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Lion Links: 5/12/18

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7 years ago

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Happy match day, everyone. The Orlando Pride visit the Portland Thorns today at 3:30 p.m. ET. Will today finally be the day the Pride’s offense gets on track? Will it be Orlando’s first ever win at Providence Park? A draw or better would be fine with me to wrap up the club’s longest road trip.

The men take the stage tomorrow, of course, with Orlando City battling Atlanta United in a search for the Lions’ first true signature win. We’ll have full pre- and post-game coverage of both matches and you can follow us on Twitter for everything in between.

I was delighted to hear our little merry band had been honored on this list even though I’m not familiar with the outfit handing it out. It’s a tribute to the good people who give their time to bring you anything they can think of regarding Orlando City and the Pride.

Now for the news.

Cristian Higuita Has Officially Turned the Corner

I have been quite critical of midfielder Cristian Higuita in the past. Like his Colombian countryman, Carlos Rivas, Higuita has tantalized fans for three previous seasons but hasn’t been able to make the leap and become a key player for Orlando City. With Rivas gone, Higuita reported to camp out of shape and it really seemed that his days in Orlando were numbered with the arrivals of Yoshimar Yotún and Uri Rosell. But Higuita picked himself up, worked hard, and has done so many great things over the club’s six-game winning streak — avoiding unnecessary petulant bookings, taking care of the ball, becoming a brick wall in the central midfield, covering for Yotún’s frequent forays into the offensive third, and even scoring a wondergoal. Seems like I’m not the only person who sees a whole new Cristian.

“Looks like different people,” Kreis said of Higuita. “He was probably 20 pounds heavier when he came in the beginning of preseason, and nowhere near as fit and nowhere near as hungry and nowhere near as professional as he’s proving himself to be right now.”

“Progress has been really good, I’ve matured and gained a lot of experience through playing with big players who have more experience than me,” said Higuita. “Those players usually help you become a better person, but also a better player, so I think it’s been a really good time of growth for me.”

Orlando: A Lions Town or a Magic Town?

Are folks in the City Beautiful more partial to Orlando City or the Orlando Magic? This is a question posed by Orlando Sentinel writer George Diaz. In the column, which includes a poll where you can vote your conscience, Diaz points out the pros and cons of both teams. Of the two, the Lions are seemingly more on the upswing but it’s still early in the season. My own anecdotal evidence would suggest it’s more an Orlando City town, based on the magnets, shirts, and hats I see and the general discussion I’ve witnessed in public places. But others may have different experiences. What do you think? And, more importantly, does it even matter? It doesn’t seem like it should.

Alex Morgan Discusses Her Involvement with UNICEF

Orlando Pride and USWNT star Alex Morgan continues to use her platform as a well-known athlete to help others in need. One of her projects is being involved in the UNICEF Kid Power. The program promotes physical activity in children and it’s tied to UNICEF’s greater goals. Alex talked about her good work over at The Players’ Tribune, and spoke out on what inspired her to be a part of something bigger and more global.

Atlanta United Injury News

Orlando City’s visitors on Sunday are formidable and ideally you’d like to see both sides enter such an important match with their full complements of players. However, we already know the Lions are still waiting for the return of Jonathan Spector and Scott Sutter, and Amro Tarek is working his way back from a knock as well. What about Atlanta United? They’ve gotten both good and bad news on the injury front entering this weekend.

NWSL Still Has No Commissioner…Is It Costing the League?

Howard Megdal over at Deadspin wrote this piece about the NWSL being more than a year without a commissioner now and how it could be hurting the young league. Megdal’s points out that the NWSL is not part of the SheIs partnership, which features the WNBA, NWHL, USTA, CWHL, Women’s Pro Fastpitch League, and WWE. The partnership is dedicated to promoting one another and raising the profile of all, but the NWSL is not a part of it because it has no clear-cut leadership (and hasn’t for more than a year). Personally, I thought that by now Amanda Duffy would have successfully landed the job but that hasn’t happened and it may never happen. Megdal further explained the league’s current position. 

