Good morning, everyone. Well, not really, if you’re a fan of the United States Men’s National Team. Last night was a painful reminder of how far this team still has to go when it comes to matching up against the best in the world, and it might take some time to recover from the psychological wounds inflicted in Seattle. We’ve got lots to talk about today, so let’s get into the links.

USMNT Falls Flat Against Belgium

The United States Men’s National Team crashed out of the World Cup on Monday night after a mistake-ridden 4-1 loss to Belgium. The Americans gave up a goal nine minutes into the game, and while Malik Tillman’s free kick brought the team level in the 31st minute, Charles de Ketelaere restored Belgium’s lead just two minutes later with his second goal of the match, and the game was never really close from there. The curse of the navy blue jerseys continued, as the Yanks looked overawed by the occasion from the moment the ball was kicked, and were constantly plagued by giveaways, poor decision making, and sloppy execution. It was a startlingly different performance from a team that had made a habit of meeting the moment in this competition, and the U.S. meekly exited in the Round of 16 for the fourth tournament in a row.

UEFA Condemns Folarin Balogun Eligibility Decision

UEFA released a strongly worded statement on Monday morning, criticizing FIFA’s decision to overturn Folarin Balogun’s one-game suspension and replace it with a one-year probationary period. The European federation said that FIFA “crossed a red line” and called the ruling “…an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision.” UEFA went on to say that the decision sets a precedent that risks damaging the integrity of the game. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that he had reached out to FIFA President Gianni Infantino to ask soccer’s governing body to review Balogun’s red card, and that news has helped further fan a good deal of outrage in the soccer world.

Spain Sneaks by Portugal

Spain wasted a whole boatload of good chances and left it late but eventually used a 91st-minute goal by Mikel Merino to beat Portugal 1-0 and book a place in the quarterfinals. Mikel Oyarzabal had a shocking miss in the eighth minute that should have seen Spain take an early lead, while his team failed to take advantage of several more good chances, Portugal never truly threatened Unai Simon’s goal. Spain racked up 15 shots to Portugal’s nine, and put six of them on target while their fellow Iberians managed only two. Spain still has not conceded a goal at this tournament and has largely managed to control games despite still being without Nico Williams to partner Lamine Yamal on the other wing.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

With the World Cup drawing to a close before we know it, the summer transfer window is continuing to heat up. We start with a confirmed piece of news, as Tottenham has announced the signing of Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali for a deal worth up to $133 million, which has broken the club’s transfer record. We then move to a confirmed deal closer to home, as Toronto FC has acquired midfielder Nelson Palacios from Real Salt Lake for $1.1 million and an additional $550,000 in performance-based incentives. In the realm of rumor, Arsenal is reportedly considering West Ham fullback Aaron Wan-Bissaka as a replacement for Ben White, who could be heading out the door. Elsewhere in the Premier League, Chelsea is reportedly prepared to listen to offers for winger Alejandro Garnacho, as new coach Xabi Alonso looks to overhaul the squad. Finally, Jack Grealish may have new life at Manchester City, as incoming coach Enzo Maresca reportedly wants to evaluate the previously out-of-favor winger himself before making a decision on his future.

Free Kicks

• Check out some of the scenes from Orlando City’s training session on Monday.

• English Prime Minister Keir Starmer instructed government officials and the English FA to campaign to FIFA for the original kickoff time between England and Mexico to not be changed.
• A member of British Parliament has written a letter to Gianni Infantino, asking him to review the red card that Jarell Quansah received against Mexico.
• Kylian Mbappe and the French Football Federation have rightfully condemned racist comments made by a Paraguayan senator.

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

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you all had a great Fourth of July holiday weekend down in Florida. I was busy working over the weekend, but I got to check out a fireworks show at Wrigley Field. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando City B goalkeeper Juan Rojas, who turned 18 Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Pride Fall to Angel City

The Orlando Pride fell 2-0 to Angel City FC at BMO Stadium Friday in their first match after the month-long World Cup break. Maiara Niehues scored the opener for Angel City in the first half. Sveindis Jonsdottir added another goal for Angel City to seal the win. With Barba Banda sidelined with a thigh injury, Orlando struggled to get anything going offensively and couldn’t get the ball out of its own end throughout the match. That result keeps the Pride in eighth, one point ahead of Angel City in the NWSL table. The Pride will look to bounce back at home Friday, facing the Kansas City Current at Inter&Co Stadium.

