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Lion Links: 9/23/18

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7 years ago

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Hey there, Mane Landers! Happy Sunday. I hope that you’re all enjoying this beautiful weekend. It’s supposed to be the weekend that ushers in the fall season, but hey, we’re in Florida, so does that really even matter? Doesn’t feel like it.

With the Pride at home watching the NWSL championship match between the Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage and the Lions hosting the Houston Dynamo in a testy affair, the silver lining in my personal life has been the return of NFL football (more specifically, fantasy football). I’d include college football in there, but as an alumni of Florida State University, I’d rather not. It’s going to be a long season, Seminole fans…so brace yourselves (have fun poking fun, Gators and Hurricanes: we deserve it). That said, I digress, as that’s not what you’ve come here for today.

You’ve come for your Sunday serving of Lion Links, so that’s what I have prepared on the docket for you. However, first I want to say that it’s our anniversary today! We started as a WordPress site on this date back in 2014. We moved over to SB Nation shortly after that and we continue to enjoy covering the Lions for you.

Now, on to today’s news. Bon appétit, folks.

Lions Draw the Dynamo, 0-0

In what’s been a woeful season for the Lions, the lads in purple at least find a way to earn a point every now and then, and they did so last night at Orlando City Stadium. Houston has a U.S. Open Cup final in a few days but still fielded a first-choice lineup. Lamine Sané’s return to the back line and Adam Grinwis’ debut in goal helped Orlando keep a clean sheet, but the offense was in the ‘off’ position as both teams combined for only seven shots on goal and 22 total attempts in the scoreless draw.

Stay tuned for our very own Bearded Guy’s five takeaways, too.

Courage Crowned NWSL Champions with 3-0 Win Over Portland

Thanks to the support of the Lifetime Network, the NWSL championship match was readily available for all of us, and it sure didn’t disappoint…well, for one side at least. The Courage dominated this one from the start, much like they did all season, and notched a demoralizing goal in just the 13th minute courtesy of Brazilian star Debinha. Jessica McDonald added a brace with goals in the 40th and 64th minutes.

Despite playing at home and controlling the majority of the possession in the match, the Thorns just couldn’t find their way through a rock-solid Courage defense, and could only muster a meager three shots on target. They will certainly have some soul-searching to do after beating the Courage in the same final last season, 1-0. Congratulations are in order, I guess, for the stacked Courage.

#ScarvesUp for Kicking Childhood Cancer

Mason Stajduhar, as we all know, is an incredible individual, goalkeeper, and cancer survivor. He’s a true soldier. With the #KickChildhoodCancer movement in full swing, Mason has become an amazing advocate for the cause, speaking directly to the Orlando fan base in order to encourage them to get out, get their supporting gear and donations in, and help this league grow what’s already an amazing initiative for such a profound cause. The initiative aims at generating donations to assist in the eradication of cancer in today’s youth. Remember to stop by Orlando City Soccer Stadium’s The Den store or the Orlando City e-store to get in on some of the gear, and remember to post a photo of yourself with your scarf on Twitter with the hashtag #ScarvesUp to ensure a $5 donation goes to the cause. Together, we can truly make an impact – so get out there and get involved!

Rookie Chris Mueller Remains Positive as Always

Coming into a new club, especially as an early MLS SuperDraft pick, is no easy feat. Rookie striker/winger Chris Mueller can certainly attest to this, as he’s experienced both the peak of glory and the valley of despair, all within his first season as a professional footballer. He started off hot, even scoring the fastest goal in club history back in April; a time in which the club was riding high and on a record winning streak. He’s also felt the lows, admitting that adjusting to the grind of his first full season as a pro has been challenging. But he remains positive.

“Obviously, a little bit of it is encouraging, here and there,” Mueller said about fan support. “It’s tough, when you’re in the midst of a tough season, to try and point some of that stuff out. You’ve got to just try and come in and just focus on yourself at this point. In your personal care, you’ve got to try to stay positive.”

“You learn more about each other when things aren’t going well,” Mueller said. “It’s easy to be super happy and doing all the right things when things are going right. It’s a true test of your character and who you are as a player and a person, how you can respond to this sort of adversity.” 

Keep up the hard work, Cash. It’s going to take you to places you’ve never imagined…and I can’t wait to watch it all go down. Cheers to such a positive influence and young talent in the Lions’ dressing room. We love you, Chris. Just keep on keepin’ on.

