Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/9/17
Happy MLS Cup Day, everyone! Today we’ll learn who gets to take home the big shiny trophy from Major League Soccer’s championship game. It won’t be Orlando City, but just think — someday it will be. Whether you’re pulling for Toronto FC or Seattle Sounders FC, hopefully it will be a good match.
Let’s get to your MLS Cup helping of Lion Links.
Don Garber’s State of the League Speech
The soccer don gave his annual address yesterday in Toronto, and it was a doozy. He managed to anger Columbus Crew fans and the American Outlaws, and although everything’s totally fine with Beckham’s group down in Miami — seriously, no issues there, they’re totally in, you guys! — he mentioned that other expansion teams may jump past Miami in line in terms of entering the league.
Of Columbus, Garber said that the Crew rank 20 of 22 teams:
“in every measure that matters across sports. Average ticket price, average attendance, average revenue, local television ratings, their local television deal — every aspect that is going to determine if a team is going to be viable."
OK, cool, but no word when and where teams 21 and 22 will be moving. Naturally, his speech didn’t sit well with the #SaveTheCrew crowd.
Did I hear things wrong during MLS State of the League or did @thesoccerdon literally say that @APrecourt wouldn’t have purchased #CrewSC if he didn’t have the ability to move it to Austin? Are you serious? #SaveTheCrew
— Alex Stanek (@AlexStanek) December 8, 2017
About Miami, Garber said:
"We've been working hard on trying to find a local owner for David Beckham. I feel confident that that will come together, so I continue to say that we want Miami in the league.”
This is an interesting new twist in what Garber has said about Miami in the past. It did not go unnoticed.
MLS issues in Miami have always been focused on securing land for stadium, land free and clear of lawsuits. Now, Don Garber says issue is finding local owner.
— Paul Kennedy (@pkedit) December 8, 2017
So in a matter of hours Don Garber has gone from telling me that moving Miami out of spot No. 24 is "not being contemplated" to being "conceivable" at his State of the League address. Okay then.
— Jeff Carlisle (@JeffreyCarlisle) December 8, 2017
What about those angry American Outlaws? Well, Garbs kinda said that Sunil Gulati was responsible for the growth of the U.S. supporters group.
It’s incorrect and insulting for @thesoccerdon to give credit to @sunilgulati for what thousands of #AOFamily have built over the last decade. https://t.co/tNo2rOXiC6
— The American Outlaws (@AmericanOutlaws) December 8, 2017
He also said some hilarious things about how New York City FC will be getting a stadium and if the team was among the current crop of expansion hopefuls, they’d have a stadium requirement in place in advance. This is your reminder that it was a requirement for Orlando City — the team that entered with NYCFC in 2015. In similarly humorous news, he said Boston will be getting a soccer stadium too.
You can watch the whole thing here.
Ex-OCB Striker Michael Cox Signs with Nashville SC
Canadian forward Michael Cox spent two seasons with OCB but now he’s off to Tennessee, signing with Nashville SC. Cox scored two goals and added three assists in 17 appearances in an injury-plagued 2017 season for the young Lions. He’s the club’s second-leading all-time goal scorer, with 11 goals and three assists in 28 games in 2016, for a total of 13 goals and six assists across his two seasons with OCB. Hadji Barry has 14 goals in that span for OCB. Good luck to Coxy in Nashville.
Hope Solo Running for USSF President
I’m not making this up. The woman who ran afoul of the U.S. Soccer Federation for comments after the Olympics and borrowing a team van without permission — which her husband got a DUI while driving, no less — wants to become the organization’s leader. Hope Solo is not only running for the federation’s presidency, but reportedly already has the necessary nominations to do so. Solo’s platform includes increased transparency and making soccer affordable for kids. Those are solid ideas, but does she really stand a chance? At the very least, she’ll make this election more entertaining.
Harrison Heath to Reunite with Inchy in Minnesota
Former Orlando City Homegrown midfielder Harrison Heath is set to be reunited with his father Adrian with the Loons in Minnesota. This makes a ton of sense, as H’s career sort of went off track a bit with Atlanta United (never did trust those guys). Heath’s contract option was declined by Waffle House FC after the 2017 season and so it appears he’s headed to Minnesota United in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick. If he makes his way to NYCFC and LAFC in the next couple years, he’ll have an expansion club Yahtzee.
MLS Increases TAM for 2018
We knew it was coming, but we didn’t know exactly how much or what it would look like. Now we know. Major League Soccer announced an increase in TAM for 2018 with what the league is calling “discretionary TAM.” As if the various league mechanisms weren’t complicated enough, this new TAM can’t be traded and is spent by the clubs. This comes on the heels of the $1.2 million in Targeted Allocation Money that the league gave out to clubs in 2017.
