How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s been a bit of a hectic week, but things are finally settling down a bit for me as we get ready for a weekend filled with soccer. The World Cup may not be here just yet, but we do have international soccer to enjoy as teams get in their final preparations. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links!

Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup Semifinal Date Unveiled

The date and time for Orlando City’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal against the Columbus Crew were announced, with the Lions set to play at 7 p.m. on Sept. 16 at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Ohio. Following wins against FC Naples and the New England Revolution in earlier rounds, Orlando City reached the semifinals after a convincing 4-1 win over Atlanta United in the quarterfinals earlier this month. Now the Lions are just two wins away from lifting the trophy for the second time in the past five years. They should also have Antoine Griezmann available to tip the scales after he arrives this summer. If the Lions advance then they will host either the Colorado Rapids or St. Louis City in the final on Oct. 21.

Andre-Pierre Gignac Linked With Orlando City

It’s not much more than a rumor at this point, but French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac is reportedly close to leaving Tigres to sign with Orlando City according to journalist Diego Armando Medina on the RG La Deportiva radio show. Gignac has spent the past decade with Tigres in Mexico and is the club’s all-time leading scorer. That being said, he’s also 40 years old and the move wouldn’t necessarily line up with the team’s efforts to develop young players like Justin Ellis. Only time will tell if this rumor has legs or if big names in French soccer will continue to be linked with the Lions due to Griezmann’s impending arrival. Either way, I don’t think an aging striker is going to keep the ball out of Orlando’s net.

Orlando Pride Prepare for Bay FC

The Orlando Pride are back in action on Friday with a home game against Bay FC in their final game before the summer break. The Pride closed out a string of road games with a 1-0 win against the San Diego Wave and will face a Bay team that has only scored eight goals this season. Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz and defender Aldana Cometti both received red cards in their previous match, while Pride midfielder Angelina will miss this match after being handed an additional suspension from the NWSL Disciplinary Committee. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on how the team is preparing for this home game after a long road trip.

Pride Trio Called Up By Brazil

Orlando Pride players Marta, Angelina, and Rafaelle were all called up for Brazil’s pair of friendlies next month against the United States. Both matches will take place in Brazil as the two nations prepare for next year’s World Cup, which will be hosted by Brazil. Marta and Angelina were both part of Brazil’s winning team in last year’s Copa America Femenina, with Angelina scoring once and Marta twice in the final against Colombia.

USWNT Roster Announced for Brazil Friendlies

The United States Women’s National Team roster for these friendlies was also announced, with Head Coach Emma Hayes calling up 26 players for the team’s training camp. Trinity Rodman, Sophia Wilson, and Mallory Swanson were all called up together for the first time since dominating the 2024 Summer Olympics. While Naomi Girma, Catarina Macario, and Sam Coffey aren’t available due to injury, goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn and midfielders Croix Bethune and Riley Jackson are back in the mix. The USWNT will first take on Brazil on June 6 in Sao Paulo before a second match on June 9 in Fortaleza.

Philadelphia Union Part Ways With Bradley Carnell

Bradley Carnell’s time as the Philadelphia Union’s head coach has come to a close, with the two sides parting ways after only winning one game so far this season. Carnell was named MLS Coach of the Year last year after helping the Union win Supporters’ Shield, but the team has struggled mightily this year. Philadelphia also named John Scheer as its sporting director, removing the interim tag, and he will begin the hunt for a new head coach. Until then, Philadelphia Union II Head Coach Ryan Richter will serve as the first team’s interim head coach.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City goalkeeper Javier Otero was called up by Venezuela for friendlies against Turkey and Iraq.

• The Chicago Stars have conceded the most goals in the NWSL so far this season and have fired Richard Feuz as their general manager.
• An investigation into FIFA’s ticketing practices for the World Cup was announced by New Jersey’s and New York’s attorneys general.
• Despite being relegated, West Ham announced that Nuno Espirito Santo will stay on as the club’s manager.
• Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano 1-0 to win the UEFA Conference League. American defender Chris Richards was on the bench but did not play.
• A giant statue of Lionel Messi in India is set to be taken down after an investigation found that its structural integrity was severely compromised.

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

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. We’re almost completely into the World Cup break as the Orlando Pride still have one more match this Friday. I think that the break will help both Orlando City and the Pride, plus we get a lot of hopefully exciting international matches. For now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City (and Related) Call-Ups

With the World Cup break upon us, we now know officially which players will represent their countries at the competition. Orlando City’s David Brekalo will represent Slovenia at the World Cup this summer. Obviously, we offer a big congratulations to him on this honor.

Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau made the Canadian National Team roster. In addition to Crepeau, former Lions Cyle Larin and Richie Laryea will represent Canada. Former Lion Alex Freeman made the USMNT roster — more on the rest of the roster below — despite not getting the playing time with Villarreal that he would have gotten with Orlando City.

Orlando Pride Power Up

Thanks to Nicole Payne’s well-placed shot, the Orlando Pride are up two spots to No. 8 in All for XI’s NWSL power rankings. It was Payne’s first professional goal and it came at a perfect time for the Pride. It was a great comeback for the Nigerian after being out injured since the 2024 season while with the Portland Thorns. It was nice to see someone other than Barbra Banda score a goal, but perhaps next time we can have both score.

