Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy this weekend at Under Armour, but I tried to catch some soccer when possible. Besides that, I’ll be working at Wrigley Field this Saturday for Northwestern’s college football game against Illinois. What an excellent weekend it was for Orlando’s soccer teams! We saw the Orlando Pride complete the double with an NWSL Championship title, and the Lions took out Atlanta United in the MLS playoffs. We have plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Advance to the Eastern Conference Final

Orlando City defeated Atlanta United 1-0 on Sunday at Inter&Co Stadium to advance to the Eastern Conference final of the MLS playoffs for the first time in club history. Ramiro Enrique was the only scorer in the match, with Orlando’s defense doing well to secure the shutout against Atlanta. The Lions will host the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference final on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a spot in the MLS Cup final on the line.

Orlando Pride Win First NWSL Championship Title

On Saturday, the Orlando Pride defeated the Washington Spirit 1-0 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City to win their first NWSL Championship title. Barbra Banda scored the lone goal in the first half for the Pride. Orlando defended its lead throughout the second half, with the Spirit creating plenty of scoring opportunities but never breaking through. It was a stellar 2024 NWSL season for the Pride, as they became the first club since 2021 to complete the double by winning both the NWSL Championship and the NWSL Shield. Banda was named MVP of the game, while Marta finally got her first NWSL Championship title since joining the Pride in 2017. It was a historic season for the Pride and this match featured plenty of other milestones as well. Orlando will hold a parade for the Pride later today at 4:30 p.m. that will start on Orange Avenue and end at city hall for the celebration ceremony.

Insight Into the Prides Historic Title Run

Yahoo Sports shared an article on how the Orlando Pride went from missing the playoffs for several seasons to becoming the best team in the NWSL this year. It all started with a players meeting last winter to discuss the club’s values and goals for the 2024 season, with the team’s predictions for the season hung up in the locker room as a reminder. Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter spoke on the team’s past struggles. The club did not make the NWSL playoffs since 2017 until this season, which was the longest playoff drought in the league. The Pride broke plenty of records this season, going on a 23-match unbeaten streak and claiming both the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship. Many factors turned out to be the difference for Orlando’s success this season, including keeping many players from previous seasons like Marta, Kylie Strom, and Haley McCutcheon instead of completely overhauling the roster. That helped set the culture within the squad, with the club showing grit and resilience all season long to conclude a historic season for the Pride.

MLS Playoff Semifinal Round Recap

Over the weekend, three more teams punched their tickets to the conference finals in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs. Let’s start with the Hudson River Derby, as the Red Bulls defeated New York City FC 2-0 at Citi Field to advance to the Eastern Conference final. The Seattle Sounders defeated LAFC 2-1 after extra time, with Jordan Morris scoring to seal the win at BMO Stadium and put Seattle into the Western Conference final. The LA Galaxy cruised past Minnesota United 6-2 as Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil, and Dejan Joveljic each scored twice. The Galaxy will take on the Seattle Sounders on Saturday in the Western Conference final.

Free Kicks

• The Orlando Pride received a shoutout on their NWSL Championship victory by some notable people, including tennis legend Billie Jean King and President Joe Biden.

• Check out this excellent piece from Squad Depth on the origins of the Orlando Pride’s celebratory chain, which was given to Summer Yates by Pride fan Shelby Stuart in a road game in Houston.
• Rhode Island FC, led by former Orlando Pride assistant coach Khano Smith, fell 3-0 to the Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the USL Championship final.

• Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Denver are the three finalists in contention to become the NWSL’s 16th expansion team. An announcement is expected to be made by the league in the coming weeks.
• St. Louis City is reportedly set to name Olof Mellberg as the club’s next head coach. Mellberg was recently the manager at Brommapojkarna in Sweden.
• In other MLS coaching news, Inter Miami is reportedly set to hire Javier Mascherano to replace Gerardo Martino as its next head coach.
• USMNT striker Ricardo Pepi scored a hat trick for PSV Eindhoven in a 5-0 victory over FC Groningen on Saturday. Pepi has scored six goals in his past four appearances for club and country.
• Leicester City has fired manager Steve Cooper, with the club 16th in the English Premier League.

