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Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy at work with the Thanksgiving holiday just days away. Eleven years ago today,The Mane Land joined SBNation, where we spent nine years on that site before going independent for the last two years. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Reportedly Finalizing Deal for Luis Otavio

According to Tom Bogert, Orlando City is reportedly finalizing a deal for Brazilian midfielder Luis Otavio from Internacional.

The 18-year-old joined Internacional in 2024 and had his contract extended with the club earlier this year through 2028 as the two sides negotiated a potential move. According to another report, Internacional has reached an agreement to sell Otavio to Orlando City for a transfer fee of $3.5 million. If signed, Orlando City will have found its replacement for Cesar Araujo.

Gotham FC Defeats Washington Spirit to Win NWSL Championship

NJ/NY Gotham FCdefeated the Washington Spirit 1-0 Saturday at PayPal Park to win the 2025 NWSL Championship. Rose Lavelle scored the winning goal late in the second half to hand Gotham its second NWSL Championship in three years. Lavelle was also named the MVP of the match. Gotham FC made league history, becoming the first eighth seed to win the league championship and went on a stellar run, beating top-seeded Kansas City Current, the Orlando Pride, and the Spirit in the final. For Washington, it’s the second consecutive year the Spirit have lost 1-0 in the NWSL Championship after falling to Orlando last season. Trinity Rodman came off the bench and played 33 minutes in the second half but didn’t get a shot on target in what could be her final match for the Spirit. Now we wait and see what Rodman decides on her next club move this off-season.

MLS Playoff Roundup

The semifinal round of the 2025 MLS playoffs kickoff over the weekend. TheVancouver Whitecaps edged LAFC 4-3 on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw Saturday. The Whitecaps jumped to an early two-goal lead in the first half, but in the second half Son Hueng-Min scored twice, including a late equalizer, to send the match to extra time. The Whitecaps will be moving on to the Western Conference final.Inter Miami beat FC Cincinnati 4-0, and thePhiladelphia Union fell 1-0 to New York City FC in the late match Sunday. Today’s Western Conference semifinal match will be San Diego FC hosting Minnesota United. The winner of that match will face the Whitecaps.

Americans Abroad

Plenty of Americans were in action over in Europe. Tim Weah scored his first league goal of the season forMarseille in a 5-1 win over Nice. With that result, Marseille moves to the top of the table in Ligue 1. Malik Tillman scored his first goal in two months and added an assist for Bayer Leverkusen as his sidedefeated Wolfsburg 3-1. Christian Pulisic scored the lone goal inMilan’s 1-0 win over Inter. Alyssa Thompson wasnominated for the WSL Player of the Month. She has scored two goals in two starts in league play as Chelsea is second in the WSL table with 21 points.

Free Kicks

• The Pittsburgh Riverhoundsdefeated FC Tulsa 5-3 on penalties after a scoreless draw to win their first USL Championship title. Former Orlando City Academy and UCF product Beto Ydrach scored the winning penalty for Pittsburgh.
• Former USMNT legend Landon Donovan revealed his list of 26 playershe would send to next year’s FIFA World Cup if it started now. Alex Freeman is on his list, as well as Gio Reyna and Sebastian Berhalter.
• Eberechi Eze scored a hat trick asArsenal cruised to a 4-1 win over rival Tottenham Hotspur Sunday in the North London Derby.

• Paul Pogba made his long-awaited debut for AS Monaco Saturday in Ligue 1 after serving a two-year doping ban. Pogba came off the bench late in the second half asMonaco fell 4-1 to Rennes.

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

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Good morning, everyone. I hope you’re all geared up for Thanksgiving in a couple of days’ time. I’ve got family traveling to stay with me, so I’m in full preparation mode. That said, the soccer world never rests, and that means we’ve got a lot of things to talk through this morning. Let’s have a look at the links.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number ofAmerican players who will be taking the field during the week of Thanksgiving, and the UEFA Champions League once again takes center stage. Things get going later today when Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen play away against Manchester City, while Weston McKennie and Juventus head north of the Arctic Circle to play Bodo/Glimt. Wednesday sees Folarin Balogun’s Monaco side hit the road to play Pafos, with Sergino Dest, Ricardo Pepi, and PSV Eindhoven taking on a tough road test against Liverpool. Things then wrap up on Friday when Joe Scally, Gio Reyna, and Borussia Monchengladbach host Red Bull Leipzig in the Bundesliga.

