Orlando City
Orlando City vs. Atlanta United: Final Score 3-2 as Late Araujo Red Card Turns Orlando Lead into a Loss
Orlando led 2-1 late, but Cesar Araujo’s moment of madness gave Atlanta life and the hosts took advantage of it.
Orlando City had a 13th straight result in its sights with a late lead, but a late red card turned the game around in a 3-2 loss to Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Lions (7-3-6, 27 points) have no one but themselves to blame for turning a 2-1 lead with minutes to play into a loss, as Cesar Araujo lost his wits and grabbed Mateusz Klich by his throat after being pushed from behind and was given a straight red. That allowed Atlanta (4-7-5, 17 points) to score twice to come from behind and break the Lions’ 12-game unbeaten streak.
Araujo and Ramiro Enrique had given Orlando a 2-1 lead at the break by scoring on either side of an Alexey Miranchuk goal, and the Lions were defending resolutely with 13 minutes left in normal time, when the game got drunk after a routine foul by substitute Kyle Smith. Klich pushed Araujo from behind, and the Uruguayan took exception, putting his hand on the base of the throat of the Atlanta midfielder. It was perhaps soft, but it was also not a smart play, and Araujo was immediately sent off for violent conduct that wasn’t all that violent but was rather foolish.
After the sending off, Bartosz Slisz leveled the game for the hosts, prompting a reaction from the Orlando City bench that got Head Coach Oscar Pareja sent off. Jamal Thiare then scored off a needless giveaway in the defensive half late in stoppage time to steal the last point away from Orlando.
“I thought we played a very good 70 minutes until the red card and (that’s) something that we’re going to be loud (about) internally with the behavior of the referee,” Pareja said after the match. “I want to leave it there, but we (aren’t) very impressed with the way that was handled, because it was a game well played. We were doing the right things. And that changed the whole thing. So, we’re obviously frustrated, but we’re going to follow our protocols, as we always do with the league, and we’ll take care of that the best professional way possible.”
Pareja’s lineup again featured Pedro Gallese in goal behind a back line of David Brekalo, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, and Alex Freeman. Araujo was joined in central midfield by Joran Gerbet with attacking midfielders Ivan Angulo and Marco Pasalic, with Martin Ojeda and Enrique up top.
The game got going early. Atlanta won a corner kick and the cross found Derrick Williams at the far post in the third minute, but the defender’s soft header was no trouble for Gallese, who made a routine catch.
The Lions went the other way after the save and scored the game’s first goal. Ojeda sent a centering pass to the middle, where Pasalic and Araujo were waiting. Pasalic touched the ball a few inches to Araujo, who had plenty of space and decided to shoot. The defensive midfielder sent his shot just inside the left post to open the scoring in the fourth minute. There was a long video check as Enrique was in an offside position all the way out near the top of the area. The judgment was that his positioning did not affect the goal, and the Lions led 1-0.
Each team had a near miss with a dangerous looking ball that couldn’t find a friendly foot over the next few minutes, before the Lions put together a couple of good attacks. A good buildup on the right fizzled when Enrique tried to force a pass in front to Angulo and Atlanta’s defense intervened in the 11th minute. Four minutes later, Ojeda was sent over the top by Jansson and was in alone on Brad Guzan’s goal on the left. Ojeda fired his shot wide of the right post by a couple of yards, wasting the chance.
Atlanta held the ball a long time after that chance, passing it left and right, picking up some rhythm. That was broken up eventually, but Pasalic opted an audacious long attempt from his own defensive third, and he scuffed his effort, handing the ball right back. Atlanta scored a minute later, punishing the mistake.
Saba Lobjanidze shook loose down the right side, beating Brekalo and sending a cross toward the middle. The ball deflected off Angulo’s heel and hit off Schlegel’s arm, which would have been a penalty, except the rebound fell for Miranchuk β who Gerbet let go β to fire home from point-blank range, tying the game in the 19th minute.
The game settled down a bit for a while after that. The next shot came in the 25th minute when Angulo sent a weak header to Guzan off an Araujo long throw-in.