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

Happy Friday! Beyond working and catching some soccer here and there, I don’t have many plans for the weekend. I’m also hoping to find some time to trial some cranberry and brie bites I’m trying to perfect before Thanksgiving next week. For now though, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Emily Sams Awarded NWSL Defender of the Year

The Orlando Pride’s Emily Sams was named 2024 NWSL Defender of the Year after a fantastic season. The Pride only conceded 20 goals in a record-breaking season, and Sams played in all 13 of the team’s shutouts. Sams was one of the most impactful players for the Pride this year and had 163 recoveries, 76 clearances, and 16 blocks. She’s the first Pride player to win the award and it’s great to see her receive some deserved recognition in her second year in Orlando.

Analyzing Orlando City’s Revitalization

It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for the Lions to say the least. There were serious concerns over whether or not the Lions would even make the playoffs back in June and now they find themselves as the highest remaining seed in the Eastern Conference this postseason. Facundo Torres’ excellent run of play is a major reason behind the club’s turnaround, but the buy-in from all of Orlando’s attackers has helped create a dynamic and unselfish offense. Although expectations are rising once more for the Lions, Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi spoke on how the team is focused on Sunday’s playoff match.

“There’s only one team that matters: Atlanta United,” Muzzi said. “The easiest way to lose a game is to look ahead. I’ll say we didn’t expect to be playing at home, but it’s welcomed. We’re focused on Atlanta, they’re playing great. They have a lot of confidence and momentum. It doesn’t matter they’re the No. 9 seed because they’re not playing like the No. 9 seed.”

Barbra Banda Up For African Woman Player of the Year

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda was one of 10 players nominated for this year’s African Woman Player of the Year award. The 24-year-old has done well for both club and country this year. She scored 13 goals in her first regular season with the Pride and has three goals so far in the playoffs. Banda also had a hat trick for Zambia in the Summer Olympics. She’s joined by fellow NWSL players Temwa Chawinga and Racheal Kundananji on the list of nominees. Bay FC striker Asisat Oshoala, who has won the award in five of the past six years, was not nominated for the first time in a decade. The nomination list will be trimmed to a three-player shortlist before the winner is announced on Dec. 16 in Morocco.

Croix Bethune Named NWSL Midfielder of the Year

Washington Spirit rookie Croix Bethune won NWSL Midfielder of the Year after recording 10 assists and five goals in 17 matches this season. A knee injury cut her season short in September, but she still tied Tobin Heath’s record for the most assists in a season. Bethune gave plenty of NWSL teams headaches this year and also won Rookie of the Year earlier this week. She’s the first player to ever receive NWSL Midfielder of the Year and she beat out the Pride’s Marta, the North Carolina Courage’s Ashley Sanchez, and Kansas City Current duo Lo’eau LaBonta and Vanessa DiBernardo.

Eastern Conference Clubs Making Moves

FC Cincinnati officially signed striker Kevin Denkey from Cercle Brugge on a deal that will last through 2028. The 23-year-old joins as a Designated Player on a reported $16.2 million transfer, which would be a league record. He won the Golden Boot in Belgium last year after scoring 27 goals and should give Cincinnati some considerable firepower next year.

Elsewhere in the league, CF Montreal declined the option on Josef Martinez’s contract, meaning the Venezuelan forward will be a free agent once again. The 31-year-old led Montreal with 11 goals this season and we’ll see where he winds up next. Charlotte FC did not trigger the purchase option on Pep Biel’s loan, opening up a Designated Player spot. Former Lion Junior Urso’s contract option was also declined by Charlotte. The Philadelphia Union signed defender Olivier Mbaizo to a contract extension that will keep him with the club through 2026, with options for 2027 and 2028 as well.

Free Kicks

• In preparation for the 2026 World Cup, FIFA named 26 new options across the country as “base camps” for participating teams to train and rest. Orlando was included, with OCSC’s training grounds at Osceola Heritage Park pitched alongside the Lake Nona Wave Hotel.
• ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf dove into how the NWSL stacks up to the biggest sports leagues in the U.S. Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Pride and Spirit should showcase just how entertaining the league is to plenty of viewers.
• Pep Guardiola will stick around as Manchester City’s manager for a couple more years after signing a two-year contract extension with the club. His contract was set to expire at the end of this season.
• Here’s a cool breakdown of the seven amateur teams that have qualified for the 2025 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup so far. None are from Florida, but there are some great logos to check out if you’re looking for a team to root for in the early rounds next year. Debutants Southern Indiana FC and the Virginia Dream are my personal favorites of the bunch.
• The draw for the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations will take place today. Zambia is in the second pot, meaning it will be put in a group of four that will include one of Nigeria, South Africa, or Morocco. The tournament itself will be in July of next year.
• Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City all clinched a spot in the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals with two games still left to play.

