Orlando City
The State of Orlando City at the Halfway Point of the MLS Season
An analysis of Orlando City’s offensive and defensive performances through the first half of the 2025 MLS season.
I attended my high school reunion this past weekend (let’s agree not to discuss how many years it has been since I graduated), and late in the evening on Saturday night a karaoke machine appeared. What to my wondering ears did I hear but a great many hits that came from yesteryear. One of those hits, naturally, was karaoke staple “Livin’ on a Prayer” from Bon Jovi, with the famous line of “ohhhhh, we’re halfway there” which every…single…person in attendance sang along with. We probably gave karaoke a bad name.
Orlando City did not have a game during this weekend, but after its last game — one we can also agree not to discuss — the Lions also are halfway there, with halfway there in this case being the halfway point of the MLS regular season. Being that we are at the halfway point, I thought it would be a good time to check in on their performance thus far, so let’s take a look at how the squad is doing in some key metrics.
We shall start on defense, because defense wins championships and because, as Linkin Park sings on one of my son’s favorite songs, when talking about a soccer lineup we usually work up from the bottom. Using Opta’s tracking from fbref.com, here is how Orlando City fared on defense during the first 17 games (MLS Avg. is the average of every team except Orlando City):
| Metric | OCSC | MLS Avg. | MLS Best | OCSC Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals Allowed per 90 | 1.29 | 1.39 | 0.75 | 11 |
| Shots on Target Allowed per 90 | 4.12 | 4.30 | 2.44 | 12 |
| Shots on Target Allowed % | 32% | 35% | 24% | 10 |
| Goals per Shots on Target Allowed | 29% | 32% | 21% | 13 |
| Non-Penalty: G-xG Allowed (full season) | -1.7 | -0.8 | -8.5 | 14 |
| PSxG +/- per 90 | +0.12 | +0.05 | +0.39 | 8 |
The first four rows are pretty self-explanatory, with the team just outside the top third (MLS has 30 teams) in keeping the opponents from putting shots on target and into the net. Prior to the most recent game, the one I do not want to talk about, like Bruno, the team was ranked 10th, giving up 1.19 goals per 90 minutes, but the disastrous first 32 minutes against Chicago knocked OCSC down a spot. In fairness, Chicago has one of the league’s best offenses, but still. Yuck.
The bottom two rows in the table above are the fun advanced stat metrics, with Non-Penalty Goals – Expected Goals being the comparison of actual goals allowed thus far this season to expected goals allowed, and since the Lions’ value is negative, that means that they have given up fewer goals than they were expected to. The defense is performing better than the MLS average, but because several defenses are significantly overperforming against expected goals, the team is only ranked 14th.
Where the Lions are doing much better is in the goalkeeper-focused stat of Post Shot Expected Goals – Goals Allowed, which is the stat that takes into account not just the location of the shot but also how well the shot was struck. In this case, a positive value is good, as it means that the expected goals allowed is greater than the actual goals allowed, and Orlando City’s goalkeepers did well to put the team in the top 10 in this metric.
The last area to look at on the defensive side is the lineups that have been used the most on the back line thus far, and unlike in past seasons, there is a clear first-choice back line playing most of the minutes (1,530 total minutes have been played) through the first half of the season (players listed from left to right just as they play on the field):
| Back Line | Mins | Goals Allowed per 90 | +/- per 90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brekalo – Jansson – Schlegel – Freeman | 816 | 1.10 | +0.77 |
| Santos – Jansson – Schlegel – Freeman | 234 | 1.15 | +0.88 |
| Santos – Jansson – Brekalo – Freeman | 95 | 0.00 | 0 |
| Smith – Jansson – Schlegel – Freeman | 92 | 1.96 | 0 |
| Santos – Smith – Schlegel – Freeman | 90 | 2.00 | +2.00 |
I am interested to see what happens in the second half with regard to the back line, as I am not confident that by crunch time in October that it will still be the four on the top row of that chart who are the first choice back line. That said, this group is averaging only giving up 1.10 goals per 90 minutes and is +8 for the season, and the group that played the most in 2024 gave up 1.37 goals per 90 minutes and finished at only +2. Coming off a two-week break, we will see who gets the starts, and whether Rafael Santos can reclaim the left back position and/or if David Brekalo moves inside to center back. Robin Jansson and Alex Freeman are not going anywhere, but the other two spots may see some changes in the upcoming months.