Orlando regained the lead out of nowhere. Ojeda sent a good ball up the pitch for Enrique, but Williams took it away. The defender then lost the ball and Enrique pounced on it, beating Guzan to the near post to make it 2-1 in the 32nd minute.
Neither side had more than a half-chance until stoppage time. In the first minute of injury time, Angulo made a great pass to send Ojeda in behind on the left. The Lions’ No. 10 sent a dangerous ball to Freeman at the back post, but the ball bounced over his foot to rob him of a tap-in goal.
“With Ojeda, when he’s in that position, he either hits it very hard across or he’ll try to dink it back post,” Freeman said. “didn’t want to anticipate it too much, because if he put it hard across goal, I wanted to be able to tap it. Then he kind of just dinked it right in front of me, and then the bounce kind of…I kind of misjudged it. And then it was kind of by me. But it was a beautiful move by the left side and Ojeda.”
That was the last decent look at goal and the Lions took their one-goal lead into the break.
Atlanta held the halftime advantage in possession (52%-48%) and passing accuracy (87.6%-86.8%), while the Lions recorded more shots (6-5), shots on target (4-2), and corners (2-1).
Atlanta put in a cross just after the restart but it was no trouble for Gallese. The Lions then went the other way and Angulo and Ojeda played a nice 1-2, but Orlando got no scoring chance out of it because Angulo’s first touch on the return pass was far too heavy.
The Lions came agonizingly close in the 50th minute on back-to-back shots. Freeman sent Pasalic down the right flank, with the Croatian cutting inside and firing. His shot took a partial deflection and floated over Guzan but hit the back post. Ojeda had to wait for the ball to come down as Guzan recovered, and then the ball bounced on him. He was eventually able to shoot, but Guzan did well to stop the shot at the near post.
In the 55th minute, Pasalic again got forward again off a nice pass from Ojeda, cut inside, and fired. This time his shot went right down the middle for an easy Guzan save. Three minutes later, Ojeda again had a good look and, again, fired wide to the right of goal from the left.
Atlanta held much of the possession from that point on, but didn’t create much against Orlando’s organized defense. The only threat during that span came from Pedro Amador in the 70th minute, when he was alone on the left but fired his swerving shot off target.
What turned out to be an important decision by Referee Filip didn’t seem like it at the time. Orlando broke a long spell of Atlanta possession when Pasalic won the ball and looked to move up the pitch. Klich completely engulfed the right wing, pulling him back in a bear hug on an obvious tactical foul. Referee Filip Dujic opted not to book Klich for the cynical challenge with no attempt to play the ball, and that ended up helping the host team immensely moments later.
Both teams then started to substitute. The Lions put on more defensive troops in Smith and Eduard Atuesta, removing Angulo and Ojeda for them, with Luis Muriel stepping on for Pasalic in the 73rd and 74th minutes. The idea was to see out the final minutes and take three points back to Orlando.
However, Araujo lost his head a few minutes later and it turned the game around.
Smith’s foul could have gone either way, but the whistle blew and Araujo dribbled the ball forward. Klich wanted to get on with the restart and shoved the Uruguayan down from behind. Araujo got up and came at Klich, who was engaging with another player, from the side, putting his hand up on the base of Klich’s throat. Dujic immediately showed a red card. Orlando has seen worse let go the other way, but it was still a moment of empty-headedness for the midfielder, who took forever to leave, so he’ll expect a fine from the league. Klich was shown a yellow for the initial shove that instigated it. Had Dujic done his job properly moments earlier, both teams would have finished with 10 men, but that no-call was critical to the outcome.
The Lions dealt with the ensuing set piece and held Atlanta at bay for the next several minutes, with Muriel forcing Ajani Fortune into a tactical foul that Dujic did call in the 82nd minute. However, the Lions gave the ball away right after the restart and it was costly.
Jansson cleared a routine ball out of the box with a header, but it only went as far as Slisz. Gerbet was late in recovering, giving the opposing midfielder room to shoot. Slisz’s shot hit the inside of the left post and in, giving Gallese no chance and tying the game in the 83rd minute.
