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Lion Links: 6/17/18

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8 years ago

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Happy Sunday, Mane Landers! With the World Cup in full swing, I find it difficult to express my pure joy for life right now, especially with that Portugal vs. Spain thriller going down the way it did in the most dramatic of fashion. Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat trick lifted his country to a well-earned draw with the Spaniards, while Lionel Messi’s failure to finish from the spot mired his country in a 1-1 draw against a far out-matched Iceland team.

Iceland held on for what may be one of the country’s most memorable World Cup results, and the stats really show you how incredible the feat was.

Meanwhile, France opened their account with a 2-1 win over Australia, Peru (OCSC’s Yoshimar Yotún’s home country) fell 1-0 to Denmark, and Croatia downed Nigeria, 2-0.

I’ve been so distracted by these enthralling World Cup matches that I’ve barely had the chance to reflect on the firing of Orlando City Soccer Club’s now former head coach, Jason Kreis. It doesn’t feel prudent to me. Why make this change now, after a franchise-record winning streak was on tap just a few weeks back?

It baffles me, and it worries me as a supporter. I want a coach that has the opportunity to install their system, acquire their preferred personnel, and then is given time to iron out the kinks over the course of the season’s journey to the playoffs. I would have been much more understanding of a sacking come the end of a playoff-less season, but these sorts of changes mid-season are good for nobody involved, and I can only hope that the next manager appointed to the hot seat is treated better, by both club and supporter. Things take time. But hey, that’s just me. (More on this later.) Who might replace Kreis? Well, Taylor Twellman says the Lions want to go Brazilian.

Scolari will turn 70 this fall.

With that said, here’s your Sunday helping of Lion Links:

Orlando Pride Defeat Sky Blue FC

Amidst the star power of the World Cup fixtures currently behind held in Russia, the NWSL had a major match last night that featured some of the world’s best women footballers pitted against each other on the same pitch. The Orlando Pride hosted Sky Blue FC in a bout that saw Alex Morgan, Marta, Carli Lloyd, and a plethora of world-class ladies take the field in an exciting match that ended in a 3-2 Pride win. Our very own Scott Carnevale has your in-depth match recap.

Be sure to check back later for Michael Citro’s five takeaways from the match and a photo gallery from the game.

Inchy on Kreis Firing

Original Orlando City boss Adrian Heath called the firing of Kreis a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ by the club.

“They’ve had a complete roster overhaul, a third of the season in, they’re above the playoff line. I think it’s a little bit of a knee-jerk reaction,” Heath said. “When you’re on that six-game losing streak, it’s not nice for everybody, and I get that. Ownership groups not just in Orlando but all over the U.S., it’s not a nice feeling, and with social media now, the pressure mounts up on the coach because everybody’s an expert. People who’ve never been involved in football have their little five minutes of fame because they’ve got a blog … and unfortunately, people listen.”

I’m not sure bloggers have quite that much power, but it’s understandable that Inchy would feel that way given that he was let go by Orlando City while a spot out of the playoffs and Kreis’ 2018 squad was still above the line.

Yoshimar Yotún and Peru Fall to Denmark, 1-0

In what turned out to be a surprisingly physical World Cup opener for the Danes and Peruvians, Denmark held on to a second-half lead to put the match away and gain its first three points of the tournament. Orlando City’s Yotún was, as usual, impressive on the day and served as a lynch pin for the Peruvian midfield. Unfortunately, La Blanquirroja were unable to capitalize on a bevy of chances, one even coming from a spot kick that Christian Cueva sent into Russian airspace. Denmark has won four of its five World Cup openers, while Peru is winless in seven straight World Cup fixtures, notching its last win in 1978. Despite the poor result, mlssoccer.com’s Dylan Butler wrote up a nice piece on Yotún’s performance, noting that he was one of the best players for his country on the day — and the stats don’t lie.

Peru and Yotún next face off against a stacked France side on Saturday, June 21 in Yekaterinburg.

