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Lion Links: 5/25/16

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There is nothing better than realizing you’re halfway through the week and about to cruise into a three-day weekend than also being rewarded with a mid-week match. Orlando City takes on the (whoda thought we’d ever say it) top team in the East, the Philadelphia Union, before heading up to Yankee Stadium on Sunday for the third game in nine days. So to honor this special week of non-stop soccer fun, let’s dive head-first into some cool and refreshing links.

Game Day Excitement!

Today is game day in the City Beautiful, as Orlando City takes on the City of Brotherly Love at the Citrus Bowl (also refusing to call it CWS). Keep your eyes fixed on The Mane Land's game day thread to get you expertly prepared for tonight's match. Speaking of the match, Orlando City has announced that the club is celebrating Military Appreciation Day at tonight's game. The club is set to honor the 65th Infantry Regiment, which is comprised of native Puerto Ricans and is known as the "Boriqueneers," who were recently honored with the Congressional Gold Medal.

Orlando City Attendance Ranked Third from Top … and Bottom.

Orlando City SC drew another phenomenal crowd to last Saturday’s victory over the Montreal Impact with 34,081 in attendance. Out of all MLS, NWSL, NASL, and USL matches played in the past week, Orlando drew the third highest attendance behind the Sounders (41,028) and NYCFC (37,858). This is obviously great news for the club and we should all be celebrating, right? Not so much. The club also ranked third from the bottom in attendance for its Sunday evening Orlando City B match (31st out of 33 clubs) against the Rochester Rhinos with a mere 925 fans in attendance (we even won and Hadji Barry made USL Team of the Week!). Here’s The Mane Land‘s write up in case you now feel guilty for not paying attention, or Austin David’s story about OCB’s new-found inertia. Interesting to note that an NWSL match, the Portland Thorns’ victory over the Washington Spirit, made it into the top 10 with 15,823 spectators, slightly ahead of the Chicago Fire’s home win over the Dynamo, at 15,363.

Believe in Bendik

Many mea cuplas have recently been written towards Joe Bendik. When he started out the season for Orlando City, replacing the beloved (and injured) Tally Hall, skepticism loomed large over his chances for success. However, with the insane save after insane save that Bendik has pulled off between the sticks, it’s time to finally give him his due credit. Bendik has been nominated for MLS Save of the Week (again), and he needs your vote to get him past the semifinal round.

MLS: Where Player Careers Go to Die?

This weekend, NYCFC’s most expensive designer paperweight, Andrea Pirlo, took to the airwaves to preemptively complain about MLS, almost in anticipation of yesterday’s news that he was going to be left off the Italian Euro 2016 squad; although up until the night of the blunderous 7-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls, it appears Pirlo still had hope for his chances. Newest Chelsea manager and Italian National Team Coach Antonio Conte said he spoke to Pirlo before the decision was announced and that “nothing was left to chance.” However, he also said that both Pirlo and Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco were evaluated and left off the squad because they “chose to play in MLS” and are “pay[ing] the consequences.” That may be true for Giovinco, who won the 2015 MLS MVP award, but for Pirlo, perhaps Conte just caught the “highlights” from Saturday’s home match at Yankee Stadium and that was enough for him. Expect some fallout from these comments, especially where @TheSoccerDon is concerned.

Potpourri — Like the Jeopardy category but not phrased in the form of a question

That's it from me, Mane Landers. Enjoy the excitement of a mid-week game and stick with the us for full coverage and insight from the match-up against the Philadelphia Union.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/28/25

Orlando Pride prepare for the San Diego Wave, NWSL weekend matches, USMNT roster predictions, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

We made it to Friday! Celebrate however you see fit, whether that’s an indulgent breakfast or just your favorite cup of coffee. This week has flown by a bit for me and I’m looking forward to a weekend filled with soccer. I’ll be spending the next few days working, reading a new book or two, and working out the kinks of making a frozen coconut mojito. My blender hates me. Let’s get to today’s links!

Orlando Pride Prepare for the San Diego Wave

The Orlando Pride will look to extend their 2025 win streak to three games — and their overall win streak to seven — on Saturday when they host the San Diego Wave at noon. Orlando has looked the part of a defending champion so far, leading the league with eight goals without conceding a single one in two games. The Pride will take on a revamped San Diego team that is unbeaten under Head Coach Jonas Eidevall. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke about how Orlando will need to set the tone early on at home against the Wave and keep up the momentum.

NWSL Provides Entertaining Slate of Weekend Matches

While it’s far too early to think about the NWSL Shield race, it never hurts to check out how the Pride’s competitors are doing while enjoying some great soccer. Tonight features a pair of matches at the same time, with the Washington Spirit hosting Bay FC and the Houston Dash playing on the road against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga will have a chance to tie her own record of scoring in eight straight games when her team plays the Utah Royals on Saturday. On Sunday, we’ll get to see if the Seattle Reign’s solid start continues against an unbeaten Angel City FC team searching for its first win of the season.

USMNT Roster Predictions for Concacaf Gold Cup

The pressure is on United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino to turn things around after a rough showing in the final four of the Concacaf Nations League. This summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup will be an opportunity for the USMNT to impress in preparation for the 2026 World Cup, and Pro Soccer Wire dove into how the roster could look for the tournament. Injuries to Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun complicate things up top, but we could see Brenden Aaronson or Alex Zendejas could return to the attack. The Gold Cup will likely also determine which goalkeeper between Matt Turner, Zack Steffen, and Patrick Schulte emerges as the true starter. Players like Sergino Dest, Malik Tillman, and Johnny Cardoso are other notable names to keep an eye out for leading into the tournament.