In the aftermath of the goal, Pareja was sent off after confronting the fourth official about the earlier red card on Araujo.
“I came up to the fourth referee, and I asked him why it was a red card (on Araujo),” Pareja said. “The Atlanta player, he pushed Cesar wildly too, and we were the ones who received the red card. And I said, ‘It is not a red card, why did you eject the player?’ And I was coming out from my zone like the other coach did, too. I have been in the league coaching for many years, so this is something natural in the games, but it seems like the (treatment) from them was different. We’re going to address it with the league instead of doing it in public, but what happened today, we’re very frustrated with the way they handled it. If the coaches need to be ejected because we came out eventually from our area, then we all have to be out every single game. It was a normal question to the assistant referee that we do every single game.”
Buoyed by the tying goal, Atlanta continued to attack, but Orlando did well to keep shots coming from distance or angles, and the defense dealt with the crosses in from the flanks. One shot that got through was from Klich in the 88th minute, but he hit it straight at Gallese, who saved comfortably. Gallese made another big save from point-blank range moments later, but the play was offside anyway, so it didn’t count.
Miranchuk sent a shot well off target from range in the fourth minute of stoppage time, and the Lions had at least four more minutes to kill off to earn a road point and extend their unbeaten run to 13.
The Lions had a chance to clear their lines in the fifth added minute, as the ball fell for Atuesta outside his defensive penalty area. Rather than clear it down the field or find a teammate, the Colombian tried a fancy play to knock the ball to himself, but instead Atlanta recovered the ball and immediately attacked. Miranchuk lifted a ball in for Lobjanidze, who got away from Schlegel. The attacker chested the ball down and knocked it over to Thiare, with Jansson caught ball watching and Brekalo on the wrong side of the striker to be able to stop the play. Thiare touched the winner home from point-blank range, and Orlando’s collapse was complete.
Duncan McGuire subbed on late but was not able to do much. Guzan was allowed to waste time without a yellow card, unlike Gallese, who had received one earlier for roughly the same amount of time wasting.
The Lions won a late corner and shouted for handball to no avail late in stoppage time. Gallese had come up for the set piece and the net was wide open. Atlanta was able to move the ball down the pitch but Edward Mosquera was offside and the final shot was over the empty net anyway.
There didn’t seem to be a review of the play in the box, but the ball appeared to come off a teammate from point-blank range and hit the arm of an Atlanta player, and by the way that rule has been officiated this season, that’s not often given, as there is no time for a player to react. That was the last gasp, and the Orlando City streak was over.
Atlanta ended up with the advantage in possession (58.2%-41.8%), shots (13-10), and passing accuracy (87.8%-80.6%). Orlando City put more shots on target (6-5) and won more corners (6-5).
Orlando missed an opportunity to keep building on an outstanding May, as the Lions vomited up their three-game winning streak late. The Lions fell to just 5-11-7 in the all-time series, and 2-5-4 at Atlanta.
“Overall, I feel that we played a good game,” Freeman said. “I feel like the first half, we played very well on the way we want to play. Most of the second half we did as well. Then the little scuffle happened. After that it was just 10 men, us defending, and they were able to get some goals back. Now we have to move on to Saturday against Chicago.”
“The players have to think about what a good job they did until those 75 minutes when the referee got involved with the red card and just bounce back on those positive things,” Pareja said. “Because I thought we played very well until that happened. We cannot forget that, and we have two days to bring forth the message and keep doing what we’re doing, and play against Chicago.”
The Lions have one more quick turnaround before anyone gets any rest, as they return home Saturday to host the Chicago Fire. They won’t have Araujo or Pareja for that match unless some unexpected adjudication happens.
Orlando City
Flashback Friday: July 4, 2023 vs. Toronto FC
Let’s rewind to an Independence Day affair that had plenty of offensive fireworks.
The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.
Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.
At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.
Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.
That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.
Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.
Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.
Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.
The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.
With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.
Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.
Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.
Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.
As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).
Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.
