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Orlando City vs. Philadelphia Union: Final Score 4-3 as Lions Outlast Union in Wild Game

The Lions threw away a two-goal lead but won it late on Martin Ojeda’s second of the match.

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1 month ago

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Image of Martin Ojeda attempting a penalty kick against Philadelphia.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Orlando City built a 2-0 lead in the first half, a 3-1 lead in the second half, threw its lead away late and won it even later in a wild 4-3 Lions victory over the Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. Martin Ojeda scored the first and last of the four goals for Orlando City (4-8-1, 13 points), with Griffin Dorsey and Duncan McGuire finding the net in between. Philadelphia (1-9-3, 6 points) entered the match with one of the worst offenses in Major League Soccer, but Milan Iloski, Cavan Sullivan, and Ben Bender found the net in the second half against an OCSC defense that offered little resistance, conceding 24 shot attempts and 10 corners despite winning the possession battle.

Despite blowing numerous scoring opportunities that might have put the game out of reach earlier and conceding far too many chances (and goals) to a team with a struggling offense, the Lions have won two straight at home to pull level at 3-3-0 in games at Inter&Co Stadium.

“Of course, happy with the victory. I think the guys are doing a big effort. We did a really good game in terms of performance as well,” Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman said after the match. “We made some mistakes that created the game everybody saw, but at the end of the day, I learned in this game to enjoy the victories and and this is what we are going to do, of course, knowing that we have things to continue improving, but we know the process we are in.”

Perelman’s lineup featured Maxime Crepeau in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Iago, and Dorsey. Braian Ojeda and Eduard Atuesta started in central midfield inside of wingers Ivan Angulo and Tiago, with Martin Ojeda and Justin Ellis leading the attack.

The game started slowly, without much action in either final third for the first 10 minutes. Braian Ojeda jumpstarted the first dangerous-looking attack with a heavy touch in the attacking third, turning the ball over and starting Philadelphia on the counter. He made up for the turnover, however, by hustling back to block the Union’s shot at the other end in the 10th minute.

Martin Ojeda then began to befuddle the Philadelphia defense, getting in behind alone on goal multiple times. He wasted the first opportunity on a great pass from Ellis that put him in but on his weaker right foot and he fired over the bar in the 11th minute. A minute later, Ojeda got onto a long ball behind the Union’s back line again, but this time he stumbled on his approach to the box and went down under light contact. No foul was given, and the Argentine didn’t even get a shot attempt off on his second breakaway.

Jeremy Rafanello tried an audacious shot from at least 35 yards out in the 13th minute that forced Crepeau to tip it over the bar. Danley Jean Jacques shook loose for a free header at the near post but sent his effort well off target. Iloski found some space outside the area in the 17th minute on the left, but he sent his shot over the crossbar.

Seconds later, the Lions broke the scoreless deadlock. Ellis again put the ball through for Martin Ojeda, who took the ball under control and blazed past the Union defense and into the box. Andrew Rick came off his line and the Argentine made a quick move to round him. Rick tripped Ojeda up, conceding an obvious penalty and picking up a yellow card. The Designated Player took the spot kick himself, waited for Rick to dive to his right, and calmly slotted his shot home to make it 1-0 in the 19th minute.

Philadelphia responded well after conceding, keeping a spell of pressure in Orlando’s end but not creating much from it. Orlando’s defense made some timely blocks to deny the ball getting into threatening areas and eventually the Lions settled back into the flow of the game.

Orlando City then came forward through Tiago’s hard work in the 27th minute as he worked his way into traffic in the box. Locked in a battle with a defender, Dorsey took the ball from both coming in from behind and smashed it home to make it 2-0.

For Dorsey, it was his first goal in MLS play as a Lion. He celebrated by putting the ball under his shirt, simulating a pregnancy to honor his wife.