But the real issue extends beyond a single missed partnership opportunity. For the large majority of NWSL players, the league itself is not a source of much money: team salary caps are set at $350,000 this season, with a minimum salary of $15,750 and a maximum of $44,000 for non-national team players. This is an implicit bargain: players are playing for relatively little money today because they want to see progress for the league in the future. This is an act of self-sacrifice in some senses, but it’s not just that—it’s a bet on the good faith of the people in charge of the league, and an implicit statement of trust on the players’ part that they believe the NWSL is doing all it can to grow as fast as possible. The SheIs misstep is not a fatal blow by any stretch, but it’s another reason to wonder if the NWSL is willing or able to hold up its end of the deal.

Hopefully the league will find someone capable of driving the NWSL forward. To me that means getting a TV deal on a higher profile network which would air more games and eliminate my need to use go90.

Concacaf U-17 Women’s Championship to Resume in Florida

You might (or might not) remember that the Concacaf U-17 Women’s Championship was underway and was postponed due to safety concerns in Nicaragua. To ensure the security of the players, the confederation halted the tournament on April 22. The tournament will resume June 6 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, to determine which teams will qualify for the 2018 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Uruguay. Three teams will advance from Concacaf. The U.S. is 1-0-0 after a 4-0 win over Costa Rica and still has to play Canada and Bermuda in group play.

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  • Those born on this date include Florence Nightingale (1820), Katharine Hepburn (1907), Yogi Berra (1925), George Carlin (1937), Steve Winwood (1948), Billy Squier (1950), 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey player Dave Christian (1959), Ving Rhames (1959), Emilio Estevez (1962), skateboard wiz Tony Hawk (1968), Jason Biggs (1978), Mr. Robot star Rami Malek (1981), and Emily VanCamp — a.k.a. Sharon Carter in the Marvel film universe (1986).

That seems like enough for one day. Don’t forget to check back for full coverage of the Pride at Portland today and Orlando City vs. Atlanta United tomorrow!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/29/25

Lions earn weekly plaudits, Barbra Banda up for Goal of the Week, Orlando City announces affiliation agreement, and more.

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9 hours ago

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April 29, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good morning everyone! It was a pretty good weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams as two out of the three picked up victories to collect six out of the nine points available. In the process, Orlando City stretched its undefeated streak to seven games and the Orlando Pride got back to winning ways. There’s no time to rest on our laurels though, as Orlando City B returns to action on Friday. We’ve got plenty of things to talk through this morning, so let’s jump into the links.

Two Lions Garner Weekly Recognition

Marco Pasalic and Alex Freeman both played important roles in Orlando City’s 3-0 win over Atlanta United on Saturday, and they’ve each been rewarded with a place on the bench in the most recent MLS Team of the Matchday. Freeman scored his third goal of the season while Pasalic scored a goal and provided the assist for Freeman’s strike, and the Croatian was also David Rohe’s pick for the Man of the Match. The good vibes don’t stop there though, because Pasalic’s fantastic strike from distance was also named the Energy Moment of the Matchday, which I admittedly wasn’t aware was an actual thing until this week. Not to be outdone, Freeman got some props as one of the standout young players from the matchday, which is far from the first time he’s gotten some love in that particular category. Keep up the good work guys!

Barbra Banda Up for Goal of the Week

Continuing the trend of Orlando players earning praise for their performances over the weekend, Barbra Banda has been nominated for the NWSL Goal of the Week. She scored the Orlando’s Pride’s 76th-minute equalizer that drew the team level with Angel City FC after going into halftime down 2-0. Carson Pickett did a great job saving the ball before it went out of bounds, and then whipped a dangerous cross into the box. Banda did the rest, getting halfway around her defender and contorting her head low to meet the ball and send it into the upper corner off the post. It was the sort of outstanding finishing that we’ve come to know and love from Banda, and here’s hoping we’ll see plenty more of it.