Wilfried Nancy Reportedly Set for Celtic

The rumors surrounding Wilfried Nancy becoming the next coach of Celtic are starting to pick up some steam, with reports saying that the Scottish powerhouse has formally reached out to the Columbus Crew about the possibility of hiring the French manager. The talks between the two clubs are also said to concern which of Nancy’s backroom staff will join him at the reigning SPL champions. Nancy is said to have been clear with the Crew about his desire to eventually manage overseas, and with Brendan Rogers resigning his post with Celtic on Oct. 27, his opportunity seems to have come knocking. If the deal comes to pass, it will mark a well-earned step up for Nancy after successful stints in charge of the Crew and CF Montreal.

Copa America Organizers Settle Lawsuit

CONMEBOL, Concacaf, Best Security, and South Florida Stadium LLC haveagreed to settle a class action lawsuit that was brought by fans in regards to the chaotic 2024 Copa America final at Hard Rock Stadium. In the wake of a chaotic entry process, crowd trouble, and overcrowding inside the stadium, some fans with tickets weren’t able to actually enter the venue, while others who made it inside left early because of safety concerns. The listed defendants will collectively pay $14 million into a fund that will pay out to fans who were negatively impacted by the crowd issues at the stadium. The start of the match was delayed by 82 minutes and 27 arrests were made, while 55 people were ejected from the premises.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

The January transfer window will be here before we know it, and that means that the rumor mill is churning at full speed. We begin with Vinicius Junior, who has reportedly told Real Madridthat he does not want to renew his contract due to a strained relationship with head coach Xabi Alonso. In England, Federicho Chiesa is still struggling for minutes under Arne Slot despite Liverpool’s poor form, and as a result,he’s said to be drawing interest from AC Milan, Inter Milan, and Roma with regards to a potential January move. On the flip side, Newcastle is reportedlyready to make a January bid for Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi, who is struggling for playing time under Cristian Chivu. Finally,Tottenham is reportedly interested in signing Samu Aghehowa from Porto, as he’s scored nine goals in 15 games this season and the London club needs more production from the striker position.

Free Kicks

• Despite Everton going down to 10 men early in the first half due to a very weird red card, theToffees managed to eke out a 1-0 win over Manchester United.

• Midfielder Jess Fishlock hassigned a one-year contract to remain with the Seattle Reign.
• Pep Guardiola says he is “embarrassed and ashamed” after his clash with a cameraman following Manchester City’s loss to Newcastle over the weekend.

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

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a long week, but we’ve made it to the good part. I don’t have many weekend plans but do hope to find some cool things at a local market for artists on Saturday. I’m also hoping to get this pumpkin cheesecake recipe locked down to cut out most of the stress of Thanksgiving next week. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando City’s 2026 Schedule Released

MLSreleased the schedule for the 2026 season and Orlando City will open its season at home for the 12th year in a row. That season opener will take place on Feb. 21 against the New York Red Bulls. The Lions will also end their regular season at home, as they’re set to take on the New England Revolution on Decision Day on Nov. 7. Orlando will play each Eastern Conference team twice and will also play six Western Conference teams, including San Diego FC for the first time on Sept. 5 in Orlando. Make sure to check out the full schedule and let us know in the comments below which matches you’re circling on your calendar.

Alex Freeman Standing Out With USMNT

Orlando City right backAlex Freeman put a bow on a breakout year for club and country by scoring twice in the United States Men’s National Team’s 5-1 win over Uruguay on Tuesday. They were his first goals for the USMNT and a strong statement for the 21-year-old’s inclusion on next summer’s World Cup roster. Injuries and the USMNT coaching staff’s willingness to give minutes to young players opened the door for Freeman to impress and he did just that as one of the country’s rising stars.

USWNT Will Play Paraguay in January

The United States Women’s National Team’s first match of 2026 will take place on Jan. 24 ina friendly against Paraguay at Dignity Health Sports Park in California. That friendly will take place during the team’s annual January camp, which should give the team some valuable time together to start a year that includes 2027 World Cup qualifying. There will also be a second friendly on Jan. 27, but the opponent and venue for that match has not yet been announced.

2025 NWSL Championship Preview

The Washington Spirit and NJ/NY Gotham FC will clash on Saturday inthis year’s NWSL Championship final and it should be a pretty good match. While I wouldn’t exactly call Gotham’s playoff run a Cinderella story due to the star power on the team’s roster, it has done well to reach the final by beating the Orlando Pride and Kansas City Current. Meanwhile, the Spirit will aim to get the job done this time after falling to the Pride in last year’s final. There’s plenty of firepower on both sides, and this match may end up being decided by which goalkeeper between Washington’s Aubrey Kingsbury and Gotham’s Ann-Katrin Berger has the better game.

Free Kicks

• According toESPN‘s statistics, viewership for this year’s NWSL playoffs has been pretty strong, especially compared to last year.

• NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman spoke onhow the MLS calendar change impacts the NWSL. From stadium availability to the transfer window and weather, it’s an interesting point of discussion the league will have to tackle.
• DC Power FC in the USL Super League has reportedly made an offer for Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, who is a free agent after this season. The offer is high enough that the NWSL’s salary cap prevents NWSL clubs from matching it.

• Christian Fuchs was hired as the next manager of EFL League Two side Newport County’s. He’s been an assistant coach with Charlotte FC after retiring from playing and now heads to Europe for the tall task of getting Newport County out of the relegation zone.
• Thedraw for Europe’s World Cup playoff qualifiers was completed and Italy will need to beat Northern Ireland and then the winner between Wales and Bosnia-Herzegovina if it wants to avoid missing the World Cup for the third consecutive time.

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

On one hand, it feels like November has flown by. On the other, it’s kind of crazy to me that Thanksgiving is only a week away. I’ve been a bit behind the 8-ball in terms of holiday preparations but am hoping to catch up this weekend. For now though, let’s jump into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Exercises Option on Manuel Goldberg’s Contract

Orlando City B Head Coach Manuel Goldberg will coach the team next year, as the clubexercised the option on his contract through 2026. Next season will be Goldberg’s third as OCB’s head coach and he was the youngest head coach in MLS Next Pro history when he replaced Martin Perelman in 2024. While the Young Lions made the playoffs that year, they struggled this past season and missed out on the playoffs while finishing with just nine wins. Regardless, Goldberg has done well preparing young players for the first team, as evidenced by Alex Freeman’s success. Hopefully he can continue to develop Homegrown Players into players who can make an impact with the senior team next year.

Orlando Pride Players Called Up

Pride defenderEmily Sams was once again called up for the United States Women’s National Team. Head Coach Emma Hayes called up 26 players for the USWNT’s training camp ahead of its final games of the year, a pair of friendlies against Italy. Naomi Girma returns after missing the last international window due to injury, while goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz and forward Jameese Joseph were called up for the first time. The USWNT will be at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando for the first friendly on Nov. 28, so hopefully Sams gets the start.

Pride playersAlly Lemos and Simone Jackson are also heading to camp. They were two of 20 players called up for the U-23 U.S. Women’s National Team’s training in Europe before friendlies against Slovakia and England. Both players were on the U.S. roster for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and it’s nice to see them progressing through the U.S. youth system.

NWSL Award Winners Revealed

The NWSL announced this year’s award winners and Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga became the first player to win MVP in consecutive years. Chawinga led the league with 15 goals this season and was one of five Kansas City players named to the Best XI First Team. No Pride players made either the Best XI First Team or Second Team, which is a bit crazy considering they were one of the top four teams this year.

Bev Yanez was named Coach of the Year after leading Racing Louisville FC to the playoffs for the first time in club history. I’m a bit surprised Kansas City Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski didn’t win, considering his team put together one of the best NWSL seasons of all time. Manaka Matsukubo won Midfielder of the Year, Tara McKeown was named Defender of the Year, and Lorena won Goalkeeper of the Year. Not to be lost in the shuffle is Lilly Reale winning Rookie of the Year and Sam Hiatt receiving the Lauren Holiday Impact Award for her work assisting those affected by childhood cancer.

Union’s Ernst Tanner Placed On Administrative Leave

The Philadelphia Union announced thatSporting Director Ernst Tanner is on administrative leave as MLS reopened an investigation into allegations of misconduct. According toThe Guardian, the reportedallegations include misogynistic, racist, and homophobic comments, including Tanner allegedly saying the following regarding assistant referee Justin Howard at a match between the Union and Orlando City in 2023:

“This is the problem with MLS, they allow Black referees in the league. When did they allow this? They lack intelligence and capability.”

There are also allegations of Tanner inappropriately touching a coworker numerous times and that it was reported to the Union’s human resources department. I suggest checking outThe Guardian‘s full article regarding Tanner’s alleged conduct as it is alarming to say the least.

Free Kicks

• The U.S. is nowthe top Concacaf team in the latest FIFA men’s rankings, jumping over Mexico to claim 14th.
• The intercontinental playoffs to determine some of the final teams to qualify for next year’s World Cupwill be hosted in Monterrey and Guadalajara. The draw for those playoffs will take place today, with Iraq, Congo, Jamaica, Suriname, Bolivia, and New Caledonia all in contention for two open spots.
• Speaking of Jamaica, the Concacaf nation is currently without a coach.Steve McClaren stepped down as head coach shortly after the team’s draw with Curacao in qualifying earlier this week.
• While Wrexham has enjoyed a meteoric rise since Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds took over, their Colombian club, La Equidad, ishaving a rougher time. La Equidad finished last in Colombia’s top flight, winning just three of its 20 games.

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