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Lion Links: 2/25/15

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As temperatures once again cool in Central Florida, the Mane Land is here to keep you warm in the knowledge that you know everything you need to know about MLS, Orlando and soccer in general as you head out the door. Happy Hump Day!

Kaptain Kaká

It was confirmed yesterday that Kaká will be the captain for Orlando City during the club’s inaugural season in MLS. It doesn’t really come as a surprise that the Brazilian talisman was named captain for the season, since the team is basically built around him, he has worn the armband during preseason, and he personally speaks the majority of languages that are spoken by other players on the team.

The only surprising thing is that the team didn’t go with someone that was going to be with the team longer, but Orlando is choosing to make the most of Kaká while he is around, and his experience and maturity will be integral to getting Orlando City off to the best start in MLS.

Hines for Center Half

Orlando wasn’t finished yesterday with the Kaká announcement, also confirming the well-known secret that English-American central defender Seb Hines has officially signed on loan with an option to extend from Middlesbrough, a team in the English Championship. The signing of Hines helps shore up the central defender position whilst also not costing the club an international spot due to his American connections.

Winter World Cup

A FIFA task force announced on Tuesday that it recommends moving the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar to a winter schedule. The recommendation all but confirms that the tournament will therefore be played in a November-December slot. This major news will create havoc among most European leagues and will potentially have a wide ranging effect on the MLS playoffs, should MLS continue its current schedule.

This decision also continues to cast doubt on the awarding of the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar in the first place, when it was so obvious that the tournament would be unable to be held during its traditional summer position of June-July. Stay tuned for more information as the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding processes are investigated further and on the FIFA presidential election.

MLS makes the leap across the pond

As Major League Soccer enters its 20th season, Taylor Twellman yesterday confirmed that Sky Sports, one of Europe’s largest cable providers, will start showing two MLS games per week. In a time when TV revenue is so important to the league, it makes sense that MLS is trying to cash in and attract European soccer fans. Obviously one problem will be the time difference of games, however, it is good to know that Orlando City will be able to develop a following both at home and overseas, especially since so many Britons are attracted to the Central Florida area.

New Jersey Week

MLS also confirmed that once again Jersey Week will be returning in the week run-up to opening day games. Overall, 16 teams will unveil new jerseys during Jersey Week, including Orlando City, who will be revealing their secondary team kit at the Soccer in the City event, which also begins the week-long Kick-Off events being promoted by the club.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/2/24

Orlando City’s playoff run ends, Barbra Banda nominated for Best FIFA Women’s Player, USWNT draws against England, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all of you had a good Thanksgiving weekend spent with your family and loved ones. Under Armour kept me busy all weekend, along with working at Wrigley Field for the Northwestern and Illinois college football game. Let’s all wish Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar a happy birthday! It was frustrating to see Orlando City’s season end over the weekend, but let’s get to the links to catch up on all of the action.

Lions Fall to the New York Red Bulls in MLS Playoffs

Orlando City’s 2024 MLS playoff run ended on Saturday after a 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls at Inter&Co Stadium in the Eastern Conference final. Andres Reyes scored the lone goal to seal the win for the Red Bulls to advance to the MLS Cup final for the second time in club history. It’s the second time this postseason that the Lions have been shut out. Orlando didn’t beat the Red Bulls at all this year, drawing 1-1 at home and falling 1-0 on the road during the regular season prior to this playoff match. Orlando’s 2024 season ends just one round before reaching what would have been its first MLS Cup final appearance. Considering how Orlando’s season started, turning things around to finish as one of the final four teams in the playoffs gives the Lions something to build on next year.

Barbra Banda Nominated for Best FIFA Women’s Player Award

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda has been nominated for the 2024 Best FIFA Women’s Player Award. Banda is coming off a stellar season in her first year with the Pride, leading the club with 17 goals and scoring the winning goal against the Washington Spirit to seal Orlando’s first NWSL Championship title. She scored a hat trick for Zambia in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris against Australia as well. USWNT players Sophia Smith, Lindsey Horan, Mallory Swanson, and Trinity Rodman are also in contention for the award. Other notable players nominated are last year’s winner, Aitana Bonmati, Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze, and Jamaican forward Khadija Shaw.

