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Orlando City vs. Chicago Fire: Final Score 3-1 as Lions Go Gently to that Goodnight

The performance on Decision Day against Toronto wasn’t rock bottom. Orlando was second best from the jump in Chicago and is out of the playoffs.

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9 months ago

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Image of Eduard Atuesta shielding the ball against the Chicago Fire.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Orlando City never appeared to be in the match in a thorough 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference wild card match at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL. The Lions somehow managed to keep the game scoreless for a half, but Brian Gutierrez scored early in the second half and Hugo Cuypers added another less than 10 minutes later by blocking a Pedro Gallese clearance attempt into the net β€” the second time in three games that’s happened to Orlando β€” after Cesar Araujo made a poor choice to pass back from close to his goalkeeper.

Cuypers put the game away with a second goal as Orlando completely capitulated. Tyrese Spicer spoiled the shutout with a late goal for the Lions, who crash out of the postseason and finish without a win in any of their final five matches of the season.

“Frustrating and disappointed just to end up losing in this first game of the playoffs,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said after the match. “And we have pain, knowing that we could have done much better, but probably the second half was an image of what happened in the last few games. Chicago in the second half was much better and created those three goals.”

Pareja had his usual starting lineup available to start the game. Gallese started in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Araujo returned to the starting central midfield with Eduard Atuesta between wingers Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Duncan McGuire up top.

The entire first half belonged to Chicago. Orlando City’s attacking players struggled to combine every time they crossed the halfway line. As a result, the Lions got generously credited with one shot attempt in the first half on a Schlegel header from the top of the area on a 40-yard set piece from Atuesta late in the half that went out of play about halfway between the left post and the corner flag. Only one team looked likely to score, and it was the one Orlando kept giving the ball to.

That came to fruition in the second half, which consisted of seemingly endless giveaways and Chicago counterattacks, with cracks in the defense turning into gaping holes. Orlando was at least able to muster a few shot attempts in the second half, including Spicer’s goal, but the damage was already done by that point.

Each team won an early set piece but neither did anything with it in the opening 10 minutes of the match as the teams felt each other out. The first shot attempt didn’t come until the 15th minute, when a ball was knocked away from a Chicago attacker in the box and fell to Gutierrez, who shot first time but sent it well over the bar.

Brekalo blocked a Jonathan Dean cross out of play for a corner moments later but needed treatment and had to get checked for concussion. The Lions had to defend the set piece with 10 men as a result and Jack Elliott had a free header, sending it just inches wide of the right post. Gutierrez tried from long range again in the 23rd minute but hit the shot well wide to the right.

McGuire got into the box in the 29th minute with a nifty play to chip the ball over the center back to himself, however, the touch was heavy enough that Dean recovered and cleared it before McGuire could reach it and shoot. That was as close as the Lions came to a true scoring chance in the opening half.

The Lions should have gotten a scoring chance in the 35th minute when Ojeda picked off a wayward Chicago pass. The Designated Player had space to shoot at the top of the area, but he tried to thread a ball through traffic and turned it over instead. That was the Lions’ final chance to make Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady do anything in the opening half.

Cuypers started to make a nuisance of himself a minute later, darting behind the defense to get in on goal. Gallese came out and made himself big, blocking the attempt out for a corner.

Gallese parried the entry ball on the corner kick but didn’t make good contact. He was, however, able to scoop it up after it deflected off a body off to the side of the net.

In the 39th minute, Cuypers again split the center backs, getting to a ball over the top behind the back line. Jansson was able to catch up and bother the Chicago striker enough so that his attempt was off target.

The Lions survived quick transition moments after giveaways by Atuesta and Angulo in the defensive third as the half wound down. Orlando finally won a free kick from long range late. Atuesta served it to the top of the box and it came off a head in the middle. That head was judged to be Schlegel’s, although it was difficult to tell. The ball went nowhere near goal.

Orlando City was fortunate to make it to halftime without conceding, given almost all of the first 45 minutes were played in the Lions’ end of the field. Chicago finished the half with more possession (53.5%-46.5%), shots (9-0), shots on goal (1-0), and corners (2-1). The Lions passed slightly more accurately (83.8%-83.1%) but struggled to connect on anything once they reached the halfway line.

Chicago wasted no time breaking the scoreless deadlock after the half as absolutely nothing changed on the field for Orlando City. The Fire came straight down the field to start the half and Gutierrez saw his shot blocked in the 46th minute. Two minutes later, Gutierrez put Chicago on top. Angulo was unable to deny a cross in from the right and Jansson, who appeared to be perfectly positioned to deal with it, slipped and fell. The ball got through as a result and the midfielder stuck it inside the post to make it 1-0.

“it was super soft,” Jansson said of the SeatGeek Stadium turf. “I was unlucky. I slipped. I had studs, but, yeah, couldn’t even help with studs. So, I don’t know what I should put on my cleats. I feel like those are the type of goals that we have conceded, which is too easy, and we have to work so hard to even create and score goals. Just frustrating.”

