Orlando City travels to Ohio for a regular-season match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday. It will be the club’s third match in an eight-day span, the fourth game in 11 days, and the fifth match in 15 days during this crazy May schedule. The Lions are coming off a dominating 4-1 victory over Atlanta United in Tuesday’s U.S. Open Cup match. This is a six-point match as Cincinnati sits just above Orlando City in the Eastern Conference standings. What must the Lions do to earn all three points against Cincinnati this weekend?

Push through the Pain

As mentioned above, Orlando City has played a lot of games with not a lot of rest. At least the Lions were able to schedule the Open Cup match on Tuesday rather than on Wednesday to give the players an extra day of rest heading into this road contest. The question is whether that day will be enough for tired legs to recover enough for the trip up north.

There was some, although not much, rotation through the two Atlanta matches, but there were not a lot of substitutions for some key players in the second match. I’m particularly worried about Robin Jansson, Martin Ojeda, Braian Ojeda, and Griffin Dorsey. Dorsey and the Ojedas in particular log a lot of miles during a match, given how Martin Perelman has them playing. Can the players make it through another 90+ minutes in the last match before the World Cup break? Three points are there for the taking if they can.

Offensive Might

When Orlando City is on, the Lions can score goals seemingly at will — at least against teams like Atlanta. Regardless of the opponent, scoring goals often leads to confidence and confidence is contagious. I’m not expecting Tiago to add another brace on Saturday, but I am hoping that Martin Ojeda continues his contributions, and Dorsey is on a tear with goals in three straight games in all competitions.

On paper, Cincinnati’s defense doesn’t appear too bad. Roman Celentano is a good goalkeeper, Matt Miazga and Miles Robinson are good defenders. Nick Hagglund is no slouch either. Despite that, Cincinnati has given up almost as many goals as Orlando City — 35 to Orlando’s 38. There is opportunity here if the offense that showed up in the second Atlanta match makes an appearance Saturday.

Clean Sheet…Bueller?

Orlando City does not have a clean sheet in the regular season so far this season and none in league play in nearly a calendar year. It won’t be any easier for this leaky defense against Cincinnati. The defense will face an attack that has 30 goals this season, including eight from Kevin Denkey and seven from Evander. Nine other players also have at least one goal. By comparison, Orlando City has only scored 21 goals.

Braian Ojeda has been better on defense lately, so I’m hoping that continues. As for the back line, it may depend on who we see out there. Dorsey has been pretty good, and Jansson is almost always a steadying presence. The question is whether we get good David Brekalo, Iago, or Adrian Marin, or the not-so-good versions. Hopefully, we get a focused defense, because this is not the same as playing Atlanta United.

That is what I will be looking for on Saturday night. The Lions can show things are headed in the right direction with a victory. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’m still riding high from Orlando City’s big win over Atlanta United and am hoping to keep carrying that momentum through these next couple of days before a busy weekend. It will be the last time all three of Orlando’s soccer teams are in action during the same weekend for a while due to the World Cup, so savor every minute of it. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Will Face Columbus Crew in U.S. Open Cup

We now know Orlando City’s opponent for the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, with the Columbus Crew advancing after a 1-0 win over New York City FC. After a scoreless first half, Max Arfsten scored the game’s only goal and the Crew held on for a big win at home just a few days after Henrik Rydstrom was fired as head coach. The Lions will be on the road for the semifinal against the Crew in September. Should Orlando win, it will host the final no matter which team from the other side of the bracket advances.

Predicting the USMNT World Cup Roster

We’re less than a week away from United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino announcing the 26-player roster for this year’s World Cup. Most of the team seems fairly locked in, but midfielders Giovanni Reyna, Aidan Morris, and Diego Luna are all on the bubble, with Tanner Tessmann possibly still in the mix despite an injury. SBI Soccer projects Aidan Morris making the cut, while former USMNT player Alejandro Bedoya has Luna and Jack McGlynn on his projected roster. As for the defense, we’ll see if the center back group is too crowded for Miles Robinson or Noahkai Banks to be included. I don’t expect any big surprises from Pochettino on May 26, but forwards Zavier Gozo and Julian Hall are young players who could bring a spark off the bench in a tournament setting.

