Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’m back to covering high school sports again for the fall season, with golf, soccer, and football this week. Our beloved Lions, Pride, and OCB were all in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw FC Cincinnati at Home

Orlando City drew FC Cincinnati 1-1 on Saturday at Inter.co Stadium. The Lions trailed 1-0 at halftime, but Tyrese Spicer’s early goal in the second half was enough for Orlando to secure a point at home. Orlando City hasn’t won in its last three matches across all competitions and will need to pick up wins down the stretch, with the club sitting outside the MLS playoff spots in the Eastern Conference standings with 21 points. Before the match, Orlando City announced it had signed OCB midfielder Issah Haruna to a short-term contract. Haruna was on the bench but did not play against FC Cincinnati. The Lions have a quick turnaround, with two home matches this week. Orlando City will face the Chicago Fire on Wednesday and Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Pride’s Winless Run Continues with Loss at Portland Thorns

The Orlando Pride fell 2-1 to the Portland Thorns at Providence Park on Saturday. After a scoreless first half, Portland struck first to take a 1-0 lead in the second half. Jacquie Ovalle scored the equalizer for Orlando, but in stoppage time, Caiya Hanks scored a late winner for Portland. Orlando has lost three consecutive matches. The Pride will be on the road for their next match on Sunday against the Washington Spirit.

OCB Falls at Chicago Fire II

Orlando City B fell 2-0 to Chicago Fire II at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday. Robert Turdean scored the opening goal for Chicago in the first half, and the Fire took a 1-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Damyan Villanueva added the insurance goal for Chicago, which won its third in four matches. The Young Lions have lost four consecutive matches. OCB will be on the road to take on Atlanta United 2 on Saturday.

Americans Abroad

Let’s catch up on Americans in action abroad in Europe. Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten were both in action for Middlesbrough in a 2-1 win against Lincoln City on Saturday in the EFL Championship. Ricardo Pepi scored, and Sergino Dest notched an assist for PSV Eindhoven in a 2-1 win over Excelsior in the Eredivisie. Gianluca Busio played a full 90 minutes for Venezia as his side defeated Modena 3-2 in the Round of 64 in the Coppa Italia. Austin Trusty scored for Celtic, and Cameron Carter-Vickers was also in action in a 4-0 win against Dundee United, as the Scottish Premiership leaders advanced to the quarterfinals in the Scottish League Cup. On Sunday, former Lion Alex Freeman came off the bench late in the second half for Villarreal in a 2-2 draw against Racing Santander in La Liga.

Free Kicks

• Orlando Pride forward Seven Castain, who is on loan at Dallas Trinity, scored her first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against the Tampa Bay Sun on Saturday in the USL Super League.

• Former Lion Cyle Larin scored for Southampton, but his side fell 2-1 to Watford on Sunday in the EFL Championship.
• Atlanta United is reportedly close to signing forward Breel Embolo from Stade Rennes for an $18 million transfer fee.

• Mohamed Salah made his debut in the Turkish Super Lig for Trabzonspor off the bench in the second half in a 1-1 draw against Kasımpaşa over the weekend.
• Al Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted that he may retire from professional soccer at the end of the Saudi Pro League season. Ronaldo’s contract with the club expires in June 2027.
• FC Barcelona has reportedly reached an agreement with Manchester City to sign midfielder Rodri for a transfer fee of $87 million.
• Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory against Manchester City on Sunday to win the 2026 English FA Community Shield.
• Cameroon defeated Malawi 3-0 in the final on Sunday to win the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations for the first time.

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

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a hectic week, but we’ve thankfully reached the tail end of it and there’s plenty of Orlando soccer awaiting us tomorrow. Beyond working and keeping every finger crossed for Orlando’s teams on Saturday, I plan on catching up on the new season of Ted Lasso. But for now, let’s get to the links!

Tahir Reid-Brown Traded to St. Louis City

Orlando City traded defender Tahir Reid-Brown to St. Louis City in exchange for $150,000 in 2027 General Allocation Money, with another $300,000 in GAM heading Orlando’s way if conditions are met. The 20-year-old climbed the ranks of Orlando’s academy over the years and was signed as the club’s 15th Homegrown Player in January of 2024. Bernardo Rhein’s rise to the first team limited Reid-Brown’s playing time, so hopefully he’ll be able to get more minutes and continue to improve in St. Louis.

Orlando City Reveals New Third Kit

Orlando City unveiled its new “Orlando Original” kit, which is the club’s first third kit since joining MLS. The design is a nice mix of elements from Orlando’s USL days and the city’s hosting of 1994 FIFA World Cup games, while paying tribute to the original Orlando Lions. I didn’t expect it to be quite as red as it is, but I like it, along with the soccer ball pattern that mirrors the match ball from that World Cup. The logo is a bit odd and the sponsor being on the lower back of the kit even odder, but I’m excited to see what it looks like when the Lions wear them on Saturday. Speaking of which…

Orlando City Hosts FC Cincinnati on Saturday

The Lions are back in action on Saturday with a home game against FC Cincinnati in one of the more enticing MLS matchups this weekend. Both teams have conceded goals like a sieve this season, setting up a potential shootout given the talented attacking players expected to take the field. Antoine Griezmann has improved the Lions since joining this summer and hopefully forwards like Marco Pasalic, Justin Ellis, and Daryl Dike can step up and give Orlando an edge against a Cincinnati offense that boasts Evander, Kevin Denkey, and Pavel Bucha.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

The Houston Dynamo are reportedly set to transfer Ezequiel Ponce to Elche in La Liga. Houston signed Ponce for a club-record transfer fee in 2024 and he led Houston with 10 goals last season. However, he has yet to score this season despite starting in 17 games. His departure should open the door even wider for former Lion Duncan McGuire to make an impact.

Elsewhere in the league, the New England Revolution bolstered their defense by adding Tylon Smith on loan from Queens Park Rangers, LAFC signed 23-year-old forward Armando Sieb from Bayern Munich, and midfielder Aziel Jackson is already back in MLS on loan with Minnesota United from Jagiellonia Bialystok. Rangers reportedly made a $10 million bid for Portland Timbers forward Kevin Kelsy, who has scored nine goals so far this season.

Free Kicks

• Former Orlando Pride forward Simone Charley was signed by Brooklyn FC and then immediately transferred to the Chicago Stars.
• The Pride dropped a spot to 11th in All For XI‘s NWSL power rankings following their 3-1 loss to Racing Louisville.
• Nigeria will miss out on the 2027 Women’s World Cup after a 2-1 loss to South Africa.
• Former Pride player Kaylyn Kyle announced that she is leaving Apple TV’s MLS coverage after spending the past four years as a host and analyst.
• Belgian winger Jeremy Doku signed a new five-year contract with Manchester City.
• The La Liga season kicks off this season, but Celta Vigo’s match against Osasuna has been postponed due to a fungus outbreak on its field.

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

How’s it going, Mane Landers? All three of Orlando’s soccer teams are in action on Saturday and I’m not sure if I’m excited or dreading it considering how they’ve been playing lately. Hopefully it’s a day to remember positively. But for now, let’s jump right into today’s links!

Orlando City Squanders Lead in Leagues Cup Draw

Orlando City drew 2-2 against Atletico de San Luis and won the penalty shootout afterwards 5-3 in its final game of this year’s Leagues Cup. With a mainly rotated lineup, the Lions managed to take a two-goal lead and generated great chances for more. However, San Luis responded with a pair of goals of its own, including an equalizer deep in stoppage time. Javier Otero may not have maintained a clean sheet, but he did come up with a huge save to help Orlando win the shootout. The Lions were officially eliminated from the tournament, but the younger players were able to get some minutes while some of the starters got rest before Saturday’s match against FC Cincinnati.

Orlando Pride Sign Sanne Lekven

The Orlando Pride signed Norwegian forward Sanne Lekven to a deal through the 2028 season with a club option for 2029. The 25-year-old had five goals in 10 appearances for Aalesunds FK in Norway’s top flight and will now join an Orlando team in desperate need of offensive help. She’s one of three attacking players signed by the Pride this summer alongside Zoe Matthews and Gabi Nunes, so hopefully she can make an impact in the NWSL.

Chicago Stars Fire Martin Sjogren

The Chicago Stars are last in the NWSL standings and have fired Martin Sjogren as their head coach. The Stars are winless in their past five games, only scoring once during that stretch, so it’s not too surprising to see them make a coaching change. Karina Baez, who has been an assistant coach for Chicago for the past three seasons, will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the 2026 season. Former Chicago head coach Lorne Donaldson is also returning to the club as its “interim director of coaching.”

MLS Transfer News Roundup

The Colorado Rapids transferred center back Lucas Herrington to Hull City for a club-recorded fee reported to be up to $23 million. The 18-year-old joined the Rapids last year from Brisbane Roar FC for a fee under $1 million and went on to become an All-Star this year, so it’s a nice bit of business by the Rapids to say the least. Hull City has been on quite the spending spree this summer, although FC Cincinnati reportedly rejected its offer for forward Kevin Denkey.

In other news, the Vancouver Whitecaps signed Serbian midfielder Aleksa Cvetkovic as an MLS U22 Initiative player, the New York Red Bulls transferred Swedish midfielder Gustav Berggren to Lech Poznań in Poland’s top flight, and the Columbus Crew are reportedly signing forward Josef Martinez.

Free Kicks

• Tottenham has reportedly begun talks with Monaco over a move for American forward Folarin Balogun for nearly $70 million.
• Paris Saint-Germain beat Aston Villa 2-1 to win the UEFA Super Cup for the second year in a row.
• Spanish soccer legend Xavi Hernandez was hired as the Netherlands’ head coach. The Netherlands were eliminated in the round of 32 of this summer’s World Cup and Xavi will be the team’s first foreign head coach in nearly 50 years.
• Sisters Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga combined for three goals in Malawi’s 3-1 win over Algeria to advance to Sunday’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final against Cameroon.
• Turkish club Fenerbahce signed Romelu Lukaku from Napoli for a reported $7 million transfer fee.

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