Happy Friday, Mane Landers! There’s plenty of soccer to look forward to this weekend, with both the Orlando Pride and Orlando City in action on Saturday before Orlando City B finishes its regular season on Sunday. Hopefully, we’ll have plenty to celebrate over the next few days. But for now, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Justin Ellis Named to First USMNT Roster

United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino called up 28 players for training camp ahead of the team’s first friendlies since the World Cup. Orlando City forward Justin Ellis has had a breakout season at just 19 years old and is one of 13 uncapped players to earn a spot on the roster. Cavan Sullivan, Zavier Gozo, and Julian Hall are a few of the other young talents to keep an eye out for during these matches. Former Lion Alex Freeman, who scored for the U.S. at the World Cup, was called up as well. The U.S. will take on Peru on Sept. 26 at Inter.co Stadium, so hopefully fans will be able to see some familiar faces. Following that match, the Yanks will play against Chile on Sept. 29 in St. Louis before friendlies against Mexico on Oct. 3 and Canada on Oct. 6.

Lions Called Up For International Duty

Ellis isn’t the only Lion who will be with their national team over the next couple of weeks. Midfielder Wilder Cartagena was called up for Peru’s friendlies, along with former Lions Pedro Gallese and Yoshimar Yotun.

Tyrese Spicer was called up for Trinidad & Tobago’s upcoming Concacaf Nations League matches with spots in the quarterfinals up for grabs. Trinidad & Tobago will play against Haiti and the Dominican Republic before a pair of matches against Curacao.

Defender David Brekalo was also called up for Nations League games and will head to Europe for Slovenia’s matches in League B against Scotland, Switzerland, and North Macedonia.

Orlando City’s Club Profile Revealed

MLS released the club roster profiles for each team as of Sept. 15. These profiles have been a great way to see how each team’s roster is constructed, while also showing the contract and option details for each player. The Lions have all Designated Player and MLS U22 Initiative slots filled, with Eduard Atuesta, David Brekalo, and Braian Ojeda listed as TAM players. The profile also reveals that Orlando has $1.86 million in 2026 General Allocation Money remaining, and it’s hard not to wonder about the improvements that could have been made to the team with that money.

Vlatko Andonovski Joins the Chicago Stars

The Chicago Stars have hired Vlatko Andonovski as the club’s chief soccer officer to right the ship after another rough season. Already eliminated from playoff contention, the Stars have only won five games so far this season and fired Martin Sjögren as head coach last month. Andonovski joins the Stars after terminating his contract with the Kansas City Current on Sept. 7. The former United States Women’s National Team head coach has had plenty of success in women’s soccer and it’ll be interesting to see if he can turn things around in Chicago.

Free Kicks

• The Orlando Pride remained in 11th in CBS Sports’s NWSL power rankings following their 2-2 draw on the road against the Kansas City Current.
• The San Diego Wave signed 18-year-old attacker Melanie Barcenas to a contract extension through the 2028 season. She’s been enjoying a breakout season in San Diego, scoring six goals so far this season.
• Despite being called up to the USMNT, Julian Hall stated that he remains open to playing for Poland, which is where his mother is from.
• From the heavyweight match between Roma and Inter in Serie A to the derby match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, here are the matchups to watch for in Europe this weekend.

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

Orlando City traveled to Ohio for a semifinal match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against the Columbus Crew. Unfortunately, this was the end of the Lions’ hunt for a second USOC trophy as the club fell 2-1 to the Crew, failing to advance to the final. This was likely Orlando City’s best chance at a trophy this year, and the congested schedule may prove costly for the club’s chances on the road against a good New England side on Saturday.

Here are my five takeaways from the match.

Of Course it was Martinez

The Lions gave up an early goal, which is never good, but this goal was scored by Josef Martinez. Yeah, that guy is now with Columbus, and of course it was Martinez that gave the Crew the early lead against Orlando City. Antoine Griezmann was the player that kept Martinez onside. The video assistant referee took a look for a possible handball prior to the ball falling for the completely unmarked ex-Atlanta man, but there was nothing to it, and the home team took the lead. I’m fine if I never see Martinez play soccer again.

Welcome Back, Martin Ojeda!

Martin Ojeda started the match, and frankly he didn’t look too sharp in the early going. I should say that he didn’t look sharp until he did. Justin Ellis did some great work to bring the ball to just outside the box, he then sent a great ball across to Ojeda on his left. Ojeda took one touch to set up his cannon of a left foot and blasted a low shot into the bottom right corner past a defender and the outstretched hands of Crew goalkeeper Nicholas Hagan. It was exactly what the Lions needed from their Number 10, pulling Orlando level before the break.