That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 7/3/26
Orlando Pride visit Angel City tonight, NWSL free agents to watch, Portugal and Spain advance, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I don’t have many plans this holiday weekend beyond enjoying some soccer and indulging myself in a few hot dogs to celebrate. It should be a fun weekend, but make sure to stay safe out there if you plan on setting off any fireworks. For now though, let’s get to the links!
Orlando Pride Take On Angel City FC Tonight
The NWSL resumes today and the Orlando Pride will play against Angel City FC at 10 p.m. in their first match since a 3-1 win over Bay FC on May 29. That win capped off a six-game month for the Pride, including a stretch of three straight road games. Meanwhile, Angel City parted ways with Alex Straus over the break after only winning once in May, and tonight’s match will be Leif Gunnar Smerud’s first since being named interim head coach. It can be tough playing an opponent with a new coach, but hopefully the Pride can bring all three points back to Orlando.
Top NWSL Free Agents to Watch
Free agency is officially underway in the NWSL and the list of players with contracts expiring at the end of the year includes some of the league’s best players. Orlando Pride star Marta was listed as one of the top free agents to watch, though I would be pretty shocked if she plays for another NWSL club if she leaves Orlando after this season. Leicy Santos, Debinha, and Rose Lavelle are other skilled attackers who will become free agents, but Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger is sure to have plenty of clubs reaching out for her talents as well.
Portugal and Spain Advance in World Cup
This World Cup hasn’t been short on excitement and that continued with Portugal’s 2-1 win against Croatia. After a scoreless first half, Croatia took the lead thanks to a goal from Ivan Perisic, but Cristiano Ronaldo equalized from the penalty spot and the game was moments away from heading to extra time. Goncalo Ramos gave Portugal the goal it needed to advance deep in stoppage time, but Croatia nearly came back with a goal that was disallowed due to an offside call. Spain cruised to a 3-0 win against Austria to book its spot in the round of 16 as well. Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice for his second brace of the tournament, with Marc Cucurella assisting on both of his goals. Spain and Portugal will square off in the next round in what should be a fantastic match. Switzerland and Algeria kicked off late.
The round of 32 wraps up today with a trio of matches, starting with Egypt’s game against Australia. Cape Verde will then look to shock the world when it plays Argentina, and the late game will be between Colombia and Ghana.
Columbus Crew Sign New Designated Player
The Columbus Crew have signed Spanish midfielder Brais Mendez to a Designated Player contract through the 2028-2029 season with a club option for the 2029-2030 season. Mendez has spent the past four La Liga seasons with Real Sociedad, recording 33 goals and 24 assists in 166 appearances. He gives the crew some additional firepower as reports swirl regarding Diego Rossi’s departure for CF Monterrey. While maybe not in the same headline-grabbing tier of MLS summer signings like Antoine Griezmann or Robert Lewandowski, Mendez is a big addition to the league as the Eastern Conference arms race continues.
Free Kicks
- Kissimmee SC of the United Premier Soccer League thanked Orlando City for hosting a friendly between the two sides.
- CF Montreal sent $2.1 million in General Allocation Money to Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Dani Pereira. Selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, Pereira has contributed six goals and 23 assists in 165 appearances across all competitions for Austin.
- Real Salt Lake reportedly rejected a transfer bid around $3.5 million from CF Monterrey for midfielder Diego Luna.
- American winger Emma Sears reportedly requested a trade from Racing Louisville, although the club is not reportedly interested in a midseason transfer.
- The United States Men’s National Team’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina had record viewership. Understandably so, too, as I spent most of the match pacing around my living room.
- MFK Karvina, which won the Czech Cup to claim a spot in the fourth round of Europa League qualifying, has been banned from European competitions next season by UEFA for match fixing.
- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated that pubs in England will stay open until 5 a.m. there on the night of England’s World Cup match against Mexico.
- Santi Cazorla has announced his retirement at age 41 after spending the past three seasons with his boyhood club, Oviedo.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 7/2/26
USMNT shuts out Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kat Asman loaned to Denver Summit FC, MLS transfer news, and more.