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

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending most of this week plotting out some holiday shopping to make things a little less stressful for myself over the next few weeks. A big weekend filled with Orlando soccer awaits us, so make sure to get any errands or obligations out of the way sooner rather than later. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Spotlight Falls On Marta in NWSL Championship

There are plenty of storylines heading into Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, including Marta’s opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been an excellent season for the Pride. Orlando has been enjoying the fruits of its labor this season after a rebuild over the past few years that’s included plenty of change in the City Beautiful. Marta has been a constant, however, enduring some difficult seasons since joining the Pride and adapting her game She’s scored in both of the Pride’s playoff games so far and has a chance to author a storybook ending on Saturday.

Ann-Katrin Berger Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

NJ/NY Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was named 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, beating out the Pride’s Anna Moorhouse and Utah Royals FC’s Mandy Haught for the honor. It was Berger’s first year in the NWSL and she’s the first European player to win the award. She only conceded 16 goals across her 22 matches for Gotham this season and was a key reason behind her team’s success. I’m not too surprised that Moorhouse did not win, considering how solid the Pride’s defense was as a whole, but this won’t take anything away from a record-breaking season for her.

Wilfried Nancy Named MLS Coach of the Year

Columbus Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy was voted 2024 MLS Coach of the Year after a historic season in which the Crew set club records in both points and goals. The Crew also won the Leagues Cup this summer and their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign included advancing past Tigres and Monterrey en route to the final. This is Nancy’s first time being named Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the award every year since 2021. The Frenchman received 40.02% of the vote, winning the award over Inter Miami’s Gerardo Martino and Colorado Rapids Head Coach Chris Armas.

2025 SheBelieves Cup Details Unveiled

The 10th annual SheBelieves Cup will take place next year and the tournament will return to its usual format where each of the four teams plays each other once. The United States Women’s National Team will host Japan, Colombia, and Australia in February in what should be an exciting tournament. The U.S. will take on Colombia on Feb. 20 in Houston before facing Australia in Arizona on Feb. 23 and finishing the tournament on Feb. 26 against Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. These games will also be the first domestic games of 2025 for the USWNT as it prepares to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Eric Quill Named FC Dallas Head Coach

FC Dallas announced that Eric Quill will become the team’s next head coach. Quill joins Dallas after a great year with New Mexico United that included trips to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and USL Championship Western Conference semifinals. It’s also a reunion of sorts for Quill, as he previously coached North Texas SC and was named USL League One Coach of the Year with the club in 2019. Dallas missed out on the playoffs this season, with Peter Luccin coaching the team on an interim basis after the firing of Nico Estevez in June.

Free Kicks

• District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to a bet involving this weekend’s NWSL Championship, with embarrassing lightshows on the line.

• Atlanta United interim head coach Rob Valentino, who was an Orlando City B assistant coach in 2015 and played for the USL Lions, spoke on Atlanta’s Cinderella run this postseason ahead of his team’s clash with Orlando City on Sunday.
• CF Montreal signed Canadian center back Joel Waterman to a contract extension that will keep him with the club through 2027 with an option for 2028 as well.
• D.C. United signed goalkeeper Jordan Farr from the Tampa Bay Rowdies on a two-year deal. Farr had 11 shutouts with the Rowdies this year and joins a D.C. side that declined the contract options for both Tyler Miller and Alex Bono last month.
• American forward Catarina Macario had an assist for Chelsea in a 3-0 win against Celtic in the Women’s Champions League.
• Spanish midfielder Juan Mata joined San Diego FC’s ownership group ahead of the club’s inaugural MLS season next year.
• Costa Rican club Alajuelense, which is the highest-ranked team in Central America, has hired a legal firm regarding FIFA allowing both Pachuca and Club Leon to take part in the 2025 Club World Cup despite having the same owner.

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