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Lion Links: 6/23/18

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8 years ago

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Happy double match day, everyone! The Lions finally return home and look for revenge against the Montreal Impact tonight at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully the lads in purple can give Bobby Murphy his first MLS victory. Meanwhile, the Pride visit the Maryland SoccerPlex tonight at 7 p.m. to face the Washington Spirit.

But what about the time between now and then? How will you fill it? Well, you can go down and start tailgating soon but before then, let’s get caught up with what’s going on.

O’Neill is O’fficially O’fficial

What we mentioned on Thursday afternoon has become official, as Orlando City has announced the signing of center back Shane O’Neill to a three-and-a-half year-deal with club options. The 24-year-old former Colorado Rapids Homegrown Player should fill a much-needed depth role on Orlando’s back line for some time to come, and could possibly grow into a starting caliber defender down the road after learning from the likes of Jonathan Spector and Lamine Sané.

We are pleased to add Shane to our roster,” Orlando City SC general manager Niki Budalic said. “He is an athletic defender who is competitive and hungry to succeed. Shane’s experience in MLS and Europe in addition to various U.S. national teams will be valuable as we head into the second half of the season.”

Murphy: Players Bought in to Shape Change

The Lions came out in a 3-4-3 on Wednesday against D.C. United and it surprised a lot of fans. But Murphy said his decision to change the shape wasn’t unilateral. The interim gaffer talked to his players in advance to gauge their reaction to the change.

“It’s not something I went into just on my own,” Murphy said. “I think if you’re going to change things, you have to have buy-in. I’m a big believer of buy-in versus compliance. If it was something they weren’t comfortable with or didn’t feel good in, then it’s not something we would have done. The players were happy and I think it’s always important to have a ‘Plan B.’”

For the most part, I thought the change went well. We’ll find out tonight if Murphy sticks with it or tries something else against the Montreal Impact.

Orlando City U-18/19 Team Finishes Group Play

The young Lions completed group stage play at the U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs on Friday, defeating BW Gotschee, 1-0, on a goal by A.J. Seals. Orlando City finished the group stage with a 1-1-1 record and four points, finishing behind Real Salt Lake (2-0-1, 7 points) and Baltimore Armour (1-0-2, 5 points). It was a competitive group, with one goal separating RSL and OCSC in the opener. Baltimore Armour drew both MLS sides and beat BW Gotschee, which went 0-3-0 in the round robin. The top three teams could hardly have been more evenly matched but Real Salt Lake will move on to the knockout rounds.

I, for one, appreciate the pun, academy Twitter folks.

The U-16/17 side will face Barca Academy today at 4 p.m. A win for the baby Lions would leapfrog them to the top of Group H and into the knockout rounds. Barca can clinch the group with a draw or better. Elsewhere, the U-15 side beat down Internationals, 5-2.

Former Lion Talks About Career-Ending Injury

Sean St. Ledger, a former Orlando City center back, discussed with The Times the knee injury that cut his career short and what that experience was like for him.

“When I was 18 or 20 the older pros were saying to me, ‘It’s not a long career. You need to plan ahead’,” he says. “So obviously I didn’t listen to that. I thought it would last forever but it went so quick. For the majority of the time you’re having the time of your life, getting paid to do something you’d do for free. I never saw the end coming — not until I went back out to train after surgery and my knee would just swell up.

“It really hit me that I’m really struggling. ‘What if it doesn’t get any better?’ The surgeon told me that that might be it. There was no other surgery that could be done. ‘Wow, what am I going to do now?’ It’s difficult to prepare for that. When you spend your whole life — I started playing for Peterborough at nine — it’s such a difficult transition, it’s not easy to get your head around it. You can’t blame anyone who finds the transition difficult.”

St. Ledger has his coaching B license and is working on getting his A license. So it looks like a career on the sidelines may be in the cards for the ex-Lion.

Montreal Impact Waive Marco Donadel

When the Impact take the field tonight at Orlando City Stadium, a veteran face will be missing. The Quebecois club waived veteran midfielder Marco Donadel on Friday. The Italian has been an integral part of the Impact the past few seasons, but had made only two appearances in 2018 under Remi Garde. The 35-year-old scored three goals and added 10 assists for Montreal in 67 MLS games (61 starts) and produced three assists in eight MLS playoff matches.

