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Lion Links: 10/6/18

Published

8 years ago

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Happy match day, everyone. It’s been a couple weeks. I almost forgot what it felt like to wake up on a Saturday without a sense of dread. Almost.

The Lions visit FC Dallas tonight, riding a three-game scoring drought. I’m sure it will be fine, since Orlando has never scored a goal against Dallas. The last trip to Dallas resulted in the firing of Adrian Heath. Yeah, it’ll be fine. In fact, let’s check on the latest injury update.

[Sigh.]

Anyway, let’s waste some of your morning by giving you some stuff on the internet to read.

Budalic Supportive of O’Connor, Understands Fan Frustration

Orlando City GM Niki Budalic spoke with prosoccerusa.com and among the topics of discussion were his backing of Head Coach James O’Connor, the negativity surrounding this long, tough season, and the hunt for a director of scouting. Budalic said JOC is 100 percent the man in Orlando, so O’Connor got the old vote of confidence. Still, I expect he’ll survive the off-season and get a chance to put his stamp on the team and lead it through training camp.

“What I would say is we understand their perspective,” Budalić said about fan frustrations. “We understand the passion they have for this club and this team. We understand the urgency. We understand the demand to improve. I know that James has been a really good leader in trying to establish that demand of expectations. That’s cascading through the organization, as well, in soccer operations.

“We are working hard to change the situation and we feel confident we’ll get it right.”

O’Connor Still Trying to Get His Ideas Across

When the Lions take on Dallas tonight, it’ll be interesting to see who lines up to start the match. Changing lineups have been a constant this year, due to injuries as well as coaching changes, but the new gaffer has been trying to assess what he actually has and who can play the way he wants them to. That work, apparently, is still in progress. 

“I think some have, I would say, a good understanding of what we want,” O’Connor said.

“I think some maybe have a decent understanding and some have a lot to do. It’s like everything. You always have three facets. You have people that really understand, some that are maybe in between and some that are still struggling to get a real grip and understanding of what we’re expecting.”

Two More Pride Players Head to Oz

We already knew Rachel Hill was returning to Perth Glory, but a couple of her Pride teammates are joining her in the W-League. The Brisbane Roar announced that Chioma Ubogagu and Carson Pickett will be joining them for the NWSL off-season. For Pickett, it’s a return for her second season in Brisbane, but it’ll be Chi’s first season of play down under. Hopefully both will come back in great form. We wish them both a successful and healthy season.

A Look at the OCSC-Montverde Connection

A lot of eyebrows were raised when Orlando City moved its development academy operations to the Soccer Institute at Montverde Academy (SIMA), but with the announcement of OCB returning to the USL to play in the new third division also taking place at Montverde, the shape of the academy pipeline is starting to take shape. Players will develop and get their schooling at Montverde, then move up to the USL D3 side, and, hopefully, then on to the first team. But as this story by Lucas Casas illustrates, there’s more to the Montverde experience than soccer.

Free Kicks

  • If you want to apply for the Orlando Pride head coaching position, here are the requirements and responsibilities.
  • Speaking of the Pride, Shelina Zadorsky got a step closer to World Cup qualification as Canada struggled past Jamaica, 2-0 last night. Zadorsky started and went the full 90. Nichelle Prince scored a brace for Canada. Costa Rica beat Cuba, 8-0, in the other match. The USWNT takes on Panama tomorrow.

  • In addition to Christian Pulisic being out, Tyler Adams will also miss the upcoming USMNT friendlies. Dave Sarachan has called up Philadelphia’s Fafa Picault.
  • According to reports, Jose Mourinho will be fired by Manchester United regardless of this weekend’s result against Newcastle. With Mo gone, maybe the technical director will buy some real center backs.
  • Sebastian Giovinco finally got another Italy call-up.
  • David Beckham and Luis Suarez met up and caused great agitation in the soccer world. If Suarez joins Inter Miami, I wonder which Lion he’ll bite first. My money is on Cristian Higuita.
  • Those born on this date include REO Speedwagon singer Kevin Cronin (1951), football’s Tony Dungy (1955), actress Elisabeth Shue (1963), alt rocker Matthew Sweet (1964), Anathema guitarist/singer Daniel Cavanagh (1972), basketball’s Rebecca Lobo (1973), and Arcade Fire’s William Butler (1982).

