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Lion Links: 1/3/19

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Happy Friday Jr. everyone! The first week of the New Year is nearly over, but today is the first day of the MLS Combine. There should be lots of soccer news in the coming days between Orlando City and the Pride with the drafts approaching. There should also be “chaos” in the NWSL on the horizon. Here’s some what’s happening in the soccer world:

Pulisic to Chelsea is Official

Chelsea officially signed Christian Pulisic yesterday for $73 million. The U.S. international will remain with Dortmund until the summer, as he looks to help his side win the Bundesliga. Pulisic’s transfer was about three times more expensive than the next highest fee for an American — John Brooks to Wolfsburg last season for $22 million.

“It was always Christian’s dream to play in the Premier League. That certainly has to do with his American background, and as a result we were unable to extend his contract,” Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said.

This is definitely a good move for Pulisic. He will need to bulk up some to compete every week in the Premier League, but it is a good signing for Chelsea. Well, that is if the coach is on board with it, of course.

MLS Combine Begins

As mentioned above, today is the first day of the MLS Combine. This is an essential stage for college recruits to give one last impression before the big day. It goes from today until Jan. 9, with the SuperDraft on Jan. 11. The MLS Combine is different from most U.S. sports combines. 

The combine is broken down into four teams, essentially playing in a tournament. A total of 60 players were invited, and they all should get ample an amount of time to show their worth. MLSsoccer.com’s Travis Clark gives his top 12 players in this draft class here while SBI’s Ives Galarcep dropped his first Big Board. Galarcep will update his list as the draft gets closer.

The Lions have a total of seven picks this year. Orlando’s first pick is third overall. You can view the complete draft order here.

NWSL College Draft

A day before the MLS SuperDraft is the NWSL College Draft. The Pride still do not have a coach, of course, so what they will do remains a mystery at this point. Still, it is an exciting time for the league as a whole. Here is all the information you’ll need to understand how the draft works. The Pride have two picks this year — in the third and fourth rounds — but there is still plenty of times for trades to change that. While finding talent late in the draft is rare, don’t forget that Dani Weatherholt was a fourth-round pick back in 2016.

LA Galaxy Sign a Head Coach

Guillermo Barros Schelotto is officially the new coach of the Galaxy. It was rumored for a few days now but became official yesterday. Schelotto formerly coached Boca Juniors where he won two league titles.

“I am honored to be the head coach for the most decorated club in Major League Soccer,” said Schelotto in a statement. “This is a tremendous opportunity for me and I am excited to get to work. The LA Galaxy have long been the standard in MLS and I am ready to push the club to new heights.”

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  • A couple of former Orlando City GMs are getting together at the team down south.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/8/25

Orlando City steamrolls the Tampa Bay Rowdies in I-4 Derby, Orlando Pride aim to bounce back, U.S. Open Cup results, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s not often we get to celebrate an Orlando City victory in the middle of the week these days, but hopefully it’s a habit we get used to. The Lions took care of business in my neck of the woods, and it’s given some nice optimism to finish this week strongly. Let’s dive into the big win and more in today’s links!

Orlando City Trounces Tampa Bay Rowdies

Take a bow, Gustavo Caraballo! The 16-year-old was the star of the show in Orlando City’s dominant 5-0 U.S. Open Cup win against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, scoring twice to jumpstart Orlando’s attack and making history along the way. There’s plenty of scoring to enjoy, so be sure to check out our full recap!

Hopefully this game was a nice shot in the arm for Orlando’s offense and something to build on in league play. It’s always nice to take down the Rowdies and the Lions are now the last Floridian team standing in the tournament. They’ll host Nashville SC in the round of 16 later this month in what should be a good game in the City Beautiful.

Orlando Pride Aim to Bounce Back in North Carolina

After a 1-0 loss on the road to the Portland Thorns, the Orlando Pride will look to return to their winning ways when they face the North Carolina Courage on Saturday. It’s going to be another tough environment for the Pride to play in, although the Courage have lost two of their three home games so far this season. Pride defender Emily Sams spoke on the team’s mentality heading into this match and how the team can raise its level after a disappointing loss in Portland.

U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 Wraps Up

MLS teams mostly cruised in the U.S. Open Cup’s round of 32, but it was still an exciting round of soccer filled with drama. In a vintage “cupset,” the Pittsburgh Riverhounds beat New York City FC 1-0 thanks to a goal in stoppage time from Orlando native Beto Ydrach. Indy Eleven nearly took down the Philadelphia Union, but the MLS side converted all five kicks in the penalty shootout to advance after a 1-1 draw.

The New England Revolution escaped Pawtucket with a 2-1 road win against Rhode Island FC, with 17-year-old Cristiano Oliveira scoring a late winner. Minnesota United squeezed past Louisville City 1-0, the Chicago Fire put Detroit City to the sword in a 4-0 win, and FC Dallas won 3-1 against USL League One side AV Alta FC.

UEFA Champions League Final Set

Paris Saint-Germain did everything it needed to and more at home against Arsenal, winning 2-1 to advance to the UEFA Champions League final. Great saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma and goals from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi propelled PSG to victory, with Bukayo Saka providing Arsenal’s only goal of the two-leg series. PSG will take on Inter Milan in the final on May 31 and it should be an interesting matchup at Allianz Arena to close out the tournament. Will PSG lift its first Champions League trophy only a year after Kylian Mbappe left the club, or will Inter come out on top after finishing as runner-up in 2023? I can’t wait to find out.

