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Lion Links: 6/27/17

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7 years ago

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It’s Tuesday again, Mane Landers. Hopefully, everyone has gotten over the weekend. It’s never as good as it seems after wins, and it isn’t as bad as it seems now. Orlando City B was able to get a win. The Pride lost, but they seem to be hitting their form. We have to try to look at the positives; life isn’t all bad. With that said, let’s get to the links.

Rumor: Quintero Deal Could Happen Within a Week

We’ve previously discussed the rumor that midfielder Juan Quintero could be headed to Orlando City. This story by O Jogo says the deal “should be completed this week” (Note: if you’re not bilingual you may need Chrome to translate the linked story). The story claims that Quintero not only came to Florida but also met with officials at MLS headquarters in New York.

Quintero was highly touted as a youngster, but he hasn’t quite been able to live up to expectations. He was never able to get consistent playing time at Porto, so he was sent out on loan. He was sent back to Porto, and then went out on another loan.

Porto is a Champions League club, so there is no shame in not being able to get on the field there. But the talk is that he will be a replacement for Kaká eventually is a stretch. It’s curious that no one else seems to want to keep him, so don’t expect him to be a savior at OCSC if the move does happen.

Cyle Larin Stock Down with Canadian Men’s National Team

Cyle Larin’s recent suspension clearly has his stock down with the Canadian Men’s National Team. It’s no surprise, he put himself in that predicament. But they build you up to tear you down. As long as he gets right and comes back scoring goals, then the narrative will change. Everyone loves a redemption story.

Orlando Pride Lament Playing in Extreme Heat

Orlando Pride players commented that heat was an issue that the NWSL must better address in the future following the team’s 3:50 kickoff Saturday against the Houston Dash.

“We could’ve played tonight at like 7 or 8 p.m.,” Krieger said. “… Unfortunately, we had to play at 3:50. I still don’t understand that. I think they need to re-adjust it, in my opinion.”

This was after the start time was moved back an hour to 3:50 p.m. This puts the NWSL in an interesting dilemma because they want to keep the games early for national television purposes to further grow the game. There is more competition for viewers in the evening, and viewers correlate to money. The league did change some start times for non-national TV games and built in extra time for hydration breaks but according to the players, more needs to be done.

Orlando Pride’s Catley Nominated for Save of the Week

Defender Steph Catley was nominated for the NWSL Save of the Week award. Typically an award for a goal keeper, Catley chased down a ball going in to an open net to earn her nomination. After the match Saturday, Catley said she was determined not to give up a goal because the player who got in behind for the shot was her responsibility. Visit @NWSL on Twitter to vote.

Vote Timbo for USL Goal of the Week

Timbo’s goal against Rochester has been nominated for USL Goal of the Week. The greatness of the goal was how Pierre Da Silva dribbled through defenders and set Timbo up, but there’s no I in team. Voting ends Thursday at 9 a.m. ET. Vote for Timbo, because there is some stiff competition.

2017 MLS All-Star Jersey Revealed

The jersey design is a throwback to an old U.S. Men’s National Team jersey.

MLS Expansion: Will Enough Viable Bids Emerge?

When MLS announced that it was going to add four expansion franchises, the thought was that the league would be able to pick and choose who got in. But as time passes, cities are dropping out of the running for a franchise.

It shouldn’t be surprising. MLS is late to the party. Tax payers have been financing bad basketball and football stadium deals for years. They know they are bad deals. In this climate, the owner is going to have to put up the money to get something done. The days of people being desperate for a sports team are gone. There are more pressing issues. It just is what it is.

World Cup Corruption Claims

There were some specific details leaked of the FIFA World Cup corruption claims. Allegedly, there is documentation that a $2 million dollar payment was made to the 10-year-old daughter of a FIFA official.

The details will seem outlandish to us, but we all knew. We have accepted that this is how business is done. Something needed to be done with Qatar winning because there was talk of having to change the date because it’s so hot, not to mention human rights concerns. But everyone knew something was going on, we can’t be outraged now that we know specifics.

That does it for another edition of links. Be safe, and support our Pride.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/14/24

Getting to know Martin Ojeda, Orlando Pride unbeaten run ends, USMNT beats Panama, and more.

