Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! If you’re wanting some soccer to watch tonight, there is the MLS All-Star Game against the Liga MX All-Stars. Orlando City’s Maxime Crepeau will be in attendance and will most likely make an appearance. I think they should move to an Eastern Conference versus Western Conference model, but that isn’t the case yet. For now, let’s get to the links.

Lovable Lions

It’s not often lately that Orlando City gets any love from the media, but it actually happened in the latest MLS power rankings. The Lions moved up eight spots to 17th following their back-to-back clean sheets over two of the league’s top teams. Crepeau showed love when visiting with Special Olympics athletes ahead of the 11th annual Special Olympics Unified Sports event.

Crepeau followed that up by winning Goalie Wars at Tuesday night’s MLS All-Star Skills Challenge.

Pride Progress

The Orlando Pride were able to secure a victory over the Chicago Stars but still fell one spot to ninth in the Goal.com power rankings. It was what the team needed with Barbra Banda on international duty with Zambia. Given how hard it is for the team to score without her, eking out the win was No. 7 in Yahoo’s NWSL Matchweek 14 Top Moments. The Pride will have a bit more to deal with in their match against the Portland Thorns on August 15 as Meghan Klingenberg will be honored by the team prior to the match.

Banda Rolls over Egypt

Barbra Banda can’t stop scoring. Unfortunately for us, she’s currently scoring goals for Zambia in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The Orlando Pride striker scored four goals in Zambia’s 6-0 victory over Egypt. She was also involved in the other two goals. She earned the penalty for the first goal, though she didn’t take it, and assisted on the other goal she didn’t score. Zambia’s next match will be Saturday against Nigeria.

Potential MLS Rules Changes

MLS owners are meeting to hear a presentation concerning major changes to the structure of the league’s roster rules and regulations. In the proposal, the salary cap system isn’t going away but will be changed to be more open. The league is trying to change how teams spend money on rosters without completely overhauling the entire thing. Designated Players will likely still be a thing, as will incentives for signing younger players.

Free Kicks

• Evidently, NWSL teams can sign players that aren’t already with the club. Who knew?

• Former Orlando Pride defender Ali Krieger is on the list of candidates in her first year of eligibility for the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
• It’s been several weeks since the USMNT exited the World Cup and the status of Mauricio Pochettino is still up in the air. How long can U.S. Soccer wait on his decision?
• Gianni Infantino wants to expand his corruption beyond FIFA. Big surprise. However, European teams are considering a World Cup boycott if he goes through with the plan.

• After watching Inter Miami for the last few years, this level of cheating from Lionel Messi shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the video evidence is certainly compelling.

That will do it for today. Don’t forget to watch Maxime Crepeau in the MLS All-Star Game tonight and check back for our coverage of the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

Good morning, everyone. It was a mostly good weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, as the three sides took six of the nine available points on offer. We’ve got another busy week ahead of us as the Orlando Pride travel to face the North Carolina Courage on Friday, Orlando City faces the New York Red Bulls on the road on Saturday, and Orlando City B completes the trio of away games with a road match against Connecticut United on Saturday. We’ve got lots to talk about today, so let’s wish Yutaro Tsukada a happy birthday and get into the links!

Lessons from Matchday 18

Major League Soccer’s 18th matchday is in the books, and there was plenty to be learned from a busy Saturday of action. For one thing, Antoine Griezmann’s fingerprints were all over another Orlando City win, despite no goal contributions for the Frenchman. The Houston Dynamo’s attack looked great in a 3-0 win over Austin FC, despite former Lion Duncan McGuire only coming on as a substitute. LAFC was devastating in transition during a 4-0 romp over Sporting Kansas City. Heung-Min Son opened the scoring after just five minutes, and now has a goal in three straight games after a quiet start to the season and quieter World Cup.

