering with the stout back line to shut out Miami — only the second time all season Miami was held without a goal.

Miami Block Party

Speaking of that stout back line, Orlando City’s defenders looked more like the Orlando Solar Bears out there with how they were giving up their bodies all over the field to block shots. Our friends at fotmob.com tracked a season-high nine blocked shots by Orlando City defenders on the evening, and it felt like there were even more. Every starting defender had one block except Alex Freeman, who had two, and Iván Angulo, César Araújo, Joran Gerbet, and Muriel each chipped in one as well. Orlando City’s defenders did an excellent job of keeping their hands behind them or out of the way while blocking all of those shots, and the frustration on the faces of the Miami players was evident, as despite taking 21 shots, they were only able to put four on goal. Sunday night was definitely not the kind of Miami block party the Herons were hoping to attend.

Pašalić Goes Five-Hole

I did not plan to work in multiple hockey references when I started this article, but hey, at least Miami fans can be happy that their NHL team won on Sunday. Their, well, Fort Lauderdale’s team most certainly did not, and Marco Pašalić’s early second-half goal doubled Orlando City’s lead when he took a slightly deflected Martín Ojeda pass and powered it through the legs of goalkeeper Óscar Ustari. All three Designated Players participated in the goal, with Muriel showing some fancy footwork before playing it to Rodrigo Schlegel, who gave it to Ojeda, and then his deflected cross fell perfectly for the left foot of Pašalić, and Orlando City had a two-goal cushion.

Firepower From the Bench

Óscar Pareja has always been a coach who likes to ride a hot lineup, and the same is true for how he chooses who comes off the bench — the hot player gets the first opportunity. Ramiro Enrique had scored more recently than Duncan McGuire, so it was not surprising to see Enrique enter before McGuire in this game, and Enrique nearly made it three goals in his last four games, but a fingertip save by Ustari pushed his shot off the post. McGuire eventually entered in the dying minutes of the game, and he clearly showed his desire to get back up in the pecking order, because he was flying all over the field, and it paid off for him when he sprinted onto a ball from Kyle Smith and played a perfectly weighted left-footed cross to fellow substitute Dagur Dan Thórhallsson for the third and final goal, one where all three goal contributors (secondary assist, primary assist, and goal scorer) were substitutes.

Midfield Did Not Get Messi’d

It is hard to ever write about Inter Miami without writing about Lionel Messi, and while he played well and created opportunities, the Orlando City midfield duo of Araújo and Gerbet more than held their own against Messi. Miami dominated possession (64%), but it was Orlando City that created far more chances, creating eight big chances (defined as chances where the analyst could reasonably expect a player to score) to only two for Miami, according to Fotmob’s tracking. Messi’s heatmap shows a player who played most of the game attacking down the right side of the field, but Angulo, Araújo, Gerbet, and Smith, the four midfielders/defenders — Smith came on for Angulo but was essentially a fifth man on the back line — who played in the middle or on the defensive left all contained him and rarely let him get loose, despite his 97 touches. The Argentinean did take nine shots, but only two were on target, and of course, none went in the goal — a testament to the entire defensive unit. Gerbet continues to impress, not just for a rookie but as a player in general, and when Eduard Atuesta returns from injury, he may find himself coming off the bench if Gerbet continues this run of form.


Those are my takeaways from Orlando City’s 11th straight MLS game without a loss, an excellent and deserved road win that vaulted the team over Miami into fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Let us know your thoughts about the Inter Miami match in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/19/25

Lions defeat Inter Miami, Pride fall to Kansas City Current, OCB wins, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. Over the weekend, I was catching up with my former coworkers during Chicago House AC’s home opener against Czarni Jaslo in Midwest Premier League action. Let’s wish Orlando Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman, who turns 26 today, a happy birthday. The Pride lost, but OCB and our Lions picked up wins over the weekend. We have plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Defeats Inter Miami on the Road

Orlando City defeated Inter Miami 3-0 on the road Sunday at Chase Stadium and extended its unbeaten run to 11 league matches. Luis Muriel scored to put the Lions in front just before halftime. In the second half, Marco Pasalic scored and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson added the final goal for the Lions in stoppage time to seal the 3-0 win against their in-state rivals. Orlando moved ahead of Miami in the Eastern Conference standings into fifth with 24 points, while Miami drops to sixth, albeit with a game in hand. Miami has lost five out of its last seven matches. It will be a quick turnaround for Orlando City with a home match on Wednesday as Nashville SC visits Inter&Co Stadium.

Lions Sign Defender Zakaria Taifi to First Team Contract

Orlando City announced Saturday the club has signed Orlando City B defender Zakaria Taifi to a first-team contract as a Homegrown Player. The deal is through the 2026 season with club options for the 2027, 2028, and 2029 seasons. Taifi has made 44 appearances for OCB in MLS NEXT Pro. He has started 23 matches, scored one goal, and added three assists. Taifi was also part of the Orlando City Academy U-17 team that won the MLS NEXT Cup in 2021. Taifi made his first-team debut with Orlando City last month in a scoreless draw against CF Montreal. He also played in the Lions’ 5-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Round of 32 in the U.S. Open Cup.

Pride Fall to Kansas City Current at Home

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to the Kansas City Current Friday at Inter&Co Stadium. Temwa Chawinga scored the lone goal in the second half to seal the win for Kansas City. The Current have won two in a row, while the Pride have lost their second match at home this season. Orlando is on a three-match winless streak. The Current stayed atop the NWSL table with 21 points, while the Pride dropped to third with 16 points. The Pride will be on the road for their next match on Friday at the Utah Royals.

OCB Defeats Inter Miami II at Home

Orlando City B defeated Inter Miami II 3-0 Saturday at Osceola County Stadium. Gustavo Caraballo, Shak Mohammed, and Justin Ellis all got on the scoresheet for the Young Lions. Ellis also added two assists in this match. The win also snapped OCB’s five-match winless streak against Inter Miami II, and now the Young Lions are seventh in the Eastern Conference standings with 14 points. OCB will be on the road to take on Atlanta United 2 Friday.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City defender Alex Freeman has been in stellar form so far this season for Orlando, scoring three goals in 15 matches with one assist across all competitions.
  • The U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer have reached an agreement on a 10-day transfer window beginning June 1. This window will only be for MLS clubs participating in the FIFA Club World Cup.
  • Crystal Palace defeated Manchester City 1-0 Saturday to win the FA Cup and lift its first-ever major trophy in club history. Defender Chris Richards and goalkeeper Matt Turner became the first Americans to win the FA Cup since goalkeeper Tim Howard won it in 2004.
  • Chelsea beat Manchester United 3-0 to win the Women’s FA Cup. USWNT midfielder Catarina Macario scored, and Sandy Baltimore netted two goals and added an assist to seal Chelsea’s domestic treble this season.
  • Jamie Vardy scored his 200th goal for Leicester City in his final appearance for the club, helping his side beat Ipswich Town 2-0 in the final home match of the season.
  • Angel City FC shared an update on social media, announcing defender Savy King was discharged from the hospital Saturday following her collapse on the pitch over a week ago during an NWSL match against the Utah Royals.

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

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