OCB Falls in Penalty Shootout After 1-1 Draw vs. Crown Legacy

Orlando City B overturned a 1-0 deficit to secure a 1-1 draw against Crown Legacy on the road at the Sportsplex at Matthews Sunday. After a scoreless first half, all the goals came in the second half. Crown Legacy struck first to take the lead, but Dylan Judelson leveled the match for the Young Lions. Crown Legacy won the penalty shootout 4-2 to earn a second point. OCB will be back on the road to take on FC Cincinnati 2 Sunday at NKU Soccer Stadium in Highland Heights, KY.

Crepeau and Canada Shut Out by Morocco in World Cup

The World Cup Round of 16 kicked off Saturday, with Canada falling 3-0 to Morocco at NRG Stadium in Houston. Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau got the start for Canada. Former Lions Cyle Larin and Richie Laryea were in action as well. After a scoreless first half, Azzedine Ounahi scored twice in the second half for Morocco to take a 2-0 lead. Soufiane Rahimi added the insurance goal in stoppage time to put this match away as Morocco booked a spot in the quarterfinals, while Canada’s run in the tournament came to an end.

World Cup Roundup

In the other matchups from the Round of 16 over the weekend, Kylian Mbappe scored from the penalty spot for the only goal of the match in France’s 1-0 win against Paraguay Saturday. Orlando City midfielder Braian Ojeda was on the bench but did not play. On Sunday, Erling Haaland scored twice to help Norway edge Brazil 2-1 to reach the quarterfinals for the first time, and Jude Bellingham scored twice for England in a 3-2 win against Mexico. France will play Morocco, while England takes on Norway in the quarterfinals. Today’s Round of 16 matchups feature Spain facing Portugal and the U.S. Men’s National Team taking on Belgium.

Folarin Balogun’s Red Card Ban Suspended by FIFA

FIFA announced Sunday that the federation’s Disciplinary Committee suspended U.S. Men’s National Team forward Folarin Balogun’s one match red card ban. After being issued a one-match ban following his red card in the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32, Balogun will be available to play in tonight’s Round of 16 match against Belgium at Lumen Field in Seattle. Balogun’s one-match ban will be placed on a one-year suspension status, but if he commits a similar infraction within that time, he will have to serve the ban. With Balogun back in play, it’s a huge boost for the USMNT attack, as he has scored three goals for the Yanks in the World Cup.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City gave a shout-out on social media to Crepeau, Marco Pasalic, and Ojeda for their great runs with their respective countries, reaching the knockout stages of the World Cup.

• Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is reportedly set to become the new manager of the German Men’s National Team.

• Neymar announced after Brazil’s loss that he will retire from playing internationally.
• Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed that the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be his last with the Portugal Men’s National Team.
• Check out this interesting read from MLSSoccer.com on the growth of soccer over the last 32 years in the United States and how the 2026 FIFA World Cup has made an impact.

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

The United States Men’s National Team picked up a gritty, resilient 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32 on Wednesday, and will now face Belgium in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup Round of 16 next Monday. While we patiently wait for that game, it’s time to continue our Friday tradition of revisiting some classic Orlando City games from years past.

Last week, we rewound to a high octane affair against the Chicago Fire in late June 2022, that saw the Lions douse Chicago’s flames and pick up a much-needed 4-2 victory. Today, let’s hop in the time machine and travel back to Independence Day 2023, when Toronto FC came to town.

At the time of Toronto’s visit, things were going relatively smoothly for OCSC. The team was riding a three-match unbeaten streak and had scored five goals across those three games. Oscar Pareja lined up his team in its customary 4-2-3-1, with Pedro Gallese in goal; a back line of Rafael Santos, Robin Jansson, Antonio Carlos, and Kyle Smith; Wilder Cartagena and Cesar Araujo in the double pivot; Ivan Angulo, Mauricio Pereyra, and Facundo Torres in the attacking midfield; and Duncan McGuire up top.

