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Lion Links: 9/23/18

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7 years ago

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Hey there, Mane Landers! Happy Sunday. I hope that you’re all enjoying this beautiful weekend. It’s supposed to be the weekend that ushers in the fall season, but hey, we’re in Florida, so does that really even matter? Doesn’t feel like it.

With the Pride at home watching the NWSL championship match between the Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage and the Lions hosting the Houston Dynamo in a testy affair, the silver lining in my personal life has been the return of NFL football (more specifically, fantasy football). I’d include college football in there, but as an alumni of Florida State University, I’d rather not. It’s going to be a long season, Seminole fans…so brace yourselves (have fun poking fun, Gators and Hurricanes: we deserve it). That said, I digress, as that’s not what you’ve come here for today.

You’ve come for your Sunday serving of Lion Links, so that’s what I have prepared on the docket for you. However, first I want to say that it’s our anniversary today! We started as a WordPress site on this date back in 2014. We moved over to SB Nation shortly after that and we continue to enjoy covering the Lions for you.

Now, on to today’s news. Bon appétit, folks.

Lions Draw the Dynamo, 0-0

In what’s been a woeful season for the Lions, the lads in purple at least find a way to earn a point every now and then, and they did so last night at Orlando City Stadium. Houston has a U.S. Open Cup final in a few days but still fielded a first-choice lineup. Lamine Sané’s return to the back line and Adam Grinwis’ debut in goal helped Orlando keep a clean sheet, but the offense was in the ‘off’ position as both teams combined for only seven shots on goal and 22 total attempts in the scoreless draw.

Stay tuned for our very own Bearded Guy’s five takeaways, too.

Courage Crowned NWSL Champions with 3-0 Win Over Portland

Thanks to the support of the Lifetime Network, the NWSL championship match was readily available for all of us, and it sure didn’t disappoint…well, for one side at least. The Courage dominated this one from the start, much like they did all season, and notched a demoralizing goal in just the 13th minute courtesy of Brazilian star Debinha. Jessica McDonald added a brace with goals in the 40th and 64th minutes.

Despite playing at home and controlling the majority of the possession in the match, the Thorns just couldn’t find their way through a rock-solid Courage defense, and could only muster a meager three shots on target. They will certainly have some soul-searching to do after beating the Courage in the same final last season, 1-0. Congratulations are in order, I guess, for the stacked Courage.

#ScarvesUp for Kicking Childhood Cancer

Mason Stajduhar, as we all know, is an incredible individual, goalkeeper, and cancer survivor. He’s a true soldier. With the #KickChildhoodCancer movement in full swing, Mason has become an amazing advocate for the cause, speaking directly to the Orlando fan base in order to encourage them to get out, get their supporting gear and donations in, and help this league grow what’s already an amazing initiative for such a profound cause. The initiative aims at generating donations to assist in the eradication of cancer in today’s youth. Remember to stop by Orlando City Soccer Stadium’s The Den store or the Orlando City e-store to get in on some of the gear, and remember to post a photo of yourself with your scarf on Twitter with the hashtag #ScarvesUp to ensure a $5 donation goes to the cause. Together, we can truly make an impact – so get out there and get involved!

Rookie Chris Mueller Remains Positive as Always

Coming into a new club, especially as an early MLS SuperDraft pick, is no easy feat. Rookie striker/winger Chris Mueller can certainly attest to this, as he’s experienced both the peak of glory and the valley of despair, all within his first season as a professional footballer. He started off hot, even scoring the fastest goal in club history back in April; a time in which the club was riding high and on a record winning streak. He’s also felt the lows, admitting that adjusting to the grind of his first full season as a pro has been challenging. But he remains positive.

“Obviously, a little bit of it is encouraging, here and there,” Mueller said about fan support. “It’s tough, when you’re in the midst of a tough season, to try and point some of that stuff out. You’ve got to just try and come in and just focus on yourself at this point. In your personal care, you’ve got to try to stay positive.”

“You learn more about each other when things aren’t going well,” Mueller said. “It’s easy to be super happy and doing all the right things when things are going right. It’s a true test of your character and who you are as a player and a person, how you can respond to this sort of adversity.” 

Keep up the hard work, Cash. It’s going to take you to places you’ve never imagined…and I can’t wait to watch it all go down. Cheers to such a positive influence and young talent in the Lions’ dressing room. We love you, Chris. Just keep on keepin’ on.

Free Kicks

  • A Young Lions update:

  • Goal brought us an interesting list of the top 50 American prospects for future USMNT consideration, with the 2022 World Cup in mind. Spoiler alert: There are no Lions on this list.
  • Retired American midfielder, captain, and fan favorite Clint Dempsey was honored at Fulham’s Craven Cottage during the halftime proceedings of Fulham’s 1-1 draw against Watford. It’s always nice to see a club acknowledge a former player and key cog, and nobody will ever forget his epic chip against Juventus that sealed a comeback win to advance to the quarterfinals of the Europa League back in 2010. Have a gander…absolutely stunning.
  • American footy icon Christian Pulisic is off to an amazing start to his 20s…first notching a game-winner against Club Brugge in the 85th minute a few days back, then nabbing an equalizer in the 83rd minute against Hoffenheim for his 10-man Dortmand side yesterday.