On the whole, Orlando City’s defense has been solid but not spectacular in MLS play. The Lions have seven shutouts, but they also have seven games of giving up at least two goals and four games of at least three goals allowed. Some of the defensive lapses have been pretty rough, and an overall performance that puts them right on the cusp of the top third but squarely not in the top third feels right to me with how they have played this season.
And now from defense to offense, where there has been much more variation in the lineups and much better performance overall, though as I wrote a few weeks ago, I think the offense should be performing even better than it has. Looking at the same statistics as we did for the defense, plus a few more, we can see that the Orlando City offense is a top 10 offense in the most critical metric of all, goals scored, but not in some of the other metrics, which is a cause for concern:
| Metric | OCSC | MLS Avg. | MLS Best | OCSC Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goals Scored per 90 | 1.82 | 1.37 | 2.25 | 7 |
| Shots on Target per 90 | 4.88 | 4.28 | 6.12 | 8 |
| Shots on Target % | 32% | 35% | 44% | 25 |
| Goals per Shots on Target | 34% | 32% | 48% | 5 |
| Non-Penalty: G-xG (full season) | +1.1 | -0.9 | +8.4 | 12 |
| Big Chance Conversion | 28% | 37% | 55% | 28 |
| Goals Scored by Designated Players | 20 | 8.1 | 20 | 1 |
The Lions are still on pace to set a club record for goals scored in the MLS regular season, and had they scored one additional goal during the first 17 games, they would find themselves in the top three for goals scored per 90 minutes. Orlando City played a volume game in the first half of the season, ranking eighth in shots on target per 90 minutes, allowing the team to offset a lower-than-league-average performance in the percentage of shots that ended up on target. When the Lions put their shots on target, they converted them better than most, but the team struggled all season long with the final product, as evidenced by the poor performances in the percentage of shots that went on target and the conversion of what Opta deemed to be big chances.
Fellow Floridians Inter Miami converted its big chances at nearly double the rate of Orlando City, and if the Lions converted at that same rate, they would have scored 0.88, or basically one, more goal per game. It is an oversimplification to say this, but I will point it out anyway, the Lions lost two games by one goal and tied six games, and an extra goal in any of those games would have earned Orlando City more points, and with just three more points they would be sitting in second place in the conference. During the preseason, I predicted Orlando City would finish third in the Eastern Conference, so yes, I am a bit salty about all of the dropped points.
Coming back to the offensive metrics, Orlando City is outperforming its expected goals err…expectation…but not by so much that the Lions are among the top teams in the league. Where they are at the top is in the goal-scoring by their three Designated Players, and with the recent injury news about Duncan McGuire the DPs will need to continue that goal-scoring form to get results.
In looking at the attacking lineups, no group has even played the equivalent of three full games together through the first 17 games of the season. Injuries and untimely (read: bleeping stupid) red cards contributed to the large amount of different lineups, and by my count, the team has already rolled out 55 different attacking groups thus far this season. The five groups that played the most constitute only 56% of the total minutes, and no group seems to have established itself as the favorite to emerge as Óscar Pareja’s go-to group.
| Attacking Group | Mins | Goals Scored per 90 | +/- per 90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muriel Angulo – Ojeda – Pašalić Araújo – Atuesta | 230 | 1.96 | +0.39 |
| Muriel Angulo – Ojeda – Pašalić Araújo – Gerbet | 206 | 3.50 | +2.18 |
| Muriel Angulo – Ojeda – Pašalić Gerbet – Thorhallsson | 174 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Enrique Angulo – Ojeda – Pašalić Araújo – Atuesta | 130 | 2.77 | +0.69 |
| Muriel Angulo – Ojeda – Pašalić Atuesta – Gerbet | 113 | 2.39 | -1.59 |
The group in the top row may have the inside track, but it was in the second half of the season in 2024 when Ramiro Enrique seized the starting role and Luis Muriel started to excel in a supersub role, so the door is open for any of these, or other, attacking groups to establish themselves as that go-to starting group. The MLS Secondary Transfer Window opens on July 24, and that could be a time to bring in another player to compete for offensive minutes as well.