Free Kicks

  • The Washington Spirit will be without Mallory Pugh tonight (and possibly without Rose Lavelle), but Orlando Pride gaffer Tom Sermanni says there are no easy games in the NWSL. And he’s right!
  • Don’t forget that tonight is a Pride in Our City match to honor and remember the victims of the Pulse nightclub shootings and to support vital community organizations.
  • USMNT defender Eric Lichaj has signed with Hull City, moving over from another Championship side, Nottingham Forest.
  • Those born on this date include “Bow-Tie Bill” Torrey (1934), the man who was architect of four New York Islanders Stanley Cup teams and helped build the Florida Panthers. Bill died last month and it’s a shame. I spent some time with the Panthers’ front office and Bill was a legend but he treated everyone like they were important. Others born on this day include Academy Award-winner Frances McDormand (1957), writer/filmmaker Joss Whedon (1964), French football legend Zinedine Zidane (1972), former NYCFC coach Patrick Vieira (1976), Jason Mraz (1977), football’s LaDainian Tomlinson (1979), and The Big Bang Theory’s Melissa Rauch (1980).

That’s all I’ve got for you today, folks. Get yourself a device to watch the Pride match on while you’re at the stadium cheering on the Lions tonight! We’ll have full coverage of both matches, though due to the nature of them both occurring at the same time, it’ll be…well…interesting.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/22/26

Orlando City B’s 2026 schedule is out, MLS unveils General Allocation Money totals, Adrian Heath reveals details of kidnapping nightmare, and more.

Published

16 hours ago

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January 22, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’m getting pretty excited for soccer to return to the City Beautiful, and it won’t be much longer until we can see our favorite players in purple once more. Until then, enjoy today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City B Announces 2026 Schedule

We now know the schedules for all three of the club’s soccer teams, as Orlando City B unveiled its MLS NEXT Pro schedule for 2026. The Young Lions will open the season on a Monday when they host Huntsville City FC on March 2. They’ll follow that match with another home game on March 8 against Chicago Fire FC II. OCB’s schedule will include 28 games yet again, with the league staying in action while the World Cup is going on. Decision Day will take place on Sept. 20 against Atlanta United 2, with all Eastern Conference teams playing at 2 p.m. Hopefully the Young Lions can return to the playoffs after missing out last year.

MLS Unveils General Allocation Money Totals

MLS released information on how much 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM) each club has heading into the upcoming season. As of Jan. 20, Orlando City’s total comes to $3,518,514, which is a bit low compared to other clubs. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that roster moves are still being made that could easily change these totals, such as former Lion Facundo Torres’ reported move to Austin FC that will give Orlando some money due to the sell-on percentage. Clubs who choose the MLS U22 Initiative roster construction path will also receive another $2 million in GAM once the roster compliance deadline passes.

Minnesota United has the most 2026 GAM in the league and is the only club with over $7 million of it. The award for the lowest amount goes to Austin, which has roughly $2.5 million and is the only club under the $3 million mark according to the league.

Adrian Heath Was Held at Knifepoint in Morocco in 2024

You will need to get past the paywall for the full details, but former Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath spoke to The Athletic about being kidnapped and held at knifepoint in Morocco in 2024. Heath flew to the country for a management opportunity in Saudi Arabia that turned out to be a sham, with men holding him captive in exchange for money. Heath thankfully made it back to the United States thanks to help from his wife Jane, his son and former Lion Harrison Heath, and Harrison’s wife and soccer analyst Kaylyn Kyle (formerly with the Orlando Pride). It’s a harrowing story that’s worth checking out, and hopefully Heath coming forward about this helps keep other coaches safe.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The penultimate round of the UEFA Champions League’s league phase is complete and the tournament’s bigger teams cruised for the most part. English clubs Liverpool, Chelsea, and Newcastle all had shutout wins, Harry Kane scored a brace in Bayern Munich’s 2-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise, and Barcelona rallied to beat Slavia Praha 4-2. The match of the day though was in Azerbaijan, as Qarabag scored a late equalizer and then a winner in stoppage time to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2. While Frankfurt has been in dire straits this tournament and is eliminated, it’s still an impressive result from Qarabag.

