Happy Friday! It’s been a long week, but we’ve made it. We’re rewarded with a thrilling slate of Orlando soccer that begins when Orlando City hosts Atlanta United on Decision Day. Orlando City B also kicks off its playoff campaign Sunday before the Orlando Pride take on NJ/NY Gotham FC. Plan your weekend accordingly and have some fun out there!

Pride Exercise Summer Yates Contract Option

The Orlando Pride and midfielder Summer Yates agreed to exercise the option on her contract to keep her at the club through 2026. The Pride selected Yates in the fourth round of the 2023 NWSL Draft in what was quite the coup for the club. The 24-year-old has scored five goals this season, including three winners to help the Pride gain valuable points en route to winning the NWSL Shield. She just signed a new contract with the club in July and it seems the club has wasted no time securing her talents for 2026.

Orlando Pride Prepare for Gotham

For the first time this year, the Orlando Pride will aim to bounce back from a loss when they take on NJ/NY Gotham FC Sunday. With the top seed in the playoffs locked up, this will be the Pride’s final road game of the year. Sunday’s match is a heavyweight showdown between two of the league’s top teams, as Gotham sits third in the standings and hasn’t lost since the Pride beat the defending champs 2-0 in Orlando on Sept. 1. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on how the team is getting ready for this match while keeping the postseason in mind.

Emily Sams Called Up for USWNT Friendlies

Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams was one of 26 players called up for the United States Women’s National Team’s training camp this month ahead of friendlies against Iceland and Argentina. Sams could make her first USWNT appearance this month, although she did receive a gold medal for being on a game day roster at this summer’s Olympics. She’s been one of the best players in the NWSL this year, so it’s great to see her called up by USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes. Of those called up, 14 players have fewer than 20 appearances with the USWNT, including forward Emma Sears, defender Eva Gaetino, and midfielder Olivia Moultrie. Forward Jaedyn Shaw is also back after missing out on playing in the Olympics due to an injury right before the tournament began.

Man Charged With Arson at Orlando City Game

Federal prosecutors announced that Giovanni Isai Ramirez Reyes has been charged with arson for releasing two flares into the supporters’ section at Orlando City’s home game against CF Montreal in this season’s opener. A child suffered burns as a result of the incident according to the indictment, and Orlando City stated it’s been working with law enforcement to identify those responsible. The arrest was made earlier this week and Ramirez Reyes pleaded not guilty to the charges. He faces up to 40 years in federal prison if convicted.

Free Kicks

• Kansas City Current midfielder Desiree Scott will retire once this season is over after a career that’s included three stints playing in Kansas City.
• Here’s a breakdown of the playoff scenarios heading into the penultimate week of the NWSL regular season. Bay FC and the Portland Thorns can clinch the final playoff spots this weekend.
• The Levine Leichtman family has completed its acquisition of the San Diego Wave from Ron Burkle.
• West Ham’s Rehanne Skinner, who is just one of two English women managers in the Women’s Super League, spoke on how there should be more support and opportunities for women to receive coaching experience.
• French midfielder Paul Pogba spoke on how he considered retirement after being handed a four-year ban, which was later reduced to 18 months earlier this month.
• Atletico Madrid was successful in its appeal regarding fans throwing items on the field in a derby match with Real Madrid. As a result, the three-game partial stadium ban was reduced to one game and the fine was changed from $49,000 to just $3,200.

That’ll do it for me today. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!

Orlando City hosts rival Atlanta United this Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. Despite having already secured a spot in the playoffs, the Lions will try to lock up fourth place and home-field advantage for the first round. It’s a Decision Day match against a rival. It doesn’t get any better than that.

What does Orlando City need to do to earn all three points and close the door on Atlanta United’s slim playoff hopes?

Solve the Defensive Midfield Puzzle

Wilder Cartagena is suspended for this match due to yellow card accumulation. As such, Orlando City’s excellent defensive midfield pairing of Cartagena and Cesar Araujo will not be on the field together. Whether Oscar Pareja decides to plug and play with a backup for Cartagena or change shape will impact how effective Orlando City’s defense is against Atlanta.

If Pareja decides to change shape, he could employ a 5-3-2 as he did earlier in the season to cover for Cartagena’s absence. I don’t believe this will be the route he will take given that he won’t have every player available and because Cartagena as the middle center back was key to that formation. Even if some players like David Brekalo and Dagur Dan Thorhallsson return from injury, they won’t be back to 90-minute match fitness. Additionally, Pareja likes to stick with what has been working, and that is his traditional 4-2-3-1, although he has gone to a 4-4-2 at times.

If Pareja decides to simply sub in another player, he has several to choose from. Nico Lodeiro, Felipe Martins, Jeorgio Kocevski, and Heine Gikling Bruseth are all available. As much as I’d be interested in seeing what Bruseth brings to the table, I think it’s doubtful we see him get any minutes this season. I think that the match is too important for Kocevski to get the start, which leaves Felipe and Lodeiro. Felipe offers a bit more on the defensive end, and Lodeiro a bit more on offense. My guess is that Pareja starts Lodeiro to help get a lead, and then subs on Felipe to defend it.

Continue the Crooked Numbers

Orlando City has scored at least two goals in each of its last seven matches. That has resulted in six wins, with the only blemish being the 4-3 loss to the second-place Columbus Crew. In those seven matches, the Lions scored 19 goals, spread over seven goal scorers. Facundo Torres leads the way with five in that period, followed by Ramiro Enrique with four, Duncan McGuire with three, Luis Muriel and Ivan Angulo each with two, and defenders Rodrigo Schlegel and Rafael Santos with one goal apiece.