MLS clubs also will have the flexibility to spend up to an additional $2.8 million of TAM, on a discretionary basis funded by the team, per year in both 2018 and 2019, which will further enhance the quality of play across the league. This injection should increase a teams ability to build their rosters with increased flexibility and help add high-quality players outside of their Designated Player spots.
This should make things even more interesting and even harder for the average fan to figure out.
Free Kicks
- Kaká continues to be everyone’s favorite soccer trivia answer. He’s also self-aware about it.
Kaka's been the answer to a trivia question for years. 😂 pic.twitter.com/KHk20Lw4RY
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 8, 2017
- FIFA dealt a blow to Yoshimar Yotun’s Peru side yesterday when striker Paolo Guerrero was hit with a one-year ban for testing for cocaine. This will obviously keep him out of the World Cup.
- 20-year-old U.S. goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann made his debut with Hertha Berlin during Europa League action and his save on a penalty kick preserved a draw for his team.
Not a bad @HerthaBSC debut tonight for @J_Klinsmann's goalkeeping son Jonathan… #UEL pic.twitter.com/LfpZlKeLLr
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) December 7, 2017
- Among those born on this very date are Kirk Douglas (1916), Sanford and Son actor and comedian Redd Fox (1922), Eight is Enough dad Dick Van Patten (1928), Dame Judi Dench (1934), Beau Bridges (1941), Dick Butkus (1942), basketball’s World B. Free (1953), John Malkovich (1953), Donny Osmond (1957), and Wallflowers vocalist Jakob Dylan (1969).
That’s all my time for today. Enjoy the MLS Cup final!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/20/24
Orlando City’s 2025 MLS season schedule announced, MLS mock drafts, MLS clubs making moves, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! I finally have everything squared away after a week of hustling and bustling, meaning I can thankfully avoid the stores this weekend and just relax before next week’s chaos. I’m still trying to nail down what I’ll be cooking as my contribution for my family’s holiday dinner, but it should be fun trialing some options over the next few days. For now though, let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world!
Orlando City’s 2025 MLS Schedule Announced
MLS revealed the schedule for the 2025 season and Orlando City’s first game of the season will be at home against the Philadelphia Union on Feb. 22. Orlando has yet to start a season on the road since joining the league back in 2015. The Lions aren’t scheduled to play against expansion club San Diego FC this year, but they will play their first road game against St. Louis City on June 25. While a majority of Orlando’s games will be on Saturdays, they do have a pair of games on Sundays against Inter Miami, including a rivalry week showdown on May 18. Decision Day will be on Oct. 18, with the Lions on the road to take on Toronto FC to close out the regular season.
Predicting the 2025 MLS SuperDraft
The MLS SuperDraft is set to take place today and Top Drawer Soccer did a mock draft to predict how the first two rounds will go. Orlando City currently has the 27th pick in the first round and Top Drawer Soccer has them selecting defensive midfielder Jackson Castro out of Creighton. The pick makes enough sense to me, as Orlando lost some depth in its midfield following the 2024 season and Castro was Duncan McGuire’s teammate on a strong Creighton team a couple of years ago. The Lions were also predicted to take West Virginia winger Sergio Ors Navarro and Kentucky forward Logan Dorsey in the second round.
Travis Clark of MLSsoccer.com also did a mock draft of the first round, with Orlando taking Cornell winger Alioune Ka. Interestingly enough, both mock drafts have NCAA leading scorer Emil Jaaskelainen going in the first round after Orlando’s pick. I’m pretty excited to see how it all shakes out today and learn which players will become the latest Lions on the team.
MLS Transfer News Roundup
The off-season is bringing plenty of change across the league as teams continue wheeling and dealing in preparation for the 2025 season. The New England Revolution made a splash by trading away up to $3.25 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) to Miami in exchange for attacker Leonardo Campana. The 24-year-old should give a needed boost to a New England team that only scored 37 goals this season. As for Miami, it now has an MLS-trade record fee of $2.5 million in guaranteed GAM and an open Designated Player spot at its disposal.
The LA Galaxy traded away 2024 MLS Cup MVP Gastón Brugman and a conditional $100,000 in GAM to Nashville SC in exchange for midfielder Sean Davis. Brugman will help Nashville fill the gap left by Anibal Godoy, who joined San Diego FC as a free agent. FC Dallas also added a free agent, signing defender Lalas Abubakar to a two-year deal.