BAHLUL MUSTAFAZADA WINS IT FOR QARABAĞ FK WITH THE LAST KICK OF THE GAME 🤯

— CBS Sports Golazo (@cbssportsgolazo-m.bsky.social) 2026-01-21T13:58:25-06:00

The last round of matches in the league phase is next week and there’s plenty to play for for most teams as they jockey for position to qualify for either the knockout phase or the round of 16.

Free Kicks

  • The cinematography on these videos of the Orlando Pride training this preseason is pretty top notch if I do say so myself.
  • The LA Galaxy are reportedly aiming to acquire St. Louis City forward Joao Klauss in exchange for around $2 million. Klauss scored 10 goals last season and would reportedly fill the Designated Player slot opened up in LA by Riqui Puig’s injury.

🟡🚨 BREAKING: LA Galaxy in talks to acquire St. Louis City DP forward Joao Klauss, per sources.Deal would be a cash trade around $2m.Not done yet, still details to sort + green light from player needed, but talks ongoing.www.nytimes.com/athletic/698…

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-01-21T19:07:56.157Z
  • The Josh Sargent transfer saga has reportedly escalated as he pushes for a move from Norwich City to Toronto FC.

Josh Sargent continues to train with second team as he pushes for transfer to Toronto FC.TFC & Norwich continue negotiations.

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-01-22T00:02:20.027Z

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/26

The Orlando Pride return to training, Facundo Torres returning to MLS, U.S. National Team news, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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January 21, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! I hope you’ve been staying warm, though I assume it’s been a bit cooler up here in Tallahassee than it has been for those of you who reside in or near Orlando. Personally, I love this weather. I get that I live in Florida, but I should be able to wear jackets and sweaters during January and February at the very least. I appreciate you reading my short weather rant. Now, let’s get to the links.

The Orlando Pride Are Back

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. If that is indeed the case, then I wonder how many words a video is worth? Since we don’t have any articles detailing the return of the Orlando Pride to training on Tuesday, the club’s social media pictures and videos will have to suffice to let us know how it went.

Torres Returns to MLS

Facundo Torres’ time with Palmeiras is over. The former Lion is reportedly headed back to MLS to sign with Austin FC. Assuming that Tom Bogert’s information is correct, Orlando City will pocket an almost $1.5 million sell-on fee for Torres. That money plus the $14 million the Lions got in the transfer to Palmeiras is a good chunk of change for the left-footed attacker. If anyone knows his strengths and weaknesses, it will be Orlando City.

MLS Transfer News

The rest of MLS is not sitting around waiting for the season to begin. There have been more signings from across the league. The Houston Dynamo acquired forward Nick Markanich on loan from Spanish side CD Castellón. The LA Galaxy signed Johnny Nelson to a new contract through the 2027-2028 season.

Atlanta United transferred midfielder Edwin Mosquera to Colombian side Independiente Santa Fe. Meanwhile, the New England Revolution signed Griffin Yow from Belgian Pro League side KVC Westerlo through the 2027-2028 MLS season.

U.S. National Team News

Every day we get a little closer to the 2026 World Cup, although we’re still a way off from Mauricio Pochettino naming his World Cup roster. That being said, there are still some obvious front runners for those spots, including Orlando City’s Alex Freeman. Once the MLS season starts, the selection process will really begin, as all the potential players will be playing for their respective clubs in the hopes of playing for their country. Ricardo Pepi might be with a different club despite a recent broken arm. The PSV striker has interest from English Premier League sides like Fulham. Also, check out this goal from Haji Wright.

On the women’s side, Emma Hayes is doing some evaluations of her own. The USWNT coach is using the January camp to look at how deep the player pool for the U.S. really is. The first chance for players to shine comes Saturday against Paraguay. The second match will be Tuesday against Chile.