USMNT Roster Revealed…Officially

We’ve known for a few days thanks to a leak, but the USMNT roster for the World Cup is now official. As mentioned above, Freeman is on the squad. There are still some interesting choices made by Mauricio Pochettino, like leaving off midfielder Tanner Tessmann due to dealing with an injury and replacing him with defender Joe Scally. That didn’t stop Pochettino from calling up Chris Richards, who was also recently injured. There are still many familiar names like Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, and Gio Reyna. We’ll see how well this group does starting Sunday in a friendly against Senegal.

USMNT News Part Deux

What’s that? You want more USMNT roster news? Fine. Here is a breakdown of the players who play abroad, and one for the players who play in MLS. There has been controversy surrounding how Pochettino communicated with the players and also with the media. Evidently Pochettino didn’t individually call the players. Honestly, I understand his reasoning.

Free Kicks

• I put this down here because you probably don’t want to see where Orlando City falls in the latest MLS power rankings. Spoiler alert: It’s not great, Bob!
• Alexia Putellas is leaving Barcelona after 14 seasons. She has had a storied career so far, though it is not necessarily over, as a move to either the Women’s Super League or the NWSL is on the table.

• Puma has released the official match ball for the 2026-2027 English Premier League campaign.
• Carolina Core FC is reorganizing the staff, and former Lion Donovan Ricketts is out as head coach.

• It wasn’t good for Orlando City, but FC Cincinnati’s Roman Celentano made the list of best saves in Week 15 in MLS.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Pride’s match Friday and the World Cup beyond. Vamos Orlando!

It was another mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as two out of the three sides came away with victories, only for Orlando City to lose in resounding fashion. Fortunately, we can put what’s been a torturous MLS season so far behind us for the time being, as the league is now on break for roughly two months. The big thing currently on the horizon is today’s World Cup roster reveal for the United States Men’s National Team, when we’ll see if the leak reported over the weekend was accurate or not. Then, it’ll be games on Friday and Sunday for the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B, respectively, with a USMNT friendly against Senegal thrown in on Sunday for good measure. Clearly there’s a lot to talk about today, so let’s attack those links.

Martin Ojeda Up for Weekly Honors

Martin Ojeda has been nominated for MLS Goal of the Matchday. Orlando City’s no. 10 has his second goal of Saturday’s match up for consideration, and it was a doozy. The Lions had a free kick on the edge of the box just a couple minutes into the second half, and Tincho stepped up and smashed a shot over the wall and into the top corner of Roman Celentano’s net. The strike leveled the game at 2-2, and although OCSC went on to concede a whopping four second-half goals to slump to a 6-2 defeat, we still have to celebrate the few bright spots to be found. Make sure you go vote for Martin’s strike.

Lessons from Matchday 15

Matchday 15 is now in the books for Major League Soccer, and the league now goes on sabbatical until the World Cup concludes. As for what we learned from the weekend’s action, for starters, it was the last time we’ll see Wilfried Zaha in a Charlotte FC uniform. The forward’s loan expires on June 30, and while his time in MLS certainly can’t be called a failure, it’s also understandable that neither side wanted to extend his stay, as things never seemed to fully click between the two parties. Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, Jorge Ruvalcaba is starting to find a groove for the New York Red Bulls, and he’s helped the team to sit fifth in the East heading into the break. Finally, both Nashville SC and the Vancouver Whitecaps flashed some impressive depth as they picked up shorthanded wins over tough opposition.

Phil Neville Out in Portland

The Portland Timbers announced Monday afternoon that they have parted ways with head coach Phil Neville. Portland sits 13th in the Western Conference heading into the World Cup break, and Saturday’s 3-1 home loss to the San Jose Earthquakes was seemingly the straw that broke the camel’s back. Neville was in charge of Portland for two full seasons, and while the Timbers made the playoffs in each of them, they failed to advance out of the first round on both occasions. Portland is now on a three-game losing streak and will immediately begin its search for a new head coach, with no interim having been named. As for Neville, it brings an end to his second stint with an MLS team after he coached Inter Miami for two-and-a-half seasons.

Iran Moves Tournament Base to Mexico

Iran has officially moved its World Cup base of operations to Mexico. The Iranian federation announced news of the move on Saturday, with FIFA confirming the switch on Monday when it also confirmed the base camp locations for each of the tournament’s 48 teams. Iran will be based in Tijuana after previously choosing to stay in Tucson, AZ before the United States and Israel launched the Operation Epic Fury attacks. Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that she has “no issue” hosting the team and was told by a FIFA representative that the U.S. was reluctant for the Iranian team to spend time outside of games on American soil.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City dropped one spot to no. 28 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
• The Orlando Pride rose two spots to no. 11 in the same outlet’s NWSL power rankings.
• Spain’s squad for the World Cup does not feature any current Real Madrid players.
• Colombia has released its squad for this summer’s tournament.
• Former Lion Facundo Torres has not made the cut for Uruguay’s squad.

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