MLS All-Star Game Preview

The MLS All-Star Game is set for Wednesday night in Charlotte, with Orlando City’s Maxime Crepeau set to represent the Lions. Former Lion Richie Laryea is on the MLS roster too, with other key players including Hany Muhktar, Zavier Gozo, and Petar Musa. The Liga MX team features former LAFC player Omar Campos, as well Fernando Gorriaran, Erik Lira, and Israel Reyes — with the latter two fresh off World Cup duty with Mexico earlier in the summer. Charlotte FC’s Dean Smith leads the MLS team, while Toluca’s Antonio Mohamed coaches the Liga MX squad. MLS leads the current version of the format 3-1, with the league’s only loss coming in the 2024 edition that was held in Columbus.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The summer transfer window is in full swing, and we’ve got a lot to catch up on. We start with the Portland Timbers, who are reportedly signing free agent forward Vincent Jannsen.

Charlotte FC, meanwhile, will reportedly sell winger Kerwin Vargas to Atletico Paranaense.

Across the pond, Real Madrid will reportedly be signing Ivorian winger Yan Diomande from Red Bull Leipzig for a deal expected to be worth €135 million. Leeds United is said to be closing in on a deal for Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford for an initial fee of £40 million. Finally, John Stones will reportedly sign for Inter Milan on a two-year deal.

Italy U-Turn on Andrea Pirlo

Italy has backtracked on appointing 2006 World Cup-winner Andrea Pirlo as the team’s next head coach, with federation president Giovanni Malago reportedly concerned over Pirlo’s ties to a Russian betting company. Rumors over the last several days pointed towards Pirlo being appointed soon, and he was apparently ready to leave his current job coaching Dubai United, but several Italian politicians voiced concerns over his links to Russian company Fonbet amid the war in Ukraine. The decision to not hire Pirlo reportedly has Italian technical director Paolo Maldini ready to step down from his role a mere 16 days into the job. This comes after Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti both recently turned down offers to become Italy’s newest head coach.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City rose five spots to no. 28 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
• The Orlando Pride rose one spot to no. 11 in the same publication’s NWSL power rankings.
• Take a look at what Maxime Crepeau got up to during All-Star preparations.

• Caleb Trombino represented Orlando City by starting in the MLS NEXT All-Star Game Monday night. While the midfielder didn’t score, he was a member of the winning East squad that thumped the West 6-1.

• Chicharito has become the first signing for USL Championship side Atletico Dallas.
• Gianni Infantino has been called to appear before Congress amidst an investigation by the House Judiciary Committee.
• Esther Gonzalez has reached a mutual decision to terminate her contract with Gotham FC due to a personal matter back home.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Antoine Griezmann made his first home appearance in front of a sold-out crowd on Saturday night, and he and the Lions sent those fans home smiling. Supporters’ Shield race-leading Nashville SC couldn’t overcome a suddenly stout Orlando defense, and Tyrese Spicer fired a scorcher into the net to give the Lions a 1-0 win and three much-needed points.

Nashville and Orlando were both without some imprtant players, but the Lions were the better team at nearly every position, so I don’t think that played a major factor in this matchup. It’s only been two post-World Cup matches, but the Lions look like a different team. We can only hope it’s a sign of things to come.

Let’s take a look at how Orlando City’s players rated in a memorable victory over the No. 1 team in the league.

Starters

GK, Maxime Crépeau, 6.5 — Crépeau had next to nothing to do on a hot night in Central Florida against a red-hot Nashville team. The Lions put in a defensive shift from the forwards on down, limiting the Nashville attackers to six total shots with three on target. The first shot on target was a point-blank effort in the 42nd minute from a charging Alex Muyl that Crépeau saw coming and snuffed out. Muyl was injured on the play and had to be subbed off at halftime. Crépeau’s other big save on the night denied former Orlando City player Shak Mohammed, who got on the end of a ball over the top and fired right at Crépeau from about 12 yards out. It was only Orlando’s second clean sheet of the season, just three days after posting the first of the year against San Jose. The Canadian international made three saves and passed at a 77.8% success rate.

D, Bernardo Rhein, 6.5 — Hours after signing as a Homegrown Player, Rhein had a good night, especially given the task in front of him. Nashville’s potent attack was a little more focused on his side of the pitch and he handled the challenge well. He applied good defensive pressure throughout his time on the pitch and remained calm under pressure. He recorded one tackle, two interceptions, and one clearance, keeping former teammate Mohammed quiet with the exception of when he was caught up the field to allow the ex-Lion to jump into the attack for one of Nashville’s few dangerous moments. Rhein committed one foul and suffered none. He passed at an 87.5% rate and helped out in the offense with a cross attempt, one key pass, and one long ball that found its target.