LA Galaxy Beat Seattle Sounders to Reach MLS Cup Final

In the Western Conference final, the LA Galaxy defeated the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park. Dejan Joveljic scored a late goal in the second half to seal the win for the Galaxy and clinch a spot in the MLS Cup final. Joveljic has scored five goals in the postseason and the Galaxy return to the MLS Cup final for the first time since 2014. Riqui Puig added the assist on Joveljic’s goal and has three assists and four goals this postseason. Unfortunately, Puig suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during the match and will miss the final when the Galaxy host the Red Bulls on Saturday.

USWNT and England Play to Scoreless Draw in Friendly

On Saturday, the United States Women’s National Team fought to a scoreless draw against England in front of a record crowd at Wembley Stadium. The USWNT thought it had scored a goal in the second half courtesy of Lindsey Horan, but the goal was waived off due to offside. The USWNT was also given a penalty kick after it appeared defender Alex Greenwood handled the ball, but the decision was overturned after a VAR check. The USWNT will travel to The Hague to take on the Netherlands tomorrow at ADO Den Haag Stadium at 2:45 p.m. for its final match to close out the year.

Scouting Report on the Netherlands

Stars and Stripes FC unveiled its scouting report on the Netherlands. The USWNT will face the Netherlands for the 11th time, winning eight of the past matches. Their last meeting was a 1-1 draw in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup group stage. Some notable names on the Dutch roster include forward Chasity Grant, goalkeeper Lize Kop, and defender Dominique Janssen. Kop is known for her quickness to get to the ground and possesses the physical strength to absorb contact from her opponents when going after aerial balls. Veteran defender Danielle van de Donk is another player to keep an eye out for, as she can still provide a spark and identify gaps in the opposition’s defense. Even though this is a friendly, this match will provide another test for Head Coach Emma Hayes to give opportunities to the younger players while building chemistry for the squad.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina and forward Adriana were both in action for Brazil in a friendly on Sunday. Brazil won 2-1 over Australia.

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

Lion Links: 11/29/24

Orlando City’s deepest playoff run so far, USWNT prepares for England, Europa League roundup, and more.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Welcome to Friday, Mane Landers. Hopefully your Thanksgiving was a joyous one filled with great food and greater company. If not, at least you can revel in the fact that the weekend is right around the corner (many of you may already be in yours because of the holiday) and is packed with plenty of soccer to enjoy. Let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City Enters the Unknown

Despite a slow start to the season, Orlando City finds itself further in the playoffs than ever before and will host the New York Red Bulls Saturday night in the Eastern Conference final. The Lions may be in uncharted territory, but they have plenty of experience in knockout tournaments to draw upon. Taylor Twellman broke down how the Lions reached this point and became one of the top teams in the league. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese helped solidify Orlando’s defense, and attackers Facundo Torres, Ramiro Enrique, and Martin Ojeda all found their groove at the right time.

Along with recognizing the many weapons in Orlando’s dynamic offense, Bradley Wright-Phillips gave deserved praise to midfield duo Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena, who have made life difficult for opponents. As for the key Red Bulls players to watch for tomorrow, Emil Forsberg has the team firing on all cylinders and Lewis Morgan may be due for a big game. He has a history of success against Orlando.

USWNT Prepares for Friendly Against England

The United States Women’s National Team will take on England at Wembley Stadium Saturday in the first of two friendlies to close out the year. It will be the 20th match between the two nations, with England winning the most recent meeting on Oct. 7, 2022. England boasts plenty of talent all over its roster, including forward Beth Mead and defender Lucy Bronze. Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse is a part of England’s roster. It should be a great match between the two highest ranked teams in the world and also an interesting chess match between coaches Emma Hayes and Sarina Wiegman.

USMNT Moves Up in FIFA Rankings

The latest men’s FIFA rankings were unveiled and the U.S. jumped up two spots to 16th following its pair of wins over Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. The Yanks are the highest-ranked Concacaf team, with Mexico falling three spots to 19th and Canada climbing four spots to 31st. There was also some movement in the top 10 of the rankings, with Germany moving up to 10th while Colombia fell to 12th. Argentina remains at the top of the rankings despite a loss to Paraguay and a narrow win over Peru.

