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Lion Links: 11/3/18

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6 years ago

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It’s the first weekend of the off-seasonocalypse and I already miss those terrible purple Lions and their occasional glimmer of coherent soccer. I promise that sounds way snarkier than I feel about the team, but the 2018 season’s bitter outweighed the sweet by a good few metric tons and the stank is still in the air as we watch a pretty exciting start to the MLS playoffs.

The fact that four of the final eight teams fighting it out for MLS Cup were among the Lions’ eight measly victims in 2018 shows that the club was capable of putting together a performance here and there, even against good teams, but with only three wins all year against non-playoff teams, there’s really no explaining what we saw this past season.

Is it 2019 yet? No? Then I’m going back to bed until Media Day. Here is some news for you to read while I’m asleep.

O’Connor Keeping an Eye on Academy Players

While Mike Potempa and Fernando Jose De Argila Irurita are putting together the roster for Orlando City B, James O’Connor is keeping his eye on the team’s prospects, including having some out to training recently. JOC is, himself, the product of an academy background and he knows the development system must align philosophically with the first team, even if the in-game tactics aren’t always the same.

O’Connor clarified that the idea isn’t for OCB to use the same tactics as the First Team — “the formational aspect is a personal choice for the coach” — but rather to develop players that can fit into a certain style of play.

“When we have the ball, we want good movement, rotational movement. We want people pulling into space, finding space,” O’Connor said. “And then when we’re defending we want to deny space as much as possible.

“From those pillars you want to create principles of play and make sure that it’s all aligned.”

O’Connor didn’t name any names, but did say that a 16-year-old from the OCSC academy stood out as someone who played well in training. Orlando City B will provide that link between the academy and professional soccer and it’ll be exciting to keep an eye on what happens at Montverde Academy starting in 2019.

Alex Morgan in Graphic Novel Form

It appears that Yahoo Sports writer Dan Wetzel is writing a series of sports biographies for young readers that will include Orlando Pride and USWNT striker Alex Morgan. The book will include comic book-style illustrations from Cory Thomas and will be released next May ahead of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Here’s the elevator pitch:

Fierce competitor. World Cup winner. Role model.

U.S. Women’s Soccer star Alex Morgan has earned each of these impressive titles throughout her incredible career. As a young girl growing up in Southern California, she dreamed of being a professional soccer player, fighting to compete on the international stage against the world’s greatest athletes. Flash forward to the present and Alex Morgan has emerged as the face of U.S. Women’s soccer, famous for her clutch, late-game goals, and an inspiration to kids across the country.

And here is Alex in comic form:

How Eddie Johnson Ended Up Training Christian Pulisic

Orlando resident and former USMNT striker Eddie Johnson saw his playing career cut short by a heart condition but he’s found his second calling training and mentoring kids as they hone their skills from an early age. That led to a surprise student in current USMNT wunderkind Christian Pulisic. Eddie talked about it on the most recent Planet Futbol podcast, but here’s a shorter version:

“He would just comment on certain videos that I would post about what I was doing with the younger kids, and then after last season he sent me a DM on social media, on Instagram, and said, ‘Hey Eddie, I love what you’re doing I’m going to take some time off in the offseason. I’d love to fly into Orlando and get some work in with you for about four or five days.’ I said, ‘Are you kidding me, man? I’d love to do that.’ He asked me what hotels are close to the training facility where I train, and we just made it work. He came here, and we got five days in doing double days, and it was amazing, man. It was an unbelievable experience.”

The link above also mentions that Eddie will soon be working with Dom Dwyer and Sydney Leroux. He has previously worked with Justin Meram during the now-Crew winger’s exile from training, as well as former Lion Cyle Larin.

Sadly, it’s not been all great for Johnson, as there are apparently clubs in the Orlando area who don’t want their kids training with him for unspecified reasons, threatening to kick them off their teams. That’s a bunch of BS. If my kid hadn’t drifted away from soccer, I’d love for her to learn from a legend like Johnson to augment the skills she’d be learning from her club team.

Report: PSG, Manchester City Had Insider Help Skirting FFP Rules

This is a pretty massive story brewing for those of you who follow the beautiful game in Europe. According to Football Leaks, UEFA officials, including current FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, brokered deals to allow PSG and Manchester City to skirt the confederation’s financial fair play rules. Qatar Sports Investments allegedly spent 1.8 billion Euros that Infantino and Michel Flatini helped cover up.

An investigation conducted by the EIC Network claim that Senior UEFA administrators, including the ex-secretary general and current FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, personally intervened to encourage settlements with big clubs.

They also report that the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) aggressively pursued poorer clubs in the likes of Turkey and Romania to divert attention.

