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Orlando City vs. Columbus Crew: Player Grades and Man of the Match

How did your favorite Lions perform in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw against the Columbus Crew?

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9 months ago

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Image of Marco Pasalic scoring against the Columbus Crew.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Orlando City hosted the Columbus Crew and neither side was able to claim all three points in a 1-1 draw between two Eastern Conference teams that have already qualified for the postseason. Andres Herrera struck first for Columbus, but the Lions responded well and Marco Pasalic leveled things shortly after with his 12th goal of the season. Both sides had chances to win it but have to settle for a draw as the regular season nears its end.

Let’s dive into how each Lion individually performed in this home game.

Starters

GK, Pedro Gallese, 7.5 (MotM)β€” El Pulpo was denied a clean sheet due to poor defending once again, but he had a great game. Gallese had five saves, including a vital one on Max Arfsten right in front of goal amid a Columbus barrage of attacks near the end of the match. He also did well to come out and deny Diego Rossi early in the match to prevent a disastrous start. The goal that he did concede would’ve required an impressive reaction for him to stop Herrera’s shot while tracking the cross. As far as his distribution went, three of his eight long balls found their target and he was accurate on 78.3% of his 23 passes. Ultimately, Gallese was cool, calm, and collected in goal and helped the Lions avoid defeat at home.

D, Adrian Marin, 6 β€” With Rodrigo Schlegel suspended due to yellow card accumulation, Marin filled in on the back line and had a game with highs and lows. On the Crew’s goal, he allowed Herrera to cut in front of him and get goalside with ease to connect with Lassi Lappalainen’s cross, tapping it in. Marin redeemed himself soon after though by intercepting the ball and storming forward before laying it off for Luis Muriel in the buildup of Pasalic’s goal. He looked comfortable in those moments when the Lions were on the attack, contributing two key passes and a blocked header off of a corner kick. His only cross was inaccurate, but four of his seven long balls were successful. Marin won all four of his aerial duels and led the Lions with three interceptions, helping out defensively with two clearances and a tackle. His 57 touches were the second most on the Lions and he attempted 43 passes at an 81.4% success rate.

D, Robin Jansson, 6.5 β€” Orlando City’s captain put in a decent performance, stopping Crew attacks by getting in the way of shots and making himself difficult to get past. The Beefy Swede blocked three shots to prevent Columbus from challenging Gallese, and he also racked up four clearances and a tackle. Only one of his four long balls was successful, but he completed 93% of his 43 passes. As the game wore on and Columbus pushed for a win, the visitors had to find ways around Jansson to create chances and he kept pace when defending on breakaways.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5 β€” It wasn’t always pretty when going up against Rossi, but Brekalo was solid enough defensively and took care of the ball. He completed all but three of his 42 passes for an excellent 92.9% rate, but he didn’t attempt any long balls. His five clearances and two blocked shots helped put out fires. All three of his shots in the match came from corner kicks, with one saved by Patrick Schulte and the other two going off target. Like Marin, he was a force in the air and won four of his five aerial duels.

D, Alex Freeman, 6 β€” It was a mixed bag for Freeman, as he led the Lions with six clearances and blocked a shot but faded down the stretch. He had a tough matchup against fellow USMNT defender Max Arfsten, who beat him to a cross and put a shot on target. Gallese bailed him out, but Freeman was sluggish late in the match and the Crew went after him. Freeman didn’t have a shot in this match but did have a nice key pass by lobbing an expertly weighted ball to Martin Ojeda before halftime. His lone cross was inaccurate though, and only one of his three long balls was successful. Freeman’s 59 touches were the most on the team and he attempted 38 passes at an 89.5% success rate. Referee Victor Rivas showed him a yellow card following a foul on Arfsten near midfield, with Freeman’s dissent likely being the reason for the booking.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 6 β€” The highlight of Angulo’s night was his vital defending to poke the ball away from Herrera before he could take a shot late in the first half. It was nice to see that from him after Herrera raced past him to score the opening goal. Although Angulo didn’t have any shots or key passes, things opened for the Lions a bit once he started playing higher up the pitch, as he did well to stretch the defense and press when needed. He only attempted one cross, which missed its mark, but both of his long ball attempts were accurate. Subbed off in the 80th minute, Angulo finished the game with 33 touches and 19 passes at an 89.5% success rate. Defensively, he blocked a shot and also had an interception and a tackle. Angulo needlessly conceded a foul in a dangerous area, but Dylan Chambost’s shot hit the wall.

MF, Joran Gerbet, N/A β€” The rookie’s night came to an unfortunate end early due to an injury. There wasn’t much contact involved in the incident, which usually isn’t a good sign. Gerbet wasn’t stretchered off and left the field with the assistance of the team’s trainers in the fifth minute. Kyle Smith came on to replace him as Orlando’s injury woes in the midfield continued.

MF, Eduard Atuesta, 6.5 β€” It was another solid performance from Atuesta, who fought hard on defense and delivered some nice passes to spark counter attacks for the Lions. He was accurate on six of his eight long ball attempts and completed 93% of his 43 passes in this match. Defensively, Atuesta had a tackle, an interception, and two clearances, but the stats don’t reflect just how much of a pain in the Crew’s side he was in the midfield. There was a chance for him to get an assist on a counter, but Nicolas Rodriguez got closed down quickly after receiving the pass with a heavy touch. Atuesta also sent a lovely ball over the top for Muriel to go score, but that chance was squandered as well. Regardless, Orlando needed Atuesta to have a good game after Gerbet’s injury and he delivered.