On the whole, Orlando City’s offense has been really good, bordering on great. No team is immune to bad games, but with 31 goals in 17 games, the team has been far more of a real lion than a paper lion on the offensive side of the ball. Long-time fans of Orlando City will remember several (2017, 2018, 2019, 2022) seasons when the team scored fewer than 45 goals during the full 34-game season, so to see nearly two goals per game this season has been a great sight.
Orlando City has a near-top 10 defense and an offense that is among the best in the league, and if the Lions had just kept their heads instead of receiving not one, not two, but three ridiculous red cards, they likely would be in a league table position that is more fitting for how well they played for most of those first-half games.
Soccer is always a game of inches and milliseconds, and the Lions can point to a whole series of almosts and what-ifs that would have/could have/should have led to different results. They did not happen though, which is why the team sits at only 1.59 points earned per match, 11th best in MLS and placing them in seventh in the Eastern Conference.
Historically, Orlando City plays better in the second half of the season than the first, and if this team can repeat that pattern and execute just a little bit better, it will once again be primed to make a deep run in the playoffs. During the past three seasons, the OCSC season ended in the first round (2022), conference semifinal (2023), and conference final (2024), and I think this team has the ability to continue that run of advancement and make it to MLS Cup.
And speaking of run, the highlight of that karaoke I mentioned earlier was not New Jersey natives Bon Jovi, but rather a classmate of mine absolutely crushing a performance of a song by a different New Jersey icon, the Boss, Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run.”
Let’s hope that at the end of the season we are all singing along together as well, specifically to another classic rock anthem — Queen’s “We Are the Champions.”
Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
The Lions look to cool down the red-hot Fire at home.
Welcome to your match thread and preview for a Wednesday night matchup between Orlando City (6-10-3, 21 points) and the Chicago Fire (10-6-2, 32 points) at Inter.co Stadium (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). This is the first of two meetings this season between the two Eastern Conference clubs, with the Lions making the return trip to Chicago on Oct. 28. You are forgiven if you forgot this is a rematch of a 2025 playoff game, because Orlando City wasn’t in the postseason very long..
Here’s what you need to know about the match.
History
The Lions are 8-6-8 in 22 MLS regular-season meetings with the Fire and 8-8-8 in all competitions. Orlando City is 3-3-5 against the Fire on the road in the regular season and 3-5-5 away vs. Chicago in all competitions.
The teams last met in the wild card matchup to start the 2025 Eastern Conference playoffs. The Fire ended Orlando’s season with a 3-1 win, blowing open a game that was scoreless at the break. Brian Gutierrez struck early in the second half and Hugo Cuypers added a brace. Tyrese Spicer spoiled the playoff shutout.
The most recent regular-season meeting took place in Orlando on May 31, 2025, with Chicago winning 3-1 at Inter&Co Stadium. Orlando did not cover itself in glory, with Pedro Gallese allowing Philip Zinckernagel’s shot to slip right between his hands and in for the first goal. Cuypers scored a brace just a minute apart with Rodrigo Schlegel a mere passenger for both goals as Chicago built a 3-0 lead in the first half. Alex Freeman scored a consolation goal for the Lions. Assistant Coach Diego Torres skippered the Lions that night in place of the suspended Oscar Pareja.
The first meeting of last season took place May 3. Despite Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady getting sent off before halftime for fouling Duncan McGuire and denying him a goal-scoring opportunity, the teams played to a 0-0 draw, as Orlando City simply couldn’t find any precision in front of goal.
These two teams met in Orlando on June 22, 2024, with the Lions capturing a 4-2 home victory. Facundo Torres scored a brace, with Luis Muriel (from the penalty spot) and Ivan Angulo adding goals to offset a penalty by Maren Haile-Selassie (after a Schlegel handball in the box) and a goal by Cuypers.
The two sides clashed at Soldier Field on May 29, playing to a 1-1 draw. Torres opened the scoring early, and the Lions should have had a penalty late in the first half when Angulo was clipped while in alone on a goal after rounding the goalkeeper, but the video assistant referee did not overturn the no-call on the field, and referee Malik Badawi did not look at the play himself. The Fire tied the match in the final 20 minutes on a Cuypers goal.