That’s all my time this morning. Don’t forget to check back throughout today for full coverage of Orlando City’s match at FC Dallas tonight at 8 p.m.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/22/26

Orlando City prepares for FC Cincinnati, Angelina receives an additional suspension, Orlando City B signs Albright Chikamso, and more.

Published

3 days ago

on

May 22, 2026

By

Image of Angelina launching a long pass.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! There’s a smorgasbord of Orlando soccer waiting for us this weekend and I’m looking forward to it. Along with enjoying the games, I plan on spending the weekend tearing my way through the rest of Kristen Perrin’s murder mystery series after devouring “How to Solve Your Own Murder.” I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of whodunits. Now, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Prepares for FC Cincinnati

The Lions are back in action on Saturday with a road match against FC Cincinnati in the last match for both clubs before the World Cup break. Orlando enters this match with plenty of momentum after beating Atlanta United 4-1 in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, but the team has struggled playing away this year and Cincinnati is a tough opponent. Both offenses are flying high as of late, and the only team in the league that has conceded more goals this season than Cincinnati is Orlando, so a high-scoring affair might be in the cards for us before the break.

Angelina Suspended for an Additional Game

The NWSL Disciplinary Committee handed Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina an additional one-game suspension for a violation of “Major Game Misconduct.” Angelina received a red card following video review in Orlando’s 3-1 loss to the Denver Summit after she pulled Delanie Sheehan’s hair. The Pride will now be without her for both Sunday’s game against the San Diego Wave and the game on May 29 against Bay FC, meaning she won’t be available for selection until after the summer break.

Orlando City B Signs Albright Chikamso

Defender Albright Chikamso has signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Orlando City B that will last through 2028. The academy product has made four appearances with OCB already and scored in his first start with the team on Oct. 10 of last year. It’s nice to see the club’s youth program continue to develop players so that they can move up the pipeline. Hopefully Chikamso can continue to impress with the Young Lions this season.

Chris Richards Injury Update Before World Cup

American defender Chris Richards tore ligaments in his ankle according to Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, who confirmed that he won’t be available for the team’s season finale on Sunday. There’s notably still a chance that he plays in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday. However, the World Cup is only a few weeks away and United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino will announce the team’s roster on Monday. Richards has been a critical part of the U.S. defense under Pochettino and we wish him a speedy and smooth recovery.

Free Kicks

  • MLS players will wear personalized jerseys this weekend in recognition of the upcoming World Cup, with an auction to follow.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/21/26

Orlando City will face the Columbus Crew in U.S. Open Cup semis, USMNT roster predictions, Casemiro linked with Inter Miami, and more.

Published

4 days ago

on

May 21, 2026

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’m still riding high from Orlando City’s big win over Atlanta United and am hoping to keep carrying that momentum through these next couple of days before a busy weekend. It will be the last time all three of Orlando’s soccer teams are in action during the same weekend for a while due to the World Cup, so savor every minute of it. For now though, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Will Face Columbus Crew in U.S. Open Cup

We now know Orlando City’s opponent for the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, with the Columbus Crew advancing after a 1-0 win over New York City FC. After a scoreless first half, Max Arfsten scored the game’s only goal and the Crew held on for a big win at home just a few days after Henrik Rydstrom was fired as head coach. The Lions will be on the road for the semifinal against the Crew in September. Should Orlando win, it will host the final no matter which team from the other side of the bracket advances.

