Connect with us

Lion Links

Lion Links: 9/23/18

Published

7 years ago

on

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.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/17/25

Oscar Pareja signs new contract with Orlando City, Orlando Pride prepare for the Washington Spirit, Orlando’s youth teams win, and more.

Published

20 hours ago

on

April 17, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I can’t believe we’re already into the back half of April and Easter is right around the corner. There’s plenty of soccer to enjoy between now and then and we also have the draw for the U.S. Open Cup’s round of 32 this morning at 9:15. MLS teams are finally joining the fray, so we’ll see where the chips fall for Orlando City. Let’s get to the links!

Oscar Pareja Signs New Contract

Orlando City and Head Coach Oscar Pareja have agreed to a new three-year contract that will keep him in the City Beautiful through 2028. Pareja was hired as Orlando’s fourth head coach in its MLS era back in December of 2019 and he’s led the Lions to the playoffs in all five seasons he’s been at the helm.  Under Pareja, the Lions won the U.S. Open Cup in 2022, set club records in points and wins in 2023, and reached the Eastern Conference final for the first time last year. This year was the final one on the contract he signed in December of 2023, so it’s nice to know Pareja will be sticking around in the future.

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride will look to make it five wins in a row when they host the Washington Spirit on Saturday in another rematch of last year’s final. While this is the first match between Orlando and Washington this season, the two clashed in the NWSL Challenge Cup on March 7 and the Spirit lifted the trophy after a penalty shootout. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on how the team has grown since that game and has benefitted from depth and consistency carried over from last year.

Orlando City Youth Teams Win in Bradenton

Orlando City’s U-18 team won in the Generation Adidas Cup’s round of 16, beating St. Louis City 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. The Young Lions remain unbeaten in that age group and will take on a Real Salt Lake team that also won its group and just beat Toronto FC in a penalty shootout following a scoreless draw.

Orlando’s U-16 squad didn’t qualify for the Championship bracket, but still advanced in the Premier bracket. After a 1-1 draw with Toronto, Orlando prevailed in the ensuing penalty shootout and will play Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.

UEFA Champions League Semifinals Are Set

The quarterfinals for this year’s UEFA Champions League are over and only four teams remain in the tournament. Arsenal secured its spot in the semifinals after an impressive 2-1 road win against Real Madrid that included two assists from Mikel Merino. The Spanish club couldn’t muster its usual magic in the tournament and forward Kylian Mbappe exited in the second half due to injury. In Italy, Inter Milan held on for a 2-2 draw against Bayern to advance on aggregate, with defender Benjamin Pavard scoring a crucial goal for Inter against his old team. The semifinals will take place at the end of the month and will feature Arsenal taking on Paris Saint-Germain and Inter going up against Barcelona.

Free Kicks

  • Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of former FC Cincinnati player Aaron Boupendza, who died after falling from the 11th floor of a building in China.
  • The Chicago Fire are reportedly strongly interested in signing star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne on a free transfer. If any Western Conference teams could join the hunt for him, that would be great.

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

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links 4/16/25

Orlando Pride on top, OCB falls to Inter Miami II, USMNT eyes Gold Cup, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

April 16, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I know I’ve said it before, but I love that I can always find soccer to watch. Whether it’s UEFA Champions League or the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, or anything in between, I love it. I’m willing to bet you love it too. Speaking of love, we want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City Designated Player Luis Muriel. Let’s get to the links.

All the Rankings

With the win over the Seattle Reign, the Orlando Pride stayed perfect on the season. It was enough for the Pride to remain on top of the standings and also at the top of numerous power rankings. All for XI kept the Pride at No. 1 with a shoutout to Anna Moorhouse, SI.com did the same, while noting Summer Yates’ injury, and Goal.com completed the sweep. The Pride also landed at No. 8 in Opta’s global power rankings for women’s clubs. Strangely, the Kansas City Current were two spots above on that particular list.

OCB Falls to Inter Miami II

Orlando City B traveled to IMG Academy to take on Inter Miami II Tuesday night. The Young Lions went down early on the road, but were able to equalize thanks to a goal from Tahir Reid-Brown. Unfortunately, Inter Miami scored two more goals before a penalty in second-half stoppage time gave OCB a slight lifeline. It was not enough as the team fell 3-2 to their in-state foes.

Generation Adidas Cup Matchups

Orlando City Academy’s U-18 squad won Group J in the Generation Adidas Cup. Now the team will face St. Louis City SC 2 in the Round of 16. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the younger generations of players in Orlando City’s system, here is your opportunity.

