10/18/24 – The Mane Land

How are you, Mane Landers? I hope you all enjoyed the cooler temperatures this week. It was nice to break out some long sleeves and it gives me a chance to acclimatize before a trip to Maine next week. Maybe I'll even drink some hot coffee today instead of the usual cold coffee. Let's get started this Thursday with today's links!

Facundo Torres' path to Orlando

Orlando City striker Facundo Torres is enjoying his best season yet with the Lions, scoring 18 goals in all competitions to help the Lions gain promotion from the Eastern Conference. It is his third year in the City Beautiful, he joined the club in 2022 as a Designated Player from Penarol. The 24-year-old spoke about how quickly things changed after just a year playing professionally for Penarol.

“At first I was a little scared and a little nervous because it was my first time traveling alone,” Torres recently told WESH 2. “I could only enjoy a year as a pro in Peñarol because everything happened so quickly , the debut and then the move to the national team and then the transfer to Orlando – it happened so quickly. But I found good people at this club and the Hispanic community here is big, so that helped me feel at home.”

Torres also spoke about how football fits into Uruguay's culture and how his work ethic has helped him reach this point in his career. Orlando's roster includes players from many different cultures, many of whom come from South American countries. The result is a unique club culture that has helped the team build a strong identity and achieve success.

Orlando City is preparing for decision day

Orlando City hosts Atlanta United on Saturday in what should be an exciting decider between the two rivals. Both teams have a lot to offer beyond the usual bragging rights, as the Lions look to secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs while Atlanta fights for a spot in the postseason. Head coach Oscar Pareja spoke about how the team is maintaining the momentum after the international break to finish the season strong ahead of the playoffs.

Yutaro Tsukada honored for rookie season

Orlando City B's Yutaro Tsukada received honorable mention as a forward in this year's MLS NEXT Pro Best XI. Tsukada was drafted 25th overall in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft and recorded seven goals and seven assists in 22 games for OCB this season. His efforts earned him a first-team contract in August and he played three games for the Lions. It's nice to see the 23-year-old getting recognition for his solid first year. I think you could definitely argue that Alex Freeman deserves a spot after scoring eight goals and nine assists this season. The Young Lions are back in action this Sunday for a playoff game on the road against Chicago Fire FC II.

USMNT faces Jamaica in the Nations League

The U.S. men's national team will face Jamaica in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Nations League next month. The first game of the home-and-away series will take place on November 14th in Kingston before the two teams face off again on November 18th in St. Louis. The U.S. has won all three past editions of the Nations League, beating Jamaica 3-1 in the semifinals earlier this year in a game that was closer than the result suggests. Jamaica came close in the game against the USA and went undefeated in group play to reach the quarter-finals. It will be interesting to see how head coach Mauricio Pochettino builds his lineup for his first Nations League games.

The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup begins

The USA had a difficult start to the U-17 Women's World Cup with a 3-1 loss to Spain. An own goal gave Spain an early lead, but the U.S. fought back later in the first half with a goal from Melanie Barcenas. However, Spain took all three points, with Noa Ortega scoring and then assisting Spain's third goal. With this result, the USA are currently in last place in their group, as Colombia and South Korea played a 1-1 draw. The U.S. plays its next game on Saturday against Colombia before facing South Korea on Tuesday to complete its group play.

Free kicks

• Congratulations to former Orlando Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris, who has been inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.