Orlando very nearly got a goal a little under 10 minutes into the game. Former OCSC goalkeeper Greg Ranjitsingh knocked down a cross in front of the net, and while Pereyra was first to the ball, he could only blast it over the bar with the goal at his mercy. Fortunately, that miss would not come back to haunt the Lions, who bagged the game’s first goal in the 16th minute. Angulo sucked defenders toward him on the left edge of the box before releasing Santos out wide. The fullback played a peach of a first-time, curling cross to the back post, where Araujo was waiting to power a diving header into the side netting at the far post for his first league goal.

That goal broke the game open, and Orlando got another goal six minutes later to double the advantage. It initially looked like a carbon copy of the first goal, with Santos out in space on the left side of the box, sending in a curled cross. The ball deflected off a defender and came in low toward the goal. Ranjitsingh waited for the ball instead of going to claim it, and that allowed McGuire to nip in front of him and get a touch on the ball to sneak it in at the near post.

Orlando nearly got even more goals inside the half hour, with Torres and McGuire both going close in quick succession. Federico Bernardeschi smashed a shot off the post in the 28th minute, and the Lions seemed to be losing focus a little bit, with the hydration break a welcome pause in play when it came. OCSC came out of the pause well, and Pereyra put Angulo through in the 36th minute, but the Colombian couldn’t bring the ball under control and fashion a shooting chance.

Orlando led in every meaningful statistical category at halftime. The Lions had more possession (55.8%-44.2%), shots (6-2), shots on goal (2-0), corners (4-2), and passing accuracy (89.5%-85%). Most importantly, they led 2-0 on the scoreboard.

Toronto tried to change things at halftime by introducing three substitutes, but Orlando settled back into the game quickly and negated the efforts of interim TFC manager Terry Dunfield. Angulo and Torres forced Ranjitsingh into a pair of saves in the 53rd and 55th minutes, and the Lions tried to press their advantage by sending on Ramiro Enrique and Martin Ojeda in the 57th minute for McGuire and Pereyra.

The game then changed in a big way in the 62nd minute. Cartagena and Bernardeschi exchanged words after a turnover, and the Italian winger put Cartagena on the ground with the help of a little theatrics from the midfielder. Bernardeschi had already been yellow carded in the 47th minute for a foul on Smith, and the altercation with Wilder saw him receive a second yellow and his marching orders to go along with it.

With TFC down to 10 men, the Lions started to tee off at goal. Ojeda came close to getting the team’s third in the 69th minute, with Enrique doing the same in the 71st but missing just wide. When the goal finally came, it was from the unlikely foot of Dagur Dan Thorhallsson, who had been subbed into the game alongside Ercan Kara in the 68th minute.

Thorhallsson made a great run behind the defense in the 77th minute, and Araujo picked him out well. Ranjitsingh came out to try to play sweeper-keeper, but DDT beat him to the ball easily, touched it around the former Lion, and rolled it into the empty net to score his first MLS goal and make it 3-0.

Toronto had a halfway decent chance to pull one back in the 82nd minute, but Brandon Servania’s long-distance attempt at chipping Gallese ended up missing high and settling on the roof of the net. Kara then iced the game in the 84th minute. Araujo fired a pass to Ojeda at the top of the box, and even though he had trouble bringing it under control, he had the presence of mind to backheel it toward goal for the big Austrian to pounce on and fire a low, hard shot into the net for 4-0.

Ojeda nearly got a goal of his own two minutes later but had a great effort saved in what was the last truly dangerous moment of the game.

As was the case at halftime, when the final whistle blew, the Lions had created plenty of fireworks on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet. OCSC finished with more possession (59.6%-40.4%), shots (18-6), shots on target (9-0), corners (8-2), and passing accuracy (91%-84.8%).

Marcus Mitchell had Player Grades for this one, and he named Araujo the Man of the Match with a grade of 8 out of 10 for his one-goal/one-assist effort. The other high performers on the night were Antonio Carlos, and Cartagena, who each graded out at 7.5 out of 10.

That’ll do it for this week’s trip down memory lane. We’ve been getting spoiled lately, with Orlando putting up four goals in back-to-back time machine games, and it’s made for an enjoyable glimpse into years gone by. With any luck, next week’s edition will be similarly entertaining. Vamos Orlando!