The Lions swept the two-game season series in 2023 by identical 3-1 scorelines. On Aug. 21, Orlando City got goals from Wilder Cartagena, Angulo, and Torres (from the penalty spot) to overcome a 1-0 deficit supplied by Mauricio Pineda, winning 3-1 on the road.
When the teams met in Orlando, the Lions rode a Torres brace to a 3-1 win on July 1. Xherdan Shaqiri pulled a goal back from the penalty spot after a Kyle Smith foul in the box against Gutierrez, but Ramiro Enrique added an insurance goal.
Orlando City claimed a 1-0 victory at Exploria Stadium on April 9, 2022 on Ercan Kara’s first MLS goal. The two sides met at Soldier Field just over a month prior to that match and played, officially, to a 0-0 draw on March 5. The game is another Orlando City match that will live in infamy due to the Professional Referee Organization’s statement after the game that Junior Urso’s goal should not have been overturned upon video review by Ismir Pekmic due to Kara not having clearly and obviously handled the ball in the buildup in any of the available replay angles. Alas…
The teams met in Orlando on Aug. 21, 2021, with a second-half Benji Michel strike lifting the Lions to a 1-0 victory. Tesho Akindele set up the play by forcing a turnover. In that year’s meeting at Soldier Field, the Fire got the better of the Lions to the tune of 3-1 on July 7. Andres Perea scored his first career MLS goal to open the scoring, but a defensive lapse in first-half stoppage allowed Boris Sekulic to equalize just before the break. Chicago rode that momentum, adding goals by Robert Beric and Chinonso Offor.
The Lions were 0-4-4 in the eight meetings before smashing the Fire 4-1 in Orlando on Sept. 19, 2020. Orlando City withstood two Chicago penalties and saw two Fire goals overturned by video review in that rain-soaked match. (Weird things usually happen when Chicago visits Orlando.) The Lions got goals from Chris Mueller, Nani, Urso, and Michel, while Chicago had only a Beric penalty to show for an otherwise good offensive performance.
The last meeting of 2019 was the last time the Fire won on the road in the series. It was a debacle for the Lions, who lost defender Robin Jansson to a back/neck injury early and shipped a handful of goals in a 5-2 home loss in the regular-season finale. Orlando got goals from Akindele and Michel but largely played like a team that couldn’t wait to end its season. Chicago got an own goal from Orlando’s Smith and strikes from CJ Sapong, Aleksandar Katai, and Przemyslaw Frankowski (twice) in the rout.
Orlando City was seconds away from a road win on March 9, 2019 before Sapong’s free header in the 95th minute leveled things in a 1-1 draw in Chicago. Dom Dwyer scored Orlando’s goal.
In 2018, the Fire swept the season series. Orlando fell 2-1 at home on May 26, 2018, with Alan Gordon’s wondergoal breaking a 1-1 deadlock. The return leg in Chicago that September was an abysmal performance by Orlando in a 4-0 Fire victory.
Chicago went 1-0-1 in 2017, with the teams playing to a 0-0 draw on June 4, 2017, with the Lions reduced to nine men. The previous 2017 meeting was the Fire’s 4-0 beatdown of Orlando on June 24 of that year. David Accam figured in all four goals, with a hat trick and an assist on Nemanja Nikolić’s goal.
The teams split the points in 2016, drawing both meetings, 1-1 in Orlando and 2-2 in Chicago.
The teams met once in Orlando in 2015, with the Lions and Fire battling to a 1-1 draw. You may recall that five-hour, weather-delayed affair with Eric Gehrig’s own-goal canceling out an Accam strike. The other three meetings came in Chicago, with City winning 3-2 and 1-0 in MLS matches and falling 3-1 in U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal action.
Overview
The Lions are coming off a 1-1 home draw against FC Cincinnati on Saturday. Pavel Bucha opened the scoring in the first half and Spicer tied the match shortly after halftime. While Orlando has drawn two straight and is winless (0-1-2) in all competitions, the Lions also have earned points in three of the four MLS matches since the league restarted after the World Cup break. Orlando City looks better overall, but the defensive lapses continue to be a problem — the kind of problem a good team like the Fire can exploit. The Lions are 4-3-2 at home during the regular season, and Spicer is riding a three-match goal-scoring streak in MLS play.