GAM Amounts Revealed for Each MLS Club
MLS pulled back the curtain a bit and unveiled the amount of General Allocation Money that each team had as of Dec. 10. Orlando City’s total comes in at $3,990,312, which is a pretty hefty amount that can be used to improve the team. Atlanta United’s $6,503,478 is the most in the league, while the Houston Dynamo are at the other end of the spectrum with just $2,063,538. The Campana trade helps put these amounts into perspective, but there are many uses for GAM and it’s interesting to see where each club stands. It’s also just nice to get some transparency from the league about this and hopefully that trend continues in 2025.
Free Kicks
- Concacaf announced that Saudi Arabia was invited as a guest nation for both the 2025 and 2027 Concacaf Gold Cup.
- The Kansas City Current bid farewell to goalkeepers Adrianna France and Almuth Schult. The club then announced that it signed goalkeeper Laurel Ivory to a one-year contract.
- The National Independent Soccer Association will reportedly no longer be sanctioned by the United States Soccer Foundation next year, which would leave MLS NEXT Pro and USL League One as the third-division leagues in the U.S.
- Tottenham beat Manchester United 4-3 to claim the final semifinal spot in the EFL Cup, with Son Heung-Min scoring directly from a corner kick. Tottenham will face off against Liverpool in the next round, with Newcastle and Arsenal squaring off in the other semifinal.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I wish you all a relaxing weekend and a very happy holidays!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/19/24
Preparing for the MLS SuperDraft, New York Red Bulls sign Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Tim Weah injured, and more.
How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve knocked out all of my shopping except for one gift I’m still trying to procure. I have a lead on it though and high hopes that I can get a literal bow on it before traveling to visit my family next week. For now though, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!
Getting Ready for the MLS SuperDraft
The 2025 MLS SuperDraft will take place on Friday and the league released the list of 477 eligible players clubs can choose from. This year’s Generation Adidas class includes Cornell forward Alex Harris, North Carolina left back Tate Johnson, Wisconsin forward Dean Boltz, and UC Santa Barbara defensive midfielder Manu Duah. Those players likely won’t be on the board by the time Orlando City’s 27th overall pick rolls around, but the team has proven in the past it isn’t afraid to make a trade for a top prospect.
Here’s a nice position-by-position breakdown of some of the best players available on Friday. I personally think Orlando could use some depth at center back, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the team rolls the dice on a center forward given its track record. Unfortunately, we’ll have to follow along with each pick on the league’s website rather than a stream.
MLS Transfer Roundup
After falling in the MLS Cup final earlier this month, the New York Red Bulls have added some firepower by signing Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting as a Designated Player. The 35-year-old heads to MLS after playing for Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Stoke City, and Schalke 04 over the past 10 years. The Red Bulls now have a fairly dangerous trio of Designated Players in Choupo-Moting, Emil Forsberg, and Dante Vanzeir.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the New England Revolution added midfielder Jackson Yueill as a free agent. The 27-year-old signed a three-year contract that includes options for 2028 and 2029. D.C. United traded away $150,000 in General Allocation Money to Nashville SC in exchange for defender Lukas MacNaughton. FC Dallas signed midfielder Ramiro Benetti, who has spent the past two seasons with Cruzeiro Esporte Clube in Brazil. Veteran defender Nick Lima has returned to the San Jose Earthquakes, signing a two-year contract with the club.
Keeping Up With the Americans Abroad
The injuries continue to rack up for the Americans, as Tim Weah will miss some time after sustaining a thigh injury earlier this week in Juventus’ win over Cagliari. In better news for Americans plying their trade abroad, forward Ricardo Pepi scored twice in PSV Eindhoven’s 8-0 win against Koninklijke HFC in the KNVB Cup. Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool are all reportedly interested in left back Antonee Robinson, who turned some heads with a pair of assists on Sunday.
EFL Cup Semifinals Nearly Set
The EFL Cup semifinals are setting up to be a heavyweight affair, with Liverpool, Arsenal, and Newcastle all advancing from the quarterfinals. The day belonged to Gabriel Jesus, who scored his first hat trick for Arsenal in a 3-2 win over Crystal Palace. Liverpool extended its unbeaten streak to 20 games across all competitions after a 2-1 win over Southampton, while Newcastle United beat Brentford thanks to a brace from Sandro Tonali. The final semifinalist will come from today’s match between Manchester United and Tottenham, with the draw taking place afterwards.
Free Kicks
- The NWSL Shield and Championship trophy paid a visit to WFTV’s studios, and it’s still a bit surreal that the Orlando Pride secured both pieces of silverware this season.