To add to that, he’s etching his name in stone with some true American Bundesliga greats.

  • Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably the greatest manager of all time, made a return to the hallowed grounds of Old Trafford, sitting in his well-earned director’s box seat. It’s been quite an emotional event for the living legend, and everyone on hand was elated to see the former Red Devils leader take in a match. Unfortunately for the Red Devils, a 1-1 draw was the result; surely not what anyone, including Sir Alex himself, wanted to witness.
  • American and Schalke starlet Weston McKennie had to be carried off of the pitch following a seemingly inadvertent challenge from Bayern Munich’s James Rodriguez during their 2-0 loss tot he Bavarian giants. We can only hope it’s not a serious injury, as McKennie is growing into a phenomenal player that will surely contribute to both the USMNT and Schalke’s future successes.
  • Even the legends struggle sometimes…and even Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn’t impervious to the challenges of adapting to MLS play. If that’s not surprising, I’m not sure what is. Of course, it’s more of a “different” challenge for the all-world talent, at least that’s how he prefers to word it. No matter what though, he’s still one of my favorite human beings on this planet.
  • For you FIFA Ultimate Team addicts, much like myself, here’s a nice look at some possible MLS builds in FIFA 19 — the most recent iteration of (I’m biased here) the greatest video game to ever exist (probably still a massive exaggeration, as there are a lot of games I could easily list before FIFA). Regardless, it’s fun to think about having all of these MLS studs on the pitch together on the same side.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for you today folks. I’ll be off surfing somewhere…which is to say that I’ll be off biting waves and hoping the board doesn’t leave me with a broken nose; make sure you enjoy your day, whether that be with family, friends, pets, nature, or hell, just by yourself. Do something that makes you happy today — you deserve it.

Also, I leave you with what may be the greatest tweet, and subsequently story headline, of all time. I mean, seriously, this is just pure gold. I hope they find the owner…sooner rather than later.

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Lion Links: 6/13/25

Orlando City prepares for the Colorado Rapids, Concacaf W Champions Cup schedule released, USWNT tops FIFA rankings, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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June 13, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! We have some exciting soccer ahead of us over the next few days, starting with the Orlando Pride’s road game against Bay FC tonight at 10 p.m. I’ll be spending most of the weekend working and visiting family for Father’s Day. Let’s go ahead and get this Friday started with today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Prepares for the Colorado Rapids

The Lions are back in action on Saturday for a road match in high altitude against the Colorado Rapids. Orlando City is coming off a needed break in the schedule after losing two games in a row to close out a busy May. The Rapids have also lost their past two league games and will be without goalkeeper Zack Steffen due to injury. This will be the team’s first match against the Rapids since a 2-0 victory in Orlando back in 2023 and the first in Colorado since a 1-1 draw in 2022. Hopefully the Lions can get back on track with a win to kickstart another strong summer.

Concacaf W Champions Cup Schedule Revealed

The schedule was unveiled for the Concacaf W Champions Cup and we now know where the Pride will be playing this fall. Their campaign will begin at Inter&Co Stadium against Costa Rican club LD Alajuelense on Sept. 2. They’ll then hit the road for their next two matches, playing Chorrillo FC in Panama on Sept. 16 before facing Club America on Sept. 30. The Pride will close out their group play with a home game against Pachuca on Oct. 15. The top two teams from the group will advance to the semifinals, and the winner of the tournament will earn a spot in both the 2027 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and 2028 FIFA Women’s Club World Cup. It’s going to make for some late-season fixture congestion for the Pride, but that’s the price of success and earning a spot in continental competitions.

USWNT Remains Atop FIFA Rankings

The United States Women’s National Team is still the best team in the world according to the latest FIFA rankings. The U.S. lost points overall in the time since the last rankings in March though, and the gap has narrowed between it and Spain and Germany. Brazil had a decent rise in the rankings, moving up four spots to fourth after beating Japan twice in recent friendlies. With notable international tournaments lined up for this summer, it will be interesting to see how much things shake up when the next rankings come out.

Michael Bradley Named New York Red Bulls II Head Coach

Former USMNT midfielder Michael Bradley was hired as head coach of the MLS NEXT Pro’s New York Red Bulls II. It’s the 37-year-old’s first professional head coaching job after spending time as an assistant coach under his father, Bob Bradley, at Stabaek in Norway. Bradley returns to where he began his professional playing career, as he was drafted by the MetroStars in 2004 at the age of 16.

“I couldn’t be more excited to come back to where my professional playing career began,” says Head Coach Michael Bradley. “This is a dream opportunity as a young coach. I’m looking forward to working everyday with this talented group of players, and I’ll give everything to help them take the next step in their careers. I’m thankful to the club for the opportunity and can’t wait to get started.”

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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Lion Links: 6/12/25

Reliving the Orlando Pride’s win, Orlando City B loses on the road, Jhon Solis Wins MLS NEXT Pro Goal of the Matchweek, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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June 12, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been enjoying a pretty good week so far and actually made pizza for the first time last night. It was burnt beyond belief in the end, but still edible, which is a huge win in my book. Let’s go ahead and dive right into today’s links!

