Happy Tuesday, everyone. All three of Orlando’s soccer teams have made the playoffs for the first time ever. With Orlando City back in action tomorrow we don’t have any time to rest on our laurels. Before we get into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B defender Zakaria Taifi.

Lions Earn Weekly Recognition

A pair of Lions were rewarded for their performances in Saturday’s 3-1 win over FC Dallas with starting spots in the latest edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. Rodrigo Schlegel gets the start on the left side of a back three, while Ramiro Enrique gets the nod as the right midfielder. Enrique nabbed the game’s first goal with an outstanding flicked header from a Rafael Santos cross despite being one of the shortest players on the field, and he also stole the ball and provided the assist for Facundo Torres’s goal. Schlegel scored the game’s second goal with another header from a corner, beating Dallas defenders to send the ball home. Andrew DeSalvo gave Schlegel an 8 out of 10 and Ramiro an 8.5 out of 10 and Man of the Match honors in his player grades, so it’s nice to see them get some more widespread recognition as well. Keep it up, boys!

Angelina Up for Goal of the Week

Continuing the theme of Orlando players being recognized for their performances over the weekend, Angelina’s strike against the Houston Dash has been nominated for NWSL Goal of the Week. With the Pride leading the game in the 51st minute, the ball fell to Angelina on the edge of the area. She took a couple touches to set herself before firing her shot past Jane Campbell and into the net. It’s a worthy contender for NWSL Goal of the Week so make sure you go cast your vote for her!

MLS Stock Watch

With just a handful of games left in the MLS regular season, form matters now more than ever, and that makes this a good time to check in on which way various teams are trending. LAFC won the U.S. Open Cup and then beat FC Cincinnati on the road all in the span of a few days, so it’s definitely going in the right direction. So too are the Seattle Sounders, who are 10-2-2 in their last 14 league games, and Orlando City, which sits in fourth in the Eastern Conference and will need to keep winning in order to stay there. The same can’t be said for the Chicago Fire, Sporting Kansas City, and St. Louis City SC, as all three have been eliminated from postseason contention. The plights of those teams pale in comparison to the San Jose Earthquakes though, as not only are they locked in as the team that will receive the Wooden Spoon, but they’re also in real danger of setting some unfortunate league records in the process.

Americans in Midweek Action

It’s a busy time of year when it comes to the soccer calendar, and that means there are a number of Americans who will be taking part in games during the week. Things kick off in the Champions League today, as Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan face Bayer Leverkusen, while Malik Tillman, Richie Ledezma, Ricardo Pepi, and PSV Eindhoven face Sporting CP. Wednesday features Folarin Balogun and Monaco facing off against Dinamo Zagreb, while Weston McKennie and Juventus will take on Red Bull Leipzig. Things finish on Friday with Joe Scally and Borussia Mönchengladbach in action against Augsburg, and Gianluca Busio’s Venezia traveling to play Hellas Verona.

Free Kicks

• The Orlando Pride rightly remained at the top of ESPN‘s NWSL power rankings.
• Orlando City rose three spots to 10th place in the same outlet’s MLS power rankings.
• Antoine Griezmann has retired from playing for the French national team.
• Ousmane Dembele has been dropped for Paris Saint-Germain’s upcoming Champions League game against Arsenal after an argument with head coach Luis Enrique.

That’s all for me this morning, vamos Orlando!

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I finished working all the Chicago Cubs baseball games at Wrigley Field for the season and will cover some high school girls volleyball later this week. Over the weekend, Orlando City and the Orlando Pride both won, while OCB was off. Before we get into today’s links, let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City midfielder Felipe.

Lions Win On the Road Against FC Dallas

Orlando City went on the road and defeated FC Dallas 3-1 at Toyota Stadium Saturday. That was Orlando’s first-ever road win against FC Dallas, and it also clinched a playoff spot for the Lions for the fifth straight year. Ramiro Enrique, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Facundo Torres all scored for Orlando in the team’s fourth win in its last five matches. Orlando City is fourth in the Eastern Conference with 46 points, just two ahead of New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls. The Lions will have a quick turnaround with a midweek matchup at home on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union.

Pride Complete Sweep of Houston Dash

The Orlando Pride extended their unbeaten run with a 3-1 victory against the Houston Dash in front of a club Inter&Co Stadium crowd Saturday. Carson Pickett scored the opener for the Pride in the first half. Angelina’s goal extended Orlando’s lead early in the second half. The Houston Dash pulled one back, but Marta put the match away with a goal in stoppage time to seal the win for the Pride. The win extends the club’s unbeaten streak to 23 matches dating back to last season, and Orlando stays atop the NWSL standings with 54 points. The Pride will return to Inter&Co Stadium Sunday to face the Washington Spirit and a win would clinch the NWSL Shield.

Orlando to Host FIFA Club World Cup Matches

Camping World Stadium and Inter&Co Stadium were both announced over the weekend as two of the 12 venues that will host matches in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup next summer. Orlando is the only city chosen to have two venues hosting matches. Below are the other cities and stadiums selected by FIFA to host matches throughout the tournament.

The tournament, which will feature 32 clubs from around the world, will kick off in June and run through July. The draw will be in December, and MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will host the final.

