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Lion Links: 11/6/17

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9 years ago

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Welp, it’s another Monday and even an extra hour of sleeping in on Sunday morning doesn’t fully prepare you for this kind of thing — regular occurrence or not. Saturday night’s friendly was fun and raised money for a good cause, but we’re fully into the off-season now and Jason Kreis will be holding exit interviews this week, so we should know soon which Lions will be part of the jigsaw puzzle for 2018.

In the meantime, we have Pride players tearing it up in Australia in the W-League. So at least there’s that. Anyway, let’s get to some soccer news.

Puerto Rican Player: Orlando Friendly was “A Beautiful Experience”

Despite dropping a friendly by a lopsided final score of 6-1, players on the Puerto Rico National Team had positive things to say after the match.

Puerto Rico defender Juan Coca spoke to the media after the match. He expressed his feelings toward the event, and what it means to the Puerto Rican players. 

“It’s been a beautiful experience the whole week,” Coca said. “It’s been very difficult this past month in Puerto Rico, it was really nice to have all this emotion and all this energy of Puerto Rican pride — seeing all those flags waving and people screaming ‘Puerto Rico’. People kept cheering us on and making us feel at home, so we’re really appreciative of all the Orlando City fans.”

Coca went on to talk about the difficulties of training in Puerto Rico right now and the team’s head coach, Carlos Cantarero, talked about the warmth of the team’s reception in Orlando and from the city’s Puerto Rican community.

MLS Conference Finals Set

Major League Soccer’s final four is now set. Toronto FC lost the game, 1-0, but advanced on away goals after finishing 2-2 on aggregate with New York Red Bulls. Perhaps the most humorous moment of Sunday was Jozy Altidore giving Sacha Kljestan a dose of his own medicine with this epic flop:

Both were sent off at halftime after a dust-up in the tunnel for violent conduct. In a fun post-match twist, Altidore called out Kljestan on Twitter. Altidore and strike partner Sebastian Giovinco, who picked up a yellow card, will both be suspended for the first leg of the Eastern Conference final series. That will be against the Columbus Crew (#SaveTheCrew). Columbus advanced after a 2-0 loss to New York City FC, but an overall 4-3 aggregate advantage. Toronto visits Columbus for the first leg on Tuesday, Nov. 21.

Over in the Western Conference, we now know that the Seattle Sounders will be squaring off against the Houston Dynamo, who went into Providence Park and left with a 2-1 victory over the Portland Timbers. Because the first leg in Houston was a 0-0 draw, that was plenty for the Dynamo to advance. The Timbers were missing several injured players, but that’s still an impressive road win for a team that won only once away from BBVA Compass Stadium during the regular season. Seattle visits Houston on Nov. 21.

Will Pulisic’s Next Stop be Bayern Munich?

With his impressive performance against Bayern Munich this past weekend, USMNT starlet Christian Pulisic could find his way to the German giants when his time is up at Borussia Dortmund — at least if one club legend has his way. The 19-year-old left his imprint on Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthäus, who told Sky:

"If Bayern Munich someday looks for a replacement for Robben and [Franck] Ribery, then they have to put out their feelers for Pulisic," Matthaus told  Sky .

"He is 19 years old and has high quality." Matthaus continued. "With his confidence and his speed, he is called to higher [things]."

Speaking of Pulisic, here is an interview with the rising U.S. star where he discusses the USMNT’s qualification failure and the season at Borussia Dortmund.

Former Orlando City Target Dies

One-time Orlando City target and former Stoke City defender Dionatan Teixeira has died of a suspected heart attack at age 25. The Lions were reportedly set to sign Teixeira in the summer of 2016 but rumor has it he failed a medical screening ahead of a proposed deal to bring him to Orlando City. Instead, City brought in Uruguayan center back Jose Aja in July of last year to fill the spot that would otherwise have been occupied by Teixeira. Our deepest condolences go out to everyone who knew, loved, or supported the young Brazilian defender.

Nigerian Army Using Soccer to Keep Youths from Being Radicalized

The army in Nigeria is turning to the beautiful game to prevent kids from being indoctrinated into terrorist sect Boko Haram. The army established a soccer tournament in the Sambisa forest to further battle for hearts and minds in the fight against Boko Haram.

According Nigerian newspaper Punch, the army has organized a soccer tournament in Sambisa forest. The idea is to “make vulnerable youths in the communities unavailable for Boko Haram radicalization and recruitment,” says Timothy Antigha, the army’s deputy director of public relations. The tournament kicked off last month and will run till the end of the year. Antigha told the paper the tournament is aimed at “engaging” and “winning the hearts of youths” as well as “fostering civil-military cooperation.”