Predicting the USMNT World Cup Roster

We’re less than a week away from United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino announcing the 26-player roster for this year’s World Cup. Most of the team seems fairly locked in, but midfielders Giovanni Reyna, Aidan Morris, and Diego Luna are all on the bubble, with Tanner Tessmann possibly still in the mix despite an injury. SBI Soccer projects Aidan Morris making the cut, while former USMNT player Alejandro Bedoya has Luna and Jack McGlynn on his projected roster. As for the defense, we’ll see if the center back group is too crowded for Miles Robinson or Noahkai Banks to be included. I don’t expect any big surprises from Pochettino on May 26, but forwards Zavier Gozo and Julian Hall are young players who could bring a spark off the bench in a tournament setting.

Casemiro Linked With Inter Miami

Inter Miami is reportedly close to signing Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who announced he is leaving Manchester United once his contract expires this summer. One of the interesting wrinkles in this reported move is that the LA Galaxy hold Casemiro’s discovery rights and that issue is not yet resolved. Miami also does not have an open Designated Player slot, so I expect some more “creative” roster structuring to take place in order to fit him in if this comes to pass. The 34-year-old has scored nine goals for United this season and was named to Brazil’s World Cup roster.

Aston Villa Wins UEFA Europa League

Aston Villa beat SC Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final to win silverware for the first time since 1996. Emiliano Buendia had a goal and an assist in the match, with Villa scoring twice late in the first half and the defense doing its part for a shutout victory. This was Unai Emery’s fifth time winning the Europa League as a manager, lifting the trophy three years in a row with Sevilla and once with Villarreal before doing it again now with Villa. It’s wild that all three clubs have “villa” as part of their names.

Free Kicks

  • ESPN ranked the top 50 American men’s soccer players and former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman placed 15th on the list.
  • After playing in the USL Super League for two seasons, Spokane Zephyr FC announced that it will not be continuing operations.
  • MLS has spoken with the International Football Association Board to trial stopping the clock during matches for injuries, substitutions, and set pieces. I already get annoyed when the broadcast shrinks the game on the screen to try selling me cars and beer, so I don’t know if I could handle an actual commercial break.
  • Sporting Kansas City’s Stephen Afrifa won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his curling winner to lift his team to a 2-1 win over Austin FC.
  • Wyland, the artist whose mural was painted over for a World Cup display in Dallas, is taking legal action over the act.

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: 5/20/26

Orlando City defeats Atlanta United, Anna Moorhouse called up, Arsenal wins EPL championship, and more.

Published

5 days ago

on

May 20, 2026

By

Image of Griffin Dorsey preparing to shoot on a breakaway against Atlanta.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Justin Glatt

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I love the U.S. Open Cup. I love the history, the cupsets, and the magical moments. I especially love it when my team wins and wins big like Orlando City did Tuesday night. It was unexpected result but a very welcome one. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Advances to USOC Semifinals

Orlando City defeated rival Atlanta United 4-1 in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday to advance to the semifinals of the tournament. The Lions unleashed an offensive firestorm in the first half against Atlanta United, scoring four goals before halftime. Frankly, it could have been more. The Lions were unable to add to the lead in the second half and conceded one goal to Atlanta, but it was more than enough to secure the victory.

Moorhouse Called Up

Anna Moorhouse has once again been called up by England for Women’s World Cup qualifiers against Spain and Ukraine. It is always an honor for a player to represent their country. We are happy that Moorhouse will have the opportunity.

World Cup News

We are only weeks away from the start of the World Cup and we know who most of the players representing their countries will be. For example, Granit Xhaka will captain Switzerland in the tournament. Most of us are primarily concerned with the USMNT and which players are in form for club and, hopefully, country.

Premier League News

The 23-year wait is over as Arsenal won the English Premier League championship following a 1-1 draw between Bournemouth and Manchester City on Tuesday. It is all but certain that Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City this summer. It’s not the ending that Guardiola wanted for his time at Manchester City, but he leaves the club in a good position. While the Gunners celebrate, Tottenham Hostpur is fighting relegation.

Free Kicks

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

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