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20 hours ago

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October 14, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you over the holiday weekend. I’ve been busy working at Under Armour and finishing up stream monitoring for an NISA Playoff semifinal match in California. Let’s also wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B forward Wilfredo Rivera. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links. 

Getting to Know Martin Ojeda

Orlando City midfielder Martin Ojeda was featured as part of the club’s video series to learn more about the players. In the video, Ojeda gave insight into his beginnings playing soccer when he was three years old and playing for his neighborhood club in South America. He also discussed his style of play, focusing on the attack, creating opportunities, and stating that there is always room to improve. You can check out the rest of the video below.

Pride Unbeaten Run Ends in Loss to Thorns

The Orlando Pride suffered their first loss of the NWSL season on Friday, falling 2-0 to the Portland Thorns. Morgan Weaver and Christine Sinclair scored for the Thorns to seal the win and end Orlando’s 24-match unbeaten streak dating back to Oct. 6 of last season. Despite the loss, the Pride remain in first place in the NWSL table with 57 points after winning the NWSL Shield a week ago. The next match for the Pride will be on Sunday on the road against NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Keys to Success in Orlando Pride Turnaround

The Athletic ($) took a deep dive into the process that led to the Orlando Pride turnaround this season. The article begins with the Pride joining the NWSL in 2016, their up-and-down seasons, and how recent changes in the last couple of years have set the foundation for the club’s success in 2024. It also shared some unique insights from interviews with staff and players and how the club was eager to make changes after finishing in the bottom half of the table for the last five seasons. The most interesting takeaway for me from reading the article was Head Coach Seb Hines speaking on the process of changing the culture of the club, building that underdog mindset, and how he keeps his players motivated. Although the 24-match unbeaten streak is over, the Pride are breaking records this season and won their first trophy. There’s been plenty to be excited about for the Pride this season, and hopefully they will carry this momentum into the playoffs and make a deep run.

USMNT Defeats Panama in Mauricio Pochettino’s Coaching Debut

The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Panama 2-0 on Saturday at Q2 Stadium, securing the first win in Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s debut in a friendly. Yunus Musah and Ricardo Pepi scored the USMNT’s goals in the second half to secure the victory. Matt Turner started in goal, and Christian Pulisic added an assist to set up Musah’s goal. The USMNT will face Mexico in Guadalajara on Tuesday. Pulisic, Pepi, and Weston McKennie will miss the match to return to their respective European clubs. Marlon Fossey and Zack Steffen will also return to their clubs.

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  • Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese earned a clean sheet on international duty as his Peru side defeated Uruguay 1-0 in a CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying match on Friday. Wilder Cartagena and Facundo Torres did not play in the match.
  • Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina and forward Adriana were called up to the Brazil Women’s National Team for friendlies against Colombia on Oct. 26 and Oct. 29.
  • Sports Illustrated listed five MLS players that could move abroad this off-season, mentioning Orlando City’s Facundo Torres and Duncan McGuire as potential targets.
  • Angel City FC forward Christen Press scored her first goal in 28 months over the weekend in a 1-1 draw against the North Carolina Courage. Press had been sidelined due to an ACL injury requiring four surgeries before returning to action.
  • Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga broke an NWSL record after scoring her 19th goal of the season in a 1-0 win over Bay FC over the weekend.

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: 10/11/24

Orlando Pride in Portland, U.S. men and women news, international upsets, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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October 11, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Milton has finally made its way out of Florida, though many of us will be dealing with the aftermath for a while. We hope that you and yours are safe and that the damage is minimal. I know that many are still without power — which is why I’m writing Lion Links today instead of Marcus Mitchell. Fortunately, the Orlando Pride play in Portland tonight, although it will be a late one. Let’s get to the links.

Pride in Portland

The Orlando Pride may be the NWSL Shield winners, but with three matches left in the regular season, the job is not done. Now, the club will take on the Portland Thorns. The Thorns haven’t been great as of late, but Providence Park is a tough place to play. While the club is focused on the upcoming playoffs, the Pride still want to finish undefeated in the regular season. Portland, like many clubs, are fighting for a playoff spot.