“I’ve been waiting to celebrate with the fans. I had a goal that was a handball. I got to celebrate that one, but it was called off, so it just feels good to get my first one at home,” Dorsey said. “And then, yeah, to announce that my wife is pregnant, due in December, is exciting. And we’re super excited.”

The Union again went on the attack after conceding, racking up lots of set pieces, including seven first-half corners in total and several long throw-ins that caused issues for Orlando City. In the aftermath of one of those set plays in the 38th minute, Iloski chipped a shot onto the roof of Crepeau’s net.

Orlando had an opportunity to break in transition off one of those set pieces in the 40th minute with Ellis and Angulo blazing forward against one defender. However, in one of the few misplaced passes of the half, Ellis couldn’t get his through ball past the defender to send the Colombian in behind.

The Union quickly started piling up more set pieces and came within inches of getting on the board in the 43rd minute when Geiner Martinez’s header hit the crossbar and rolled across the top of it, falling in play on the other side of the net. Orlando City was able to clear and take the pressure off for the moment.

The five minutes of stoppage time at the end of the half were eventful ones. Martin Ojeda took a pass from Ellis on the right and cut in on his left foot, but Bender got in front to block his shot.

Until he was subbed off in the second half, Ellis was pulling the strings for the Orlando attack from a deeper position than usual, shaded toward the right side of the pitch.

“I think we were trying to win the interior sides of the field, like not wide but at the back of both wingers who jump and press,” Perelman said. “We wanted to do it either in a direct manner or through the midfielder, the interior, and Justin feels comfortable himself in there, and from there, he can hurt opponents with his talent. That was part of the plan. It wasn’t something rigid. It’s more about him, because sometimes he has not the freedom, but the opportunity, to read the game and see where does he feel more comfortable. I think he felt comfortable in that area. He felt himself able to play in a good way, and for us was useful, and we were able to create attacking sequences from there. So, that worked for a big part of the game.”

Philadelphia went the other way and quickly won yet another corner, with Iloski firing a shot from a tight angle that Crepeau saved. The Union worked a short corner late in added time and Iloski blazed a shot through traffic but sent it just wide of the right post on the last action of the opening period.

At the break, the Lions held the advantage in possession (57.7%-42.3%) and passing accuracy (87.6%-83.6%), while the Union had more shots (11-4) and corners (7-0). Each team put two shots on target and the difference is that both of Orlando’s went in.

Orlando City started brightly in the opening few minutes of the second half. Martin Ojeda looked to be pulled down just inside or at the top of the area, but no foul was given. Moments later, Ellis weaved his way through defenders on the right side and got into the box. However, just as he cleared the traffic and lined up his shot, Ellis slipped on the surface slick from a hard halftime rain and scuffed his shot attempt in the 48th minute.

Iloski pulled Philadelphia back into the game in the 54th minute off a turnover by Martin Ojeda, who sent a blind pass from the left wing into an area without a teammate. The Union broke the other way and Harriel roasted Brekalo getting in down the right. Harriel squared the ball back for Iloski in front and it was an easy finish from point-blank range to make it 2-1.

Three minutes later, Philadelphia came within inches of equalizing off their ninth corner kick of the game. Olwethu Makhanya was poorly marked in the box and sent a header toward the near post. Crepeau got over just in time to make a huge save, keeping it out with a strong left hand.

The Lions finally generated another chance in the 59th minute. Dorsey did well to get to a long ball on the right but his momentum carried him outside. He tried to play it left for Tiago, but that took the Brazilian into an even tighter angle on the other side. Tiago tried to leave it off for Angulo, but the pass was deflected by the defense to end the threat.

Dorsey was again involved a minute later on a set piece from long range. Martin Ojeda sent his delivery from left to right and the right back sent a diving header over the target.

Harriel fizzed a shot over the bar in the 62nd from long range. Four minutes later, Sullivan blasted a shot from the right just wide of the left post as the usually low-scoring Union continued to look like Barcelona against Orlando’s shaky, league-worst defense.