D, Robin Jansson, 7 — The captain was once again his usual, stout, solid self. Jansson read the Nashville offensive efforts, heading off plays with well-timed interventions. He made a perfect sliding recovery tackle in the 47th minute on a charging Mohammed to snuff out a promising attack. He made three clearances on the night and blocked two shots. He committed no fouls, and none were committed against him. He passed at a 98.3% rate and attempted one long ball that connected. The defensive efforts of the whole team were so complete, the back line didn’t have to deal with many emergencies.

D, David Brekalo, 6.5 — Along with Jansson, Brekalo was not put in difficult positions too many times, as the Nashville attack tended to come down the wings, and the team in front of the back line was organized and proactive throughout the match. He did his job but only had to make one clearance, no blocks, and no interceptions. He committed no fouls but suffered one. On offense, he managed one key pass. He was clean in his passing at 95.9%. He put a poor header right in front of Sam Surridge during a Nashville breakout, but it was not overly egregious.

D, Griffin Dorsey, 7 — Dorsey was active on offense as well as defense as per usual, contributing three crosses, although none connected, and working down his side of the pitch well in combination with his teammates. His passing was clean as well, especially for an attacking player, at 96.2%. He had a particularly good read on a Nashville attack he snuffed out with a well-timed clearance in the 50th minute. Dorsey applied good defensive pressure all night and was a handful for Nashville in both directions. He made one tackle and one interception, as well as three clearances without committing a foul. He didn’t manage any shots, and suffered two fouls for his efforts.

MF, Tiago, 6 — Tiago was energetic on the night, but he was not overly productive. He wasn’t as indecisive as he was Wednesday night in San Jose, but he made a couple of mental errors and got on the wrong side of his man that forced him to take a yellow card. He committed a completely unnecessary foul in the 20th minute on Andy Najar. who was breaking away, but there were plenty of purple shirts between him and goal. In the 29th minute, he did well to win a ball in midfield but fired an inexplicable ball intended for Crepeau back over the end line, which handed Nashville a corner. He contributed a tackle, committed one foul, suffered one, and passed with an 81.3% rate. He attempted no shots and attempted one long ball and one cross, neither of which found a teammate. He did have some nifty combination play in the 47th minute with Griezmann and Ivan Angulo, then sent a lofted ball to himself that he almost got onto, but Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake was there to catch it.

MF, Braian Ojeda, 7 — Ojeda put in a good shift, especially on defense, with two tackles, an interception, one blocked shot, and one clearance. He was better in the second half than the first, as he looked a bit tired with some poor touches and off-line passes, but he recovered his rhythm after halftime. The 67th minute blocked shot was a crucial one, as it looked like it might have been a contender for a goal, and Ojeda busted a lung to make it back to cover. He committed a foul, suffered one, and managed a shot in the 42nd minute that was blocked. He attempted three long balls with one connecting. His passing accuracy was 80.9%.

MF, Luis Otávio, 7 — Ojeda’s midfield partner Otávio put in a good defensive shift as well in place of the suspended Eduard Atuesta. He had one ill-advised lunge on Mohammed in the 41st minute following an uncalled foul on Angulo, and Nashville broke unimpeded toward the Orlando goal. The play resulted in the Muyl shot and might have been avoided otherwise. Otávio made many crucial contributions, however, and overall he was good on the night. In the 49th, he shut down Ahmed Qasem, who was advancing unopposed toward the Orlando 18-yard box, with a textbook clean tackle. Statistically, Otávio logged three tackles and two clearances, and he committed no fouls and suffered one. He attempted one long ball that connected, managed a key pass, took one shot, and passed with a respectable 90.9% rate.

MF, Ivan Angulo, 8 — Angulo’s work rate never ceases to amaze. He was nearly omnipresent in the match, contributing in attack, especially throughout the first half, and making interventions that disrupted Nashville’s plans before they could develop into threatening opportunities. He had a couple of giveaways in the second half, but these were overshadowed by his outsized contribution to the result. His new hybrid role really seems to be a good fit for the Orlando stalwart. He’s always been a dynamo, but Angulo’s contributions in the last two matches have been above and beyond his usual high rate. His passing rate was 84.6%, and he managed three key passes but took no shots. On defense, he finished with one tackle, one clearance, and a blocked shot. He committed three fouls, suffering one.

