Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work, but I checked out a Noah Kahan concert and watched the World Cup final while catching up with friends over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando Pride Fall at Utah Royals

The Orlando Pride fell 1-0 to the Utah Royals at America First Field Saturday night. Narumi Miura scored the lone goal for Utah to secure the win, while the Pride have lost back-to-back matches after losing to Boston Legacy Wednesday. That result also dropped Orlando below the playoff line, as the club sits ninth in the NWSL table with 20 points. The Pride will return home for their next match against the Chicago Stars Friday at Inter&Co Stadium.

OCB Wins Penalty Shootout After 1-1 Draw vs. Chattanooga FC

Orlando City B drew Chattanooga FC 1-1 on the road at Finley Stadium Saturday. Pedro Leao scored the opener for the Young Lions in the first half. However, in the second half, Chattanooga FC scored the equalizer. The Young Lions won the penalty shootout 4-3 to earn a second point. OCB will be back in action at home Sunday, facing Huntsville City FC at Osceola County Stadium.

Orlando City Signs Clovis Archange to Homegrown Player Contract

Orlando City announced Friday that the club has signed defender Clovis Archange to a Homegrown Player contract with the first team. The deal is a three-year contract lasting through the 2027 calendar year, with club options in 2028 and 2029. Archange has made six appearances across all competitions for OCB during the 2026 MLS NEXT Pro season.

Latest MLS Transfer Roundup

According to Tom Bogert of The Athletic, there is no movement on the rumored Orlando City forward Marco Pasalic’s potential transfer to Hull City, but the English Premier League side has reportedly inquired about a loan deal.

The Columbus Crew have signed former Manchester United and Real Oviedo center back Eric Bailly. The contract runs through June 2027, with club options for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons. Liga MX side CF Monterrey is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Chicago Fire forward Hugo Cuypers.

LAFC has reportedly reached an agreement with Hammarby on a transfer fee to move midfielder Amin Boudri to the Swedish club. Lastly, San Diego FC is reportedly finalizing a deal to sign winger Elias Achouri from FC Copenhagen.

Spain Wins World Cup

Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 after extra time in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, Sunday to win the World Cup for the second time since 2010. Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez was sent off in stoppage time after committing a foul on Spain defender Pau Cubarsi. The match went to extra time, and Ferran Torres scored the winning goal for Spain in the 106th minute. Argentina was unable to find a late equalizer to send the match to penalties. Argentina was looking to repeat as champions but had only two shots in the game (both in extra time) and failed to record a shot on goal. As for the FIFA World Cup awards, Spain midfielder Rodri took the Best Player Award, while France striker Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot Award with 10 goals, the Golden Glove Award went to Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon, and Cubarsi won the Young Player Award.

Free Kicks

• Check out this player spotlight piece from Stars and Stripes FC on Orlando City midfielder Justin Ellis, highlighting his soccer journey, his chances of making the 2030 USMNT World Cup squad, and more.
• Dylan Judelson and Archange of Orlando City B were called up to Canada’s U-20 squad for the Concacaf U-20 Championship in Mexico. Canada will face Panama on July 25, Honduras on July 28, and Jamaica on July 31 during the group stage.
• Major League Soccer is reportedly considering two candidates to succeed Don Garber as the league’s new commissioner, LAFC co-owner Larry Berg and former Fox executive David Nathanson. 49ers Enterprises president Paraag Marathe was mentioned as a candidate but later removed his name from consideration, according to reports.
• The Portland Timbers are reportedly hiring former Leicester City manager Marti Cifuentes as the club’s new head coach and have reached an agreement on a three-year deal.
• Bukayo Saka recorded a hat trick for England as his side defeated France 6-4 in a 10-goal thriller to win the third-place FIFA World Cup playoff match Saturday.
• Besiktas has reached an agreement to sign Flamengo and former Orlando City defender Leo Pereira. The club is reportedly in advanced negotiations to sign former Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.

• Telemundo has reportedly acquired the U.S. Spanish-language broadcasting rights to the UEFA Champions League men’s club competitions for three seasons, beginning in 2027-2028.

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

Happy Friday! While we’re still waiting for Orlando City to return to action, we have Orlando Pride and Orlando City B games to look forward to on Saturday. There’s also the last bit of World Cup soccer for us to enjoy this weekend as well. Between all the soccer and work this week, I’ve managed to read three books to put a dent in my reading goals this year and highly recommend “Main Characters” by Bobby Palmer. It even has a couple of soccer references. Let’s get to the links!

Toluca Reportedly Makes Offer for Martin Ojeda

Liga MX club Toluca has reportedly made a $12 million verbal offer to Orlando City for attacker Martin Ojeda. The 27-year-old has been a powerhouse for the past couple of years for Orlando, recording 16 goals and 15 assists last season and scoring 11 goals in the club’s 15 games so far this season.

In January of this year, he signed a new contract with the club that lasts through the 2028-2029 season, with a club option for 2029-2030. While a $12 million transfer fee is nothing to sneeze at, a higher amount seems appropriate for one of the club’s best players to be transferred in the middle of the season. He’s been a revelation in purple and I’ve been excited to see how he combines with Antoine Griezmann as the Lions hunt for silverware.

Tristan Himes Signed to Homegrown Player Contract

Orlando City has signed Orlando City B goalkeeper Tristan Himes as the club’s 20th Homegrown Player, with a new first-team contract lasting through the shortened 2027 season and including club options for the 2027-2028 and 2028-2029 seasons. After developing through the club’s academy, Himes made his OCB debut in July last year and has made 11 appearances for the team. He also played collegiately at the University of South Carolina and Coastal Carolina University before returning to the club. Hopefully the 22-year-old can continue to improve his game with OCB this year as the Young Lions fight for the top spot in the Eastern Conference of MLS NEXT Pro.

