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Lion Links: 5/13/15

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10 years ago

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It’s gameday in the nation’s capital, and fans in the Sunshine State are sure to be watching tonight as Orlando City takes on D.C. United. In the meantime, enjoy today’s Lion Links.

Sean St. Ledger on Life in MLS and in the United States

Fanbookz.com’s Kristan Heneage recently caught up with Orlando City defender Sean St. Ledger regarding his new life here across the pond. After many years in England’s second division, the Irish defender decided it was time to move stateside, and although some things have surely been difficult, he seems to have made the transition with ease.

St. Ledger has officially put to death the rumors that he is dating pop star Taylor Swift, which means, sadly, we will not see Swift at any Orlando City games in the near future. St. Ledger also shares what it is like playing alongside legendary midfielder Kaká:

"He’s good to watch and sometimes he’ll be practicing free-kicks after training and you can see why he’s played for the clubs he has. The thing I’d say most about him though is how humble he is and how down to earth he is. Everyone looks up to him. He’s won league titles, Champions Leagues and he’s still so humble".

St. Ledger acknowledges that the language barrier with some of his teammates is rough, and even the American ones give him a hard time about simple nuances. He is enjoying the atmosphere here, but he does not like our Special K. We won't hold that against him.

Orlando City Leads League in Passing

MLS is an ever-changing league with teams that play vastly different styles of soccer, but Orlando City have established themselves as a passing team. Now, anyone who watches the Lions play know Kaká plays a central role in that possession-based style. Here is an interesting graphic that shows the passes per possession of each team, in comparison to possessions per game:

Another interesting note is that the leaders in passes per possession have the least amount of possessions in each game. This is mostly due to slower, more possessive style of play that has both helped and hurt Orlando City all season.

Rivera Makes Louisville City FC Debut

Orlando City rookie striker Sidney Rivera got his first 20 minutes of professional soccer last night. The striker, on loand to USL affiliate Louisville, was sent on at the 70-minute mark in last night's 3-0 LCFC thrashing of the Wilmington Hammerheads. Rivera was active, registering one shot on a chance shortly after being inserted, even though Louisville was in a lead-protection mode. Now that he seems to be over his injury issues, look for Rivera to get more time with Orlando's affiliate club.

Ruckus Supporting the Troops Through Auction

Orlando City supporter group "The Ruckus" will be hosting an auction dedicated to supporting Tally Hall's charity, Banded Brigade Outdoors, as well as Dogs 4 Warriors. The auction runs both online and at all Ruckus tailgates. $10 of every shirt sale for new Ruckus members will also be donated to the charities. Details for the event can be found here.

Bruce Arena Blasts MLS

Current LA Galaxy and former USMNT Coach Bruce Arena has called out Major League Soccer for its rules on discovery signings. He went as far to call it “blackmail” when the team tried to sign former US Youth International Sebastian Lletget. Lletget traveled with the team in preseason, but New England filed for discovery rights under MLS new collective bargaining agreement and LA was forced to pay $50,000 for the rights to the player.

While MLS has often been prone to criticism, one would think the golden child that is LA Galaxy would not have anything to complain about. No one is saying $50,000 is life or death but Arena argues that the discovery signing should only apply when a team actually wants to sign said player and in this case, New England did not.

Columbus Crew SC Releases Hernan Grana

Made official yesterday morning, 30-year old defender Hernan Grana and Crew SC have gone their separate ways. The move was brought about because Grana was homesick and missed his family and life in Argentina. His newborn son is also a continent away which makes the move more understandable.

Barcelona Loses in Munich, Advances to Final on Aggregate

While the hopes for Bayern Munich were bleak, it would not surprise anyone to know that the Bavarian giants put up quite the fight at home, as they won the second leg 3-2, but lost 5-3 on aggregate. For Barcelona, they will be playing for a chance at their fifth Champions League title. As for Bayern, the season ends with only a Bundesliga title, which, incredibly, is a disappointment for many fans.

Barcelona awaits the winner of Real Madrid and Juventus, with the Italians currently leading 2-1 on aggregate. The teams face of in Madrid today at 2:45pm EST.

That is it for today’s Lion Links, we hope you join us in our match thread for tonight’s tilt as the Lions look for three points against D.C. United. Have a great day!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

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23 hours ago

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January 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/20/25

Orlando City signs Nicolas Rodriguez, Jack Lynn announces retirement, USMNT defeats Venezuela in friendly, and more.

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2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you’re all having a good holiday weekend as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Over the past week, I’ve been working and covering high school ice hockey. It will be a busy week in Orlando, with the United States Men’s National Team’s match against Costa Rica on Wednesday and Orlando City’s first preseason match against Atletico Mineiro on Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Signs Nicolas Rodriguez

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has signed forward Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza CEIF in Colombia’s top flight. The deal is through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028, and Rodriguez will occupy a MLS U22 Initiative slot. Rodriguez made 19 appearances for Fortaleza, recording 1,607 minutes, five goals, and three assists during the 2024 Primera A Clausura season. The Lions add a young attacking player the club can develop and Rodriguez can play on the right wing, the right side of a three-man midfield, or in the No. 10 spot.