F, Justin Ellis, 8.5 (MotM) — Ellis was the Man of the Match for me. There were other candidates. Tyrese Spicer scored the game’s only goal, so he would be a popular choice. Griezmann would be another, of course. But Ellis made the goal happen, and he created many other promising opportunities with his dribbling and shrugging off opponents, including putting Hany Mukhtar on the ground while maintaining possession. Ellis is young, and there is only a small sample size so far, but he exhibits skills and vision that are far beyond not only someone of his age, but quite a few veteran players as well. All throughout the match, Ellis’ control facilitated attacking opportunities for himself and his teammates. He looked for his own offense more in this game as Nashville committed numbers on Griezmann, taking six shots, putting three on target, supplying two key passes, and attempting one long ball that did not connect. He committed no fouls but suffered one. He made no statistical defensive contributions and passed with 83.9% accuracy.

F, Antoine Griezmann, 8.5 — In the first home match of his Orlando City career, Griezmann predictably did not disappoint the sold-out crowd. The Frenchman lived up to his well-earned reputation and contributed both on offense and defense. His quality makes those around him better. His seasoned touch and elite vision create so many opportunities that in the last two matches, Orlando looks like a completely different team. Not to take away from the hard work that the players and staff have been clearly putting in, but Griezmann’s level of skill is simply a huge level-up. I could have easily selected Griezmann for Man of the Match, if not for the more direct role Ellis played in the goal and other opportunities. Griezmann took three shots, although none were on target, sent in five crosses, with one connecting amid Nashville’s big center backs, and contributed two key passes. He made two accurate long ball attempts and passed at an exceptional 91.9% rate, especially for an attacking player, and suffered one foul while committing none. Defensively, he recorded two tackles, one interception, and a clearance.

Substitutes

F, Tyrese Spicer (53′), 8 — Spicer came on for Tiago, and was another player I could have easily picked for Man of the Match honors. In addition to scoring the game’s only goal and securing the three points for the Lions, he just added a spark. That’s nothing new for Spicer, who usually adds energy coming off the bench, and this time he made it count. He was aggressive and active in offense and defense, and makes an exceptional super-sub. He took one shot on the night, which was of course on target, and passed with 80% accuracy. He attempted two crosses, with one connecting with a teammate. Defensively, he made three tackles and two clearances, and he committed no fouls and suffered none.

D, Adrian Marin (69′), 6.5 — Marin came on for Rhein and did well helping to see the match out. Nashville pressed hard in the later stages and Marin did his part to help keep the clean sheet. He made no offensive contributions, unsurprisingly, but he recorded two tackles and four clearances. He passed at 87.5% on eight passes.

D, Iago (69′), 6 — Iago came on for Brekalo and he filled in well enough, but it was difficult to assign a grade. He did not find himself in position to contribute much to the match, which was not necessarily an issue with him. The game just did not seem to find him in the time he was on the pitch, but he was able to combine with the rest of the back line to keep Nashville’s offensive stars from getting a late chance at an equalizer. He passed at an 88.9% success rate on nine passes and recorded no offensive nor defensive stats with the exception of two long ball attempts, both of which found their mark.

F, Harvey Sarajian (85′), N/A — Sarajian subbed on for Ellis, and even though he was only on for a short time, he was able to get involved in the action. He only had five touches and completed one pass, but he made himself a nuisance to Nashville and contributed to seeing out the match. He made one tackle and committed one foul without suffering one. He wasn’t on long enough to earn a score.

MF, Wilder Cartagena (85′), N/A — Cartagena subbed on for Otávio and made an outsized impact on the match as well, given his limited minutes. He had two clearances and committed a foul without suffering one, and otherwise registered no significant stats, but like Sarajian, he imposed himself on the match and helped clinch the points for the Lions, although he didn’t play long enough to earn a grade.

That’s how I saw the individual performances in a much-needed Orlando win. Let us know how you saw the game in the comments below, and don’t forget to vote for your Man of the Match.