Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work covering high school playoff football games. The Lions and Pride were in action over the weekend and both got results. Before we get started, let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando Pride forward Jacquie Ovalle, who turns 27 today. We’ve got plenty to cover, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Defeat D.C. United at Home

Orlando City defeated D.C. United 4-1 on Saturday at Inter.co Stadium with another big performance from Antoine Griezmann. The club’s newest Designated Player scored the opening goal for the Lions and set up Martin Ojeda’s goal to double Orlando’s lead in the first half. D.C. United pulled one back with a penalty kick from Tai Baribo to make it 2-1 before the break. In the second half, Griezmann scored his second goal of the match, and Marco Pasalic added a goal late in stoppage time as the Lions picked up a crucial three points at home. Orlando City will host New York City FC on Saturday.

Pride Win at Houston Dash

The Orlando Pride got back in the win column on Sunday, beating the Houston Dash 2-1 at Shell Energy Stadium. The Pride struck first when Luana buried an early penalty kick on a foul won by Solai Washington, who later added another for Orlando to extend the lead to 2-0. In the second half, Houston pulled one back on a goal from Danielle Colaprico, but Orlando held on for the win. With the Seattle Reign’s win against the Chicago Stars on Sunday night, Orlando was officially eliminated from contention for a spot in the 2026 NWSL playoffs. The Pride will be back in action for their home finale on Sunday against Gotham FC.

Robin Jansson Has Successful Foot Surgery

Orlando City captain and defender Robin Jansson underwent successful foot surgery for a fracture in his right foot, the club announced on Friday. Jansson’s last match for the Lions was Oct. 10 against the Columbus Crew, where he played a full 90 minutes in a 3-2 win. The Swedish defender will miss the rest of the 2026 MLS season. We at The Mane Land wish Jansson a speedy recovery.

Americans Abroad

On Saturday, former Lion Alex Freeman played a full 90 minutes for Villarreal in a scoreless draw against Elche in La Liga. Gio Reyna scored for RC Strasbourg in the first half, but his side fell 3-1 to Paris Saint-Germain. On Sunday, Tyler Adams played 89 minutes for AFC Bournemouth in a 2-0 win against Sunderland. Christian Pulisic played 75 minutes for AC Milan in a 3-2 win against Atalanta, extending the club’s unbeaten streak to seven Serie A matches. Meanwhile, Weston McKennie played a full 90 minutes for Juventus in a 3-0 defeat against Lazio. Timothy Weah notched two assists for Olympique Marseille in a 5-2 victory against Angers in Ligue 1.

Free Kicks

• In case you missed it, here is another look at Martin Ojeda’s flying backheel goal, a potential goal-of-the-season candidate, in Orlando’s win against D.C. United over the weekend.

• Austin FC and forward Christian Ramirez have reached an agreement on a new contract extension that will keep him at the club through the 2027-2028 MLS season.
• Chelsea goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is expected to return to the club in a few weeks after reportedly undergoing surgery for a fractured jaw sustained in a collision with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite during Saturday’s English Premier League match.
• FIFA’s controversial Peace Prize could be scrapped by year’s end after the inaugural award was given to U.S. President Donald Trump. The FIFA committee has reportedly told President Gianni Infantino to make major changes, such as depoliticizing the award or abolishing it.
• The U.S. Men’s Cerebral Palsy National Team defeated the Netherlands 4-1 on Sunday to win its group in the 2026 IFCPF World Cup and advanced to the knockout round.

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

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! Today is the 12-year anniversary of the groundbreaking at Orlando City SC’s soccer-specific stadium that took place in 2014. I was last at the stadium in September to see the Orlando Pride play and am still blown away about just how pretty the purple seats look on a sunny day. Let’s jump right into today’s links!

Justin Ellis Named  MLS NEXT Pro Pathway Player of the Year

Orlando City forward Justin Ellis was selected as the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro Pathway Player of the Year, an award that honors players who have excelled at multiple levels of the league’s development pathway. While part of Orlando City’s academy, Ellis was named 2025 U-19 MLS NEXT MVP after claiming the Golden Boot with 18 goals and was also the top scorer at the 2025 Generation Adidas Cup to help Orlando win the title. He recorded 12 goals and eight assists in 44 appearances with Orlando City B and made his MLS debut on May 14, 2025. As a Homegrown Player for the senior team this season, he’s racked up 10 assists so far and is one of the league’s top young players.

Antoine Griezmann Makes MLS Team of the Matchday Bench

Orlando City star Antoine Griezmann landed on the MLS Team of the Matchday bench after recording a goal and an assist in the team’s 3-3 draw on the road against Toronto FC. That’s back-to-back inclusions on the Team of the Matchday bench for Griezmann, who also had a goal and an assist in the 3-2 win over the Columbus Crew on Saturday. The Frenchman is the first MLS player to record a goal or an assist in 11 of his first 13 games. While a weirdly specific record to break, it’s impressive nonetheless as he builds a case for MLS Newcomer of the Year.

Ally Lemos Selected for NWSL Skills Challenge

Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos was chosen to participate in this year’s NWSL Skills Challenge on Nov. 20 during the league’s NWSL Championship Week next month. There’s a $35,000 prize pool at stake for the players taking part in the event, which will take place at a high school in Virginia at 5:30 p.m. but won’t air on CBS and Paramount+ until 2 p.m. on Nov. 28. Lemos has played in all 27 of the Pride’s games this year, recording three assists and a goal along the way. Hopefully she has a strong showing at the event to give Pride fans something to cheer about after a rough year for the club.