Keeping Up With the Europa League

The UEFA Europa League rolled on and Manchester United came up with a crucial win in manager Ruben Amorim’s first home game at Old Trafford. Alejandro Garnacho scored early and Rasmus Højlund had a brace to help the team rally and beat Bodø/Glimt 3-2. Elsewhere in England, Mats Hummels scored an equalizer in stoppage time for AS Roma to draw 2-2 against Tottenham. Lazio’s perfect run in the tournament came to an end after a scoreless draw against Ludogorets. Rangers, Fenerbahce, and Eintracht Frankfurt came up with solid wins in this latest round of matches as well.

Free Kicks


That’s all I have for you all this time around. If you plan on going out and shopping today, I wish you the best of luck. I’ll be staying in and knocking out some gift buying online. Have a great Friday!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/28/24

Orlando City prepares for Eastern Conference final, details revealed on Osceola Heritage Park changes, MLS roster changes, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Thanksgiving, Mane Landers! I don’t have too much preparation today beyond putting together some cranberry and brie bites for my family. The baking trials over the past week were more…trialing than expected, but I think I’ve figured out how to make them without giving myself too much stress today. My muffin tin was also a bit bigger than is probably optimal, so they come out more like muffins than anything. Before we dive into today’s links, here’s a picture of an imperfect batch before I realized they need a drizzle that I’ll make today.

Orlando City Prepares for the New York Red Bulls

For the first time in club history, Orlando City will take part in an Eastern Conference final when it hosts the New York Red Bulls on Saturday. It will be the third game between the two teams this year, and the Lions did not win either of the previous two meetings. The past hardly matters now though, as both teams are now just a game away from playing in the MLS Cup final. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke on the importance of Saturday’s game and how the Lions are preparing for their last home game of 2024.

Changes Planned For Osceola Heritage Park

Public documents revealed some of the major changes planned for Osceola Heritage Park following the Wilf family’s submitted proposal for parts of the land. The project is estimated to cost close to $1.3 billion and would include expansions for the team’s headquarters, academy, and 18 training fields. There are also plans for apartments, hotels, and restaurants and construction could begin next year. Orlando’s letter of interest in the land was the only one submitted and Osceola County Manager Don Fisher will reportedly recommend that county commissioners proceed with negotiations with the Wilf family.

Eliminated MLS Clubs Make Roster Moves

With only four contenders left in the MLS playoffs, the eliminated teams have turned their attention to getting their rosters ready for 2025. LAFC exercised the options on the contracts for goalkeepers Hugo Lloris and David Ochoa. It declined the option on MLS veteran Kei Kamara’s contract and is in discussions with forward Carlos Vela and defender Aaron Long as well. Former Lion Benji Michel’s contract option with Real Salt Lake was one of many declined by the club. Rubio Rubin, Maikel Chang, and Marcelo Silva won’t be in Salt Lake City next year either. Bongokuhle Hlongwane and Dayne St. Clair predictably had their contract options exercised by Minnesota United, while former Lion Derek Dodson had his declined.

The Columbus Crew will roll into 2025 without Yaw Yeboah or Alexandru Matan, but is keeping a decent amount of players around like Christian Ramirez, Jacen Russell-Rowe, and Patrick Schulte. Luis Suarez and Inter Miami have also agreed to a one-year contract extension that will keep him with the club through 2025.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The most exciting match from the latest round of Champions League matches was in the Netherlands, with PSV Eindhoven coming back to beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-2. The Americans shined, as Malik Tillman scored twice to tie things up, and then Ricardo Pepi provided the winner in stoppage time as a substitute. Benfica also had a thrilling 3-2 win thanks to a pair of late assists from Angel Di Maria to beat Monaco.

Real Madrid’s rough tournament continued with a 2-0 loss to Liverpool that included Kylian Mbappe having a penalty kick saved and an injury to Eduardo Camavinga. Borussia Dortmund cruised to a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb, Aston Villa and Juventus battled to a scoreless draw in England, and Ngal’ayel Mukau had a brace in Lille’s 2-1 victory against Bologna. Cameron Carter-Vickers had a rough day after an own goal in Celtic’s 1-1 draw with Club Brugge.

Free Kicks

  • Philadelphia Union Sporting Director Ernst Tanner may have revealed that not every MLS team will take part in Leagues Cup next year, which would be a change from its past iterations.
  • Ruud van Nistelrooy will reportedly become Leicester City’s next manager. This news comes after his solid and brief stint as Manchester United’s interim head coach.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a fantastic Thanksgiving and enjoy plenty of great food and time with friends and family.

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