Free Kicks

Looks like we’ll see some new blood for the USMNT’s friendly at Portugal.

  • The UCF women went to penalties after a scoreless draw in the AAC final against South Florida, but it was USF that prevailed on spot kicks, 5-3.
  • Unsurprisingly, the NASL will appeal it’s denied preliminary injunction on Division 2 status.
  • Among those born on this date are basketball inventor James Naismith (1861), baseball HOFer Walter Johnson (1887), Sally Field (1946), late Eagles singer Glenn Frey (1948), Footloose actress Lori Singer (1957), Mystery Science Theater 3000 actor/puppeteer Trace Beaulieu (1958), Living Colour singer/guitarist Corey Glover (1964), Ethan Hawke (1970), Pat Tillman (1976), Emma Stone (1988), and yesterday’s red card recipient, Jozy Altidore (1989).

That’s all the time I’ve got for you this morning. I’ll leave you with this highlight goal from alleged Orlando City striker target Jo Inge Berget.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/19/26

Orlando City match day, Colin Guske reportedly being loaned to RSL, Banda is an MVP candidate, and more.

Published

10 hours ago

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August 19, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City plays in a midweek match that thankfully isn’t a Leagues Cup match. There are those who will say they’re sad the Lions are out of Don Garber’s cash grab competition, but I’m not one of them. The U.S. Open Cup and the MLS regular season provide plenty of fixtures for now. The schedule congestion is real, as we can see this week. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Match Day

Orlando City hosts Robert Lewandowski and the Chicago Fire tonight in an Eastern Conference clash. Defending against Lewandowski and Philip Zinckernagel will be a tough task for the Lions’ defense. Orlando City will need its offense to keep pace with the Fire if the Lions are going to take any points from the match. It will be interesting to see both Antoine Griezmann and Lewandowski on the pitch at the same time. Here is your official match guide from the club. Our match preview will drop later this morning at 11 a.m. You can also listen to our thoughts on the match on The Mane Land PawedCast.

Go West, Young Guske

It appears that Orlando City is loaning midfielder/defender Colin Guske to Real Salt Lake, according to Tom Bogert. This is not entirely surprising given how crowded Orlando City’s defensive midfield is with Joran Gerbet and Wilder Cartagena healthy and Luis Otavio rounding into form, not to mention Eduard Atuesta and Braian Ojeda once they return. It’s a good opportunity for Guske to get some minutes, given he’s a bit down on the depth chart with the senior team — far enough down to see more minutes recently at center back with the first team than in the midfield.

MVP Candidate Banda

Despite being away for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and not scoring in her first game back, Barbra Banda maintains her slim lead in the Golden Boot competition and is still a League MVP candidate. If she hopes to win either of those accolades, she will need to resume scoring. The upcoming match against the Washington Spirit this Sunday is the perfect opportunity to extend that lead.

U.S. National Team News

USMNT defender Mark McKenzie is reportedly returning to the Philadelphia Union and will occupy a Designated Player spot. Real Salt Lake’s 19-year-old forward Zavier Gozo has been signed by Premier League club Crystal Palace. Of course, there are other USMNT players already playing in Europe, and some are making a quick return to form following the World Cup. USWNT players are also experiencing ups and downs in the NWSL.

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  • Former Lion Nicholas Gioacchini is headed to CE Sabadell FC of the Segunda División in Spain.

That will do it for today. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for match updates and we will also have a recap of the match. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 8/18/26

Americans in midweek action, WAFCON takeaways, senior FIFA official fired, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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August 18, 2026

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Image of Barbra Banda holding off a Washington Spirit defender.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It wasn’t a great weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, as the three outfits combined to take just one point from the nine on offer. Fortunately, Orlando City gets an immediate opportunity to bounce back against the Chicago Fire Wednesday night, before all three teams are back in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to talk about today, so let’s have a look at the links.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans playing games during the working week, so get some of the highlights marked down on your calendar. Things get started later today when Tanner Tessmann and Lyon face Fenerbahce in UEFA Champions League qualifying. Wednesday features Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid kicking off their La Liga season against Malaga, before Folarin Balogun and Monaco face Gornik Zabrze in UEFA Conference League qualification play. The week then wraps up on Friday when Haji Wright and Coventry City open the Premier League season against Arsenal.