The Lions should have added a goal in the 70th as Martin Ojeda unselfishly put the ball in front of an empty net for Angulo, but the Colombian mistimed his jump and missed the ball. Nevertheless, it looked like Orlando put the game away just moments later.

The Lions broke three on one and second-half sub Tyrese Spicer sent the ball from the left to fellow sub McGuire. The big striker left his shot too close to Rick but the goalkeeper could only get a piece of it and it went in to make it 3-1 in the 72nd minute. He celebrated with his signature back flip.

“It was definitely a well-done play from Spicer and Martin (Ojeda),” McGuire said. “Martin helped drag the defender away, but we definitely knew that they were vulnerable in the transition, and we were able to exploit that. Spicer played an amazing ball across and just set it up nicely for me.”

McGuire’s goal did not, in fact, put the game away.

Philadelphia wouldn’t go away and Orlando refused to cover opponents in the area, which allowed Sullivan to pull the Union back within a goal three minutes after McGuire scored. Bender sent the ball from Philly’s attacking left into the middle, where Sullivan was all alone, smashing it past Crepeau to make it 3-2 with his first MLS goal.

“I think we didn’t do a good job at, you know, locking back in when they were able to get a goal, and we let them continue to put chances away,” McGuire said. We didn’t get numbers back, myself included, and I think we’ve got to get better at defending as a group when the other team is in transition. But luckily, we were able to get one more goal than them.”

Angulo had a chance to pull that goal right back in the 77th minute, taking a pass in the box, spinning and firing a weak shot straight at Rick for the easy save. Two minutes after that, Martin Ojeda again got behind, this time on the left side. He fired over the bar, slipping on the wet surface. Those were costly missed chances, because the Union tied the game moments later.

The Union got forward in a three-on-three break that morphed into more of a four-on-five as the ball cycled from Philadelphia’s attacking right to left. Bender was alone in space on the left near the top of the area and fired a shot just inside the right post to tie the game in the 79th minute. The ball went through Dorsey’s legs and took a slight deflection that pushed it into an area Crepeau couldn’t reach.

“I think, starting with myself and going down the line of experienced players that we have on the field, we need to find a way, and once again, starting with myself, to be more professional, to end these types of games in a way where we take the opponent completely out of the game,” Dorsey said. “Because I think this is a game we definitely could have done that, and we gave them opportunities to get back in the game when we shouldn’t have.”

Things got scarier for Orlando fans as the Lions started turning the ball over cheaply all over the pitch, giving Philadelphia opportunities to hunt for a late winner. Perelman pulled Dorsey off and subbed in Marco Pasalic, going to three at the back with wingbacks to try to regain some control of the defensive end.

Still, Philadelphia’s anemic offense found opportunities to win it. Harriel shook free down the right and blasted a shot that hit the crossbar near the left post and stayed out in the 88th minute. Off the restart, Martin Ojeda’s pass was off line and went out, giving the Union a throw-in. Philadelphia quickly sent the ball into the box and Jean Jacques headed the ball toward goal. Crepeau got caught halfway between his line and where the shot was taken. The Canadian was fortunate to see the header go just over the crossbar in the 89th minute.

The winner came seconds later. Angulo sent substitute Adrian Marin down the left in the 90th minute and the Spaniard sent in a cross. Martin Ojeda got to it and flicked a header past Rick to make it 4-3 with his ninth goal of the season in MLS play. Only three players in Major League Soccer have scored more goals than the Argentine this season.

“(We) definitely made it harder on ourselves than it needed to be, but I think we did a good job at responding when they tied it up,” McGuire said. “I think we needed to look for that third goal more quickly and put the game away. And without doing that, we let Philly get some hope, and they did a good job clawing back, but really proud of the boys for sticking with it and staying confident and getting the win.”

The Lions played better during the seven minutes of stoppage time and even fashioned a chance that should have put the game out of reach. Spicer ran onto an aerial ball and attempted a diving header from close range, but the Trinidad & Tobago international sent his shot right at the goalkeeper.

