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Lion Links: 1/19/18

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7 years ago

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Happy Friday! I am not your usual Links’ host today but I can assure you I still have a solid beard — just not as good — so I will do my best to carry the torch this week. Hopefully you had a good short week and you’re just a few hours from a great weekend when you’ll be outside to get a tan after this horrible 29 degree weather.

On to the links we go as it was a busy Thursday for both City and the Pride!

Lions Add Another Midfielder in a Busy Off-season

On a day we thought we were going to focus in on the Pride and the NWSL draft, Orlando City decided to steal the thunder early in the day as it acquired Homegrown player and midfielder Cam Lindley from the Chicago Fire for Rafael Ramos and $100,000 in Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) — $50,000 in 2018, and another $50,000 in 2019.

This is a huge trade for Orlando. I know a lot of people will be hurt by the loss of one of the few USL holdovers left on the roster, but this is a very good move. Ramos was going to be buried on the depth chart after constant injury issues and the RJ Allen acquisition. Lindley undoubtedly would have been one of the best midfielders in this upcoming draft if eligible and was only on the market because of his openness on wanting to ply his trade in Europe. However, Orlando was able to secure him on a four-year deal and Lindley signed a four-year deal, so he’s on-board for the 2018 season:

As to how Lindley fits, Niki Budalic hasn’t been dragging his feet in acquiring midfielders this off-season to replace Kaká with recent additions Jose Villarreal, Sacha Kljestan, and Josué Colmán adding to expected starters Yoshí Yotún and Cristian Higuita. But I think this is a perfect spot for Lindley. He neither has the pressure on him nor will he be expected to contribute out of the gate as he transitions to MLS speed. Ultimately, he’s a very well-rounded player that could see time (assuming a 4-2-3-1) as a central midfielder, winger, or defensive midfielder.

Sermanni Nabs Versatile Player in the Third Round; Pride Trade Inoming?

The Pride were pretty quiet on Thursday during the NWSL draft that had us in our seats for two rounds until pick 23, where Tom Sermanni found BYU Forward, Nadia Gomes.

Gomes played all four years at BYU, totaling 23 goals and 23 assists in 83 games (62 starts), and amassing close to 5,000 minutes. She’s known for her explosive speed and left foot. In the NWSL draft coverage, there was mention that her speed and left foot could give her the ability to transition into a wingback, which would be very welcome on a Pride team that is currently thin at LB until — hopefully — Steph Catley re-signs. Tom echoed that sentiment in post draft interviews:

“She’s versatile, quick, very good technically, and left sided, so she’ll fit in well into the team amongst all our other left sided players,” Sermanni said, “I think her potential and versatility that she has I think will fit in well with us. From what we’ve seen, she’s got a good awareness of the game as well, so those are the kind of things we earmark.”

The question is if this is the only move for Sermanni in regards to draft day or is he still working. While nothing happened immediately during the draft, there were some interesting rumblings inside the draft on social media:

Andovski, the new Seattle Reign manager, selected defender Alyson Haran from Wake Forest who would fall in line as a player Sermanni could be looking at as the defense continues to need depth.

So stay tuned, as this week just may not be done on Pride moves.

Orlando City In On New CB Rumor

Could we be seeing a new center back into the fold soon? I don’t think anyone would argue center back is now top priority on what to attack from a free agency/draft standpoint. And here we have a potential international option with Brazilian defender Lucas as the newest rumor:

Translation: Two sources have informed me that Lucas de Lima, coming from the LDU de Quito is currently in negotiations with Orlando City SC. The Brazilian defence for 27 years, has gone through several leagues including the Scottish (Hamilton Academical FC). I’m waiting for more details from #MLS

If you listened to this week’s PawedCast, Budalic had some interesting things to say about Green Cards that could be coming our way, opening up a few international spots. This could be the first one to be filled and would be a welcome addition to the defensive depth chart.

NWSL Gets Its Second Blockbuster Trade of the Week

On Wednesday, we reported about the massive trade between the North Carolina Courage and Washington Spirit as the Spirit gave away Crystal Dunn’s rights to the Courage in exchange for USWNT member Taylor Smith and Rookie of the Year Ashley Hatch (full details here).

Now we have an even bigger move with Sam Kerr, Christen Press, and Carli Lloyd all on the move in a three-team deal between Sky Blue FC, the Chicago Red Stars and the Houston Dash. There are a lot of moving parts with draft picks and “players to be named later” but here’s what we know as far as who gets who:

  • Chicago Red Stars: No. 24 draft pick (Megan Buckingham), Sam Kerr and (reportedly) Nikki Stanton.
  • Houston Dash: No. 7 draft pick (Haley Hanson), an international roster slot and Christen Press.
  • Sky Blue FC: No. 6 and No. 13 draft picks (Amandine Pierre-Louis and Casey Murphy), Carli Lloyd, Janine Beckie and another player to be named later from Chicago.

This means Lloyd goes home to Jersey, Press joins a formidable front line of Kealia Ohai and Rachel Daly, and the Red Stars only become stronger as they acquire the NWSL Golden Boot winner.

