Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been keeping myself busy at work and looking forward to covering some high school soccer and lacrosse this week. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando Pride forward Seven Castain, who turned 22 Sunday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Blow Late Lead in Defeat to D.C. United

Orlando City fell 3-2 to D.C. United Saturday at Audi Field. Jackson Hopkins scored the opener for D.C. United early in the first half. In the second half, Justin Ellis equalized for the Lions, and Tyrese Spicer added another goal to give Orlando a 2-1 lead. However, the Lions couldn’t hang on to the lead as D.C. United scored two late goals in six minutes to pull out a win at the death. It will be another busy week for the Lions with a road trip to New England to face the Revolution in a round-of-16 U.S. Open Cup match Wednesday, followed by another road match Saturday against Inter Miami at Nu Stadium.

Pride Fall to Racing Louisville on the Road

The Orlando Pride fell 3-2 to Racing Louisville FC Friday at Lynn Family Stadium, continuing their winless streak in Kentucky. Louisville struck first with a goal from Lauren Milliet to take a 1-0 lead, but Barbra Banda buried the equalizer for the Pride to level the match before halftime. However, Louisville scored two early second-half goals to take a 3-1 lead before Banda pulled one back to make it 3-2 late in stoppage time, but Louisville held on to pick up its first win of the season. With that result, the Orlando Pride’s four-match unbeaten streak came to an end. The Pride will look to bounce back Saturday, taking on the Washington Spirit at Inter&Co Stadium.

OCB Wins Penalty Shootout After 2-2 Draw vs. Chicago Fire II

Orlando City B came from behind to draw 2-2 against Chicago Fire II at SeatGeek Stadium Sunday. The Young Lions trailed 2-0 at halftime, but in the second half, OCB got a break as Chicago goalkeeper Owen Pratt scored an own goal to pull the Young Lions within one. Late in stoppage time, Nicolas Lasheras scored the equalizer for OCB. The Young Lions won the penalty shootout 4-2 to earn a second point. OCB’s next match will be at home against Crown Legacy Sunday.

FA Cup Semifinals Recap

The FA Cup final is set after the semifinals concluded over the weekend at Wembley Stadium. On Saturday, after a scoreless first half, all the goals came in the second half as Finn Azaz scored the opener to give Southampton the lead, but Manchester City was able to overturn the deficit on goals from Jeremy Doku and Nico Gonzalez to seal a 2-1 win against Southampton to advance to the FA Cup final for the fourth consecutive time. On Sunday, Enzo Fernandez’s lone goal in the first half was enough to pull Chelsea to a 1-0 win against Leeds United to book a spot in the final to face Manchester City. The FA Cup final will take place on May 16 at Wembley Stadium.

Free Kicks

• Harry Kane praised Bayern Munich’s mentality as his side overcame a three-goal deficit at halftime, defeating Mainz 4-3 Saturday to complete a historic league comeback for the first time since 1980.
• Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli has secured back-to-back AFC Champions League Elite titles, defeating J. League side FC Machida Zelvia 1-0 in extra time Saturday.
• Joe Scally became the youngest non-German player to reach 150 career Bundesliga appearances Saturday, playing 90 minutes for Borussia Monchengladbach in a scoreless draw against VfL Wolfsburg.
• Christian Pulisic’s goal drought continues at 16 league matches for AC Milan in a scoreless draw against Juventus Sunday, tying the worst goalless streak of his career.
• Sophia Wilson scored her first goal since November 2024 after taking the 2025 NWSL season off as part of her maternity leave. Wilson buried a winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time to lift the Portland Thorns to a 2-1 win against Angel City Sunday.

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

Happy Friday! I’m still energized from Orlando City’s victory on Wednesday and am hoping the winning trend continues tonight and through the weekend as we get ready for three straight days of Orlando soccer. Let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Martin Ojeda, Luis Otavio Honored on MLS Team of the Matchday

Orlando City forward Martin Ojeda claimed a spot on the latest MLS Team of the Matchday after scoring twice in the second half to lift the Lions to a 4-1 win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday. It was a welcome return to form for Ojeda, who amassed 31 goal contributions last season but was off to a slow start this year. Midfielder Luis Otavio scored his first goal as a Lion in the match and was named to the bench of the MLS Team of the Matchday as well. The 19-year-old’s goal was struck with the outside of his foot and was one of the wilder moments from an exciting night of MLS soccer that included 43 goals across 11 games.

Orlando Pride Play Racing Louisville Today

With the international break over, the Orlando Pride are back in action today at 5:30 p.m. for a road game against Racing Louisville. The Pride last played on April 3, with Haley McCutcheon scoring a pair of late goals in a 2-1 victory at home to hand Angel City FC its first loss of the season. Although Louisville is still searching for its first win of the season, the Pride have never won on the road against Racing. Hopefully the Pride can make some history tonight and take all three points to start this next stretch of games off strongly.

USWNT Will Play in Brazil This June

The United States Women’s National Team will play Brazil in a pair of road friendlies in June. The first will take place in Sao Paulo on June 6 before the two nations meet again on June 9 in Fortaleza. These will be the USWNT’s first matches in Brazil since 2014 and should help the team prepare for the World Cup there next summer. The U-23 team will also be with the senior team in Brazil during this time to play against clubs from Sao Paulo.