Orlando held off a couple more set pieces and ran out the clock on Philadelphia to get back in the win column.

Across the 90 minutes, Orlando City finished with the advantage in possession (54.8%-45.2%) and passing accuracy (84.9%-80.9%), but Philadelphia led in shots (24-12), shots on target (7-6), and corners (10-2). The Lions were just lethal enough to finish one more chance than the Union on a night that might have seen Orlando score three or four additional goals had the attacking players been more precise.

“We’ll take a win. I think that’s all I’ve got to say,” Dorsey said. “Yeah. We’ll take a win.”

“We see the big picture, the big movie, the players as well, the club as well,” Perelman said. “And little by little, we’re still growing. This is our fourth game at home since we started this process, and we really want to win when we come home. So, I’m happy for that. Looking forward to continuing in this pathway.”

The Lions have another quick turnaround but at least they won’t have to travel, as rival Atlanta United visits on Saturday.

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Lion Links: 6/15/26

OCB beats Huntsville City, OCB signs Parker Amoo-Mensah, USMNT defeats Paraguay in World Cup, and more.

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10 hours ago

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June 15, 2026

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Image of Matthew Belgodere of OCB against Huntsville City.
Image courtesy of Orlando City B

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been keeping myself busy at work but tried to catch as many World Cup matches as possible. I did get to check out the Mumford & Sons and Rufus Du Sol concerts at Wrigley Field up here in Chicago. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

OCB Defeats Huntsville City FC on the Road

Orlando City B completed the comeback, overturning a 1-0 deficit to beat Huntsville City FC 2-1 at Wicks Family Field Saturday. Huntsville struck first to take a 1-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Matthew Belgodere buried the equalizer for the Young Lions. Jacob Ramirez scored the final goal of the match for OCB to seal the win on the road and extend its winning streak to four games. That result lifts the Young Lions to third in the MLS NEXT Pro Eastern Conference table with 28 points. OCB will return home to face Philadelphia Union II Sunday at Osceola County Stadium.

OCB Signs Parker Amoo-Mensah

Orlando City B has signed academy defender Parker Amoo-Mensah to an MLS NEXT Pro contract. The club announced the signing Friday with the deal running through the 2028 season. Amoo-Mensah has made 12 appearances for the Young Lions during the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season, starting eight matches, and has one assist.

USMNT Defeats Paraguay in World Cup Opener

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Paraguay 4-1 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, to win its opening match in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Former Lion Alex Freeman played a full 90 minutes and recorded an assist in the match, while Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda was on Paraguay’s bench but did not play. The USMNT’s opening goal was an own goal from Paraguay midfielder Damian Bobadilla to give the Yanks the lead in the first half. Falorin Balogun scored twice for the U.S to take a 3-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Paraguay pulled one back, but Gio Reyna added the insurance goal. The USMNT will face Australia in its second group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Lumen Field in Seattle on Friday.

2026 FIFA World Cup Recap

On Friday, Canada drew Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1. Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau started the match and had two clutch saves while former Lions Cyle Larin and Richie Laryea were also in action. Larin scored the equalizer for the Canadian Men’s National Team, securing a draw and earning its first-ever point in a World Cup match. On Saturday, Qatar and Switzerland played to a 1-1 draw, Brazil and Morocco settled for a 1-1 draw, Scotland secured its first World Cup win in 36 years with a 1-0 victory over Haiti, and Australia defeated Turkey 2-0. On Sunday, Kai Havertz scored twice for Germany in a 7-1 win over Curacao, Japan trailed twice and fought back for a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands, Amad Diallo scored a late winner for Ivory Coast in a 1-0 win over Ecuador, and Sweden and Tunisia kicked off late. Today’s matches will feature Spain facing Cape Verde, Belgium taking on Egypt, Saudi Arabia facing Uruguay, and Iran taking on New Zealand.

