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Lion Links: 7/23/17

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Happy Sunday morning, folks. No Orlando-based pro soccer teams in action today, but lots of other stuff, such as ICC, in case you’re into that kind of thing. Speaking of the International Champions Cup, we had one of those games right here in the City Beautiful last night. More on that later.

Much of the weekend action you’re interested in is already over, so you get to that sock drawer that you’ve been putting off cleaning out for the last three months. Meanwhile, let’s get you started on today’s links:

Pride Again Fall to Red Stars

The Orlando Pride still can’t solve the riddle of the Chicago Red Stars. Christen Press scored two more goals against the Pride to lead the Red Stars to a 2-1 home win, improving Chicago to 4-0-0 in the all-time series. At least Alanna Kennedy finally found Orlando’s first goal of the series deep in stoppage time with a screamer past Alyssa Naeher. These two teams will play again Aug. 5 right after the Tournament of Nations, but that game will come just two days after the tourney concludes out on the West Coast, so it’ll affect the lineups — Orlando’s more than Chicago’s, unfortunately.

Deuce Leads U.S. Past Costa Rica

It was a special night for Clint Dempsey. The Texas native came off the bench in his home state to set up Jozy Altidore’s game winner and score the insurance marker to push the USMNT to a 2-0 win over Costa Rica in the Gold Cup semifinals. Dempsey’s free kick strike was his 57th international goal, tying Landon Donovan’s USMNT career record. The United States moves on to play the Mexico-Jamaica winner in the final on Wednesday. It should be fun.

Here, Have a Transfer Rumor

The latest name linked with Orlando City — this time via a Brazilian social media account covering Werder Bremen — is Zlatko Junuzovic. The tweet says Orlando City is willing to pony up €5 million for the Austrian international midfielder. More set-up man than goal scorer, Junuzovic is a free kick and assist specialist who also has 19 Bundesliga goals over the past five years and seven international goals with Austria in 52 caps. The 29-year-old would fill a need at attacking midfielder but the price tag is pretty high. What do you think of this idea? Personally, I would simply enjoy getting to say “Zlatko” and use it in stories.

However, not so fast, my friends. This story says Orlando has made no formal offer, despite a willingness to pay the five million euros and offer a three-year deal. It further states that Werder Bremen are seeking double that amount of money, so that makes a deal pretty unlikely.

Fan Fallout

(Note: this is not a generalization about all of the fans from each fan base, or about supporters groups, but is simply the calling out of a few individual actions.) Individual fans from Orlando City and Atlanta United didn’t cover themselves in glory in the week of their teams’ first meeting in Major League Soccer. There were shenanigans all week, from billboard reactions on both sides, to making light of the Pulse tragedy, and all manner of social media confrontations. I might be missing something, but we’re talking about a sporting event — one where a bunch of guys put on uniforms and kick a ball around, no less. Some of the behavior on both sides was a bit bewildering.

Perhaps the biggest news was the story of an Atlanta United fan who claims he was sucker-punched by an Orlando City fan while minding his own business. Orlando fans counter that the fan in question threw a bottle toward some kids and was “acting a fool” in the supporters’ tailgate area. I’d like to point out that punching a human is bad. Throwing a bottle is bad. Acting a fool is bad. We’re all people, first and foremost, and so maybe it’s not that important that we support a sports team from a different city?

I also saw that a Terminus Legion flag was hoisted to the rafters of Orlando City Stadium. Unless that flag was freely given by the Terminus Legion or purchased by Orlando fans, it’s a bad look. Last time I checked, taking something that belongs to someone else is considered theft under our legal system. Can’t we all be better than this? A few bad incidents can color an entire fan base in the public eye. If we always represent our team and our city with class, respect, and courtesy for others, it’ll set an example for others to follow.

ICC Comes to Orlando

More than 33,000 fans piled into Camping World Stadium last night for the International Champions Cup match between Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain last night. An entertaining 2-2 match through 45 minutes featured blistering goals and an enormous goalkeeping gaffe. Just after the break, PSG’s goalkeeper was sent off by Ted Unkel (really!) and Tottenham eventually broke the tie, and added a late Harry Kane penalty that shouldn’t have been a penalty [/Unkel’d] en route to a 4-2 win. It’s always nice to have big-time soccer events in our city, and it was excellent to see a big crowd to see two teams from across the pond.