Stay tuned for more on this particular story as it develops. Meanwhile, Der Spiegel has a full guide on the latest from Football Leaks.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City’s Yoshimar Yotún is one of four MLS players called up by Peru for November friendlies against Ecuador and Costa Rica on Nov. 15 and 20, respectively.
  • Here’s a quick preview of Major League Soccer’s conference semifinals. Portland-Seattle should be fun. Which series are you looking forward to most?
  • A day after the USL League One inaugural season format dropped, FC Dallas was announced as the league’s 10th founding member. Dallas’ “2” team will join Orlando City B and eight other clubs in competition for four playoff spots in 2019.
  • Leicester City players unanimously chose to honor Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and the four others who perished in the helicopter crash with him by playing the scheduled match today against Cardiff City, according to Jamie Vardy.
  • The New England Revolution wisely exercised their club options on Cristian Penilla and Luis Caicedo.
  • New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy lost half a million dollars last year through his ownership of Sky Blue FC, according to this nj.com story. Murphy’s total hit from owning the struggling NWSL franchise has exceeded $6 million. Hey, maybe sell the team to a new, more caring owner?
  • Those born on this date include football legend Bronko Nagurski (1908), baseball legend Bob Feller (1918), late actor Charles Bronson (1921), boxing’s Larry Holmes (1949), Rosanne Barr (1952), comedian Dennis Miller (1953), singer Adam Ant (1954), football’s Phil Simms (1955), Mystery Science Theater 3000 puppeteer and writer Kevin “Tom Servo” Murphy (1956), actor Dolph Lundrgen (1957), Porcupine Tree (and solo) musician Steven Wilson (1967), Colin Kaepernick (1987), and Kendall Jenner (1995).

That’s all for me today. Be nice to each other and don’t punch anyone over trivial things like parking spots. Enjoy your weekend and the MLS conference semifinals, everyone.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 3/7/25

Getting to know Martin Ojeda, reliving Orlando City’s win vs. Toronto, Orlando Pride play the Washington Spirit tonight, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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March 7, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! Today is the start of three straight days of Orlando soccer to enjoy. The Orlando Pride play the Washington Spirit tonight, Orlando City will take on New York City FC on Saturday, and Orlando City B will kick off its 2025 season against Columbus Crew 2 on Sunday. It should be a fun weekend of soccer to enjoy. Let’s get to the links!

Getting to Know Martin Ojeda

Orlando City attacker Martin Ojeda is the latest player featured in the club’s video series aimed at shining a light on this season’s players. The 26-year-old had a slow start in his first year in Orlando. Ojeda and Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke about how he’s adjusted to the pace of the game and the demanding transition moments that differ from other leagues he’s played in. He’s certainly improved, and he led the Lions with 12 assists last season. Ojeda also discussed the responsibility of wearing No. 10 on his back, the hurt after losing to the New York Red Bulls in the playoffs last year, and how he and the team are working on improving at every detail this year. The video also includes some great highlights and having the player interviews for these take place on a beach at sunset really makes it feel like I’m watching a documentary.

Sights and Sounds From Orlando City’s Win

The Lions earned their first win of the season in emphatic fashion on Saturday and the club released a video highlighting the best parts of the 4-2 victory over Toronto FC. It’s great to see some different angles on how Cesar Araujo beat the wall and banked the ball off the post from a free kick to get the scoring started. Alex Freeman’s first MLS goal, Ojeda’s celebration, and Luis Muriel’s pinpoint assist all received love as well, with the crowd noise really helping with the immersion. Hopefully the Lions can light it up again in New York.

Orlando Pride’s Challenge Starts Tonight

The Orlando Pride will play their first competitive match of 2025 tonight when they host the Washington Spirit in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup. The annual match is normally between the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship winners, but the Pride won both last year in a historic season. The Pride will be viewed as the team to beat and will take on a Spirit side that tied them with 18 wins last season. The Spirit’s attack is led by two young talents in Trinity Rodman and Croix Bethune, but both are recovering from injuries suffered last year, so we’ll see if they take the field tonight before the season begins next week. Marta, who signed a two-year contract with the Pride this off-season, spoke about this year’s challenge for the Pride.

“It’s exciting to know that everybody is gonna look to us and then try to make it difficult for us,” Marta said. “But for me, it’s the best feeling, because you’re good at what you do, so just go and play, go and have fun. Go and get people excited to see you on the field. And it’s what I’m looking for.”

USWNT Stays Atop FIFA World Rankings

Despite a loss to Japan in the 2025 SheBelieves Cup, the United States Women’s National Team is still first in the FIFA world rankings. The USWNT beat Australia and Colombia in the tournament to stay ahead of a trio of European nations in Spain, Germany, and England. Japan rounds out the top five after winning all three of its SheBelieves Cup games. Brazil fell a spot to eighth as a result of Japan’s climb. Zambia, which had a win and a loss against Malawi in a pair of friendlies last month, fell two spots to 64th.