U.S. Eyes Gold Cup

We’re about two months out from the start of the Concacaf Gold Cup and it feels like a must-win for the USMNT given recent results. Winning an eighth Gold Cup title will not come easily. Naturally, all eyes fall on Christian Pulisic to lead the squad, though not everyone thinks he should be the pick for captain. Tyler Adams is looking for more belief from his teammates heading into the competition.

Free Kicks

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!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/15/25

Pride players nominated for weekly awards, Americans in midweek action, UEFA Champions League preview, and more.

Published

3 days ago

on

April 15, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was a solid weekend for the two Orlando teams in action, as Orlando City played to a hard-fought scoreless draw against the New York Red Bulls, while the Orlando Pride knocked off the Seattle Reign 1-0 on the road. We have plenty of things to talk through today, so let’s dive right in.

Orlando Pride Players Up for Weekly Awards

A pair of Orlando Pride players have been nominated for weekly awards due to their efforts in the team’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Reign on Saturday. We start with Anna Moorhouse, who was actually nominated for two awards, as she is up for both the NWSL Save of the Week and Player of the Week! Moorhouse stonewalled Reign winger Maddie Dahlien in the 81st minute during a 1-v-1 situation to preserve the Pride’s slender 1-0 lead on the road.

She also racked up five saves on the night, kept a clean sheet, and was hugely instrumental in the Pride winning a fourth straight game to start off the 2025 season.

Summer Yates, meanwhile, has been nominated for the Assist of the Week for her pinpoint pass to Barbra Banda for the game’s winning goal. In the 41st minute, she hit a stepover, glided past Madison Curry on the left side of the box, and played a great cross to Banda in the six-yard box, who made no mistake with the finish.

Make sure you go vote for our nominees!

Americans in Midweek Action

There are lots of American players taking part in games during the working week, so let’s check in on what we have to look forward to. Gio Reyna and Borussia Dortmund have the unenviable task of trying to overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League today. Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace travel to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Wednesday. Thursday has Tanner Tessman and Lyon on the road against Manchester United in the Europa League, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis hit the road to take on Jagiellonia Białystok in the Conference League. Things wrap up with some American vs. American violence on Friday when former Lion Daryl Dike and West Bromwich Albion travel to play Haji Wright and Coventry City in the EFL Championship.

UEFA Champions League Preview

The UEFA Champions League returns this week, with the second leg quarterfinal matches set to take place today and tomorrow. Aston Villa will need to actually come out and attack Paris Saint-Germain in Birmingham today, as the Premier League side comes into the match facing a 3-1 aggregate deficit. Borussia Dortmund has a mountain the size of Everest to climb to overturn a 4-0 deficit against a Barcelona team that looked absolutely lethal on the counterattack last week. Real Madrid also finds itself in a big 3-0 hole against Arsenal, and Los Blancos need to look much more dangerous going forward if they want to have a chance against a Gunners team that will surely look to defend and protect what they earned in the first leg. Bayern Munich is in the best position of the teams that trail after the first leg, as Inter Milan’s aggregate lead is only 2-1. That means Bayern can be fairly flexible approaching the second leg, although the Germans will need to do a much better job at finishing chances than they did last week.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

With the end of most European seasons creeping closer and closer, the transfer rumor mill is starting to spin with increasing intensity, so let’s take a look at some of today’s notable stories. We start with Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, who has 19 goals in all competitions this season and could fetch a price in the range of 100 million euros if he is sold this summer. Manchester United is reportedly interested in signing former Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who is likely to leave Southampton this summer after the Saints were relegated this year. Speaking of Manchester United, Red Devils striker Rasmus Hojlund is said to be attracting interest from both Juventus and Inter Milan, and he could be on the move this summer.

Free Kicks

  • Barbra Banda and Marta received their trophies for making the 2024 FIFPRO World XI.
  • Orlando City’s U-18 team enjoyed a successful campaign in group play at the Generation Adidas Cup, earning a spot in the Championship Bracket.
  • The Orlando Pride rightly remained the no.1 team in ESPN.com’s NWSL power rankings.
  • Despite dominating the New York Red Bulls while playing most of the second half with 10 men, Orlando City somehow dropped a place below those same Red Bulls in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
  • Chelsea spent the most on agent fees out of all Premier League clubs for a second consecutive year, as they dished out a whopping  £60 million to agents for transfers.

That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Trending