Good morning, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B both picked up victories, while Orlando City lost. There’s no rest for the wicked though, because the Pride take on Boston Legacy on the road tonight, while the Lions will host the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday. We’ve got a lot to talk about this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Barbra Banda up for Weekly Honors

Barbra Banda’s game-winning strike over the North Carolina Courage has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week. Banda cut across her marker in the 87th minute with the match tied 0-0 and curled a great strike inside the far post to give the Pride a lead that wouldn’t be relinquished. The victory got Orlando back on track after dropping two games in a row, and the goal was Banda’s league-leading eighth strike of the year. Make sure you go vote for her to win!

Surgery for Johnny Cardoso

Atletico Madrid announced on Monday that midfielder Johnny Cardoso will have surgery to repair an injury to his right ankle. Cardoso was hurt during a training session, with Atletico classifying the injury as a “high-grade sprain involving joint damage.” The club’s statement did not specify a timeline for his return to the field and U.S. Soccer has not made any statement besides wishing Cardoso a speedy recovery. That said, with this summer’s World Cup less than a month away, its tough to imagine that he’ll be healed up and ready to be part of the United States Men’s National Team roster. If that’s the case, it’ll be a bitter blow for both the USMNT and a midfielder that looked like a sure bet to be on the squad.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will be taking part in games during the working week, so let’s make sure we’ve got everything on the schedule. Things got started on Monday when Brenden Aaronson played 63 minutes in Leeds United’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham. Action continues today when Aidan Morris and Middlesborough face Southampton in the second leg of an EFL Championship playoff promotion semifinal. Wednesday sees Auston Trusty and Celtic take on Motherwell in a game with massive ramifications on the title race in the Scottish Premier League. Wednesday also has Alex Freeman and Villarreal hosting Sevilla in La Liga play, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace will try to play spoiler against Manchester City.

MLS Matchday 12 Lessons

Matchday 12 is officially in the books for Major League Soccer, so what did we learn from the weekend’s action? For one thing, Jack McGlynn was imperious in his second game back from injury, as his brace helped the Houston Dynamo knock off LAFC on the road while USMNT assistant Jesus Perez was watching from the stands. The New England Revolution are now unbeaten in the club’s last seven league games, and Carles Gil was a big reason why, as he nabbed a goal and an assist in the Revs’ 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union. He’s got four goals and four assists so far, and the Revs are sitting pretty at second in the Eastern Conference.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

European seasons aren’t quite wrapped up yet, but that isn’t stopping transfer rumors from flying thick and fast. We start with the Premier League, where Manchester City is reportedly prepared to trigger the release clause of 16-year-old Hertha Berlin midfielder Kennet Eichhorn, before immediately sending the player on loan to continue his development. Elsewhere in England, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal are all said to be interested in signing Juventus fullback Andrea Cambiaso. Switching lanes to the managerial side of things, Chelsea has reportedly identified Xabi Alonso as the leading candidate to become the next manager of the team, with the Spaniard said to be open to taking the job. Finally, Jose Mourinho is said to be open to taking the Real Madrid job, although he reportedly has a couple conditions that he wants met first.

Free Kicks

• Kickoff times have been set for Orlando City’s three group stages matches in this year’s Leagues Cup.

• The Lions will be launching a new merch collection Friday at The Final Whistle.

• Luca Maxim got some deserved props for keeping a clean sheet in Orlando City B’s 2-0 win over Atlanta United 2.
• Orlando City dropped two spots to no. 27 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
• The Orlando Pride stayed level at no. 10 in the same publication’s NWSL power rankings.
• Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang was reportedly dropped for Marseille’s match against Le Havre on Sunday after spraying a fire extinguisher on a staff member and their belongings.
• Dick Advocaat will reportedly return to coach Curacao at the World Cup.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! We have some exciting games ahead of us over the next few days, with three straight days of Orlando soccer to enjoy. It all starts with the Orlando Pride’s game tonight, with Orlando City playing Saturday afternoon, and Orlando City B wrapping things up on Sunday. Make sure to plan your weekend accordingly! Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Gets Ready for Road Match

The Lions are on the road this weekend for a game in Canada against CF Montreal on Saturday. Orlando is coming off of a dramatic 4-3 win over rival Inter Miami, with Martin Ojeda scoring a hat trick. Ojeda has had Montreal’s number in recent years, scoring at least once against the Canadian club each year for the past three years. Orlando hasn’t lost to Montreal since 2023, but it also hasn’t won on the road against Montreal since 2021. Saturday’s match will also be a reunion of sorts for goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who joined Montreal’s academy at age 15 and played there for nine years. He was excellent in Orlando’s win in Miami, so hopefully he can keep it up in his home country.

Orlando Pride Host North Carolina Courage Tonight

The Orlando Pride are back in action tonight with a home game against the North Carolina Courage. Both teams are coming off of losses last week, with the Pride falling 4-2 to the Washington Spirit. Tonight’s match will pit the league’s top two scorers against each other, with Barbra Banda scoring seven so far while Ashley Sanchez has scored five. The Pride will play three consecutive road games after tonight, putting an emphasis on a strong showing at home. It’s also Survivor Night at the stadium, so make sure to bring any immunity idols if you’ll be in attendance. The Pride could use any advantage they can get.

Johnny Cardoso Injured Ahead of World Cup

Atletico Madrid announced that American midfielder Johnny Cardoso was diagnosed with an ankle sprain he sustained in training, casting doubt on his availability for the World Cup next month. He’ll now work on rehabilitation before the club provides a timetable for his return. The 24-year-old started in the United States Men’s National Team’s game against Belgium in March, but he had to exit that camp due to injury as well. Hopefully he has a smooth and successful recovery from this.