Free Kicks

  • The Canadian Premier League will institute Arsene Wenger’s “daylight” offside rule this season. This is a trial of the new rule to see how it plays out in actual matches and not just in theory. If it works it could pave the way for broader adoption.
  • You probably saw the video of Moroccan ball boys trying to take a towel away from Senegal’s backup goalkeeper. This is worse and indicative of how out of control the match really was.

That will do it for today. We very much appreciate you reading our content so please feel free to provide feedback in the comments of any of our articles. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/20/26

New signing for the Orlando Pride, MLS transfer happenings, Americans in midweek action, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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January 20, 2026

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Image of the Orlando Pride starting XI prior to the 2025 NWSL semifinal against Gotham FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Good morning, everyone. If you were lucky enough to have Monday off from work, I hope you’re feeling rested and ready to tackle the week. If you weren’t so fortunate, take solace in the fact that you’re one day closer to the weekend. We’ve got plenty to discuss this morning, but before we get into the links, we want to welcome Josh Simon as a subscriber member of The Mane Land . If you’d like to subscribe and receive extra perks, please consider signing up at our Buy Me a Coffee site (or just check it out and swee what’s on offer) at buymeacoffee.com/themaneland. OK, now let’s get into the links!

Orlando Pride Add a Forward

The Orlando Pride kicked off the week by announcing the signing of Jamaican international forward Solai Washington on Monday afternoon. The 20-year-old FSU product joins on a deal that runs through the 2027 season and contains a mutual option for the 2028 campaign. At the international level, Washington has played five times for Jamaica, including three appearances at the 2023 Women’s World Cup when she was only 17. While she has yet to make her professional debut, she’s a young player with plenty of upside, and the Pride have been sorely in need of depth when it comes to the team’s group of attackers. She’s got some excellent players to learn from, and a contract that runs through next season means she should have a couple of years to do so. Welcome to Orlando!

MLS Transfer Roundup

With the beginning of the new Major League Soccer season drawing nearer by the day, the transfer business in and around the league is showing no signs of slowing down. We begin with Inter Miami, which has fully signed Tadeo Allende from Celta Vigo after he spent 2025 on loan with the Herons. Allende is now under contract through June of 2030. Next, there’s the Houston Dynamo, who Tom Bogert says are finalizing the signing of Mateusz Bogusz from Cruz Azul that has been rumored for awhile now.

Mr. Scoops also says that LAFC is putting the final touches on a deal to acquire midfielder Amin Boudri as an MLS U22 Initiative signing.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a whole slew of Americans who will be playing games during the working week, and the Champions League is a recurring theme. Things get going later today when Malik Tillman and Bayer Leverkusen take on Real Madrid, while Folarin Balogun’s Monaco side hits the road to face Real Madrid. Wednesday has Yunus Musah and Atalanta squaring off against Athletic Bilbao, while Tim Weah and Marseille host Liverpool. Attention shifts to the Europa League on Thursday when Auston Trusty and Celtic visit Bologna, while Tanner Tessman and Lyon face Young Boys. Things wrap up on Friday when Damion Downs and Hamburg play James Sands and St. Pauli in the Bundesliga, while West Brom and former Lion Daryl Dike have a road game against Patrick Agyemang and Derby County in the Championship.

AFCON Final Fallout

Saying that the AFCON final was a chaotic affair is an understatement, and now that the dust is settling after the end of the tournament, some of the fallout from the match is beginning to be felt. FIFA President Gianni Infantino criticized the scenes at the final as “unacceptable” and stated his belief that the Confederation of African Football will take disciplinary measures. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation stated that it will file complaints with both FIFA and CAF regarding the bulk of Senegal’s team withdrawing to the locker room after Morocco was given a late penalty kick. Senegal coach Pape Thiaw could be in line to receive match bans for his role in leading Senegal’s players off the field, although its unknown whether any ban would only be for CAF competitions or would come into play at this summer’s World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Cesar Araujo looks to be close to joining a new team.
  • Senegal’s backup goalkeeper didn’t play in the AFCON final but was still extremely active during the game.
  • Charalampos Kostoulas scored a ridiculous goal to help Brighton and Hove Albion rescue a late point against Bournemouth.

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

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