Connect with us

Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/22/18

Published

8 years ago

on

Happy Thanksgiving to all. It’s a special time of year, where we eat dinner way too early, stuff ourselves so much that it hurts, remember why certain members of our family drive us insane, and watch some really boring NFL games that we don’t really care about.

Seriously though, on most nights my family eats around 6:30 p.m. but on major holidays for some reason we’re finished eating by 3:30 or 4 p.m. I don’t understand this concept, but whatever. No matter how much turkey, potatoes, stuffing and other side dishes I eat, I’m usually hungry again around bedtime, which is just dumb. Can we put a committee in charge of fixing this?

Anyway, just because it’s a holiday, it doesn’t mean we don’t have plenty to discuss, so let’s get to it. And remember, if you ever need to tune out your family for an hour or so, you can always throw in your earbuds and catch our November PawedCast with our interview of Orlando SeaWolves Head Coach Tom Traxler.

Yoshi and Peru Fall to Costa Rica, 3-2

Despite goals from Jefferson Farfan and Edison Flores, Peru lost its international friendly to Costa Rica, 3-2. Orlando City midfielder Yoshimar Yotún featured in the match, as one would expect. Here is a photo gallery from the game with some good pics of Yoshi.

Where Does the USMNT Go From Here?

After a disappointing 2018, spent entirely under an interim coach and with no discernible direction beyond #PlayYourKids, the United States Men’s National Team seems to be in limbo. Jeff Carlisle of ESPN wrote about the uncertainty surrounding the USMNT as we all wait for (presumably) Gregg Berhalter to be announced. Meanwhile, Joe Prince-Wright over at NBC is also asking, “what’s next for the U.S.?” There has never been a more baffling time to be a USMNT supporter but hopefully the tide will turn with the naming of a coach and January’s Camp Cupcake.

Dos A Cero

The U-20 USMNT defeated rival Mexico, 2-0 in the Concacaf Championship in Bradenton last night, capturing the nation’s second straight title in the competition. Alex Mendez scored both U.S. goals to lead the U-20s to victory. Check out the lovely teamwork on the second USMNT goal.

Congratulations to Tab Ramos and the lads. Now go win that U-20 World Cup next year in Poland.

U-17 USWNT Falls to Germany to Close Out World Cup Run

The U-17 USWNT fell behind just four minutes into the match against Germany and despite dominating possession and chances, struggled to finish, hitting the woodwork multiple times, and having a goal waved off. Eventually the Germans doubled the lead on a counter attack against the run of play and went on to win, 4-0, despite being out-shot by a wide margin. The United States is eliminated from the U-17 Women’s World Cup. The Yanks finished 1-2-0 in group play with a win over Cameroon and losses to Korea DPR, and Germany in a disappointing World Cup run. The troubling trend at the youth level continues for the U.S. women.

Oh, FIFA

You can’t even make this up. FIFA ethics committee judge Sundra Rajoo was arrested on suspicion of corruption on Wednesday. Rajoo was part of a revamped ethics committee tasked with cleaning up the organization to restore its credibility. This arrest is not going to help with that.

Sundra Rajoo has been taken off cases while under investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for financial wrongdoing in his job leading an arbitration service.

″(Rajoo) will not be involved in any further activities of the adjudicatory chamber (while under investigation),” FIFA said in a statement.

The decision was imposed “with immediate effect” by judging panel chairman Vassilios Skouris, FIFA said.

Who will watch the watchers? Who will watch the watchers of the watchers? FIFA won’t clean itself up until it actually has people in charge who want to do just that. This latest episode might just be the most FIFA thing ever.

Free Kicks

  • Alex Calder, a fitness coach with Orlando City for the past two seasons, has departed to take a position with the Houston Dynamo as the club’s head of sport science. You may recall that the club brought in Isaac Ramos as director of fitness in August and parted ways with Dave McKay.

  • Greg Seltzer at mlssoccer.com made his picks for the player each Eastern Conference team should build around and for Orlando City, he says that player is Dom Dwyer. Is he right?
  • The price to #SaveTheCrew is, according to Forbes, reportedly $150 million.
  • Didier Drogba appeared to have changed his mind about retiring with a social media post from The Wolf of Wall Street recently but he has apparently changed his mind again and is calling it a career.
  • LAFC has signed 21-year-old Colombian defender Eddie Segura on a six-month loan with a purchase option.
  • The Bundesliga has decided to scrap Monday games under pressure from fan protests.
  • Those born on this date include French general and statesman Charles de Gaulle (1890), Rodney Dangerfield (1921), Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam (1940), tennis legend Billie Jean King (1943), E Street Band guitarist/actor Little Steven Van Zandt (1950), Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth (1950), Jamie Lee Curtis (1958), German tennis great Boris Becker (1967), actor Mark Ruffalo (1967), ex-Germany international Torsten Frings (1976), Scarlett Johansson (1984), Belgium/Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini (1987), England/Manchester United defender Chris Smalling (1989), and Miami Dolphins quarterback Brock Osweiler (1990).

That’s all I’ve got for you today. Hopefully you’re not so stuffed with Lion Links that you lose your appetite for your way-too-early holiday dinner. Enjoy your Thanksgiving (if you celebrate that today) and the rest of your week.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

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!

Continue Reading

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!

Continue Reading

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!

Continue Reading

Trending