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  • Orlando City’s Jonathan Spector was robbed twice by Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan on Friday. Spector talked about his bond with Guzan from their time in Birmingham.
  • The USMNT is the first team to win at the Gold Cup with three different goalkeepers in the same tournament.
  • El Salvador’s Henry Romero and Darwin Ceren have been suspended by CONCACAF for their antics against the USMNT in the Gold Cup quarterfinals. Romero will get a six-game ban for biting and nipple twisting Jozy Altidore and former Orlando City midfielder Ceren gets a three-match suspension for biting Omar Gonzalez.
  • Tickets to the U.S.-Panama World Cup qualifier at Orlando City Stadium go on sale Aug. 10.
  • New York City went down a man early but still beat the Chicago Fire, 2-1.
  • Among those born on this date are actor Arthur Treacher — who somehow got his name on a chain of fish and chips restaurants in the U.S. — (1894), baseball’s Pee Wee Reese (1918), Calvert de Forest — a.k.a. Larry “Bud” Melman — (1921), actor Bert Convy (1933), pitcher Don Drysdale (1936), Beverly Hills Cop actor Ronny Cox (1938), radio host Don Imus (1940), David Essex (1947), original Rush drummer John Rutsey (1952), Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore (1961), Woody Harrelson (1961), Slash (1965), Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967), basketball’s Gary Payton (1968), Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel actress Charisma Carpenter (1970), Alison Krauss (1971), Marlon Wayans (1972), Zinedine Zidane (1972), Nomar Garciaparra (1973), football’s Terry Glenn (1974), hockey’s Shawn Thornton (1977), and Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe (1989).

That’s all I’ve got for you today. Enjoy what’s left of your weekend and let’s get ready to get that revenge against Atlanta next Saturday.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/5/24

Orlando City announces preseason match, how the Orlando Pride turned things around, Americans in midweek action, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone. We have a massive week ahead of us, as the Orlando Pride take on the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL playoffs on Friday. That will be followed up by a pivotal Game 3 for Orlando City against Charlotte FC on Saturday. Both matches will be at home, so suffice it to say we have a lot going on around these parts. As usual, we have lots to talk through today, so let’s get into the links.

Orlando City Announces Friendly

Orlando City has announced that the club will play a preseason match against Inter Miami in Tampa on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14. The game will take place at Raymond James Stadium at 7:30 p.m., with tickets going on sale to the general public on Nov. 14. There will also be a pregame fan festival set up outside the stadium, which is free if you have a ticket. The decision to play Miami in a preseason game isn’t a surprising one, as it involves minimal travel for both clubs, and a chance to capitalize on the box office draw of Lionel Messi. It is a little surprising that the decision was made to host the game at Raymond James Stadium rather than Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, but it’s possible that the latter wasn’t available, or that there was a desire to capitalize on the additional gate money from the extra 15,000 seats at Raymond James.

How the Pride Escaped the Cellar

In a season that featured several teams who played outstanding campaigns, the Orlando Pride still managed to finish first in the National Women’s Soccer League. It’s a feat made even more impressive when considering how the club has historically struggled, but the change didn’t happen overnight. The rebuild really got underway in 2021, which was when a series of high profile exits and trades began to take place, which would eventually allow the Pride to do a lot of maneuvering in the transfer market. It was a long process though, and it took the arrival of Haley Carter in the front office and Seb Hines as the head coach for things to really start coming together. It’s been an all-around effort, but one that paid off with a first-place finish this season.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans playing this week, so make sure you’ve got everything marked down on your calendar. UEFA Champions League action returns tomorrow, as Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, and Richie Ledezma will take on Girona with PSV Eindhoven. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan face Real Madrid, and Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, and Juventus hit the road to take on Weah’s former club, Lille. European action then continues on Thursday as Tanner Tessmann and Lyon face Hoffenheim on the road in the Europa League, and Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis host Celje in the Conference League.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

As always seems to be the case, there are a number of transfer rumors floating around. First up, Spanish outlet Marca says that if Vinicius Jr. becomes available then Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain would be interested in signing him. This comes amid reports that the Brazilian is considering a move to Saudi Arabia. Speaking of Chelsea, Enzo Fernandez could seek an exit from the Blues reportedly due to not being favored by boss Enzo Maresca, with Barcelona and Inter Milan as possible destinations. Finally, Eintracht Frankfurt star Omar Marmoush is reportedly attracting interest from some of Europe’s big clubs, with Bayern Munich and Liverpool both interested in signing him.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/4/24

Orlando City falls to Charlotte FC in penalty shootout, Orlando Pride defeat the Seattle Reign, Megan Montefusco retires and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I covered high school cross country state semifinals over the weekend, and I’m getting ready to cover a high school soccer playoff match later this week. We have plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Lose Penalty Shootout to Charlotte FC

Orlando City fell 3-1 on penalties to Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium on Friday night after playing to a scoreless draw in Game 2 of the MLS Cup playoffs. Orlando’s offense struggled to create anything throughout the match in the attack. The best chance came late in the second half when Facundo Torres thought he had scored the game-winner for Orlando, but the assistant referee deemed him to be offside. In the penalty shootout, Luis Muriel was the only Lion to find the back of the net. Nico Lodeiro and Duncan McGuire had their penalty kicks saved by Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina, while Robin Jansson’s kick sailed over the net. The Lions will host Charlotte FC in Game 3 at Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday with a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals on the line.