European League Races Hit the Final Stretch

Leagues across Europe are entering the home stretch of their seasons and there’s still plenty up for grabs. The title race in England is neck and neck between Manchester City and Arsenal, but the relegation fight is just as enticing as Tottenham remains in the drop zone with five games to go. Another intriguing relegation battle is in Spain, as Sevilla’s 2-0 loss to Levante has the club right in the thick of things near the bottom of the La Liga table.

Things are fairly settled in Germany and Italy beyond squabbling for Champions League qualification, but the Ligue 1 title race may center around a May 13 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lens if PSG stumbles over the next few weeks. Last, but definitely not least, the Scottish Premiership title fight is as tight as can be. Hearts slightly leads over Rangers and Celtic, but there are juicy matchups between the three over the next month.

Free Kicks

• The Pride have climbed four spots to second in All For XI‘s latest NWSL power rankings.
• Midfielder Dylan Chambost signed a contract extension with the Columbus Crew that will keep him at the club through June of 2029.
• D.C. United forward Tai Baribo was named MLS Player of the Matchday after scoring a hat trick in a 4-4 draw with the New York Red Bulls. The Lions will need to keep him from replicating that performance when they face him and D.C. United on Saturday.
• Inter Miami midfielder Yannick Bright was suspended for an additional game for violating the league’s non-discrimination and will not be available for Miami’s game against the New England Revolution on Saturday.
• Forward Lamine Yamal will miss the remainder of Barcelona’s season due to a hamstring injury but is expected to be available for Spain for the World Cup.
• Saudi Arabia officially hired Georgios Donis as its head coach ahead of the World Cup after firing Herve Renard.
• Tiago Tomas scored a backheel goal deep into extra time to lift Stuttgart to a 2-1 win over Freiburg in the German Cup semifinals. Stuttgart is now set to take on Bayern Munich in the final on May 23.

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

We might have to start petitioning for all of Orlando City’s games to be moved to Wednesdays as the Lions have won a midweek game for the second consecutive week. This one was a much more exciting affair to boot, and it does feel a bit like a shot in the arm this morning. Let’s go ahead and get to the win and more in today’s links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City Crushes Charlotte FC

The Lions hosted Charlotte FC and claimed all three points in a 4-1 victory, snapping a four-game winless streak in league play. Luis Otavio scored his first goal as a Lion to give Orlando the lead, but Charlotte managed to equalize later in the first half. The second half belonged to Orlando though, as Martin Ojeda took over and Robin Jansson anchored the defense to prevent a comeback. It’s only the third time this year that the Lions have scored multiple goals in a match and hopefully they can keep that attacking momentum going when they travel to play D.C. United on Saturday.

Javier Otero Earns Praise After U.S. Open Cup Win

Orlando City goalkeeper Javier Otero came up with big saves to help the Lions win 1-0 against FC Naples in the U.S. Open Cup’s round of 32 earlier this month and his performance earned him a spot on the bench of the Team of the Round. He was also nominated for Save of the Round for his diving save to parry away a low strike, and voting will remain open until 8:30 p.m. tonight, so be sure to vote! Tyrese Spicer’s impressive strike wasn’t nominated for Goal of the Round, but you can vote on that award as well.

Young Lions Sign Short-Term Contracts

Orlando City B players Ignacio Gomez and Bernardo Rhein were signed to short-term contracts with the first team and both came off the bench for the Lions Wednesday night. Gomez, who made his MLS debut on Saturday, capitalized on his time on the field by scoring his first goal as a Lion. The pair of Young Lions will be available for Saturday’s game against D.C. United too, as the Lions are dealing with a rash of injuries that have tested their depth. Gomez is with Orlando on loan from Velez Sarsfield II, while Rhein has made 24 appearances with OCB as he continues to develop his game.

USWNT Will Face El Salvador in Concacaf W Championship

The schedule and matchups for this year’s Concacaf W Championship were revealed and the United States Women’s National Team will take on El Salvador in the quarterfinals on Nov. 27. This tournament will also notably serve as qualifying for both the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics. The four semifinalists will automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the two finalists and third-place nation will secure an Olympic spot, though the U.S. already has as host. Orlando Pride forward Solai Washington and Jamaica will play against Costa Rica with a World Cup berth on the line, with the winner facing the victor between the U.S. and El Salvador in the semifinals.

Free Kicks

• Chelsea fired Liam Rosenior as the club’s head coach after an abysmal run of games that includes five straight losses in league play without scoring a single goal.
• American forward Haji Wright scored his 18th goal across all competitions for Coventry City this season with a nice header to help secure the EFL Championship title for the club with two games remaining. Let’s see if he can get to 20!
• Spanish forward Lamine Yamal exited Barcelona’s match against Celta Vigo in the 40th minute after grabbing the back of his leg following his penalty kick.
• Manchester City beat Burnley 1-0 to move into first place in the English Premier League standings on goal difference. Also as a result, Burnley has officially been relegated.
• Unfortunately, German forward Serge Gnabry will miss the upcoming World Cup due to a thigh injury.
• Lazio goalkeeper Edoardo Motta, who is just 21 years old, stopped four penalty kicks in a row to help his team beat Atalanta in the shootout and advance to the Italian Cup final against Inter Milan on May 13.
• Check out this interesting dive into Polish forward Robert Lewandowski’s legacy and how his future may not have the swan song it deserves.
• Starting next season, Chelsea’s women’s soccer team will play all of its league games at Stamford Bridge.

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