Sights and Sounds From the Orlando Pride’s Victory

The Orlando Pride beat the Houston Dash 1-0 at home in dramatic fashion and the club has released a video highlighting the action. Substitute Cori Dyke scored the winning goal deep in stoppage time to give the Pride all three points and second place in the league standings. The video includes Dyke being tossed in the air afterwards in celebration, as well as a pretty good pep talk from Marta. Let’s hope the Pride can win a bit more comfortably when they travel across the country to face Bay FC on Friday night.

Orlando City B Falls to Carolina Core FC

The Young Lions are returning to Orlando empty handed after a 1-0 loss to Carolina Core FC in North Carolina. A goal by Carolina right before halftime proved to be the difference, as OCB struggled to get much going offensively and couldn’t conjure some of the late magic it’s shown in recent matches. Ultimately, it’s a disappointing result after impressive wins over both Chattanooga FC and Huntsville City FC earlier this month. The Young Lions have a bit of a break to reset before trying to get back on track at home against Toronto FC II on June 25.

Jhon Solis Wins Goal of the Matchweek

OCB midfielder Jhon Solis won MLS NEXT Pro Goal of the Matchweek for his strike in the club’s 3-2 road win over Huntsville on June 6. He curled a free kick towards goal with enough power behind it to beat the keeper and equalize things in the 84th minute. Solis also provided the assist from a corner kick on OCB’s first goal, so hopefully he can continue to make opponents pay in those instances this season.

Getting Ready for the Concacaf Gold Cup

The Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off this weekend and plenty of pressure is on the U.S. after a pair of losses in the friendlies leading into this tournament. The team is without many of its usual starters, and Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino will have to figure things out in a group against Saudi Arabia, Haiti, and Trinidad & Tobago. As for other things to watch out for in this Gold Cup, I’m interested to see how Canada fares in its group and if Miguel Herrera’s Costa Rican team can make some noise against Mexico. Panama’s group could end up as the most enticing though, as it features fellow dark horse Jamaica and a pair of underdogs in Guadeloupe and Guatemala.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. Make sure to stay hydrated out there as we get closer and closer to the unbearable part of summer here in Florida. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links: 6/11/25

Orlando City B plays tonight, the Orlando Pride want to enter the break strong, USMNT pounded by Switzerland, and more.

Published

5 days ago

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June 11, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Hopefully, you decided to put your mental and emotional health first last night and skipped watching the USMNT match. I, unfortunately, did not. I’m going to take Ted Lasso’s advice to be a goldfish and move on. I think a great way to do that is to share today’s links with you, but not before we wish Orlando Pride forward Grace Chanda a happy birthday.

Pride Looking to Enter the Break on a High Note

The Orlando Pride are sitting in second place in the NWSL standings. The club is also sitting second in the SI.com power rankings and the goal.com power rankings. For some reason, All For XI has the team at number three in their power rankings, but nobody is perfect. Now, the Pride are looking to head into the NWSL break on a high note in their upcoming two road games. Next up is Bay FC on Friday night.

OCB Visits Carolina Core Tonight

Orlando City B is in action tonight against Carolina Core FC at Truist Point Stadium in North Carolina. The Young Lions look to continue their recent success following two late winners against Chattanooga and Huntsville City. The midweek matchup should mean that Manuel Goldberg will have everyone available for the match, except those who played for the U-18 USMNT in the 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup. We will have match coverage for you both here and on BlueSky.

USMNT Crumbles vs. Swiss

If you turned off the USMNT versus Switzerland match at halftime (or before), I don’t blame you. The Swiss scored four goals in a devastating first half for the USMNT. I’m not saying it happened because Orlando City’s Alex Freeman did not get the start, but I’m not, not saying it either. Things got nominally better in the second half, considering the U.S. did not give up any more goals, but the 4-0 final score was still very, very bad. It was not what fans were hoping to see in the send-off match heading into the Concacaf Gold Cup.

Club World Cup Struggles

I’m not certain if you know that the FIFA Club World Cup starts this weekend, including matches in Orlando at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium in the coming weeks. What I do know is that across the various venues the response can best be described as…meh.

Fans are getting offers of literal free tickets to the Sounders-Botafogo game and TM has reduced prices by about 20% since yesterday.

— Jeremiah Oshan (@jeremiah.sounderatheart.com) 2025-06-10T21:50:13.404Z

If you weren’t interested in going because the price was too high, you might want to check again. There are several former MLS players in the competition, including former Orlando City attacker Facundo Torres with Palmerias, though he won’t be playing in Orlando. There are several good matchups, including Manchester City versus Juventus at Camping World Stadium.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City B players Justin Ellis, Colin Guske, and Jackson Platts were members of the U-18 United States Men’s National Team that won the 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup in Nyon, Switzerland on Tuesday. The U.S. and Portugal drew 1-1 in the final before heading to penalties, where the Yanks won 3-2. Unfortunately, Guske had his attempt from the spot saved in the shootout, but his teammates bailed him out.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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