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Lion Links: 10/6/18

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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.

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  • 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.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/13/25

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

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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.”

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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: 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.

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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.

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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

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.

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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.

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  • 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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