All in all, this appears to be a fairly equal trade for all involved with everyone getting a star player. It appears one of the catalysts here could have been manager Rory Dames’ and Press’ relationship:

MLS SuperDraft Today

It is MLS draft day and the Lions have the sixth pick in today’s affair. To follow along, here’s SuperDraft central where you can watch live. The draft kicks off at 11 a.m.ET with rounds one and two. Rounds three and four will follow at 2 p.m. ET via conference call.

With the multiple moves in the midfield and fullback areas this off-season, we at The Mane Land can’t help but root for either a potential center back or a defensive midfielder to help anchor the center of the field. Both of those options could be there at six. For a full list of draft eligible players go here.

Follow along at the Mane Land twitter for up-to-date news today on Orlando City’s pick and potential draft day trades.

Big Bank Has Its Hands Deep in MLS Pockets

Depending on your opinion on public vs. private funds and MLS stadiums, you may enjoy this news or you may not. Goldman Sachs, the New York powerhouse financial institution has loaned hundreds of millions to a host of MLS clubs in the recent year, including a $120 million loan to Orlando City. (Note that they have a free one-time trial that takes two seconds to read this article)

Personally, I think this news might shed some light on certain organizational moves regarding the Academy and OCB. When the stadium was being built, the organization announced it was going to privately fund the additional funds needed as it was waiting on public support. This could be the reason the club appears to be cutting back operational cuts in a variety areas.

Free Kicks:

  • It’s not easy protecting our new home stadium, what with seat thieves and the like running around, and Orlando City was justly rewarded by winning the Security Team of the Year award at the MLS Executive Awards. Thanks for keeping us safe.

And to not put the Bearded Guy’s links to shame, I have to include something musically inclined. So here’s a compilation of some of the best football chants this season. I promise you won’t be disappointed. PSA — might not want to watch with the kids.

Have a great weekend!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/22/25

Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.

Published

3 hours ago

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January 22, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The ManeLand

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.

Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International

While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881755961125449765?s=46&t=pMoq7Wulqfb35D7C8ydroA

Pride Preseason Begins

The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.

USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight

Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.

Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move

USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.

MLS Transfer Updates

Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.

https://twitter.com/sandiegofc/status/1881741042904350864

Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881786193693823104

Free Kicks

https://twitter.com/weareangelcity/status/1881749040863588770?s=12&t=_WZBNG4ILAyRLdwBeB4mpQ
  • Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
https://twitter.com/nwsl/status/1881749035218042954?s=46&t=pN-YJp3s7ZQlCXqnTAgSfw

That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

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1 day ago

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January 21, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.

Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster

Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.

Scouting Costa Rica

The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.

Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades

January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
  • Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/20/25

Orlando City signs Nicolas Rodriguez, Jack Lynn announces retirement, USMNT defeats Venezuela in friendly, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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January 20, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you’re all having a good holiday weekend as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Over the past week, I’ve been working and covering high school ice hockey. It will be a busy week in Orlando, with the United States Men’s National Team’s match against Costa Rica on Wednesday and Orlando City’s first preseason match against Atletico Mineiro on Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Signs Nicolas Rodriguez

Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has signed forward Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza CEIF in Colombia’s top flight. The deal is through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028, and Rodriguez will occupy a MLS U22 Initiative slot. Rodriguez made 19 appearances for Fortaleza, recording 1,607 minutes, five goals, and three assists during the 2024 Primera A Clausura season. The Lions add a young attacking player the club can develop and Rodriguez can play on the right wing, the right side of a three-man midfield, or in the No. 10 spot.

Jack Lynn Announces Retirement

Orlando City forward Jack Lynn announced his retirement from professional soccer on Saturday. Lynn was drafted by Orlando in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He became a regular starter for Orlando City B, scoring a team-record 38 goals in over three seasons with the MLS NEXT Pro side. Lynn also won the Golden Boot with 19 goals during the 2023 season and became the first OCB player to be named MLS NEXT Pro MVP. He played sparingly with the first team, but he scored twice last season as his role increased. The Lions will likely look to add another striker for more depth up top.

Orlando Pride Acquire Allocation Money in Trade

On Friday, the Orlando Pride announced that the club has acquired $50,000 in Allocation Money from the Washington Spirit. In exchange, the Pride sent the Spirit a 2025 international roster spot. The Pride will face the Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on March 7 at Inter&Co Stadium.

USMNT Defeats Venezuela in Friendly

The USMNT defeated Venezuela 3-1 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday in a friendly. Jack McGlynn and Patrick Agyemang scored in the first half to give the USMNT a 2-0 lead just before halftime. Matko Milijevic scored the third goal for the Americans in the second half, with Venezuela pulling one back thanks to a goal from Jorge Yriarte. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has led the USMNT to winning four out of its first five matches since he took charge last September. The USMNT’s next match will be against Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.

Alyssa Naeher Named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year

On Saturday, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. Naeher won 40% of the vote, while defender Naomi Girma finished in second with 32%. In her final year with the USWNT, Naeher ended 2024 with 18 starts, playing 1,170 minutes and only conceding 11 goals. She played a crucial role with clutch saves to help the USWNT win the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, and gold at the Olympics in Paris. Naeher is the second goalkeeper to win the award since Hope Solo won it in 2009.

Free Kicks

  • Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has reached an agreement with the club on a record-breaking contract that extends his deal through 2034.

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

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