Americans Abroad in Europe

It was a good weekend for many Americans in action over in Europe. Christian Pulisic continued his stellar form, scoring a goal for the fourth straight match for AC Milan, which defeated Lecce 3-0 in Serie A. Josh Sargent added two assists for Norwich City over the weekend as his side beat Derby County 3-2 on the road in EFL Championship action. Folarin Balogun played 90 minutes and scored a goal for AS Monaco, which edged Montpellier 2-1 in Ligue 1. Ricardo Pepi made a rare start and took advantage, scoring two goals for PSV Eindhoven in a 2-0 win against Willem II 2-0 as his side remains atop the Eredivisie.

Free Kicks

• During Saturday’s match, the Orlando Pride celebrated defender Celia Jimenez’s nomination for the Lauren Holiday Impact Award for her work in the community with Spacekids Global.

• On Friday, Portland Thorns forward Christine Sinclair announced that she will retire from playing professional soccer at the end of the 2024 NWSL season.

• The UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage draw has been announced. Barcelona has Manchester City in its group, Chelsea has Real Madrid, and Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Arsenal are all in the same group.
• The Madrid derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid ended in a 1-1 draw. The match was temporarily suspended for 20 minutes due to fans throwing lighters and plastic bottles on the pitch.
• Osasuna stunned Barcelona with a 4-2 win over the weekend and snapped its perfect start in La Liga, ending its seven-match unbeaten streak.

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

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I made it through the hurricane fairly unscathed over here in Tampa but plan on helping some friends closer to the gulf with yard cleanup. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City/OCB goalkeeper Carlos Mercado!

Reliving Orlando City History With Miguel Gallardo

As part of the series highlighting the people who have had a hand in Orlando City’s history over the past 13 years, the spotlight deservedly landed on Miguel Gallardo. The former Lion spoke on his decision to follow the team to Orlando after the final Austin Aztex season in 2010.

“It was a big decision for me because in Austin I had a business and my family there,” he said. “It was not an easy decision for me, but soccer was always attractive to me, and I felt like I could do better than the way I did in the academy when I was starting out playing in Mexico. Eight of the guys were going to be moving with the team, so I felt like there was a little family there, so after a lot of thought, I decided to come, and it was really special right from the get-go.”

Gallardo was a major part of Orlando’s time in the USL Pro as the team’s goalkeeper and detailed his experience in the 2011 USL Pro championship and in a friendly against Newcastle United. He’s been a part of the Orlando soccer community since retiring as well, climbing the ranks of broadcasting and coaching in the area as well.

New Opportunities Arise for Americans Players

A new United States Men’s National Team head coach in Mauricio Pochettino means plenty of new opportunities for Americans on the fringes of the player pool to get a look. Orlando City forward Duncan McGuire was noted as one such player who deserves some consideration from Pochettino. Although he wasn’t able to take the Olympics by storm this past summer, McGuire has done well at the club level and could give the USMNT another option up top. If Pochettino can elevate McGuire’s game, it would be a boon for the Lions as well.

Young attackers like Diego Luna, Luca Koleosha, and Rokas Pukstas could flourish from Pochettino’s coaching as well. Richie Ledezma, who has been playing at right back for PSV Eindhoven, is also a player to keep an eye on while Sergino Dest recovers from injury.

Kei Kamara Speaks On Importance of U.S. Open Cup

LAFC beat Sporting Kansas City in the U.S. Open Cup final Wednesday night, with striker Kei Kamara helping his team lift the trophy. There’s a great deal of uncertainty for the tournament moving forward, as not every MLS team played in it this year. Following the win, Kamara discussed how the league shouldn’t stop participating in the historic tournament and stated that MLS Commissioner Don Garber “better not take this away.” It’s Kamara’s second time winning the U.S. Open Cup, claiming the title with Kansas City in 2012, and he’s second on the league’s all-time scoring list. It’s great to hear a veteran like Kamara speak so openly about wanting the U.S. Open Cup to stay a part of MLS history.

“We go through the systems of everything that’s happened. They told us to go to school, play soccer in school, go to college, play soccer in college, get drafted, go through the system, and that’s what we’ve done. That’s why I give so much credit to Chris Wondolowski because we’ve done the same things. That’s the American dream that we wanted to do and we made it here so you can’t take away from our history. That’s just my opinion. Don’t take away our history.”

Europa League’s Opening Round Wraps Up

The first round of matches in this year’s revamped Europa League is over and done with and multiple clubs got their campaigns started off on the right foot. Tottenham played a majority of its match against Qarabag a man down, but still managed to win 3-0 at home. Ajax cruised to a 4-0 win against Besiktas, Rangers won 2-0 over Malmo in Sweden, and Lyon beat Olympiacos 2-0 at home. AS Roma had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao after conceding in the 85th minute. Eintracht Frankfurt also couldn’t hold onto its lead, allowing two late goals to draw 3-3 at home to Viktoria Plzeň.

Free Kicks

• Former USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter is reportedly a finalist to become the Chicago Fire’s sporting director, but it could be a hybrid role that has him as head coach as well. FC Dallas interim head coach Peter Luccin is reportedly the frontrunner for the permanent gig, and Bruce Arena is in the mix for the San Jose Earthquakes opening.
• Trinity Rodman will miss the Washington Spirit’s match tonight against Angel City FC due to her back injury. We’ll see if she’s ready to roll when the Spirit visit Orlando to face the Pride on Oct. 6.
• AC Milan is reportedly interested in signing American midfielder Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis.
•  Luis Ruiz was suspended for three months for his violent tackle on Christian Bermudez in Mexico’s second division earlier this month. Bermudez suffered a double fracture in his right leg as a result.
• USL Super League team Fort Lauderdale United FC has rescheduled its upcoming home game due to delays in construction at its stadium.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend.