Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s hard to believe we’re already close to being done with May, but I’m hardly complaining. The World Cup is closer than ever and we still have Orlando soccer to look forward to tonight and later this weekend. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines. Hopefully he can celebrate with a win tonight.

Orlando Pride Host Bay FC Tonight

After three road games in a row, the Orlando Pride are back in the City Beautiful for a match tonight against Bay FC. The Pride have not played at home since a 1-0 win against the North Carolina Courage on May 8, and this will be their last match before the summer break. Although the Pride are coming off of a 1-0 win last week against the San Diego Wave, they’ve struggled with consistency this season. Defender Zara Chavoshi spoke on the importance of the team maintaining a winning mindset.

“Three points is the standard for us,” Chavoshi added. “If we come into the next game the way we came into this last game, with belief and assurance, and the trust that if we do everything to 100% that’s what the outcome is going to be, then we need to keep doing that.”

Justin Ellis and Colin Guske Will Head to U.S. Camp

Orlando City forward Justin Ellis and midfielder Colin Guske were both called up for the United States U-19 Men’s National Team’s training camp at the new training center in Georgia. As part of the training camp, the U.S. will play against Japan to help prepare for this summer’s Concacaf U-20 Championship. Both players were also part of the U-19 team’s 20-player roster in March for a camp in Spain, so it’s nice to see that they’ve done enough to remain in Head Coach Gonzalo Segares’ plans. They’ve each started games this year for the first team, with Ellis recording a goal and two assists so far this season.

Ally Lemos Called Up By U.S. U-23 Team

Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos was called up for international duty as well and will head to Brazil for the United States U-23 Women’s National Team’s training camp. The team will play two matches against SC Corinthians Paulista, which beat Gotham FC and finished second in the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup earlier this year. Lemos has been part of the U-23 team’s previous two camps this year as well, and she’s one of eight players called up who placed third at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

Storylines Ahead of USMNT Friendlies

The United States Men’s National Team roster was announced and now all eyes turn to how the team does in a friendly against Senegal on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. in Charlotte. It should be a great test for the USMNT against one of Africa’s top teams, as well as a chance for some of the Americans to make a splash. Christian Pulisic has been stuck in neutral for most of this year and the starting striker position may come down to which player gets hot over the next week. Other things to keep an eye out for include defender Chris Richards’ availability, the goalkeeping battle between Matt Turner and Matt Freese, and the impact Giovanni Reyna and Alex Zendejas can bring to the attack.

Free kicks

• Orlando City and Orlando Health teamed up once again to celebrate Orange Center Elementary School students for getting good grades, giving each achieving student a jersey.

• Tom Bogert of The Athletic reported that the rumors linking Orlando City with French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac are false. Welcome to the summer edition of silly season.

• Charlotte FC is reportedly in talks to sign winger Allan Saint-Maximin as a Designated Player. It’s a move that would make sense for Charlotte considering Wilfried Zaha’s recent exit.
• Atalanta reportedly chose not to exercise the option to buy on American midfielder Yunus Musah’s loan from AC Milan. It’s unclear what’s next for the 23-year-old, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him as a Lion one bit.

• From players to watch to keys to victory, here’s a great breakdown of what you should know ahead of Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in Hungary.
• In news that truly no one could have seen coming, Neymar sustained a calf injury that will likely prevent him from playing Brazil’s World Cup match against Morocco on June 13.
• Steve Clarke signed a new contract as Scotland’s head coach that will last through the 2030 World Cup. This summer’s World Cup will be Scotland’s first since 1998.

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

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!