Orlando Submits Bid to Host Women’s World Cup

The Greater Orlando Sports Commission has submitted a bid to host games for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The proposal includes both Inter.co Stadium and Camping World Stadium. A joint bid led by the U.S. that also includes Mexico, Jamaica, and Costa Rica is uncontested to host the tournament and is expected to be voted on next month. Orlando hosted six FIFA Club World Cup games in 2025 and a bid was also submitted last month for the two aforementioned stadiums to host the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup as well. If all goes to plan, that summer could end up being an exciting time for sports fans in the City Beautiful.

Free Kicks

• The Pride are all but mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and it could become official on Saturday if the Denver Summit win against Angel City FC or if the North Carolina Courage win or draw against the San Diego Wave. Of course, the Pride failing to win against the Houston Dash on Sunday will officially end things as well.
• Speaking of the Wave, they signed midfielder Lia Godfrey to a three-year contract extension through 2029. She’s scored six goals and added five assists in 27 appearances for the Wave so far in her rookie season.
• Here’s an insightful dive into the United States Women’s National Team’s struggle to find consistency in the midfield as it prepares for next year’s World Cup.
• Following a pair of losses to Paraguay in friendlies, El Salvador Women’s National Team Head Coach Eric Acuna made contentious comments questioning the players’ commitment. El Salvador is set to face the USWNT next month in the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinals.
• For those of you into weird fun facts, a striker named Justin Seven-Seven scored in the 77th minute for West Brom’s U-21 team in a National League Cup game against Sutton United.
• We’ll end our links with a new contender for worst penalty kick of all time, courtesy of Trayvone Reid in the Concacaf Caribbean Cup. If you hate stutter steps, this may ruin your whole day.

That’s all I have for you this time around. Thanks for reading and have a fantastic Friday!

How are you feeling after last night’s Orlando City game? I don’t think my thoughts have ever been as mixed, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles at times when supporting the Cardiac Cats. It could’ve gone worse though, and being able to watch Antoine Griezmann work his magic is always a treat. Today marks nine years since Kaká’s final game with Orlando City, and I’ve loved being able to see world class players like him, Griezmann, Nani, and more over the years in Orlando. Let’s get to the links.

Lions Blow Lead Late in Dramatic Draw

Orlando City went on the road to Canada and played to a 3-3 draw against Toronto FC in a rollercoaster of a match. The Lions clawed their way back to equalize twice and managed to take the lead late in the match, but couldn’t close things out despite another solid performance by goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau behind a leaky defense. Make sure to check out our match recap of what was an exciting, yet frustrating, match that at least featured a couple of great Orlando goals.

Justin Ellis Earns Praise During Breakout Season

The Athletic‘s Tom Bogert ranked his top 22 MLS players under the age of 22 and Orlando City forward Justin Ellis ranked eighth on his list. The 19-year-old has 10 assists and a goal to his name this season, thriving in the attack with an intriguing combination of creativity, strength, and positioning. He’s also already scored for the United States Men’s National Team, doing so in Orlando last month against Peru. Bogert predictably has Philadelphia Union phenom Cavan Sullivan at the top of his list and Julian Hall in second. We’ll see if Ellis lands a bit higher than eighth when the annual MLS 22 Under 22 list is unveiled later this year.

U.S. Soccer Announces Crest Cup

A new club tournament is coming to women’s soccer. U.S. Soccer announced the Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup for women’s soccer teams across the country to compete against each other in a single-elimination format. Official details such as when this will take place and which teams will be allowed to participate haven’t been unveiled at this point, but it does seem like it will at least include teams from both the NWSL and USL Super League. The winner of the Crest Cup will receive $1.1 million and qualify for the Concacaf W Champions Cup. Toothpaste jokes aside regarding the name, I’m excited for a tournament that puts a spotlight on more women’s soccer teams.

Takeaways From USWNT Friendlies

The United States Women’s National Team may not have beaten Spain in either of its two friendlies against the European powerhouse, but it at least finished strong by rallying to a 2-2 draw in the second meeting. Not many of the problems the USWNT faced were unexpected either. Naomi Girma’s absence was felt on defense, neither Claudia Dickey nor Phallon Tullis-Joyce emerged as the clear starter in goal, and the midfield looked suboptimal against the best team in the world. Head Coach Emma Hayes has multiple decisions to make before the Women’s World Cup next summer, with the USWNT’s next match coming on Nov. 27 against El Salvador in the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinals.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The UEFA Champions League returned this week and there were plenty of good games across Europe. In one of the bigger matchups of this round, Paris Saint-Germain went to England and beat Manchester City 4-2 to move to the top of the table. Elsewhere, Real Madrid mounted a late comeback to beat AS Roma 4-3 in Italy, Bradley Barcola scored a hat trick in Liverpool’s 6-3 win over LAK Linz, and Bodo/Glimt won 1-0 in Norway against Borussia Dortmund. The teams will play again on Tuesday and Wednesday, with PSG going up against Barcelona and Bayern Munich hosting Arsenal as two of the heavyweight showdowns.

Free Kicks

• Congratulations to Orlando Pride newlyweds Rafaelle and Hailie Mace on tying the knot!

• The New England Revolution clinched a spot in the MLS playoffs after a 3-2 win over FC Cincinnati. Inter Miami secured its place in the postseason as well.
• Mexican forward Raul Jimenez will undergo knee surgery and is expected to miss the rest of 2026, meaning he will miss Mexico’s Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal matches against Jamaica next month.
• Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior was banned for four games after pulling Villarreal midfielder Nathan Saliba’s hair and protesting being sent off for it. As a result, he’ll miss Real Madrid’s match against Barcelona on Oct. 25.
• Venezia, which has lost all six of its Serie A games so far, has hired “escape artist” Davide Nicola as its next head coach. Nicola has a reputation for helping struggling teams avoid relegation, so we’ll see if he can pull it off yet again.

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