Europa League Round of 16 Begins

The first legs for the Europa League’s round of 16 were Thursday with all 16 remaining teams in action. Manchester United went on the road and battled Real Sociedad to a 1-1 draw, with the Spanish club’s equalizer coming from the penalty spot in the 70th minute. Tottenham had a rougher away trip, losing 1-0 to AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands. A late goal by Eldor Shomurodov lifted AS Roma to a 2-1 against Athletic Club.

Lazio also won it late, beating Viktoria Plzen 2-1 thanks to Gustav Isaksen scoring deep into stoppage time while down to nine men. Bodø/Glimt took down Olympiacos 3-0 to end the Greek club’s 26-match unbeaten run. Elsewhere in Europe, Malick Fofana had a brace in Lyon’s 3-1 win over Steaua Bucuresti, Rangers beat Fenerbahce 3-1 in Turkey, and Eintracht Frankfurt won 2-1 against Ajax.

Free Kicks

  • Angel City FC Sporting Director Mark Parsons stated that he does not expect a full-time head coach to be hired until June. The club fired Becki Tweed in December, and Sam Laity has been the club’s interim coach this preseason.
  • American forward Folarin Balogun is back at training with AS Monaco after being sidelined for the past few months due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. He won’t be with the U.S. for the Concacaf Nations League this month, but could feature in the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer.
  • Inter Miami defender Ian Fray had his red card rescinded by the Independent Review Panel and he will be eligible to play on Sunday against Charlotte FC.
  • Mason Greenwood is switching his international allegiance from England to Jamaica. Get ready to learn Concacaf, buddy.
  • For the first time since tearing his ACL in October of 2023, Neymar has been called up for Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers against Colombia and Argentina this month. Brazil is currently fifth in the CONMEBOL standings with six games left in qualifying.
  • Manchester United is reportedly interested in signing Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford. If the 22-year-old does sign with United, the fans absolutely need to nickname him Young Trafford.
  • Lyon’s manager, Paulo Fonseca, is banned from Ligue 1 games for nine months for angrily confronting the referee in his team’s 2-1 win over Brest on Sunday. Fonseca will not be allowed on the touchline or in the locker room, and won’t have access to players at Ligue 1 games until Sept. 15.
  • FIFA will review a proposal for the 2030 FIFA World Cup to include 64 teams for the centenary of the event. It would be ambitious and I don’t think it would happen, but I’ll admit that I hope it comes to fruition.
  • We end our links with the Lions showing off their singing abilities, and nothing will prepare you for how beautiful Robin Jansson’s voice is.

That’s all I have for you this time. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!

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Lion Links: 3/6/25

Rafaelle and Grace Chanda cleared to play, Orlando City B signs two players, Women’s Club World Cup delayed to 2028, and more.

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3 days ago

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March 6, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Congratulations, you’ve made it more than halfway through the week! Thursday tends to feel like an annoying speed bump before we reach the fun of the weekend, but hopefully today goes smoothly for you as we prepare for a busy next few days. Let’s get the day started off on the right foot with some links from around the soccer world!

Rafaelle and Grace Chanda Removed From Season-Ending Injury List

Orlando Pride players Rafaelle and Grace Chanda will both be available for selection for the NWSL Challenge Cup match against the Washington Spirit Friday after being removed from the Season-Ending Injury list. Chanda joined the club last summer but wasn’t able to take the field due to an injury sustained while on international duty with Zambia at the Olympics. Rafaelle also picked up a season-ending injury at last year’s Olympics with Brazil, missing out on the team’s historic playoff run. Both players have the talent to start for the Pride this season, but there shouldn’t be a rush to get them going from the start considering how good the Pride’s roster is this year.

Noah Levis and Noham Abdellaoui Join OCB

Orlando City B signed another pair of players, adding midfielder Noah Levis and defender Noham Abdellaoui to the roster. Both players were signed to MLS NEXT Pro contracts through 2025 with an option for 2026. Levis has developed his game across Europe and appeared in 25 games for Mikkelin Palloilijat in Finland’s second division last year. The 18-year-old has also played for Finland’s national team at the youth levels. Abdellaoui is an Algerian center back who has also played in Europe, featuring for the youth teams of clubs like Saint-Etienne, U.S. Lecce, and Genoa CFC. Like Levis, the 20-year-old played for his national team’s youth squads. I’m excited to see how some of these new faces OCB brought in mesh with the returning players this season. OCB’s season gets started on Sunday when it hosts Columbus Crew 2.

