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Lion Links: 7/11/18

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8 years ago

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Hello, everyone. Hope you are all having a wonderful Wednesday. As you are reading this I am probably in the air, as I am traveling to Minnesota for the College Media Mega Workshop. Fun fact: I have never been out of the Eastern time zone, so this is a very new experience for me. Lots of news today, so let’s get straight to it.

Mohamed El-Munir Feels Confident In Versatile Role

Mohamed El-Munir has been a solid addition to the Lions since his first match in March. He has shown off his skills at left back but he has also been placed in the midfield in various lineups throughout the season. Against LAFC, El-Munir was subbed on for Chris Mueller in the 64th minute, which happened to be the first time the traditional left back was placed in an attacking position.

“I don’t see a big difference, you know?” El-Munir said. “Especially if I’m going to be on the left side. As a left back, I go more often into the attack. I’ve played in this position before. That’s what I don’t have a problem with it.”

El-Munir did play well after coming on for Mueller, constantly pressuring the LAFC defense and taking a shot on goal as well. This has to give some relief to new Head Coach James O’Connor in knowing that he has such a versatile player who is willing to play where he helps the team the best.

Defensive Depth Being Tested Yet Again

Orlando City saw some defensive players sidelined at training on Tuesday.

Sutter has missed a good chunk of the season with injury issues and Sané has been working himself back to 100%. Spector, who recently came back from his concussion injury, was out of training with a hamstring injury sustained early in the 4-1 loss to LAFC this past Saturday. Shane O’Neill will be available for selection for the first time in a Lions uniform against Toronto FC this weekend. The defense of Orlando City has struggled during this losing streak and with three quality defenders out of training, the struggles may continue. Sutter, Sané, and Spector are all regular starters, so seeing them come back to 100% would be a huge boost for a back line that could use some confidence. But the depth of the center backs will be tested while they are sidelined and time will tell how they handle the pressure.

Pride Begin Road Trip Tonight Against Dash

After a 2-1 victory over the Washington Spirit just a short four days ago, the Pride will begin their two-game road trip tonight against the seventh-place Houston Dash. The Pride are currently riding a club-record six-game unbeaten streak away from Orlando City Stadium that began over two months ago. The Pride have a 4-0-2 road record over that span.

This match will be the first match that the Dash play at home in over two weeks after three straight road matches, including a 2-1 victory over the Pride on June 27. The two teams have each won a game against each other with this one being the rubber match between the two. After setting a club record with 31 shots in a single game, we will see if the Pride can continue their dominance away from home.

In other Pride news, Marta’s goal was voted as the NWSL Goal of the Week.

World Transfer News

Amid weeks of speculation, Real Madrid announced Tuesday that Ronaldo officially agreed to a transfer to Italian side Juventus. The club had this to say about his exit.

For Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo will always be one of his great symbols and a unique reference for the next generations.  Real Madrid will always be your home.

Ronaldo is arguably one of the best footballers to ever play — not only for Real Madrid, but overall. He is the leading scorer in the club’s history with 451 goals over 438 games. He helped lead the Spanish powerhouse to 16 titles over his tenure and picked up four golden balls and three golden boots for his individual achievements.

Along with Ronaldo, Riyad Mahrez officially inked his transfer from Leicester City to Manchester City, another move that has been teased for awhile. The 27-year-old signed for five years and moves to the Premier League champions after winning a title with Leicester City in 2016. Mahrez has 39 goals and 27 assists in 139 EPL appearances.

“Watching them from afar has been a pleasure. Pep is committed to playing attacking football, which is a perfect for me, and City’s performances last season were outstanding. They’re redefining the English game and I wanted to be a part of it.”

Fernando Torres also moved away from his tenure with Atlético Madrid while also passing on an MLS move to go to Sagan Tosu of the J1 League in Japan. Torres had been teased to go to the Chicago Fire for awhile now but the deal obviously never came to fruition leading to Torres taking on the J1 League in likely the final step of his career. Torres has enjoyed a lengthy and successful career with Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool and AC Milan.

Free Kicks

  • Former Orlando City assistant coach C.J. Brown is now with the New York Red Bulls amidst coaching changes for the club.
  • France and Belgium played the first of two World Cup semifinal matches with France coming out victorious after Samuel Umtiti’s header in the 51st minute. France awaits the winner of today’s match between England and Croatia.
  • All 12 boys and their head coach from the Wild Boars soccer team in Thailand were safely rescued from the flooded cave that trapped them on June 23.
  • Akil Watts’ signing with Real Club Deportivo Mallorca adds to the U-17 USMNT pro list.

Hope you guys enjoy your Wednesday and have a great rest of the week.

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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.

Published

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

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

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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