With the one outlier, the Lions have been successful when scoring multiple goals. In that same seven-match period, Atlanta United gave up 10 goals. In four of those, the Five Stripes conceded two goals. I’m not saying that Atlanta is bad defensively, but it isn’t better than Orlando City in that department — both have allowed 48 goals this season. I am saying that Atlanta is vulnerable, especially if the Lions can keep their chances on target.

Bounce Back from the Break

This will be the first match following the international break. While some players, like Pedro Gallese, Cartagena, and Torres, are returning from their respective national teams, others have only had training sessions with the club. When a club is in good form, such a break can be detrimental. How well the Lions pick back up where they left off is crucial.

The good news is that they are playing at home. A raucous crowd can go a long way towards helping a team’s performance. Additionally, this is a rivalry match. While supporters are usually more invested in the rivalries, the players will certainly be aware of what it means to the club. Orlando City players also have the advantage of sleeping in their own beds and maintaining their regular schedules heading into this match. Sometimes it’s the little things that make a difference.

That is what I will be looking for Saturday night. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Vamos Orlando!

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope you all have been enjoying the cooler temperatures this week. It’s been nice to break out some long sleeves and it gives me a chance to acclimate before a trip to Maine next week. I may even drink some hot coffee today instead of the usual cold brew. Let’s get this Thursday started with today’s links!

Facundo Torres’ Path to Orlando

Orlando City forward Facundo Torres is enjoying his best season yet with the Lions, scoring 18 goals across all competitions to help the Lions climb up the Eastern Conference standings. It’s his third year in the City Beautiful, joining the club as a Designated Player from Penarol back in 2022. The 24-year-old discussed just how quickly things changed after just one year playing professionally with Penarol.

“At first, I was a little afraid and a little nervous because it was my first time going off on my own,” Torres told WESH 2 recently. “I could only enjoy a year of being a professional in Peñarol because everything happened so fast, debuting and then going to the national team and then the transfer to Orlando — it happened so fast. But I found good people in this club, and the Hispanic community here is big, so that helped me feel at home.”

Torres also talked about how soccer fits in Uruguay’s culture, as well as how his work ethic has helped him reach this point in his career. Orlando’s roster features players from many different cultures, with many hailing from countries in South America. The result is a unique club culture that’s helped the team build a strong identity and find success.

Orlando City Prepares for Decision Day

Orlando City will host Atlanta United on Saturday in what should be an exciting Decision Day showdown between the two rivals. Both teams have plenty to play for beyond the usual bragging rights, as the Lions aim to secure home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs while Atlanta fights for a spot in the postseason. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke on how the team is maintaining momentum after the international break to finish the season strong before the playoffs.

Yutaro Tsukada Honored For Rookie Season

Orlando City B’s Yutaro Tsukada was an honorable mention at forward in this year’s MLS NEXT Pro Best XI. Drafted with the 25th overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft, Tsukada had seven goals and seven assists in 22 matches with OCB this season. His efforts earned him a contract with the first team in August and he’s made three appearances with the Lions. It’s nice to see the 23-year-old receive some recognition for a solid first year. I think an argument could definitely be made that Alex Freeman deserved a spot after recording eight goals and nine assists this season. The Young Lions are back in action this Sunday for a playoff match on the road against Chicago Fire FC II.

USMNT Will Face Jamaica in Nations League

The United States Men’s National Team will take on Jamaica in next month’s Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. The first match of the two-leg series will take place in Kingston on Nov. 14 before the two teams face off again in St. Louis on Nov. 18. The U.S. has won all three of the past editions of the Nations League and beat Jamaica 3-1 in the semifinals earlier this year in a match that was closer than the score suggests. Jamaica tends to keep things tight when playing the U.S. and went undefeated in its group play to reach the quarterfinals. It will be interesting to see how Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino builds his lineup for his first Nations League matches.

FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Kicks Off

The U.S. had a rough start to its U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign with a 3-1 loss to Spain. An own goal gave Spain an early lead, but the U.S. battled back with a goal from Melanie Barcenas later in the first half. Spain took all three points though with Noa Ortega scoring and then providing the assist on Spain’s third goal. The result puts the U.S. last in its group for the time being, as Colombia and South Korea played to a 1-1 draw. The U.S. will play its next match Saturday against Colombia before taking on South Korea Tuesday to close out its group play.

Free Kicks

• Congratulations to former Orlando Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, who was inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.

• You can download a customized cover featuring the Lions for EA Sports FC 25. I haven’t played a soccer video game in a while, but this is pretty dang cool to see regardless.

• Boston’s NWSL team apologized for the “Too Many Balls” part of its marketing campaign. It’s honestly such a baffling thing to have existed in the first place. Hopefully those in charge make some changes about the name BOS Nation FC as well.

• American defender Emily Fox scored her first goal for Arsenal in a 4-1 win over Valerenga in the Champions League.
• It’s official: Thomas Tuchel is England’s new manager. He will get started in January, with Lee Carsley serving as the interim head coach for the team’s UEFA Nations League matches next month.

I hope you all have a great Thursday as we get ready for a weekend filled with Orlando soccer to enjoy. Make sure to stay hydrated out there!