- The Columbus Crew announced that they will play Inter Miami in Cleveland at Huntington Bank Field rather than its home stadium next season. The “home” game is a good two-hour drive north and reportedly has no opt-out option for season ticket holders, so this decision has not gone over well with some Crew fans.
- Forward Lynn Williams is reportedly expected to be traded from NJ/NY Gotham FC to the Seattle Reign so that she can close out her career on her home coast.
- We now know the eight quarterfinalists for the Women’s Champions League, with the draw set for Feb. 7. The usual suspects like Barcelona, Wolfsburg, and Lyon all made it, which should make for an exciting knockout stage.
- Real Madrid beat Pachuca to win the Intercontinental Cup, giving Carlo Ancelotti his 15th title with the club.
- Here’s a look at the absurd amount of minutes players like Federico Valverde and Jules Kounde have logged this year. Just seeing those numbers makes my legs tired.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 12/18/24
Another report on the Facundo Torres transfer, Marta wins her own award, Becky Sauerbrunn retires, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. For those that celebrate Christmas, we’re only a week out, so I hope you’ve gotten your shopping done. If not, no judgement from me, just encouragement. I know you can do it! I think we can all do with a little more encouragement these days. For now, let’s get to the links.
Torres Deal Done?
WESH is reporting that the Facundo Torres to Palmeiras deal is done. As of this writing, there has been no confirmation from either club, but it is reasonable to think where there’s this much smoke, there’s fire. Torres may have scored his last goal in purple, and will leave as the club’s all-time leader in that category after three seasons. According to the report, Torres signed a five-year deal with the Brazilian club. We will provide updates as information becomes available.
Marta Wins Marta Award
In the most appropriate award selection in history, Marta has won the inaugural FIFA award for the best goal in women’s soccer, aptly named The FIFA Marta Award.
The award winning goal came in Brazil’s international friendly against Jamaica in June, as the Brazilian made a nice move to clear a defender and then sent in a long-range shot. Check it out.
Marta received the award at FIFA’s “The Best” Award ceremony in Doha, Qatar.
USWNT Legend Becky Sauerbrunn Retires
Former USWNT captain Becky Sauerbrunn is retiring from professional soccer. The legendary defender has played in the NWSL in every year of it’s existence. She retires having won three championships, one NWSL Shield, multiple Women’s World Cups, and Olympic medals. Sauerbrunn is definitively one of the best to ever wear a U.S. jersey.
NWSL, MLS NEXT Pro Expand
The NWSL is entering into exclusive negotiations with a Denver-area group regarding the league’s next expansion franchise. Denver was picked above both Cincinnati and Cleveland. The expansion fee is in the $105-$120 million range.
MLS NEXT Pro is also adding another new team. Until a new name, logo, and brand are settled on, the team will be called West Michigan Soccer. The team will be the sixth independent club in MLS NEXT Pro. Orlando City B won’t have the opportunity to play the new team until 2027.
Free Kicks
- Torres’ goal against Nashville made it into a compilation of volleyed goals from the MLS Twitter account.
- Vitor Pereira will be the new coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers following the departure of former boss Gary O’Neil. Pereira will have his work cut out for him getting Wolves out of the relegation zone.
- Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk has been suspended after testing positive for a banned substance in a recent drug test. Mudryk stated he has never knowingly used such substances, and hopes an investigation will clear up the matter.
- The Washington Spirit have signed free agent midfielder Narumi Miura to a two-year contract. Miura spent the last two years with the North Carolina Courage.
- The Columbus Crew re-signed goalkeeper Evan Bush through the 2025 season.
- New name, same idea. The European Super League is back as the “Unity League.” A proposal has been submitted to UEFA and FIFA.
That will do it for today. Keep checking in as our Orlando City and Orlando Pride Season in Review pieces continue. Vamos Orlando!
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Orlando Pride2 weeks ago
Orlando Pride Announce Roster Decisions Following 2024 NWSL Season
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Orlando City1 week ago
2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Facundo Torres
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Orlando City2 weeks ago
2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Mason Stajduhar
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Podcasts2 weeks ago
PawedCast Episode 459: Orlando City Roster Decisions and Facundo Torres Gone?
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Orlando Pride6 days ago
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Emily Sams
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Orlando City2 weeks ago
2024 Orlando City Season in Review: Javier Otero
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Orlando Pride2 weeks ago
2024 Orlando Pride Season in Review: Ally Watt
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Podcasts6 days ago
PawedCast Episode 460: Facundo Torres, Orlando City and OCB News, and More