The Fire broke in the 51st minute and Gutierrez hit the post. The bigger problem for Orlando at the time was that Jansson slipped and came up injured on the play. For the rest of the match, the captain was unable to run at full speed, could hardly jump, and even visibly winced after sending a long ball up the field with his left leg. Despite being obviously injured, he stayed on the pitch and was a liability in transition β€” a problem, given the Lions were trailing the game.

Three minutes later, Gallese made a stop on a try from Jonathan Bamba to keep it a one-goal game.

Angulo got credit for a shot from a tight angle on the left in the 55th minute, but it appeared to be a cross that was simply too close to Brady.

A disastrous sequence doubled Chicago’s lead in the 57th minute. Araujo did well to get in between Chicago players on an attack and had control of the ball. Facing goal and only a few yards from his goalkeeper, Araujo passed slowly back to Gallese rather than simply clearing the danger out for a throw or sending it behind for a corner. Cuypers continued his run and although Gallese tried to fire it out wide to his left, Cuypers got a foot in front and deflected it into the net to make it 2-0.

Orlando finally got a legitimate look at goal in the 60th minute. A ball deflected out to Pasalic at the top of the area and the Croatian took his shot on the volley. He got decent contact, but didn’t hit it as true as he would have liked. His effort was on target but bounced perfectly up for Brady to knock wide. Two minutes later, McGuire got his head to a floating cross but couldn’t get much power on it and Brady got over to catch it.

Cuypers tried to make it 3-0 in the 64th minute, trying to hit a shot with his first touch from the left side, but he missed the target badly. Bamba got in behind down the left, running onto a perfect curling long ball as Schlegel got caught up the pitch, which was a problem throughout the second half. Jansson struggled to keep up after aggravating his knee injury but did well to at least force Bamba to stay left of goal. Gallese made a huge save to deny Bamba, but Gutierrez picked up the rebound on the other side, sending his shot off the post in the 66th minute.

“We were asking (Jansson) about his pain in the knee. Many times he expressed that he could persist and play normally,” Pareja said. “But I think two of those three goals in the second half, it was the result of somebody’s sliding or something.

Two minutes later, Orlando’s deficit grew. Chicago broke in transition yet again, and Brekalo was playing much more narrowly than usual, possibly because Orlando was trying to go to a three-man back line or because he was trying to compensate for Jansson’s lack of mobility. Either way, it left room for Philip Zinckernagel to send him down the right. The Designated Player fired home to make it 3-0. If the match hadn’t already been put to bed, the third goal hammered the final nail into the coffin.

Luis Muriel came on for Pasalic after the goal and Orlando immediately turned the ball over on the restart and Schlegel conceded a free kick on the counterattack. The free kick turned into a corner that Orlando dealt with. However, Bamba got a good opportunity moments later, only to be denied by Gallese.

Down three goals, Orlando continued to turn the ball over and concede set pieces, but the Lions were at least able to handle those. Gallese made a good save on Zinckernagel in the 77th minute and Brekalo blocked a Gutierrez shot two minutes later with an empty net behind him as the Lions kept handing Chicago transition opportunities.

Ojeda hit the outside of the post in the 81st minute looking to get Orlando on the board, although by that time it was probably too late.

Brekalo blocked another Zinckernagel effort in the 83rd minute to keep the score from getting worse. Rominigue Kouamé then missed the net moments later.

Spicer spoiled the shutout in the 89th minute. The second-half sub got down the left side alone on Brady on a great through ball from fellow substitute Adrian Marin and blasted a cannon shot over the goalkeeper’s right shoulder and in to make it 3-1. It was Marin’s first assist for Orlando City.

After one more save from Gallese on KouamΓ©, the match β€” and Orlando City’s season β€” was over.

Chicago finished with the advantage in possession (52.4%-47.6%), shots (25-7), and shots on target (9-4). Each team won three corners and Orlando City passed slightly more accurately (85.2%-84.2%), but most of the passes from both teams took place in Orlando’s half of the field.

“The first thing that comes to mind is it’s not good enough. It’s a sad moment,” Jansson said. “I felt that we came out with at least the energy in the beginning, the first half of the first half. I think we had the energy there. We tried, but we didn’t really manage to get the ball up there to create something, and then we started to lose a little bit of that energy I felt like halfway through the first half. And then, yeah, the second half was not good enough.”

“I thought we could have been better,” Pareja said. “I still want to show our gratitude to our fans and the people who have supported us during all this period, and today we just feel pain not to advance in the next stage.”

That’s the 2025 Orlando City season. It started with a lot of promise but seemed to be completely derailed by a run in Leagues Cup that was much deeper than the roster turned out to be. The Lions were never the same team after the midseason competition.

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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.

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2 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: 7/3/26

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

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2 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.

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  • 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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3 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.

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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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