MF, Marco Pasalic, 7 β€” After a fairly quiet start to the match, Pasalic made his presence known by scoring Orlando’s only goal of the match. Muriel fired a low, driven shot at Schulte from distance and the goalkeeper couldn’t handle it, with Pasalic darting toward goal to put away the rebound. His only other shot in the match was blocked, but that talented left foot of his still generated some good chances. Pasalic had a key pass, was accurate on his one attempted cross, and was successful on three of his five long balls. He was subbed out for fresher legs in the 80th minute, but momentum shifted in the Crew’s favor once he was off the pitch. Of his 21 passes, 71.4% of them were successful and he contributed defensively with two interceptions. Orlando looked dangerous when Pasalic was on the ball and forcing Crew defenders into tough decisions, it just didn’t happen often enough for him to really bend the game to his will beyond the goal.

F, Luis Muriel, 5.5 β€” He reasonably won’t be credited with an assist on Pasalic’s goal, but his shot created the chance, and it was a nice effort from distance that Schulte couldn’t deal with. Muriel showcased his skill by being able to quickly control the ball and set up the shot before the Crew could do anything about it. Unfortunately, it was his only shot of the night, despite a pair of great opportunities to score in the second half. He lost a duel in the box to Sean Zawadski by trying to outfox the defender and later tried to slip a pass through to Ojeda rather than just smashing the ball towards goal from pretty close range. The Designated Player was subbed out shortly after that chance. He didn’t have any key passes in the match and had just 13 passes at a 61.5% success rate. It wasn’t exactly the performance one would expect from a star forward, but he did make an impact. It was his reluctance to shoot that leaves fans wondering what could have been.

F, Martin Ojeda, 6 β€” It was an off night for Ojeda, who only completed 63.9% of his 36 passes and had three unstable touches. Of his three shots, two were blocked and the one on target was comfortably saved by Schulte on a free kick. Ojeda could have given Orlando the lead on a breakaway, but decided to pass instead of shoot and his pass missed an open Duncan McGuire charging towards goal. All of that being said, an off night for Ojeda is still a pretty productive one. He led the Lions with four key passes and four of his eight crosses were accurate. Of his four long balls, two were successful as well. The Argentine playmaker also had a team-high three tackles to help win the ball back for Orlando. The opportunities for goals and assists were there, Ojeda just needed to be a bit more clinical in this one.

Substitutes

MF, Kyle Smith, (5’), 6 β€” Smith came on much earlier than expected to replace Gerbet due to his injury. He did well enough, completing 94.1% of his 34 touches and chipping in defensively with a tackle and an interception. He didn’t block any shots or kickstart counter attacks with long balls, but Smith was there to help out with the little things and stabilize things at a position ravaged by injuries this year. Smith was subbed out himself in the 80th minute for some fresher legs.

F, Duncan McGuire (64′), 5 β€” The American came on for Muriel and had a couple of chances to score a winner but the final product just wasn’t there. The first was on a breakaway with Ojeda, with McGuire open in the box but just unable to get on the end of the pass. He had a similar opportunity later with Tyrese Spicer, but McGuire’s attempt at chesting down the pass sent it skidding away from him for Arfsten to knock away for a corner. In the end, McGuire finished without any shots or key passes and had just six touches while completing two of his three passes.

MF, Tyrese Spicer, (80′), 6 β€” Spicer was once again electric off the bench, driving Orlando’s attack forward in the latter stages of the match and nearly recording his third assist in as many games after finding McGuire open in the box. He didn’t have any shots himself, but was successful on both of his long ball attempts and had two successful dribbles while completing all three of his passes. For a player who only had five touches in the match, he was impactful.

MF, Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, (80′), N/A β€” Thorhallsson only had one touch in the match, blocking a shot by Herrera in stoppage time. The versatile player mostly served as fresh legs and another body for the Crew to have to work around when attacking. It was the latest in a series of late cameos for Thorhallsson in recent weeks, and he didn’t play long enough to warrant a grade.

MF, Nico Rodriguez, (80′), N/A β€” The MLS U22 Initiative player came on and had two touches in the match. The most notable one was unfortunately a heavy one, as Atuesta got him the ball in the box, but Darlington Nagbe saw it out of play for a corner before he could shoot. Rodriguez also conceded a foul at the end of the game while trying to win back possession, earning a yellow card for angrily booting the ball away after the whistle and giving the Crew a set piece to work with. Thankfully nothing came of it and the whistle blew shortly after. Like Thorhallsson, Rodriguez wasn’t on long enough to evaluate.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in Orlando City’s 1-1 draw at home against the Columbus Crew. Let us know what you thought of the game in the comments below and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match!

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Orlando City

Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC

Let’s rewind to an Independence Day affair that had plenty of offensive fireworks.

Published

3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.

Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.

At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.

That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.

Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.

Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.

The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.

With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.

Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.

Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.

Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.

As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.

That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/3/26

Orlando Pride visit Angel City tonight, NWSL free agents to watch, Portugal and Spain advance, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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July 3, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight

The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.

Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch

Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.

Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup

This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.

The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.

Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player

The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.

Free Kicks

  • CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
  • Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.
  • American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
  • The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/2/26

USMNT shuts out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kat Asman loaned to Denver Summit FC, MLS transfer news, and more.

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4 days ago

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July 2, 2026

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Image of Pride goalkeeper Kat Asman
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!

USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance

The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.

The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.

Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit

The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.

🏴󠁧󠁒󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Sources: San Jose Earthquakes closing in on a deal to sign Scotland int'l GK Angus Gunn.πŸ‡§πŸ‡· Sources: FC Dallas has agreed to a deal to acquire GK Daniel from San Jose.βž• Daniel trade is contingent on Gunn signing being formalized.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-07-01T16:34:02.297Z

European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks

This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.

England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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