Orlando City Announces Affiliation Agreement

Orlando City announced on Monday that it has begun an affiliation agreement with Black Knight Football Club that will focus on “player development, scouting operations, executive collaboration, and commercial opportunities across both organizations.” This is technically a multi-club partnership, as BKFC has a number of different clubs in its network, including Bournemouth, FC Lorient, and Hibernian. BKFC is a partnership that was formed in 2022 when Bill Foley and Cannae Holdings purchased Bournemouth. Representatives from both Orlando City and Black Knight were enthusiastic when talking about the opportunities that the partnership will provide players and staff members from both sides, so it’ll be very interesting to keep an eye out for if/how it affects the on-field product.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans taking part in games during the working week, and cup competitions are a big point of focus. Things start on Wednesday with Barcelona taking on Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League, as youngster Diego Kochen will likely be on the bench for the Spaniards. Also on Wednesday, Brian White and the Vancouver Whitecaps will try to knock off Inter Miami in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup tie. Thursday has Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis hosting Fiorentina in the first leg of the UEFA Conference League semifinals. Things then wrap up on Friday with Gianluca Busio and Fiorentina traveling to play Torino in Serie A.

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That’s all I have for today. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/28/25

Lions defeat Atlanta United, Pride bounce back against Angel City FC, OCB falls to New York Red Bulls II, and more.

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1 day ago

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April 28, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I will cover high school volleyball and soccer later this week. Let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B forward Thalles, who turns 20 today. Our beloved Lions finally won a match this month, the Pride bounced back with a win, and OCB lost over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Defeat Atlanta United at Home

Orlando City snapped its three-game winless streak and extended its unbeaten streak to seven games, beating rival Atlanta United 3-0 Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. Luis Muriel, Alex Freeman, and Marco Pasalic scored for the Lions. With Pasalic’s goal and assist in Saturday’s match against Atlanta, he added his name to the club record books by becoming the fourth player in club history to have seven goal contributions in his first 10 matches.

Orlando set a club record early in the match for the most consecutive shutout minutes. By the end of the match, Orlando had not conceded a goal in 436 minutes. The Lions’ last goal conceded was to Christian Ramirez in the 14th minute against the LA Galaxy last month. Orlando City will be on the road Saturday to take on the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field.

Pride Rally to Defeat Angel City FC at Home

The Orlando Pride completed the comeback, overcoming a 2-0 deficit late in the second half and defeating Angel City FC 3-2 Friday at Inter&Co Stadium. In the final 20 minutes, Marta and Barbra Banda scored to tie the match after Orlando trailed 2-0. Orlando also got an own goal in stoppage time from Angel City FC defender M.A. Vignola and escaped with a win at home. The Pride bounced back after a defeat to the Washington Spirit the previous week. With the Kansas City Current losing to the North Carolina Courage over the weekend, the Pride are tied with the Current atop the NWSL table. After the match, Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines shared his thoughts on his team’s resiliency to overturn a 2-0 deficit and fight back for the win at home.

The Pride will travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Portland Thorns in their next match Saturday at Providence Park.

Orlando City B Falls at Home to New York Red Bulls II

Orlando City B started slowly and dug too deep a hole to climb out of on Sunday night in a 4-2 loss to New York Red Bulls II at Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions trailed 2-0 early in the first half. Jhon Solis pulled one back for OCB before Red Bulls II added another goal to make it 3-1 just before halftime. In the second half, Justin Ellis scored to pull the Young Lions within one again before Ibrahim Kasule converted a penalty kick goal in stoppage time to seal the win against OCB. New York Red Bulls II moves to second in the Eastern Conference with 13 points, while Orlando City B has lost back-to-back matches and is in fifth with 11 points. OCB will be on the road Friday to take on Chicago Fire II at SeatGeek Stadium.

