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Lion Links: 12/9/17

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9 years ago

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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.

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.

What about those angry American Outlaws? Well, Garbs kinda said that Sunil Gulati was responsible for the growth of the U.S. supporters group.

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.

  • 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.

  • 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!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/21/26

Orlando Pride prepare for the Washington Spirit, MLS playoff changes reportedly coming, Hall of Fame finalists unveiled, and more.

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2 days ago

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August 21, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a bit of a rough month for all three of Orlando’s soccer teams, but hopefully they can turn things around this weekend. Things haven’t been great, but surely that just means things can only go up from here, right? Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride are on the road this weekend for a match against the Washington Spirit on Sunday. It’s been a cruel summer for the Pride, as they’ve lost four of their past five games and are currently 13th in the league standings. Despite being on a three-game winless streak, the Spirit are second in the standings and will be a tough opponent for the Pride to face on the road. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on where the team needs to improve in order to get a result away from home against one of the league’s top teams.

Changes Reportedly Coming to MLS Playoff Format

For the umpteenth time, MLS is reportedly planning on overhauling its playoff format. The changes would go into effect when the league changes its calendar and they include allowing 20 teams to qualify for the playoffs, with the overall league standings being used to determine those top 20 teams. After a play-in round, the remaining 16 teams will play in a double elimination format that also features reseeding between rounds. If these changes do come to pass, hopefully the league decides to stick with it rather than constantly fiddling it with it.

National Soccer Hall of Fame Finalists Announced

The finalists for the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s class of 2027 were announced, with nine candidates making the list in their first year of eligibility. Former Orlando Pride player Ali Krieger is one of those nine, along with Megan Rapinoe, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore. Central Florida native Graham Zusi was also named as a finalist. The two players who receive the most votes and are on at least half the ballots will make the Hall of Fame, with a third player able to make it if they’re on 75% of ballots.

Storylines Ahead of English Premier League Season

The English Premier League season begins today with Arsenal starting its title defense at home against Coventry City. Arsenal has a talented team once again, but it will be interesting to see how much of a challenge Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City can pose with new managers at the helm. Managers seem to be a focal point this season, as other storylines include whether or not Michael Carrick and Unai Emery can keep succeeding at Manchester United and Aston Villa, respectively. I’m just hoping we have an exciting title race by the time spring rolls around.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City’s Antoine Griezmann tied with Robert Lewandowski for the second-highest rating of all MLS players in EA Sports FC 27.

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

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Lion Links: 8/20/26

Orlando City defeated at home, Simone Jackson loaned to FC Rosengard, U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup roster unveiled, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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August 20, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

I think we can confidently say Orlando City’s Wednesday night excellence has come to an end after last night’s loss. I’m not going to claim the new kits are cursed after just two games, but I’ve bought some sage just in case. Before we get to that match and more in today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman.

Orlando City Falls at Home

The Lions hosted the Chicago Fire and got burned in a 2-1 loss that included a lengthy weather delay that paused things right before halftime. The Fire struck first with an early goal, but Orlando leveled things after the lightning storm passed. However, Robert Lewandowski converted a penalty kick from a needless foul in the box for the winner, with the Lions failing to claw their way back a second time. It’s a disappointing result at home and Orlando will need to figure things out before hosting Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Simone Jackson Heads to Sweden on Loan

The Orlando Pride loaned forward Simone Jackson to FC Rosengard in Sweden through June of 2027. Jackson was signed by the Pride in 2025 after four years playing collegiately at the University of Southern California and she has since made 20 appearances for the club. Hopefully this move gives her some more minutes to develop her game abroad so that she can make an impact with the Pride when she returns next summer.

U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup Roster Announced

United States U-20 Women’s National Team Head Coach Vicky Jepson called up 21 players for the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland next month, including eight from NWSL clubs. Goalkeeper Evan O’Steen, midfielders Kennedy Fuller and Nyanya Touray, and forward Emeri Adames are a few of the U.S. players to keep an eye out for this tournament.

The team will be without notable eligible players like Lily Yohannes, Claire Hutton, and Jordyn Bugg though, as youth tournaments take place outside of official FIFA windows when teams are required to release players. United States Women’s National Team Head Coach Emma Hayes also spoke on the importance of tournaments like this one to develop talent while uncertainty looms over the event due to UEFA’s boycott of FIFA competitions. The U.S. is set to start its campaign on Sept. 6 against Italy.

Americans to Watch in the English Premier League

The English Premier League season kicks off this weekend and there are a number of Americans to root for across the league. Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams, Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards, and Fulham defender Antonee Robinson are all still in the league but have new managers at the helm of their respective teams. Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United avoided relegation last season and will look to build on that, while Haji Wright and Coventry City will fight to stay after earning promotion last season. Unfortunately, Wright will miss multiple weeks at the start of the season due to a quad injury.

Free Kicks

  • Alhassan Yusuf scored a hat trick in the New England Revolution’s 3-0 win over D.C. United, with Jack Harrison recording three assists.
  • Americans Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty both played every minute of Celtic’s 3-0 win over LASK in the first leg of its matchup against the Austrian club in UEFA Champions League qualifying
  • Bay FC announced that the club and midfielder Tess Boade mutually agreed to terminate her contract, which was set to end after this season. Boade had been with the club since being selected in the 2024 NWSL Expansion Draft and was the captain last season.
  • Aston Villa signed goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma for a reported $40 million transfer fee. Suzuki played for Japan at the recent World Cup and it will be interesting to see what this move means for Emiliano Martinez’s future at the club.
  • Brighton is covering the cost of tickets for its fans who will be making the trip to the Arctic Circle for its UEFA Conference League playoff match against Tromso in Norway.

That’s all I have for you all this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links: 8/19/26

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

Published

4 days 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.

Free Kicks

  • 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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