Free Kicks

  • A Young Lions update:

  • Goal brought us an interesting list of the top 50 American prospects for future USMNT consideration, with the 2022 World Cup in mind. Spoiler alert: There are no Lions on this list.
  • Retired American midfielder, captain, and fan favorite Clint Dempsey was honored at Fulham’s Craven Cottage during the halftime proceedings of Fulham’s 1-1 draw against Watford. It’s always nice to see a club acknowledge a former player and key cog, and nobody will ever forget his epic chip against Juventus that sealed a comeback win to advance to the quarterfinals of the Europa League back in 2010. Have a gander…absolutely stunning.
  • American footy icon Christian Pulisic is off to an amazing start to his 20s…first notching a game-winner against Club Brugge in the 85th minute a few days back, then nabbing an equalizer in the 83rd minute against Hoffenheim for his 10-man Dortmand side yesterday.

To add to that, he’s etching his name in stone with some true American Bundesliga greats.

  • Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably the greatest manager of all time, made a return to the hallowed grounds of Old Trafford, sitting in his well-earned director’s box seat. It’s been quite an emotional event for the living legend, and everyone on hand was elated to see the former Red Devils leader take in a match. Unfortunately for the Red Devils, a 1-1 draw was the result; surely not what anyone, including Sir Alex himself, wanted to witness.
  • American and Schalke starlet Weston McKennie had to be carried off of the pitch following a seemingly inadvertent challenge from Bayern Munich’s James Rodriguez during their 2-0 loss tot he Bavarian giants. We can only hope it’s not a serious injury, as McKennie is growing into a phenomenal player that will surely contribute to both the USMNT and Schalke’s future successes.
  • Even the legends struggle sometimes…and even Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn’t impervious to the challenges of adapting to MLS play. If that’s not surprising, I’m not sure what is. Of course, it’s more of a “different” challenge for the all-world talent, at least that’s how he prefers to word it. No matter what though, he’s still one of my favorite human beings on this planet.
  • For you FIFA Ultimate Team addicts, much like myself, here’s a nice look at some possible MLS builds in FIFA 19 — the most recent iteration of (I’m biased here) the greatest video game to ever exist (probably still a massive exaggeration, as there are a lot of games I could easily list before FIFA). Regardless, it’s fun to think about having all of these MLS studs on the pitch together on the same side.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for you today folks. I’ll be off surfing somewhere…which is to say that I’ll be off biting waves and hoping the board doesn’t leave me with a broken nose; make sure you enjoy your day, whether that be with family, friends, pets, nature, or hell, just by yourself. Do something that makes you happy today — you deserve it.

Also, I leave you with what may be the greatest tweet, and subsequently story headline, of all time. I mean, seriously, this is just pure gold. I hope they find the owner…sooner rather than later.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/15/25

Pride players nominated for weekly awards, Americans in midweek action, UEFA Champions League preview, and more.

Published

19 hours ago

on

April 15, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone! It was a solid weekend for the two Orlando teams in action, as Orlando City played to a hard-fought scoreless draw against the New York Red Bulls, while the Orlando Pride knocked off the Seattle Reign 1-0 on the road. We have plenty of things to talk through today, so let’s dive right in.

Orlando Pride Players Up for Weekly Awards

A pair of Orlando Pride players have been nominated for weekly awards due to their efforts in the team’s 1-0 win over the Seattle Reign on Saturday. We start with Anna Moorhouse, who was actually nominated for two awards, as she is up for both the NWSL Save of the Week and Player of the Week! Moorhouse stonewalled Reign winger Maddie Dahlien in the 81st minute during a 1-v-1 situation to preserve the Pride’s slender 1-0 lead on the road.

She also racked up five saves on the night, kept a clean sheet, and was hugely instrumental in the Pride winning a fourth straight game to start off the 2025 season.

Summer Yates, meanwhile, has been nominated for the Assist of the Week for her pinpoint pass to Barbra Banda for the game’s winning goal. In the 41st minute, she hit a stepover, glided past Madison Curry on the left side of the box, and played a great cross to Banda in the six-yard box, who made no mistake with the finish.

Make sure you go vote for our nominees!

Americans in Midweek Action

There are lots of American players taking part in games during the working week, so let’s check in on what we have to look forward to. Gio Reyna and Borussia Dortmund have the unenviable task of trying to overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League today. Chris Richards, Matt Turner, and Crystal Palace travel to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Wednesday. Thursday has Tanner Tessman and Lyon on the road against Manchester United in the Europa League, while Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis hit the road to take on Jagiellonia Białystok in the Conference League. Things wrap up with some American vs. American violence on Friday when former Lion Daryl Dike and West Bromwich Albion travel to play Haji Wright and Coventry City in the EFL Championship.