Women’s Club World Cup Delayed to 2028

FIFA announced that the inaugural Women’s Club World Cup that was set to kick off in 2026 has instead been delayed to 2028 and will be every four years after that. It will feature 16 teams, with five European teams and two each from Concacaf, CONMEBOL, CAF, and AFC able to earn guaranteed entry. The other spots will be claimed through play-in games. We’ll still get an international club competition next year though, with FIFA also announcing the 2026 Women’s Champions Cup. That will be a six-team tournament and the winners of the UEFA Champions League, Concacaf Champions League, and Copa Libertadores will claim a spot in the semifinals. The Women’s Champions Cup will be annual, except for years when the Women’s Club World Cup takes place.

UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Roundup

The round of 16 is underway in the UEFA Champions League and every match on Wednesday was a shutout. Liverpool’s only shot on target was the winner in a 1-0 road victory against Paris Saint-Germain, with substitute Harvey Elliott scoring in the 87th minute. Goalkeeper Allisson Becker played out of his mind, making nine saves to help his team take a lead back to Anfield for the second leg. In a matchup between German giants, Harry Kane had a brace in Bayern Munich’s 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen. However, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer may not play in the second leg after injuring himself while celebrating a goal.

Barcelona was reduced to 10 men in the first half against Benfica, but great saves by Wojciech Szczęsny and a goal from Raphinha were enough for a 1-0 win in Lisbon. Inter Milan beat Feyenoord 2-0, with goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther saving a penalty kick to secure his team’s eighth clean sheet this tournament.

Free Kicks

  • The Purple Pride 5k is officially back and will take place on May 17. The race will begin at 8 a.m. on Glenn Lane and finish inside Inter&Co Stadium. Each runner will get a shirt, a medal, and a ticket to an Orlando City and Orlando Pride game.
  • FC Dallas added Brazilian midfielder Kaick as an MLS U22 Initiative Player, signing him to a contract through 2028, with an option for 2029. The 19-year-old joins from Gremio in Brazil’s top flight and Dallas reportedly paid the fourth-highest transfer fee in club history to sign him.
  • Congratulations to United States Women’s National Team and Portland Thorns star Sophia Wilson, who announced that she is pregnant with her first child.
  • TNT Sports will broadcast 24 of the 63 FIFA Club World Cup games this summer. FIFA also announced that the prize money will be $1 billion for this year’s revamped tournament that features 32 clubs from around the world.
  • Check out the finalists for the People’s Puskas Award, an award created by tech company Veo to crown the best goal scored by an amateur or grassroots player. There are some great acrobatic strikes in the mix, but the free kick knuckleball by Ardi Canolli had me hitting replay over and over.
  • Speaking of great goals, Tigres midfielder Jacqueline Ovalle may have already scored the best one of 2025 with a move she calls “the shrimp.”

That’s all I have for you for today’s links. Make sure to stay hydrated out there and have a wonderful Thursday!

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Lion Links: 3/5/25

Orlando City rising, Ally Watt is staying, the Challenge Cup looms, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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March 5, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers! We’re almost completely back. Orlando City is playing matches, with the Orlando Pride and OCB slated to start their respective 2025 slates this weekend. It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year. So without further ado, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City on the Rise

It should come as no surprise to longtime readers that I find the idea of power rankings to be the junk food of sports journalism. Sometimes it’s fun to indulge, but ultimately it’s just empty calories. That being said, Orlando City rose six spots in MLSsoccer.com’s rankings this week. The site is also enamored with right back Alex Freeman, making him one of the big stories in MLS in Week 2. They might actually be right on that account.

Ally Watt is Staying

The Orlando Pride announced that the club exercised Ally Watt’s mutual option for the 2026 season. Watt played her part in the Pride’s historic 2024 NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship run. Watt produced seven goal contributions last year. Now the attacker will look to increase that production as the club attempts to repeat the success of last season.

The Challenge Cup Approaches

It’s been 102 days since the Orlando Pride last lifted a trophy. Friday, the club will have a chance to do so again in the 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup. The Challenge Cup has gone through a lot of changes over the years, but this time it features a rematch of the NWSL Championship match between the Pride and the Washington Spirit. The format is supposed to be the Shield winner against the Championship winner, but since the Pride won both, the runner-up gets a shot.

NWSL Roster Moves

The NWSL’s new collective bargaining agreement has changed how the clubs in the league manage their rosters and acquire new talent. Big names like Lynn Biyendolo (née Williams) are able to have agency in where they want to play when being traded. There were several big inner-league signings in the off-season, though not all saw a player move. One of the biggest was when the Orlando Pride gave Marta a contract extension. The landscape has changed for the league, and that’s not a bad thing.

Free Kicks

@houstondash.com forward Yuki Nagasato, 2011 World Cup winner and 2012 Olympic silver medalist, has announced her retirement from professional soccer.

— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2025-03-03T21:26:32.770Z

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

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