Orlando Pride Defeat the Seattle Reign in Regular Season Finale

The Orlando Pride snapped their two-match losing streak and defeated the Seattle Reign 3-2 to close out the 2024 NWSL regular season. Ally Watt, Kerry Abello, and Marta all scored for the Pride. Even though the Reign fought back to keep it close, Orlando held on for the win. The Pride finished the regular season first in the NWSL standings with 60 points. The Pride will take on the Chicago Red Stars in the quarterfinals of the 2024 NWSL playoffs on Friday in their first home playoff match ever. The match will kick off at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on Amazon Prime Video.

Megan Montefusco Announces Retirement

Orlando Pride defender Megan Montefusco will retire from professional soccer following the 2024 season. She’s played in the NWSL since 2015 and joined the Pride prior to the 2022 season. In her time in Orlando, Montefusco made 45 appearances for Orlando and scored in a 2023 Challenge Cup match against NJ/NY Gotham FC. She did not play in any matches in the 2024 season after undergoing foot surgery during the off-season and was placed on the season-ending injury list. Montefusco finishes her career with 179 appearances, scoring three goals and adding four assists across all competitions.

MLS Playoff Roundup

The first round of the MLS Cup playoffs continued over the weekend, with a few teams booking their spot in the next round. The Columbus Crew’s title defense ended after they lost 5-4 on penalties to the New York Red Bulls after a 2-2 draw. The LA Galaxy dominated the Colorado Rapids 4-1 on the road to advance to the Western Conference semifinals. Minnesota United also moved on, defeating Real Salt Lake in a shootout after a 1-1 draw and the Loons will face the Galaxy. The Seattle Sounders edged past the Houston Dynamo 7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw to advance to the Western Conference semifinals as well.

New York City FC bounced back with a 3-1 win over FC Cincinnati, while Atlanta United did the same with a 2-1 victory over Inter Miami as both teams stayed alive to force a third game in their series. LAFC fell 3-0 on the road to the Vancouver Whitecaps in a match that included two own goals.

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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: 11/1/24

Orlando City plays Charlotte FC tonight, Orlando Pride get ready for the Seattle Reign, NWSL playoff scenarios, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to November, Mane Landers! It’s kind of crazy that there are only two months left of 2024, and I’m not looking forward to the holiday shopping frenzy. I checked on how my resolutions are doing for this year and am going to have to pick up the pace if I want to reach my reading goals. Let’s get this November started with today’s links!

Lions Takes On Charlotte FC Tonight

Orlando City has a chance to book its spot in the next round of the playoffs tonight when it faces off against Charlotte FC at 7:30 p.m. This will be Charlotte’s first playoff game at home since joining the league and it will likely be a loud environment for the Lions to deal with. Charlotte is without Designated Player Pep Biel due to his red card, but midfielders Kerwin Vargas and Patrick Agyemang are more than capable of making an impact. The Lions will have to remain at the top of their game to avoid the series being sent back to Orlando for Game 3 on Nov. 9.

Orlando Pride Prepare for Regular Season Finale

The Orlando Pride will aim to get back on track Saturday night when they take on the Seattle Reign at home in their final game of the regular season. After a pair of losses, a match against the Reign presents a good chance for the team to return to its winning ways after securing its first NWSL Shield. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on how the international break gives the team a decent chance to reset, as well as how playing at home should give the team a boost.

NWSL Playoff Race Nears Its End

While the Pride secured the top spot in the standings weeks ago, a majority of the league has plenty on the line this weekend. There are three teams in contention for the final two playoff spots, and there’s a three-team race for the second seed in the playoffs. The Portland Thorns can clinch a spot in the playoffs with a result tonight against Angel City FC, while Bay FC can clinch with a result tomorrow night against the Houston Dash. If either team loses, it opens the door for Racing Louisville to snatch a spot in the playoffs on Sunday against the San Diego Wave. After last year’s drama that included the Pride narrowly missing out on the playoffs, I’m glad things are already locked up for Orlando this year.

USWNT’s New Era Off to Strong Start

One of the biggest takeaways from the United States Women’s National Team’s trio of victories in the recent international window was how many new players took the field and impressed. Head Coach Emma Hayes utilized plenty of rotation across the three matches, and Pride defender Emily Sams was one of seven players who made their debut. Sams received a rating of 7 coming off the bench in the team’s win over Argentina, a match that showcased just how deep the U.S. player pool is. It’s been a fantastic past few months for Hayes, who leaned on innovation and experimentation with Chelsea and has the U.S. rebuilding while still staying on top.

Free Kicks

  • Forward Diana Ordonez won’t play in the Dash’s final game of the season after undergoing successful surgery earlier this week.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and a relaxing weekend!

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