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

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Flashback Friday: June 10, 2023 vs. Colorado Rapids

Let’s take a trip down memory lane to a booking-laden match at home that took place a little less than three years ago.

Published

3 days ago

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June 12, 2026

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

The World Cup is now officially underway, and while that means Orlando City is on break, we can’t have you forgetting about the Lions while all the international action is taking place. That means its time for another edition of Flashback Friday, where we hop in the trusty time machine and reminisce on OCSC matches of yesteryear.

Last week we relived a rousing road win over the New York Red Bulls from June, 3 2023, and this week, we actually pick up right where we left off, on June 10, 2023 as the Lions returned home to take on the Colorado Rapids.

Coming off a 3-0 win over the Red Bulls in the previous match, Oscar Pareja decided to not mess with a good thing, and kept Orlando City’s same starting XI from that victory. Pedro Gallese was in net behind a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith. Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo played the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres were the attacking midfielders, and Ercan Kara was deployed as the striker.

In typical June fashion for the City Beautiful, kickoff was delayed by just under an hour as the stadium was pounded by storms, and the delay did not look to have done any favors for Orlando’s sharpness. That said, OCSC did win a corner kick less than a minute into the game, and Torres had a tame shot saved in the eighth minute, but the Lions weren’t consistently sharp with their passing in the early moments of the contest.

The teams traded chances just before the 15-minute mark, with Kara sending a header too high before Cole Bassett sent a shot straight to Gallese. Carlos then picked up a yellow card in the 24th minute, which evened things out between the two teams after Lalas Abubakar was cautioned for the Rapids after just six minutes. Those two bookings proved to be a harbinger of things to come, because Colorado went down to 10 men in the 39th minute after midfielder Braian Galvan caught Angulo with a high boot while his studs were showing.

Pereyra had Orlando’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes in stoppage time but could only send his effort right at goalkeeper Marko Ilic, and that was the last significant action of the half. The Lions ended the half with an edge in possession (59.7%-40.3%), shots (7-2), shots on target (2-1), and passing accuracy (85.3%-79.4%), while both teams won two corners.

Pareja made two moves at halftime, bringing on Rodrigo Schlegel for the once-booked Carlos, and Martin Ojeda for Cartagena in an effort to go more offensive against a shorthanded Rapids side. The Lions certainly looked brighter going forward as the second half got underway and had a few dangerous moments before finally breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute.

Pereyra played a ball across the top of the box for Torres, who took a couple of touches before sending a ball to the net that took a wicked deflection off Andreas Maxsø that carried it past Ilic.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal the Lions have ever scored, but for a team that was guilty at times of passing up good shots in favor of the perfect look at goal, it was proof that sometimes you just need to take shots in dangerous areas.

Fortunately, Orlando seemed to take that lesson to heart. Kara went close in the 65th minute despite shooting through traffic, Angulo had a shot deflected by Abubakar three minutes later, and Torres had another deflected effort go just wide of the post four minutes after that.

The game changed again in the 75th minute, when the Rapids had another player sent off. Abubakar lasted for 69 minutes on a yellow card but got burned by Angulo in midfield and hauled him down in order to prevent the Lions from potentially working a transition opportunity. He had some teammates behind him, but the referee showed him a second yellow card. Pareja smelled blood in the water and just three minutes later he brought on Ramiro Enrique for Smith, who had been given a yellow card in the 52nd minute.

Ilic made a great save on Pereyra in the 81st minute to keep the score at 1-0 and keep the Rapids in the game, but Orlando got its second goal just two minutes later. Torres had the ball on the right side of the box with a Colorado player backing off him, and that gave him ample time to get his head up and pick out a man. He played a ball to Enrique at the top of the box, who had plenty of time to take a couple of touches and send a low shot into the bottom corner past a diving Ilic for his first goal as an Orlando City player.