Orlando Pride Add Midfielder Zoe Matthews

The Orlando Pride have signed 19-year-old midfielder Zoe Matthews to a contract through the end of this season. Matthews was the youngest signing in Houston Dash history when she joined the club at 17 in 2024, making her league debut that October. She then had stints in Europe with Dux Logrono in Spain and Benfica in Portugal before returning to the U.S. to become a member of the Pride. Matthews has also represented both the U.S. and Jamaica at the youth levels.

Colin Guske Called Up for Concacaf U-20 Championship

Orlando City midfielder Colin Guske was one of 21 players called up for the United States U-19 National Team roster for the Concacaf U-20 Championship that starts later this month. The 19-year-old was signed as an Orlando City Homegrown Player in late 2024 and has made six appearances for the first team this season, starting twice. He’s been consistently called up for the U.S. U-19 team in preparation for this tournament, which will also serve as qualifying for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup, 2028 Summer Olympics, and 2027 Pan American Games. The U.S. will first take on Haiti on July 25 before playing El Salvador on July 28 and Cuba on July 31.

Free Kicks

• A mural of Antoine Griezmann now graces East Colonial Drive to welcome the French superstar to the city. Artist Steven Teller knocked it out of the park in my opinion, so be sure to check it out.
• Nashville SC added Tunisian winger Elias Saad on loan from Bundesliga club FC Augsburg. Saad played for Tunisia at this summer’s World Cup and could provide some more firepower to a league-leading Nashville side.
• More details on Kai Wagner’s reported return to the Philadelphia Union have emerged, with the Union paying much more to bring him back compared to what they sold him to Birmingham City for and making him a Designated Player to boot.

• Robert Lewandowski’s MLS debut will have to wait, as the Chicago Fire’s match against the Vancouver Whitecaps was rescheduled for Oct. 6 due to poor air quality in Chicago caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting south on the wind.
• American goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina will reportedly be a trialist for Strasbourg for a shot to join the French club either on loan or permanently from Chelsea.

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

How’s it going, Mane Landers? For those of us in Florida, it looks like some storms could be heading our way this week. While that can be a bit annoying if you have outdoor plans, hopefully it will make some of this oppressive heat a bit more bearable. Both the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B are on the road on Saturday, so we may get to dodge some dreaded weather delays as well. But for now, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Wins Friendly at FC Dallas

The Lions went to Texas for a friendly against FC Dallas and won 2-1 at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium — home of North Texas SC, FC Dallas’ MLS NEXT Pro side. Antoine Griezmann seems to be settling in nicely with the club, scoring yet again in this friendly after doing so a week ago against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Martin Ojeda also got on the scoresheet in the first half and you can check out both finishes below.

While I don’t put too much stock in friendlies, it sure does feel better to be on the winning side of them. This was the final tune-up for Orlando before the Lions hit the road for a match against the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday in their first league game since May.

Orlando Pride Shut Out At Home

The Orlando Pride hosted the Boston Legacy and weren’t able to get a result in a 1-0 loss at Inter&Co Stadium. Barbara Olivieri scored the game’s only goal in the 17th minute to give Boston the lead. Orlando had its chances to equalize but couldn’t manage to put together a finished product in the end. This was Orlando’s third loss to an expansion side this season (0-3-1) as the Pride picked up only one point out of 12 in four matches against Boston and Denver. It’s been a season of inconsistency for the Pride, but hopefully that means they’ll come back stronger in Saturday’s road match against the Utah Royals.

MLS Season Returns Tonight

MLS is back! While the Lions aren’t in action until Wednesday, the season resumes tonight with an exciting slate of games. Many eyes will be on the match between the Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps, as it could include Robert Lewandowski’s MLS debut. While it’s a brand new team and league for the forward, he’d be going up against a familiar face in former Bayern Munich teammate Thomas Muller, who has helped Vancouver climb to the top of the Western Conference. Other intriguing matchups tonight include a Canadian clash between CF Montreal and Toronto FC and a rivalry game between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. On Friday, Nashville will host Atlanta United before the LA Galaxy and LAFC square off in the latest edition of El Trafico.

Argentina Will Face Spain in World Cup Final

Argentina orchestrated yet another dramatic victory this World Cup, beating England 2-1 to advance to the World Cup final to face Spain. After a scoreless first half, Anthony Gordon gave England the lead in the 55th minute with his first goal of the tournament. England shifted gears and parked the bus to defend its lead, but Enzo Fernandez scored an equalizer in the 85th minute and Lautaro Martinez gave Argentina its winner in stoppage time. Lionel Messi assisted on both goals, and Argentina is now just one game away from winning its second consecutive World Cup. Sunday’s final should be a great match pitting Argentina’s potent offense up against a Spanish defense that has only conceded once all tournament.

Free Kicks

• Former Lion Alex Freeman was noted as one of many players whose stock likely went up due to their World Cup performance. Hopefully, a solid summer translates to more playing time with Villarreal and an eventual transfer for Orlando City to benefit from due to the sell-on percentage.
• Duncan McGuire wasted no time scoring for his new team, putting the ball in the back of the net early on in the Houston Dynamo’s 2-1 friendly win against America de Cali.

• The Galaxy added Finnish forward Robert Taylor as a free agent, signing him to a contract through the end of the year with an option for all of 2027 as well.
• The Philadelphia Union are reportedly finalizing the return of Kai Wagner, who only just left the Union for Birmingham City in January.

• The San Jose Earthquakes are reportedly close to signing Australian forward Luka Jovanovic, who scored 11 goals last season for Adelaide United.

• Enjoy this comprehensive list of United States Men’s National Team head coach candidates should Mauricio Pochettino find a new gig.

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