Sam Stejskal’s Perspective of the Jason Kreis Sacking

Stejskal, a well-informed and talented sports journalist over at mlssocccer.com wrote up his thoughts on the firing of Orlando City’s second-ever MLS head coach, and if I may say, I completely agree with his assessment. As I mentioned earlier, the timing of the move really doesn’t make sense, and Stejskal’s assertion that the firing indicates that the club lacks a long-term vision is something that, personally, bothers me greatly. As Stejskal states in his piece, Kreis was given full control over the off-season moves, bringing in what was essentially a brand new team with a core of 14 fresh faces. He was given just 15 matches with that new group before he saw the chopping block. To be fair, head coaches are brought in and paid the big bucks to produce results. Even Kreis himself said that in an interview following his final match in charge of the Lions. Here’s his response following the defeat to Montreal when asked if there were any positives from their Canadian road trip:

“Zero. Zero points means zero positives really. I still think we’re doing some things right in the game but at the end of the day, we get paid to get points and we didn’t get the job done.”

Unfortunately for Kreis, he didn’t “get the job done,” and he won’t be getting paid to get points anymore. At least not by Orlando City. *sigh*

Philadelphia Union and Levi’s Partnership Adds Pride Patch to Collection

In honor of Pride Month, the Philadelphia Union and Levi’s have added a Pride patch to their growing collection of patches that supporters are able to use to customize their personal Levis clothing. The partnership — just one of three in existence between Levi’s and soccer clubs on the planet, the other two being France’s Paris Saint-Germain and Germany’s St. Pauli — is a unique way for the club to engage with their supporters. The club and apparel partnership is also adding patches that celebrate Military Appreciation Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and even rivalry matches. Cheers, Union and Levi’s. Classy move.

Free Kicks

  • Congratulations are in order to Orlando City right back RJ Allen: she said yes!

  • Brazil’s manager Tite claims that superstar striker Neymar still isn’t quite 100%, but fully expects him to start and perform well in their opener today (the only questionable Brazilian right now is Fred, who is working his way back from an ankle injury).
  • After Iceland’s impressive draw against powerhouse favorite Argentina, why not check out what your Icelandic name would be? Personally, I’m Álekór Ingi Pierceson, and I love it. Check out how to find your own Icelandic name here.
  • Lionel Messi feels responsible for the shock draw with Iceland, blaming the negative result on his surprising miss from the spot.
  • Despite the opening round loss, Peru and Yotún will have an endless source of support from Orlando City and his teammates, and former Orlando City players, back in Central Florida.

  • And if you’ve made it this far, here’s one more for fun:

If we’re talkin’ MLS, I’d probably go green, swapping (insert best Lion here) for Sebastian Giovinco. If we’re talkin’ any other sporting league, I’m probably going orange and building the future. Which button are you pressing?

Well, that’s about all I’ve got for you this beautiful World Cup Sunday. Keep in check with The Mane Land for more news and updates, and then enjoy today’s fixtures: Costa Rica vs. Serbia, Germany vs. Mexico, and Brazil vs. Switzerland: the latter of the three almost guaranteed to live up to their lofty expectations of explosive offensive showings. You’ve got some great football to witness today, Mane Landers…make sure you do so.

Other than that, have a great week! Try your best not to let your boss catch you eyeing the matches too often…and definitely don’t stand up and celebrate when your country puts one in the back of the net. That might look weird to your co-workers.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/12/26

Barbra Banda up for weekly honors, Johnny Cardoso to have surgery, Americans in midweek action, and more.

Published

19 hours ago

on

May 12, 2026

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Good morning, everyone. It was a mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B both picked up victories, while Orlando City lost. There’s no rest for the wicked though, because the Pride take on Boston Legacy on the road tonight, while the Lions will host the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday. We’ve got a lot to talk about this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Barbra Banda up for Weekly Honors

Barbra Banda’s game-winning strike over the North Carolina Courage has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week. Banda cut across her marker in the 87th minute with the match tied 0-0 and curled a great strike inside the far post to give the Pride a lead that wouldn’t be relinquished. The victory got Orlando back on track after dropping two games in a row, and the goal was Banda’s league-leading eighth strike of the year. Make sure you go vote for her to win!