UEFA Champions League Preview

The UEFA Champions League returns this week, with the second leg quarterfinal matches set to take place today and tomorrow. Aston Villa will need to actually come out and attack Paris Saint-Germain in Birmingham today, as the Premier League side comes into the match facing a 3-1 aggregate deficit. Borussia Dortmund has a mountain the size of Everest to climb to overturn a 4-0 deficit against a Barcelona team that looked absolutely lethal on the counterattack last week. Real Madrid also finds itself in a big 3-0 hole against Arsenal, and Los Blancos need to look much more dangerous going forward if they want to have a chance against a Gunners team that will surely look to defend and protect what they earned in the first leg. Bayern Munich is in the best position of the teams that trail after the first leg, as Inter Milan’s aggregate lead is only 2-1. That means Bayern can be fairly flexible approaching the second leg, although the Germans will need to do a much better job at finishing chances than they did last week.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

With the end of most European seasons creeping closer and closer, the transfer rumor mill is starting to spin with increasing intensity, so let’s take a look at some of today’s notable stories. We start with Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, who has 19 goals in all competitions this season and could fetch a price in the range of 100 million euros if he is sold this summer. Manchester United is reportedly interested in signing former Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who is likely to leave Southampton this summer after the Saints were relegated this year. Speaking of Manchester United, Red Devils striker Rasmus Hojlund is said to be attracting interest from both Juventus and Inter Milan, and he could be on the move this summer.

Free Kicks

  • Barbra Banda and Marta received their trophies for making the 2024 FIFPRO World XI.
  • Orlando City’s U-18 team enjoyed a successful campaign in group play at the Generation Adidas Cup, earning a spot in the Championship Bracket.
  • The Orlando Pride rightly remained the no.1 team in ESPN.com’s NWSL power rankings.
  • Despite dominating the New York Red Bulls while playing most of the second half with 10 men, Orlando City somehow dropped a place below those same Red Bulls in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
  • Chelsea spent the most on agent fees out of all Premier League clubs for a second consecutive year, as they dished out a whopping  £60 million to agents for transfers.

That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 4/14/25

Lions pick up another scoreless draw, Pride defeat the Seattle Reign, OCSC U-18 and U-16 teams win, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

April 14, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you all had a great weekend. I’ve been very busy at work throughout the past week. Let’s wish a happy birthday to former Orlando City forward Facundo Torres, who turned 25 on Sunday. Our Lions picked up a draw, and the Pride extended their winning streak while OCB was off this weekend. We have plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw New York Red Bulls at Home

Orlando City and the New York Red Bulls fought to a scoreless draw on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. It’s the first time the Lions have had two consecutive draws since the 2023 season after picking up a scoreless draw on the road the previous week against the Philadelphia Union. Orlando had chances early on, but the match changed in the second half when Rodrigo Schlegel picked up his second yellow card, and the Lions had to play the rest of the match down a man, holding on to preserve a point. Orlando City extended its unbeaten run to five matches but is winless in its last two matches. The Lions’ next match will be on the road on Saturday to take on CF Montreal at Saputo Stadium.

Pride Beat Seattle Reign on the Road

The Orlando Pride defeated the Seattle Reign 1-0 on Saturday at Lumen Field. Barbra Banda scored the lone goal in the match to seal Orlando’s fourth consecutive win to start the 2025 NWSL season. It’s the fourth time this season that the Pride have scored first in a match. Oihane Hernandez came off the bench to make her debut for the Pride in the second half. With another three points, the Pride remain atop the NWSL table with 12 points, edging the Kansas City Current on goal differential. After the match, Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines shared his thoughts on the players’ performance and the challenge of getting three points on the road.  

The Pride return home to Inter&Co Stadium Saturday to take on the Washington Spirit in a rematch of the 2024 NWSL final.

Orlando City U-18 and U-16 Teams Pick Up Wins in Generation Adidas Cup

The Orlando City U-18 squad defeated Inter Milan 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in its first match in the group stage over the weekend in the Generation Adidas Cup at IMG Academy. The Lions trailed 1-0 in the first half, but Justin Ellis found the back of the net for the equalizer to tie the match with Gustavo Caraballo adding the assist. Colin Guske and Clovis Archange also played in that match.

The U-18 squad followed that up by beating the Columbus Crew 2-1 on Sunday, with goals from Caraballo and Ellis. Later today, the U-18 squad will face LAFC in the final group stage match at 4:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the U-16 squad got off to a good start over the weekend, beating Ulsan HD FC 5-0 in the opening matchup. Brady Kendall and Jose Segura scored two goals each, along with an own goal, to seal the win.

The U-16 squad also defeated the Columbus Crew 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

The U-16 team will conclude its final group stage match against LAFC at 11:30 a.m. today.