USWNT Players in the News

Lindsey Horan didn’t have the best Olympics in my opinion, but she is doing very well in her start to Lyon’s season. She’s scored five goals in four matches to help Lyon top the table. Back home, Crystal Dunn is being honored by Empowerment on the East River hosted by Black Players for Change.

USMNT in Action

The USMNT plays its first match under Mauricio Pochettino Saturday night against Panama, and you can watch it on multiple platforms. There are no conflicts of interest this go-around, but next year, some players will need to choose between playing in the Club World Cup or the Gold Cup.

International Results

Orlando City, and all the other teams and leagues, aren’t playing right now due to an international break. The matches have already begun. Perhaps the biggest news was Greece’s stunning 2-1 win over England. The victory puts Greece atop Group B2 in the UEFA Nations League competition.

Over in Group A2, Italy blew a two-goal lead to draw Belgium 2-2. There were plenty of other results, including Erling Haaland becoming his country’s all-time top scorer after scoring a brace in Norway’s 3-0 win over Slovenia. If you want to catch more matches, here’s where you can watch.

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That will do it for today. Check back tonight for our Pride match recap, and follow The Mane Land on Twitter during the match. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/10/24

Orlando City’s potential as a playoff dark horse, the Orlando Pride’s rise to prominence, the USMNT prepares for Panama, and more.

Published

5 days ago

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October 10, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

I hope you’re all staying safe out there as Hurricane Milton tears across the state of Florida. While we endure the storm and wait for the Orlando Pride to play in Portland on Friday night, let’s distract ourselves with some links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City’s Dark Horse Potential

On the latest episode of the Offside with Taylor Twellman podcast, he spoke on how Orlando City will be a dark horse in the tournament. The Lions have been on an incredible run of form over the past few months and can host in the first round of the playoffs if they manage to hold onto the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference. Nearly all of the team’s attackers are hitting their stride and a recent win over FC Cincinnati is evidence that the Lions aren’t to be overlooked in this year’s playoffs.

“[Orlando City is] the best team in MLS since July 1 and they are scoring goals for fun while winning 10 of those 13 games,” Twellman said. “They will fight, they will claw, basically they will do anything to get under your skin.

“Nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to play this version of Orlando City.”

How the Orlando Pride Made History

It still feels a bit surreal that the Orlando Pride lifted the NWSL Shield with three games left to play this season. Here’s a great feature by Henry Bushnell of Yahoo Sports that dives into some of the reasons behind the Pride’s dominance this season. Vice President of Soccer Operations and Sporting Director Haley Carter has helped build a culture of confidence, comfort, and resilience by investing in the players as humans and not just what they can do on the field.

Pro Soccer Wire‘s Jason Anderson detailed how the Pride were able to beat the Washington Spirit to deservedly lift the trophy and it’s also a great read. The Pride did well to adjust to the Spirit’s commitment to their formation and cranked up the tempo to create opportunities to win.

MLS 2024 22 Under 22 List Unveiled

Although Michael Halliday and Heine Gikling Bruseth were eligible, no Lions made this year’s MLS 22 Under 22. Inter Miami midfielder Diego Gomez tops the list, with Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna and the Philadelphia Union’s Jack McGlynn rounding out the top three. The youngest player on the list is 15-year-old midfielder Cavan Sullivan, while the Chicago Fire’s Chris Brady is the only goalkeeper to make the cut. Of the 22 players listed, 16 play in the Eastern Conference. As for notable players who weren’t listed, CF Montreal’s Caden Clark has thrived since being traded by Minnesota United and Matai Akinmboni deserves some recognition for his role in D.C. United’s defense at 17 years old.

USMNT Prepares for Panama

The United States Men’s National Team will play its first match under Mauricio Pochettino on Saturday when it takes on Panama in a friendly in Austin. This will be a rematch of when the two nations squared off in Copa America on June 27, with the U.S. falling 2-1. The Yanks failed to make it out of the group stage of that tournament and Gregg Berhalter was fired as head coach in July. A statement win against a Panamanian side that’s currently 37th in the FIFA rankings would be a great start to Pochettino’s tenure as head coach.

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That’ll do it for me today, as my power has just gone out, so it’s the perfect time to wrap things up. Stay safe out there!

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