English Clubs Reach European Finals

Aston Villa beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the Europa League, overcoming a loss in the first leg to secure a spot in the final. John McGinn scored twice to help his team reach its first major European final since 1982. Villa will play in the final on May 20 against SC Freiburg, which also bounced back from a loss in the first leg by beating Braga 3-1 in Germany. A red card to Mario Dorgeles in the sixth minute reduced Braga to 10 men early on and Lukas Kubler bagged a brace for Freiburg.

In the Europa Conference League, Crystal Palace won 2-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk to advance to the final on May 27 against Rayo Vallecano. As a result of this week’s semifinals across the continent, English clubs are in contention to win the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League.

Free Kicks

• The World Cup trophy will be on display for public viewing at Universal Orlando Resort on May 11 and 12.
• Nashville SC forward Sam Surridge topped the MLS MVP rankings at this point of the season, with the Chicago Fire’s Hugo Cuypers in second. Martin Ojeda wasn’t listed, but we know he can go on a hot streak and last week’s hat trick might’ve been the spark.
• Barcelona can clinch the La Liga title with a win or a draw at home against Real Madrid on Sunday.
• As for how Real Madrid’s preparations for El Clasico are going, Federico Valverde suffered a head injury after an altercation with teammate Aurelien Tchouameni.
• ESPN detailed the multitude of pain points fans could deal with during the upcoming World Cup, as well as exploring at what point is it too much of a hassle to attend the world’s best sporting event.
• Darwin Nunez is reportedly leaving Al-Hilal this summer, making him an interesting name to keep an eye out for over the next few months.

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

How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s a bit strange not spending a Thursday morning celebrating an Orlando City win the night before after the last few Wednesdays, but I’m all in favor of the Lions getting some needed rest. I’ve been spending most of the week doing much of the same in preparation for a busy Mother’s Day weekend. If you needed a reminder that was coming up on Sunday, you’re welcome. But for now, let’s get to the links!

Justin Ellis Makes U.S. Open Cup Team of the Round

Orlando City forward Justin Ellis was named to the 2026 U.S. Open Cup Team of the Round following the round of 16. The 18-year-old had a goal and an assist in Orlando’s dramatic 4-3 victory over the New England Revolution. He nearly had a brace, but his second goal was disallowed due to a questionable offside call. Ellis is the only Lion to make the Team of the Round this time, but hopefully multiple Orlando players make the cut after the quarterfinal against Atlanta United on May 19.

Orlando Pride Prepare for North Carolina Courage

After a 4-2 loss to the Washington Spirit, the Orlando Pride will look to get back on track when they host the North Carolina Courage on Friday. Barbra Banda scored both of the Pride’s goals in that defeat and leads the NWSL in scoring this year, but the Pride have now conceded seven goals over their past two games. Hopefully the defense can right the ship against a Courage team that has scored nine goals in seven games this year. Pride forward Simone Jackson spoke on how the team is making changes to improve defensively ahead of Friday’s home game.

Orlando City Announces World Cup Watch Parties

A fan festival to enjoy this summer’s World Cup is coming to Pointe Orlando and will run from June through July 19. Hosted by Orlando City SC, the event will feature live showings for all 104 World Cup games, live entertainment, and player appearances. There will also be at least five larger-scale events for specific matchdays such as the United States Men’s National Team’s games against Paraguay and Australia, Brazil’s games against Morocco and Haiti, and of course the World Cup final on July 19. It sounds like a pretty fun time and I’m hoping to make it out for a match or two.

UEFA Champions League Final Set

Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the UEFA Champions League final on aggregate after a 1-1 draw against Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena. A goal in just the third minute of the match by PSG’s Ousmane Dembele gave the impression that it would be another barnburner between the two sides, but Bayern didn’t score until Harry Kane’s goal in stoppage time. The match wasn’t without controversy, as there were possible handballs that could’ve changed the course of the game. PSG is now only one game away from defending its title and will take on Arsenal in the final on May 30 in what will be a rematch of last year’s semifinals.

Free Kicks

• Martin Ojeda finished second in MLS Goal of the Matchday voting for his superb strike to spark Orlando City’s comeback in a 4-3 win over Inter Miami, garnering 27.9% of the vote. Lionel Messi finished first with 42.6% to claim the honor.
• Speaking of that Orlando victory, it has raised questions in Miami about the club’s performance and the lack of representation by its leaders to address the media regarding said performance.
• D.C. United signed English midfielder Andre Dozzal as a free transfer who will join the team in July.
• MLS unveiled its new office, a 126,000-square-foot space in Manhattan with two stories. I’ve heard that the vending machines only take Targeted Allocation Money, but that you have at least 10 years to make your cubicle soccer-specific since you’re in New York.
• American forward Folarin Balogun was nominated for Ligue 1 Goal of the Season for his chip shot against Marseille on April 5.
• In case you missed it, Toronto FC was eliminated in the preliminary round of the 2026 Canadian Championship after a 3-1 loss to Atletico Ottawa of the Canadian Premier League. Former CF Montreal midfielder Ballou Tabla scored a hat trick for the underdogs.
• In his best impression of Lucille Bluth, FIFA President Gianni Infantino tried justifying World Cup ticket prices with a string of tone-deaf responses culminating in the claim that no one can watch college sports in the U.S. for under $300. It’s a football game between Tulane and Temple, Gianni. How much could it cost, $800?

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