Wednesday nights are starting to feel magical. Orlando City has thrived this year when playing on Wednesdays, and now the United States Men’s National Team has provided us with a reason to tackle this Thursday at full force. Before we dive into that result and the rest of today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown!
USMNT Survives Red Card to Advance
The U.S. won 2-0 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in an emotional rollercoaster of a match in the World Cup’s round of 32. Folarin Balogun got the U.S. on the board at a crucial time right before halftime by scoring his third goal of the tournament. But the game flipped on its head in the second half when Balogun was shown a harsh red card by the referee after video review for a foul when he accidentally came down on the back of an opponent’s foot. The Yanks fought hard to make up for the difference of being down a player and doubled their lead after earning a free kick right outside the box. Malik Tillman’s shot went up and over the wall and into the net for a goal U.S. fans will be replaying over and over again.
The U.S. did well to grind out the win after that second goal, with former Lion Alex Freeman doing his part on defense to help shut out Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a memorable win, and now the U.S. will turn its focus to its round-of-16 matchup against Belgium on Monday.
Pride Loan Goalkeeper Kat Asman to Denver Summit
The Orlando Pride loaned goalkeeper Kat Asman to the Denver Summit for the remainder of the 2026 NWSL season. Asman is coming off of a loan with Lexington SC in the Gainbridge Super League, where she played every minute of the season to help Lexington win the title. She posted 11 clean sheets with Lexington last season and won the league’s Golden Glove as well. Asman has yet to make an appearance for the Pride since joining prior to the 2025 season, and her contract expires at the end of the season. She now heads to Denver, where Abby Smith has done well in goal as the expansion team’s starter.
MLS Transfer News Roundup
Real Salt Lake sent $625,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Atlanta United in exchange for winger Saba Lobjanidze and a third-round pick in the 2028 MLS SuperDraft, with another $100,000 in GAM going Atlanta’s way if he re-signs with Real Salt Lake. The Columbus Crew fully acquired defender Andres Herrera from River Plate after an extended loan, signing him to a contract through the 2028-2029 season. The LA Galaxy transferred defender Mauricio Cuevas to Santos Laguna, the New England Revolution added forward Wilson Harris, and Sporting Kansas City signed center back Moises Mosquera from FC Juarez. The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn, with Daniel heading to FC Dallas in a trade if that happens. It’s somewhat surprising considering Daniel has done well to help San Jose only concede 15 goals this season.
European Nations Move On After Dramatic Comebacks
This World Cup continues to deliver thrilling games during this new round-of-32 phase. Senegal looked certain to go through to the next round until Belgium scored a pair of goals after the 85th minute to knot the game at 2-2 and send it into extra time. The game was decided by a penalty, but not in a shootout, as a foul in the box resulted in Youri Tielemans scoring from the spot to give Belgium the victory. In Atlanta, Harry Kane scored twice to rescue England in a 2-1 win over the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Brian Cipanga gave the Congo an early lead, but Kane struck twice in the second half, with his winner being one of the best goals of the tournament so far.
England is now set to face Mexico at the Azteca on Sunday in what should be a great game. As for today’s action, Orlando City winger Marco Pasalic and Croatia will take on Portugal in a matchup between European heavyweights. The winner of that match will face whoever prevails today between Spain and Austria, with Switzerland and Algeria squaring off in the late night match.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City B remained in eighth in the MLS NEXT Pro power rankings following its draw and shootout loss to Columbus Crew 2.
- Boston Legacy FC bolstered its defense by signing American center back Deja Davis on a free transfer. Davis has spent the past two seasons with Paris FC.
- Bayern Munich signed Moroccan attacker Ismael Saibari from PSV Eindhoven for a transfer fee reported to be around $63 million. Saibari has scored three goals so far for Morocco this World Cup and was named Eredivisie Player of the Year after recording 15 goals and eight assists last season.
- Despite its precarious financial situation, Chelsea signed Italian fullback Marco Palestra from Atalanta for a reported $57 million transfer fee. The 21-year-old showed plenty of pace with Atalanta and signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea.
- Sebastian Beccacece stepped down as Ecuador’s head coach following the team’s loss to Mexico at the World Cup.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
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