Somewhat surprisingly, the game started to get a little stretched after the Lions doubled their advantage. Colorado had a shot blocked in the 81st minute, Kara sent a shot very close to the post six minutes after that, and Gallese saved a Darren Yapi attempt in the 88th minute to keep his clean sheet alive. Aside from Pareja handing Alejandro Granados his MLS debut, that was the last significant action of the match, which finished 2-0 to the good guys.

Unsurprisingly, considering Colorado’s deficit in players, the Lions dominated all of the game’s most important statistics. OCSC finished with the advantage in possession (65%-35%), shots (15-4), shots on goal (6-2), corners (5-3), and passing accuracy (89.4%-81.5%).

The victory made it back-to-back wins for the first time in 2023, stretched Orlando’s unbeaten run to six, and gave El Pulpo his 100th clean sheet for the team in all competitions.

Marcus Mitchell had the helm for Player Grades in this one, and Torres got his nod for Man of the Match with a goal, an assist, and a grade of 7.5 out of 10. Several other Lions graded out at 7 out of 10, with only one player grading below a 6.

While it was a weird win, it unfortunately was the final game of the unbeaten streak, as the Lions fell to a familiar defeat at Gillette Stadium the following week, although things got back on track soon afterward. I’ll see you back here in a week for another trip down memory lane. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 6/12/26

USMNT plays Paraguay tonight, red cards rain down in World Cup opener, Sporting Kansas City linked with Yann Gboho, and more.

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3 days ago

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June 12, 2026

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Image of Alex Freeman sliding in celebration of a goal.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! The World Cup is in full swing and the U.S. will play today, so it’s a pretty exciting Friday to say the least. I’m a bit of a bundle of nerves about how the team will do, but I’m still looking forward to catching the game. If you have any gameday rituals, be sure to share, so that we can conjure up enough luck and support for the team tonight. Let’s get to the links!

USMNT’s World Cup Campaign Begins Today

The United States Men’s National Team will take on Paraguay at 9 p.m. tonight in its first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There’s plenty of pressure on the U.S. to perform well as one of the host nations, and this will also be Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s first time coaching at a World Cup. Pochettino stated that all 26 players are available for selection, including center back Chris Richards, although he may not necessarily start. Former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, who is the youngest player on the U.S. roster, could make his World Cup debut tonight, so be sure to root for our hometown hero should he take the field. Hopefully, the Yanks can start this tournament off on the right foot with a big win in California.

World Cup Opener Features Three Red Cards

This year’s World Cup began in Mexico City, with Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 in a match that included three red cards. All three were straight red cards given in the second half in separate incidents, as Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were sent off for South Africa before Mexico’s Cesar Montes was shown red in stoppage time. There hasn’t been a World Cup match with that many red cards since the record of four was set in 2006 in a match between Portugal and the Netherlands. As for the game’s goals, Julian Quinones pounced on a mistake by South Africa to give Mexico an early lead and Raul Jimenez doubled that lead while South Africa was reduced to 10 men.

Sporting Kansas City Linked With Yann Gboho

While the World Cup roars on, the rumor mill is in full force as clubs make plans for summer reinforcements. Sporting Kansas City is reportedly pushing to sign Toulouse winger Yann Gboho, who recorded 10 goals and three assists across all competitions this past season. The surprising aspect of this pursuit would be that Toulouse values Gboho at an eye-watering $20 million transfer fee, which would be a club record by a country mile. Kansas City needs all the help it can get on offense, as it has scored just 14 goals in 14 games so far this season.

Jose Mourinho Officially Returns to Real Madrid

It’s been a bit of an open secret over the past few weeks that Jose Mourinho would become Real Madrid’s next manager and it’s now official, with the 63-year-old signing a three-year contract with the Spanish club. Mourinho helped Real Madrid win a La Liga title and the Copa del Rey over a decade ago before his departure in 2013 after three seasons with the club. Now, he joins a Real Madrid side that has finished second in the league standings and been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League the past two seasons. I, for one, can’t wait to see how one of the biggest personalities in soccer works alongside a locker room of star players that seemed in disarray this past season.

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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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