FA Cup Quarterfinals Kick Off This Weekend

Only eight teams remain in the FA Cup and the action returns with enticing quarterfinal matchups. Preston North End is the only team outside of the English Premier League still fighting, but Manchester City is the only traditional giant left in the field as well. City will face off against a Bournemouth side that beat it 2-1 back in November, while Preston will have to get past Aston Villa, which has only won two of its last eight games. Nottingham Forest forward Chris Wood’s injury adds an obstacle to overcome when the team travels to play Brighton and Hove Albion. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace gets star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta back from injury for its clash with Fulham.

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That’s all I have for you for today’s links. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/27/25

Marco Pasalic wins Goal of the Matchday, Orlando Pride members join U.S. U-23 camp, Orlando City B beats Crown Legacy FC, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

We’re another day closer to what should be an awesome Saturday, with both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride in action. All three of Orlando’s soccer teams have been doing well lately, which is not something we can say too often. Hopefully that trend continues this weekend and beyond. Let’s get to today’s links!

Marco Pasalic Wins MLS Goal of the Matchday

An Orlando City player has won MLS Goal of the Matchday for the first time this season, with Marco Pasalic claiming the award for his strike against D.C. United. The goal was a real team effort from the Lions, as all three Designated Players linked up to get the ball up the field in a hurry for a counter. Pasalic did well to create space and then curl the ball into the back of the net from distance. His goal garnered 64.7% of the vote, beating out goals from Daniel Rios, David Martinez, and Deandre Kerr. In his first year as a Lion, the Croatian winger has already recorded four goals and an assist so far.

Pride’s Zara Chavoshi and Yolanda Thomas Join U.S. U-23 Camp

Orlando Pride defender Zara Chavoshi was called up for the first U-23 United States Women’s National Team training camp of the year, which will run alongside the senior team’s camp in California. The 22-year-old, who was signed by the Pride directly out of college after four years at Wake Forest, will develop her game at the camp alongside other promising young defenders like Savy King, Gisele Thompson, and Eva Gaetino. Orlando Pride Assistant Coach Yolanda Thomas will also be in attendance as an assistant coach at the camp, and it’s great to see her get this opportunity.

Orlando City B Defeats Crown Legacy FC on the Road

Orlando City B won its first road match of the 2025 season, beating Crown Legacy FC 1-0 to extend its unbeaten run to three games (2-0-1). The Young Lions didn’t make things easy on themselves by not converting some solid opportunities to extend their lead, but they ultimately held on to secure all three points. Orlando is now tied at the top of the Eastern Conference standings with New York City FC II with eight points from three matches. OCB’s next match will be a road game against Chattanooga FC on April 5.

Say Hello to Boston Legacy FC

Boston’s NWSL team has rebranded itself as Boston Legacy FC, which is leagues better than BOS Nation FC. The team initially went with that anagram of Bostonian as its name back in October as part of a brand launch that also included a widely criticized marketing campaign involving the slogan “Too Many Balls.” While I’m not crazy about the name, the team deserves credit for not defaulting to something too generic after whiffing on its first swing. The Boston Legacy will take the field for the first time next year as the NWSL’s 16th team.

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  • Pride midfielder Angelina was called up by Brazil for its friendlies against the United States in California on April 5 and April 8.

That’s all I have for you this fine Thursday. I hope you all have a terrific day and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/26/25

Orlando City rises in MLS power rankings, Emily Sams called up, Orlando City B faces Crown Legacy FC tonight, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending the week reading and eating my way through a pork shoulder after making way too much of it in my slow cooker this weekend. It wasn’t as tender as I was shooting for, but it’ll take some time before I can take another crack at it. But enough about that, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Rises in MLS Power Rankings

The league’s latest power rankings are out and Orlando City has moved up two spots to 14th after its 4-1 victory over D.C. United. Orlando’s Designated Players are firing on all cylinders and no MLS team has scored more goals this year. The breakout of 20-year-old defender Alex Freeman, who was noted as one of the top young performers from this past weekend, is also worth recognition. The Lions have been in need of a young player to step up, and Freeman has done well so far. Orlando will be back in action on Saturday for a road match against an LA Galaxy side still searching for its first win of the season.

Emily Sams Called Up For USWNT Friendlies

Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams was one of 24 players called up by United States Women’s National Team Head Coach Emma Hayes for the training camp prior to friendlies against Brazil next month. Forward Trinity Rodman, who hasn’t played for the U.S. since the Olympics, is back in the mix after missing time due to injury. Houston Dash defender Avery Patterson and Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce are other interesting players to keep an eye on. The U.S. will take on Brazil April 5 at SoFi Stadium before a rematch on April 8 at PayPal Park.

OCB Plays Crown Legacy FC Tonight

The Young Lions are back in action tonight for a road match against Crown Legacy FC at 7 p.m. It’s OCB’s first away match of the season after a pair of solid results at Osceola Heritage Park to start the season. Orlando will take on a Crown Legacy team that’s only played one game so far this season, losing a shootout to New York City FC II after a 1-1 draw back on March 7. Following tonight’s match, OCB will get some time off before taking on Chattanooga FC in Tennessee on April 5.

Takeaway From USMNT Defeats

After losing both Concacaf Nations League matches, there is plenty of concern surrounding the United States Men’s National Team as it prepares for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Fullback Joe Scally struggled in both matches, putting more of an emphasis on Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest being ready to roll next summer. Weston McKennie lost duels left and right and there are some real questions regarding where he fits in Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s system. There were bright spots as well though. Diego Luna and Patrick Agyemang likely boosted their stock after solid offensive efforts, and Tanner Tessmann was effective in his time on the field. Overall, the Yanks will have to be better in this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup.

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That’s all I have for you all this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday. Go Young Lions!

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