The good news is that Cuypers has left Chicago and is now in Liga MX. The bad news is that the Fire replaced him with Robert Lewandowski.
Chicago enters tonight fresh off a 2-1 win at home over the Portland Timbers on Sunday, so Orlando has one extra day of rest on tonight’s visitors. The Fire have won five straight games in all competitions, including a three-game sweep of Liga MX competition in Leagues Cup. Chicago is an even 3-3-2 on the road this season after losing its last two away matches to New York City FC and Miami.
Beating Chicago means trying to contain a dynamic offense led by Lewandowski, Zinckernagel, Jonathan Bamba, and others, including fullback Andrew Gutman, who has played particularly well of late. And yet, only Nashville has conceded fewer goals than Chicago in the Eastern Conference this season, so it’s a complete team and can be difficult at either end or both in any given game.
“It is going to be a really good game,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said ahead of the match. “I think it’s something that this league and some teams like us or Chicago bringing this level of players (like Antoine Griezmann and Lewandowski, respectively) are doing, and it’s great. For us, it’s about, as we always say, we respect every opponent, we’re at home, and we will prepare the game and we will try to win it.”
The Lions will be without Martin Ojeda (thigh), Braian Ojeda (foot), Bernardo Rhein (thigh), while Eduard Atuesta (thigh) and Nolan Miller (knee) are questionable. Chicago will be without André Franco (lower body), Mbekezeli Mbokazi (lower body), Chris Mueller (non-injury related), and Sergio Oregel Jr. (lower body), while Zinckernagel (lower body) is questionable.
Match Content
- The most recent epsiode of the PawedCast includes our key matchups and score predictions for tonight’s match.
Projected Lineups
Orlando City (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: Maxime Crepeau.
Defenders: Adrian Marin, Robin Jansson, David Brekalo, Griffin Dorsey.
Midfielders: Ivan Angulo, Luis Otavio, Joran Gerbet, Tyrese Spicer.
Forwards: Justin Ellis, Antoine Griezmann.
Chicago Fire (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper: Chris Brady.
Defenders: Andrew Gutman, Jack Elliott, Sam Rogers, Leonardo Barroso.
Midfielders: Robin Lod, Dje D’Avilla, Anton Saletros.
Forwards: Maren Haile-Selassie, Robert Lewandowski, Philip Zinckernagel.
Referees
REF: Rosendo Mendoza.
AR1: Ryan Graves.
AR2: Diego Blas.
4TH: Ben Meyer.
VAR: Ismail Elfath.
AVAR: Tom Felice.
How to Watch
Match Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Inter.co Stadium — Orlando.
TV/Streaming: Apple TV.
Radio: AM 810 FOX Sports Radio Orlando (English), Mega 97.1 FM (Spanish), Nossa Rádio 1160 AM-WRLZ (Portuguese).
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 game. Go City!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 8/19/26
Orlando City match day, Colin Guske reportedly being loaned to RSL, Banda is an MVP candidate, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City plays in a midweek match that thankfully isn’t a Leagues Cup match. There are those who will say they’re sad the Lions are out of Don Garber’s cash grab competition, but I’m not one of them. The U.S. Open Cup and the MLS regular season provide plenty of fixtures for now. The schedule congestion is real, as we can see this week. Let’s get to the links.
Orlando City Match Day
Orlando City hosts Robert Lewandowski and the Chicago Fire tonight in an Eastern Conference clash. Defending against Lewandowski and Philip Zinckernagel will be a tough task for the Lions’ defense. Orlando City will need its offense to keep pace with the Fire if the Lions are going to take any points from the match. It will be interesting to see both Antoine Griezmann and Lewandowski on the pitch at the same time. Here is your official match guide from the club. Our match preview will drop later this morning at 11 a.m. You can also listen to our thoughts on the match on The Mane Land PawedCast.
Go West, Young Guske
It appears that Orlando City is loaning midfielder/defender Colin Guske to Real Salt Lake, according to Tom Bogert. This is not entirely surprising given how crowded Orlando City’s defensive midfield is with Joran Gerbet and Wilder Cartagena healthy and Luis Otavio rounding into form, not to mention Eduard Atuesta and Braian Ojeda once they return. It’s a good opportunity for Guske to get some minutes, given he’s a bit down on the depth chart with the senior team — far enough down to see more minutes recently at center back with the first team than in the midfield.