Takeaways from WAFCON

WAFCON 2026 is officially in the books, so what did we learn from this year’s tournament? For one thing, expanding from 12 teams to 16 was largely successful, as Cameroon won the trophy after getting into the tournament on the strength of its world ranking after being eliminated during qualifying. We also saw a competitive tournament that had some upsets, with first-time participants Malawi making a run all the way to the final, and Zambia failing to get out of the group stage despite racking up six points. That said, attendance was non-existent for matches not involving host Morocco, and the video review process wasn’t exactly speedy for the most part. Still, it was mostly a great tournament and a great showcase for African women’s soccer.

Kevin Lamour Leaves Position as FIFA Executive

Kevin Lamour has been fired from his position as FIFA’s chief operating officer just several weeks after strongly condemning Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. Lamour said that FIFA’s leadership had been “deceived” when it came to the plan and that losing his job over his opposition to it would be worth it since he would at least be able to sleep well at night. Before his two years at FIFA, Lamour had previously worked alongside Infantino when the two men were at UEFA. FIFA confirmed his departure with a brief statement on Monday afternoon.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Most summer transfer windows will be closing soon, but we’ve still got plenty of rumors to discuss. We begin with a piece close to home, as Breel Embolo has reportedly rejected the personal terms offered to him by Atlanta United and is said to be negotiating with Ipswich Town. Speaking of the Premier League, Manchester City is reportedly still in pursuit of a deal for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez despite missing the Blues’ stated deadline of Aug. 14 to get a deal done. Moving to Spain, Real Madrid is reportedly interested in signing Martin Zubimendi from Arsenal and has already had contact with his representatives. Finally, Inter Milan is said to be interested in signing Liverpool’s Curtis Jones.

Free Kicks

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/17/26

Lions draw FC Cincinnati, Pride and OCB lose, Americans abroad, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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August 17, 2026

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Image of Orlando City's starters pose for a pregame photo wearing their Archive Collection third kits.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’m back to covering high school sports again for the fall season, with golf, soccer, and football this week. Our beloved Lions, Pride, and OCB were all in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw FC Cincinnati at Home

Orlando City drew FC Cincinnati 1-1 on Saturday at Inter.co Stadium. The Lions trailed 1-0 at halftime, but Tyrese Spicer’s early goal in the second half was enough for Orlando to secure a point at home. Orlando City hasn’t won in its last three matches across all competitions and will need to pick up wins down the stretch, with the club sitting outside the MLS playoff spots in the Eastern Conference standings with 21 points. Before the match, Orlando City announced it had signed OCB midfielder Issah Haruna to a short-term contract. Haruna was on the bench but did not play against FC Cincinnati. The Lions have a quick turnaround, with two home matches this week. Orlando City will face the Chicago Fire on Wednesday and Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Pride’s Winless Run Continues with Loss at Portland Thorns

The Orlando Pride fell 2-1 to the Portland Thorns at Providence Park on Saturday. After a scoreless first half, Portland struck first to take a 1-0 lead in the second half. Jacquie Ovalle scored the equalizer for Orlando, but in stoppage time, Caiya Hanks scored a late winner for Portland. Orlando has lost three consecutive matches. The Pride will be on the road for their next match on Sunday against the Washington Spirit.

OCB Falls at Chicago Fire II

Orlando City B fell 2-0 to Chicago Fire II at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday. Robert Turdean scored the opening goal for Chicago in the first half, and the Fire took a 1-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Damyan Villanueva added the insurance goal for Chicago, which won its third in four matches. The Young Lions have lost four consecutive matches. OCB will be on the road to take on Atlanta United 2 on Saturday.

Americans Abroad

Let’s catch up on Americans in action abroad in Europe. Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten were both in action for Middlesbrough in a 2-1 win against Lincoln City on Saturday in the EFL Championship. Ricardo Pepi scored, and Sergino Dest notched an assist for PSV Eindhoven in a 2-1 win over Excelsior in the Eredivisie. Gianluca Busio played a full 90 minutes for Venezia as his side defeated Modena 3-2 in the Round of 64 in the Coppa Italia. Austin Trusty scored for Celtic, and Cameron Carter-Vickers was also in action in a 4-0 win against Dundee United, as the Scottish Premiership leaders advanced to the quarterfinals in the Scottish League Cup. On Sunday, former Lion Alex Freeman came off the bench late in the second half for Villarreal in a 2-2 draw against Racing Santander in La Liga.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride forward Seven Castain, who is on loan at Dallas Trinity, scored her first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against the Tampa Bay Sun on Saturday in the USL Super League.
  • Former Lion Cyle Larin scored for Southampton, but his side fell 2-1 to Watford on Sunday in the EFL Championship.
  • Atlanta United is reportedly close to signing forward Breel Embolo from Stade Rennes for an $18 million transfer fee.

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

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