NWSL Announces Plans to Launch a Second Division Women’s League

The National Women’s Soccer League has submitted an application to the U.S. Soccer Federation to launch a second-division soccer league in 2026, the league announced on Friday. The plan for this new league is to focus on furthering player development and building a pipeline between the NWSL and the second division league, similar to Major League Soccer and MLS NEXT Pro. Eight clubs are reportedly set for the league’s inaugural season, including the Orlando Pride. Joining Orlando in committing to the league are Bay FC, the Kansas City Current, the North Carolina Courage, NJ/NY Gotham FC, Racing Louisville, the Seattle Reign, and the Washington Spirit. The Division 2 clubs would play in the same stadiums as their parent clubs. The season format would be a round robin, featuring 14 matches, home and away, and will include playoffs with two semifinals and a championship match.

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That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/25/25

Orlando City gets ready for Atlanta United, Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira promoted, NWSL MVP candidates, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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April 25, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! Today starts three straight days of Orlando soccer to enjoy, so make sure to plan your weekend accordingly. It was a fairly fast week for me, and I was able to read three books somehow. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a very happy 21st birthday to Orlando City winger Nicolas Rodriguez!

Orlando City Gets Ready for Rivalry Match

The Lions are back in action Saturday night against rival Atlanta United in what should be one of the more interesting matchups of the weekend. Both teams are looking for answers on offense heading into this match, as Orlando is coming off of three straight scoreless draws and Atlanta hasn’t won since March. Taking on a rival at home could be just what’s needed for the Lions to jumpstart their attack and return to the form they had earlier this season. Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke on how it’s an important game to win for Orlando, as well as how the offense needs to exercise some calmness to finish its chances.

Orlando City Promotes Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira

Luiz Muzzi and Ricardo Moreira were both promoted by Orlando City, with Moreira taking over as the club’s general manager and sporting director and Muzzi becoming senior advisor to ownership, global soccer ventures. It’s a natural step up for Moreira, who joined the club in 2018 and has helped build a competitive roster that’s made the playoffs for the past five seasons. Muzzi’s new role is a bit of a mouthful, but he’ll be taking on an advisory role focused on the growth of the club while working closely with ownership.

“I am truly grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as Orlando City Soccer Club’s EVP of Soccer Operations and General Manager for seven seasons, and I am excited to continue my journey with the club in this new role,” said Luiz Muzzi. “I look forward to working alongside the Wilf family and the leadership team to help shape the future of the club and its continued success, both on and off the field, and I know Orlando City’s Soccer Operations will be in great hands under Ricardo’s leadership.”

Orlando Pride Players in the NWSL MVP Hunt

Now that we’re over a month into the NWSL season, ESPN‘s Jeff Kassouf highlighted the league’s early MVP candidates, and there are a couple of familiar faces in his rankings. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda is predictably in the mix in sixth on the list, as she has three goals and an assist to her name so far. But a surprise inclusion is midfielder Haley McCutcheon, who has impressed on both sides of the ball to earn ninth place in the rankings. While I think the MVP race will ultimately be between scorers like Banda, Temwa Chawinga, Ashley Hatch, and Debinha, it’s pretty great to see McCutcheon receive deserved praise for her performance this year.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

The transfer deadline may be over for MLS clubs, but deals that crossed the finish line are still coming in. The Columbus Crew added yet another forward by sending up to $1.2 million to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for Aliyu Ibrahim. The 23-year-old will maintain his U22 Initiative Player status in Columbus and recorded 12 goals and nine assists across 90 appearances for Houston. LAFC signed 26-year-old midfielder Ryan Raposo, who spent the past five seasons with the Vancouver Whitecaps and was a free agent this year. St. Louis City also made things official with Simon Becher by making his loan move a permanent one so that he stays with the club.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. Mother’s Day is less than a month away, just as a warning. If the mothers in your life like romance books and you’re looking for a gift, I can’t recommend The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center enough. Have a great Friday!

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