Jack Lynn Announces Retirement

Orlando City forward Jack Lynn announced his retirement from professional soccer on Saturday. Lynn was drafted by Orlando in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He became a regular starter for Orlando City B, scoring a team-record 38 goals in over three seasons with the MLS NEXT Pro side. Lynn also won the Golden Boot with 19 goals during the 2023 season and became the first OCB player to be named MLS NEXT Pro MVP. He played sparingly with the first team, but he scored twice last season as his role increased. The Lions will likely look to add another striker for more depth up top.

Orlando Pride Acquire Allocation Money in Trade

On Friday, the Orlando Pride announced that the club has acquired $50,000 in Allocation Money from the Washington Spirit. In exchange, the Pride sent the Spirit a 2025 international roster spot. The Pride will face the Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on March 7 at Inter&Co Stadium.

USMNT Defeats Venezuela in Friendly

The USMNT defeated Venezuela 3-1 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday in a friendly. Jack McGlynn and Patrick Agyemang scored in the first half to give the USMNT a 2-0 lead just before halftime. Matko Milijevic scored the third goal for the Americans in the second half, with Venezuela pulling one back thanks to a goal from Jorge Yriarte. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has led the USMNT to winning four out of its first five matches since he took charge last September. The USMNT’s next match will be against Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.

Alyssa Naeher Named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year

On Saturday, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. Naeher won 40% of the vote, while defender Naomi Girma finished in second with 32%. In her final year with the USWNT, Naeher ended 2024 with 18 starts, playing 1,170 minutes and only conceding 11 goals. She played a crucial role with clutch saves to help the USWNT win the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, and gold at the Olympics in Paris. Naeher is the second goalkeeper to win the award since Hope Solo won it in 2009.

Free Kicks

  • Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has reached an agreement with the club on a record-breaking contract that extends his deal through 2034.

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: 1/17/25

Orlando Pride loan out Mariana Larroquette, USMNT gets ready for Venezuela, MLS transfer news, and much more.

Published

5 days ago

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January 17, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! Maybe it’s just because I’m a San Jose Sharks fan when it comes to hockey, but I sure do miss being able to watch Orlando City and the Orlando Pride win games. Thankfully it won’t be much longer until Orlando’s soccer teams are back in action, although I wish the Lions would make some moves to get us excited for 2025. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Mariana Larroquette Heads to Argentina on Loan

The Pride have loaned forward Mariana Larroquette to Newell’s Old Boys Women in Argentina. The loan lasts through July 1, so Larroquette may still provide some attacking depth for the Pride later in the season. This should be a good opportunity for her to get some minutes in her home country after only making four appearances for the Pride last season. Larroquette joined the Pride back in July of 2023 on a contract through 2025, so this is a solid chance for her to get some consistent playing time to showcase her talent before her current contract ends.

USMNT Prepares for Friendly Against Venezuela

The United States Men’s National Team will play its first game of 2025 when it takes on Venezuela Saturday at 3 p.m. in Fort Lauderdale. This is just the seventh meeting between the two nations, with Venezuela winning the most recent match 3-0 back in 2019. Goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez started for Venezuela in that shutout and is expected to get the nod in goal again, with Orlando City’s Javier Otero backing him up. The Yanks will be without multiple players who were called up, as Jesus Ferreira, John Tolkin, Jalen Neal, and Drake Callender will no longer be available. The USMNT will be back in action on Wednesday for a friendly against Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium.

Catching Up On MLS Transfer News

Every MLS team apart from Orlando City seems to be making major moves in preparation for the 2025 season. Austin FC is reportedly signing Albanian forward Myrto Uzuni as a Designated Player, which would trigger a $12.3 million release clause in his contract with Granada. Uzuni has scored 14 goals in 18 appearances for the Spanish club this season. Austin also added midfielder Nicolas Dubersarsky from Instituto in Argentina’s top flight. He will be a U22 Initiative Player and signed a five-year contract with the club.

New York Red Bulls left back John Tolkin was officially transferred to Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga for a reported $3 million transfer fee. The New England Revolution continued to strengthen their attack, signing veteran forward Maxi Urruti to a one-year deal with an option for 2026. Atlanta United and Middlesbrough have reportedly reached a verbal agreement on a deal for forward Emmanuel Latte Lath, although Atlanta still has to finalize personal terms with him.

Chelsea Reportedly Leads Race for Naomi Girma

One of the biggest questions this NWSL off-season is whether or not San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma will remain with the club. The 24-year-old is under contract through 2026, but European teams are reportedly willing to pay up to secure her talents. Chelsea is the reported frontrunner, with Arsenal and Lyon also in the mix to sign her. Girma is one of the best defenders in the world and was a major reason behind the United States Women’s National Team winning Olympic gold last year. Speaking of Girma, she will not be in attendance for the USWNT training camp in Florida due to a minor injury.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter followed through on her promise to dye her hair after a historic season.
  • In news that impacts Orlando City duo Pedro Gallese and Wilder Cartagena, Jorge Fossati is no longer Peru’s head coach. Peru only won one of its six CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers with Fossati at the helm and is last in the standings.
  • Former Lion Chris Mueller spoke on the importance of mental health and the resources available to help.

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

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