Americans Abroad

Let’s catch up on how some Americans did abroad in Europe over the weekend. Christian Pulisic provided an assist in AC Milan’s 4-0 win over Udinese. Gianluca Busio played 85 minutes as Venezia defeated Monza 1-0, boosting its survival hopes in Serie A, being just two points behind Lecce in 17th to get out of the relegation zone. Cameron Carter-Vickers scored a stellar goal as Celtic cruised to a 5-1 win over Kilmarnock. In the women’s FA Cup, Phallon Tullis-Joyce made four saves as Manchester United defeated Manchester City 2-0. Catarina Macario and Chelsea edged Liverpool 2-1 and will meet Manchester United in the women’s FA Cup final on May 18. Later today, we’ll have two U.S. Men’s National Team players do battle as Bournemouth and Tyler Adams face Fulham and Antonee Robinson at Vitality Stadium.

Free Kicks

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: 4/11/25

Orlando City prepares for the New York Red Bulls, storylines for the Orlando Pride’s road game, Orlando’s U-18 team highlighted, and more.

Published

5 days ago

on

April 11, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a bit of a long week for me, but I was able to get some reading done on a pair of books I’ve been meaning to scratch off my list. I don’t have many plans this weekend beyond working, enjoying soccer, and putting my wok through its paces while I try making dan dan noodles for the first time. Fingers crossed. For now though, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Hosts the New York Red Bulls On Saturday

The Lions will welcome the New York Red Bulls to Inter&Co Stadium Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in another rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference final. It’s already the second meeting between the two teams this season, with them drawing 2-2 at Sports Illustrated Stadium on March 15. Both teams have 11 points from seven games this season, although the Red Bulls are still on the hunt for their first road win. Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke about how the team will look to carry momentum from a tough match in Philadelphia into this game against a Red Bulls team that boasts an intense press and an offense led by Emil Forsberg.

Storylines Heading Into Orlando Pride Road Game

The Orlando Pride are back in action Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in a road game against the Seattle Reign, and there’s plenty to watch for. Unbeaten so far, the Pride have the chance to become the fourth team in league history to start the season with four straight wins. Orlando’s defense has been stellar, but Seattle is a tough environment and the Reign scored multiple goals in both games against the Pride last year. For the Reign, this game is a chance for a statement win at home against the defending champs with young players like Jordyn Bugg and Maddie Dahlien leading the charge.

Orlando City’s U-18 Team One to Watch This Weekend

The Generation Adidas Cup kicks off this weekend at IMG Academy in Bradenton and Orlando City’s U-18 squad was noted as one to keep an eye on in the tournament. Orlando won 21 of its 27 games this season. Travis Clark of MLSSoccer.com touted players like Colin Guske and Gustavo Caraballo for powering the offense. Clovis Archange was one of three defenders named to this year’s Rising XI and is joined on the back line by Jackson Platts. Orlando will take on Inter Milan Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in its first game, with LAFC and the Columbus Crew as the other two teams in the group.

2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Groups Are Set

The draw for this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup is complete and the United States Men’s National Team will square off against Saudi Arabia, Haiti, and Trinidad & Tobago in group play. Saudi Arabia is the lone guest nation of the tournament and could give the U.S. a tough match when the two nations square off. The USMNT will have plenty of eyes on it for this tournament, especially after falling on its face in the Concacaf Nations League in March.

As for the other groups, Mexico was drawn against Costa Rica, Suriname, and the Dominican Republic in Group A, while Canada will take on Honduras, El Salvador, and Curacao in Group B. Group C will feature Panama, Jamaica, Guatemala, and Guadeloupe.

Free Kicks

  • The MLS Board of Governors authorized further exploration into moving the league’s calendar to mirror the international one that runs from fall to spring. As a result, that possible change can’t happen until 2027 at the earliest.
  • In case you missed it late Wednesday night, enjoy Tristan Blackmon’s goal that booked the Vancouver Whitecaps their spot in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals. They’ll face Inter Miami, with the winner taking on whichever team advances between Tigres and Cruz Azul.
  • Denver’s NWSL team hired Jen Millet as its first president. Millet will be in charge of all business operations and joins after time as Bay FC’s chief operating officer.
  • According to a report from Japanese sports newspaper Sponichi, the USMNT will host Japan for a friendly on Sept. 6 in San Diego.
  • Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana had a game to forget in his team’s 2-2 draw against Lyon in the Europa League, as he spilled the ball that resulted in Lyon’s late equalizer. Despite the mistakes, United Head Coach Ruben Amorim reiterated the confidence he has in his goalkeeper.
  • CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez made an official proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams for the centennial edition of the tournament.

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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