The Double Whammy

There were two minutes in the second half completely changed the tenor of the match. In the 52nd minute, the Crew scored a go-ahead goal. Brais Méndez made a well-timed run to get in behind Robin Jansson and onto the ball from Santiago Rodriguez. There wasn’t anything Mazime Crepeau could to. Then in the 54th minute, Antoine Griezmann went off injured from an earlier challenge at the other end. He came off under his own power, but not having him on the pitch made things more difficult for Orlando City, which looked like a different team without him.

Angulo Put in a Shift

We don’t usually do Player Grades for U.S. Open Cup matches, but Ivan Angulo would have earned a good grade from me for his effort and work rate in this match. As he has in the past, he started on the left wing before moving to right back to finish the match. Even though I thought he occasionally looked tired, he always found the burst of speed when he needed it to either make a run or get back and defend.

A Tired Team

Orlando City looked like a team playing its third match in eight days, while the Crew, who also played three in eight, looked much fresher at home. Martin Perelman made four substitutions in the second half, and while the players who came on brought some energy, the creativity of Griezmann and Ellis (who subbed off) was missing late as Orlando searched for the equalizer. Ultimately, the Crew were able to play keep away to see out the match as the Lions had trouble keeping control long enough to create chances at the end.

That is what I saw in Orlando City’s 2-1 loss to the Columbus Crew. Let us know your thoughts about the match in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

Well, Wednesday night could have gone better. It’s disappointing that we won’t be able to see the U.S. Open Cup final in Orlando, but there’s still plenty of soccer left to play this year for us to get excited about. Before we dive into Orlando City’s game and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando Pride defender Kerry Abello!

Orlando City Falls in Columbus

The Lions were eliminated from the U.S. Open Cup after losing 2-1 on the road to the Columbus Crew in the semifinals. Orlando City nemesis Josef Martinez gave the Crew an early lead, but the Lions managed to level things before halftime through Martin Ojeda. Unfortunately, Antoine Griezmann had to exit the match and the Lions were subpar without him, conceding another goal and failing to muster a single shot on target, let alone find another equalizer. All attention now turns towards securing a spot in the playoffs with nine games left in the regular season.

Orlando Pride, Gabi Nunes Agree to Part Ways

The Orlando Pride announced Wednesday that the club and forward Gabi Nunes have mutually agreed to terminate her contract. The 29-year-old had only just signed with the Pride on Aug. 4 on a contract through the 2026 season, but she managed just two appearances for 16 total minutes while in Orlando. Nunes joined the club after stints in Europe with Aston Villa, Levante UD, and Madrid CFF.

Barbra Banda Details Her Time in the NWSL

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda signed a new contract with the club through the 2029 season and she spoke on how she’s grown as a player since joining the league in 2024.

“Honestly, I’ve learned a lot from this league. I would say it’s one of the best leagues in the world because the teams are so competitive, and you never go into a game relaxed,” Banda said. “You need to up your game each and every time. You need to be mentally fit, physically fit. It’s a battle you need to win, and you have to be smart at the end of the day. I feel I’ve learned a lot, and I’ve improved myself in so many ways. And, not forgetting my teammates, who have helped me to improve, and the technical staff as well. I can feel it myself, this level, it’s different.”

Banda has been phenomenal for the Pride, scoring 41 goals in 62 appearances across all competitions and helping the club win the double in her first year in the league. She’s been one of the best strikers in the league’s history, and it’s great to see her sticking around in the City Beautiful.

U.S. Eliminated From U-20 Women’s World Cup

The United States U-20 Women’s National Team drew 1-1 against Brazil but lost in the ensuing penalty shootout in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup’s round of 16. Brazil took the lead in the 59th minute off of a corner kick, but the U.S. equalized in the 63rd minute, thanks to a strike from Seattle Reign midfielder Ainsley McCammon. The Yanks made four of their attempts in the shootout, but Brazil ultimately prevailed by making all five. It’s a tough way to exit the tournament for the U.S., which was matched up against Brazil in the knockout stage after finishing third in its group.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City forward Justin Ellis was noted as an American expected to be called up for the United States Men’s National Team’s friendlies later this month, which would include the match against Peru in Orlando on Sept. 26.

• Orlando City academy player Lennox Alvarado was called up to the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team’s training camp in Spain, where the team will play against Scotland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.
• The New England Revolution will be without both forward Jack Harrison and midfielder Alhassan Yusuf when they play Orlando City this weekend. Both players are expected to miss over a month due to injuries.
• The NWSL reportedly received eight complaints of either sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, or retaliation so far this year according to reports, but no club names were available.
• The Kansas City Current traded rookie forward Gianna Paul to the North Carolina Courage in exchange for $150,000 in intra-league funds.
• Chelsea announced that Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have sold their stakes in the club, giving Clearlake Capital full control in the process.

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