Surgery for Johnny Cardoso

Atletico Madrid announced on Monday that midfielder Johnny Cardoso will have surgery to repair an injury to his right ankle. Cardoso was hurt during a training session, with Atletico classifying the injury as a “high-grade sprain involving joint damage.” The club’s statement did not specify a timeline for his return to the field and U.S. Soccer has not made any statement besides wishing Cardoso a speedy recovery. That said, with this summer’s World Cup less than a month away, its tough to imagine that he’ll be healed up and ready to be part of the United States Men’s National Team roster. If that’s the case, it’ll be a bitter blow for both the USMNT and a midfielder that looked like a sure bet to be on the squad.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will be taking part in games during the working week, so let’s make sure we’ve got everything on the schedule. Things got started on Monday when Brenden Aaronson played 63 minutes in Leeds United’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham. Action continues today when Aidan Morris and Middlesborough face Southampton in the second leg of an EFL Championship playoff promotion semifinal. Wednesday sees Auston Trusty and Celtic take on Motherwell in a game with massive ramifications on the title race in the Scottish Premier League. Wednesday also has Alex Freeman and Villarreal hosting Sevilla in La Liga play, while Chris Richards and Crystal Palace will try to play spoiler against Manchester City.

MLS Matchday 12 Lessons

Matchday 12 is officially in the books for Major League Soccer, so what did we learn from the weekend’s action? For one thing, Jack McGlynn was imperious in his second game back from injury, as his brace helped the Houston Dynamo knock off LAFC on the road while USMNT assistant Jesus Perez was watching from the stands. The New England Revolution are now unbeaten in the club’s last seven league games, and Carles Gil was a big reason why, as he nabbed a goal and an assist in the Revs’ 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union. He’s got four goals and four assists so far, and the Revs are sitting pretty at second in the Eastern Conference.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

European seasons aren’t quite wrapped up yet, but that isn’t stopping transfer rumors from flying thick and fast. We start with the Premier League, where Manchester City is reportedly prepared to trigger the release clause of 16-year-old Hertha Berlin midfielder Kennet Eichhorn, before immediately sending the player on loan to continue his development. Elsewhere in England, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal are all said to be interested in signing Juventus fullback Andrea Cambiaso. Switching lanes to the managerial side of things, Chelsea has reportedly identified Xabi Alonso as the leading candidate to become the next manager of the team, with the Spaniard said to be open to taking the job. Finally, Jose Mourinho is said to be open to taking the Real Madrid job, although he reportedly has a couple conditions that he wants met first.

Free Kicks

  • Kickoff times have been set for Orlando City’s three group stages matches in this year’s Leagues Cup.
  • The Lions will be launching a new merch collection Friday at The Final Whistle.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/11/26

Lions fall to CF Montreal, Pride defeat North Carolina Courage, OCB beats Atlanta United 2, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

May 11, 2026

By

Image of Barbra Banda taking a shot against North Carolina.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida, and belated happy Mother’s Day to all you moms out there. I spent the weekend in Texas catching up with friends and family. Let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who turns 32 today. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Fall to CF Montreal

Orlando City fell 2-0 to CF Montreal at Stade Saputo Saturday on a pair of late goals. After a scoreless first half, the Lions were minutes away from escaping with a point on the road but conceded twice in stoppage time, with former Lion Dagur Dan Thorhallsson adding the insurance goal for Montreal as Orlando City left Canada with zero points. The Lions could not capitalize on their few scoring chances throughout the match. Orlando City returns home for its next match on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union at Inter&Co Stadium.

Banda’s Late Goal Lifts Pride Over Courage

The Orlando Pride defeated the North Carolina Courage 1-0 at Inter&Co Stadium Friday, as Barbra Banda scored the lone goal late in the second half to help the Pride secure a much-needed win, snapping their two-match losing streak. Banda scored her eighth goal of the season, and she has scored five goals in the last three matches. The Pride will be on the road this week, facing the Boston Legacy Tuesday at Gillette Stadium, followed by another match Saturday against the Denver Summit at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

OCB Beats Atlanta United 2 on the Road

Orlando City B defeated Atlanta United 2 with a goal in each half, winning 2-0 at Turner Soccer Complex in Athens, GA Sunday. Gustavo Caraballo scored the opening goal from the spot to give the Young Lions the early lead. In the second half, Issah Haruna added another goal for the Young Lions to put it away and take three points. OCB will be back on the road Sunday to face New England Revolution II at Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, RI.