Casemiro Linked With Inter Miami

Inter Miami is reportedly close to signing Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who announced he is leaving Manchester United once his contract expires this summer. One of the interesting wrinkles in this reported move is that the LA Galaxy hold Casemiro’s discovery rights and that issue is not yet resolved. Miami also does not have an open Designated Player slot, so I expect some more “creative” roster structuring to take place in order to fit him in if this comes to pass. The 34-year-old has scored nine goals for United this season and was named to Brazil’s World Cup roster.

Aston Villa Wins UEFA Europa League

Aston Villa beat SC Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final to win silverware for the first time since 1996. Emiliano Buendia had a goal and an assist in the match, with Villa scoring twice late in the first half and the defense doing its part for a shutout victory. This was Unai Emery’s fifth time winning the Europa League as a manager, lifting the trophy three years in a row with Sevilla and once with Villarreal before doing it again now with Villa. It’s wild that all three clubs have “villa” as part of their names.

Free Kicks

• ESPN ranked the top 50 American men’s soccer players and former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman placed 15th on the list.
• After playing in the USL Super League for two seasons, Spokane Zephyr FC announced that it will not be continuing operations.
• MLS has spoken with the International Football Association Board to trial stopping the clock during matches for injuries, substitutions, and set pieces. I already get annoyed when the broadcast shrinks the game on the screen to try selling me cars and beer, so I don’t know if I could handle an actual commercial break.
• Sporting Kansas City’s Stephen Afrifa won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his curling winner to lift his team to a 2-1 win over Austin FC.
• Wyland, the artist whose mural was painted over for a World Cup display in Dallas, is taking legal action over the act.

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

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I love the U.S. Open Cup. I love the history, the cupsets, and the magical moments. I especially love it when my team wins and wins big like Orlando City did Tuesday night. It was unexpected result but a very welcome one. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Advances to USOC Semifinals

Orlando City defeated rival Atlanta United 4-1 in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals of the tournament. The Lions unleashed an offensive firestorm in the first half against Atlanta United, scoring four goals before halftime. Frankly, it could have been more. The Lions were unable to add to the lead in the second half and conceded one goal to Atlanta, but it was more than enough to secure the victory.

Moorhouse Called Up

Anna Moorhouse has once again been called up by England for Women’s World Cup qualifiers against Spain and Ukraine. It is always an honor for a player to represent their country. We are happy that Moorhouse will have the opportunity.

World Cup News

We are only weeks away from the start of the World Cup and we know who most of the players representing their countries will be. For example, Granit Xhaka will captain Switzerland in the tournament. Most of us are primarily concerned with the USMNT and which players are in form for club and, hopefully, country.

Premier League News

The 23-year wait is over as Arsenal won the English Premier League championship following a 1-1 draw between Bournemouth and Manchester City on Tuesday. It is all but certain that Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City this summer. It’s not the ending that Guardiola wanted for his time at Manchester City, but he leaves the club in a good position. While the Gunners celebrate, Tottenham Hostpur is fighting relegation.

Free Kicks

• Unsurprisingly, Janine Solis was named NWSL Player of the Week thanks to her brace against the Orlando Pride.
• You can always count on Roy Keane to call it the way he sees it, even when it’s about the captain of his former team, Manchester United. Keane is not keen on the way Bruno Fernandes is chasing the EPL assist record.
• Major League Soccer cities like Orlando will host soccer celebrations and other fan events during the World Cup.
• Southampton was expelled from the Championship playoff final after the club was caught spying. Now the Southampton players may take legal action due to loss of earnings.
• Here’s a fitting farewell for Antione Griezmann from Atletico Madrid. We can’t wait to welcome him to Orlando!

That will do it for today. Check back later this week as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!