MVP Candidate Banda
Despite being away for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and not scoring in her first game back, Barbra Banda maintains her slim lead in the Golden Boot competition and is still a League MVP candidate. If she hopes to win either of those accolades, she will need to resume scoring. The upcoming match against the Washington Spirit this Sunday is the perfect opportunity to extend that lead.
U.S. National Team News
USMNT defender Mark McKenzie is reportedly returning to the Philadelphia Union and will occupy a Designated Player spot. Real Salt Lake’s 19-year-old forward Zavier Gozo has been signed by Premier League club Crystal Palace. Of course, there are other USMNT players already playing in Europe, and some are making a quick return to form following the World Cup. USWNT players are also experiencing ups and downs in the NWSL.
Free Kicks
- Former Lion Nicholas Gioacchini is headed to CE Sabadell FC of the Segunda División in Spain.
- EA Sports has released the player ratings for EA Sports FC 27. Unsurprisingly, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé topped the rankings for the video game.
- The best thing I can say about this NWSL Matchday 17 recap is that the Orlando Pride are barely mentioned.
- Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters called out Gianni Infantino for all but destroying FIFA with his ridiculous plans. He’s not wrong.
That will do it for today. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for match updates and we will also have a recap of the match. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 8/18/26
Americans in midweek action, WAFCON takeaways, senior FIFA official fired, and more.
Good morning, everyone. It wasn’t a great weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, as the three outfits combined to take just one point from the nine on offer. Fortunately, Orlando City gets an immediate opportunity to bounce back against the Chicago Fire Wednesday night, before all three teams are back in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to talk about today, so let’s have a look at the links.
Americans in Midweek Action
There are a number of Americans playing games during the working week, so get some of the highlights marked down on your calendar. Things get started later today when Tanner Tessmann and Lyon face Fenerbahce in UEFA Champions League qualifying. Wednesday features Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid kicking off their La Liga season against Malaga, before Folarin Balogun and Monaco face Gornik Zabrze in UEFA Conference League qualification play. The week then wraps up on Friday when Haji Wright and Coventry City open the Premier League season against Arsenal.
Takeaways from WAFCON
WAFCON 2026 is officially in the books, so what did we learn from this year’s tournament? For one thing, expanding from 12 teams to 16 was largely successful, as Cameroon won the trophy after getting into the tournament on the strength of its world ranking after being eliminated during qualifying. We also saw a competitive tournament that had some upsets, with first-time participants Malawi making a run all the way to the final, and Zambia failing to get out of the group stage despite racking up six points. That said, attendance was non-existent for matches not involving host Morocco, and the video review process wasn’t exactly speedy for the most part. Still, it was mostly a great tournament and a great showcase for African women’s soccer.
Kevin Lamour Leaves Position as FIFA Executive
Kevin Lamour has been fired from his position as FIFA’s chief operating officer just several weeks after strongly condemning Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. Lamour said that FIFA’s leadership had been “deceived” when it came to the plan and that losing his job over his opposition to it would be worth it since he would at least be able to sleep well at night. Before his two years at FIFA, Lamour had previously worked alongside Infantino when the two men were at UEFA. FIFA confirmed his departure with a brief statement on Monday afternoon.
Transfer Rumor Roundup
Most summer transfer windows will be closing soon, but we’ve still got plenty of rumors to discuss. We begin with a piece close to home, as Breel Embolo has reportedly rejected the personal terms offered to him by Atlanta United and is said to be negotiating with Ipswich Town. Speaking of the Premier League, Manchester City is reportedly still in pursuit of a deal for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez despite missing the Blues’ stated deadline of Aug. 14 to get a deal done. Moving to Spain, Real Madrid is reportedly interested in signing Martin Zubimendi from Arsenal and has already had contact with his representatives. Finally, Inter Milan is said to be interested in signing Liverpool’s Curtis Jones.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City dropped one spot to no. 24 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
- The Orlando Pride rose two spots to no. 13 in the same outlet’s NWSL power rankings.
- Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter are reportedly interested in selling their stakes in the team to Clearlake Capital.
That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!
Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
SkoPurp Soccer Episode 134: Portland Rewind, Spirit Preview, and More
Lion Links: 8/19/26
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