Americans Abroad

Austin Trusty played a full 90 minutes as Celtic won its sixth consecutive match across all competitions 3-1 against Rangers. Gio Reyna scored his first goal of the season for Borussia Monchengladbach to snap his 16-month goal drought at the club level, but his side fell 3-1 to FC Augsburg. Weston McKennie played 86 minutes for Juventus in a 1-0 win against Lecce. In the Women’s FA Cup semifinals, Alyssa Thompson played 78 minutes for Chelsea, but her side fell 3-2 to Manchester City after extra time. Lindsey Heaps scored for OL Lyonnes while Lily Yohannes and Korbin Shrader were also in action in a 4-1 win against Paris Saint-Germain to lift the Coupe De France trophy. Later today, Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United will face Tottenham Hotspur.

Free Kicks

  • Check out this video on Orlando City’s social media pages featuring some players writing letters to their moms for Mother’s Day.
  • James Rodriguez will reportedly leave Minnesota United this week and will not return to the club after the World Cup concludes this summer.
  • Slavia Prague chairman Jaroslav Tvrdik stated that the club will impose a lifetime ban to fans who invaded the pitch as the club was minutes away from defeating rivals Sparta Prague Saturday to win the Czech First League title before the match was abandoned.
  • Leandro Trossard scored a late winner in the second half to help Arsenal beat West Ham United 1-0 to keep its five-point lead over Manchester City and pull a step closer to clinching the English Premier League title.

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: 5/8/26

Orlando City prepares for CF Montreal, Pride host North Carolina tonight, Johnny Cardoso injured, and more.

Published

5 days ago

on

May 8, 2026

By

Image of goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! We have some exciting games ahead of us over the next few days, with three straight days of Orlando soccer to enjoy. It all starts with the Orlando Pride’s game tonight, with Orlando City playing Saturday afternoon, and Orlando City B wrapping things up on Sunday. Make sure to plan your weekend accordingly! Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Gets Ready for Road Match

The Lions are on the road this weekend for a game in Canada against CF Montreal on Saturday. Orlando is coming off of a dramatic 4-3 win over rival Inter Miami, with Martin Ojeda scoring a hat trick. Ojeda has had Montreal’s number in recent years, scoring at least once against the Canadian club each year for the past three years. Orlando hasn’t lost to Montreal since 2023, but it also hasn’t won on the road against Montreal since 2021. Saturday’s match will also be a reunion of sorts for goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who joined Montreal’s academy at age 15 and played there for nine years. He was excellent in Orlando’s win in Miami, so hopefully he can keep it up in his home country.

Orlando Pride Host North Carolina Courage Tonight

The Orlando Pride are back in action tonight with a home game against the North Carolina Courage. Both teams are coming off of losses last week, with the Pride falling 4-2 to the Washington Spirit. Tonight’s match will pit the league’s top two scorers against each other, with Barbra Banda scoring seven so far while Ashley Sanchez has scored five. The Pride will play three consecutive road games after tonight, putting an emphasis on a strong showing at home. It’s also Survivor Night at the stadium, so make sure to bring any immunity idols if you’ll be in attendance. The Pride could use any advantage they can get.

Johnny Cardoso Injured Ahead of World Cup

Atletico Madrid announced that American midfielder Johnny Cardoso was diagnosed with an ankle sprain he sustained in training, casting doubt on his availability for the World Cup next month. He’ll now work on rehabilitation before the club provides a timetable for his return. The 24-year-old started in the United States Men’s National Team’s game against Belgium in March, but he had to exit that camp due to injury as well. Hopefully he has a smooth and successful recovery from this.

English Clubs Reach European Finals

Aston Villa beat Nottingham Forest 4-0 in the Europa League, overcoming a loss in the first leg to secure a spot in the final. John McGinn scored twice to help his team reach its first major European final since 1982. Villa will play in the final on May 20 against SC Freiburg, which also bounced back from a loss in the first leg by beating Braga 3-1 in Germany. A red card to Mario Dorgeles in the sixth minute reduced Braga to 10 men early on and Lukas Kubler bagged a brace for Freiburg.

In the Europa Conference League, Crystal Palace won 2-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk to advance to the final on May 27 against Rayo Vallecano. As a result of this week’s semifinals across the continent, English clubs are in contention to win the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League.

Free Kicks

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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