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  • Congratulations to United States Women’s National Team star Mallory Swanson and her husband Dansby Swanson, as the couple announced that they’re expecting their first child!
  • Racing Louisville announced that goalkeeper Katie Lund and midfielder Maddie Pokorny will both miss the remainder of the season due to hip injuries. Jordyn Bloomer, who had five saves in Friday’s win over the Houston Dash, will serve as the team’s goalkeeper in Lund’s stead.
  • The Columbus Crew signed Daniel Gazdag to a contract extension through 2027, with a club option for 2028 as well.
  • Arsene Wenger proposed a change to the offside rule so that attacking players are onside so long as any part of their body is lined up with the last defender. We’ll see if anything comes of this, but it could lead to more goals in the future.
  • Here’s what to watch for in the second legs of the Europa League semifinals. Manchester United will host Athletic Club with a three-goal lead in aggregate, while Tottenham will aim to defend its two-goal advantage in Norway against a Bodo/Glimt side that has key players returning from suspension.
  • Tottenham will be without James Maddison, who is out for the rest of the season after a knee injury sustained in the first leg against Bodo/Glimt.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links

Lion Links 5/7/25

Orlando City takes on the Rowdies, sponsors like MLS, the NWSL is growing, and more.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s match day as the Lions begin their 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign. I’ve repeatedly said on The Mane Land PawedCast that I want Oscar Pareja to focus on this competition more than another one (*cough* Leagues Cup *cough*). That all starts tonight, and I hope you’re as excited as I am. Let’s get to the links.

I-4 Derby Tonight

Orlando City enters the 2025 U.S. Open Cup tonight against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Lions make the perilous 112-mile trip along I-4 — which feels approximately like flying to Seattle — to take on an old geographical rival. We’re likely to see a rotated lineup for this match, but Pareja said he has confidence in the younger players to get the job done. If you’re not making the trip to Tampa here is how you can watch the match. We will have our normal match coverage for you tonight.

Nobody Likes Nil-Nil

You know something is going on when Orlando City attracts the attention of the national media. Unfortunately, that thing is the overabundance of 0-0 draws in four out of the last five matches. The theory is that the Lions aren’t getting enough service out of the midfield for the players up top. It may be as simple as players getting healthy for Orlando City to reignite the offense. For the sake of a certain The Mane Land editor’s sanity, I hope that is the case.

MLS News and Notes

Soccer’s popularity is growing in the United States. Are decades of being America’s next big sport finally paying off? It seems to actually be the case, at least when it comes to the sponsors. With the 2026 World Cup just around the corner, brands are investing in MLS and soccer in America. EA Sports is in on the action, partnering with MLS and Apple TV to show four live matches within the EA FC mobile gaming app this season

NWSL Keeps Growing

Big things are also happening in the NWSL. The growth has prompted the league to move its headquarters from one New York office to a bigger New York office. Part of that growth comes from owners like the Washington Spirit’s Michelle Kang. The billionaire is investing in the NWSL, U.S. Soccer, and other leagues and countries throughout the world. On a slightly different scale, Mikaela Shiffrin — the most decorated alpine skier of all time — has invested in the Denver NWSL expansion side.

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That will do it for today. Check back for our coverage of tonight’s match as well as the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/6/25

Pedro Gallese earns recognition, Zara Chavoshi up for Save of the Week, Americans in midweek action, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Well it wasn’t the greatest weekend that Orlando’s soccer teams have ever had. The three squads picked up just one of the nine points on offer, and it was very much a trio of matches to forget. Luckily we won’t have to linger on them for very long, because the action continues almost immediately with Orlando City facing the Tampa Bay Rowdies Wednesday night in the U.S. Open Cup. We have plenty of news to talk through today, so let’s jump into the links.

Pedro Gallese Earns Recognition

Pedro Gallese was outstanding while backstopping OCSC in its 0-0 draw with the Chicago Fire over the weekend, and his performance earned him a place in the starting XI of the most recent edition of the MLS Team of the Matchday. Orlando’s octopus made eight saves on the night, including two double saves, and if not for him the Fire would have run away with the game long before they were eventually reduced to 10 men. He’s now just the fourth goalkeeper since 2020 to earn five straight clean sheets, His efforts earned him the Man of the Match award by a country mile in Andrew DeSalvo’s Player Grades piece, and it’s nice to see him getting some love on the larger stage as well.

Zara Chavoshi Nominated for Save of the Week

In a piece of news that you don’t necessarily see every day, Orlando Pride defender Zara Chavoshi has been nominated for the NWSL Save of the Week. You can’t say she doesn’t deserve it either, as Chavoshi made a goal-line clearance with the net empty in the 38th minute to keep the deficit at 1-0 against the Portland Thorns. While the Pride weren’t able take advantage of her efforts by making a comeback, it was still an outstanding hustle play. Hopefully she won’t need to make too many more of those as the season progresses, but congratulations are in order all the same!

Americans in Midweek Action

A number of Americans will be playing games during the working week, so let’s run down some games to keep an eye on. Diego Kochen will likely be on the bench for the second leg of Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League semifinal tie against Inter Milan later today. Wednesday has Alejandro Zendejas and Club America facing Pumas in the Liga MX Clausura playoff quarterfinal. Thursday has Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis traveling to Fiorentina in the second leg of the UEFA Conference League semifinals, in which they hold a 2-1 lead after the first leg. Things then wrap up on Friday with Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan hosting Bologna in Serie A.

Leon’s Club World Cup Verdict is Expected Today

The Court of Arbitration for Sport is expected to deliver a verdict today on whether or not Leon will be able to participate in the upcoming Club World Cup this summer. As things currently stand, FIFA will not allow the Mexican side’s participation, and is preparing a one-off game between LAFC and Club America to determine which team will take Leon’s place. FIFA’s rules for the tournament prohibit more than one team having the same owners, but Leon and Pachuca are both owned by Grupo Pachuca. Leon were even drawn into a group with Chelsea, Esperance, and Flamengo at the end of last year, but FIFA excluded them during a ruling in March, which prompted Leon to appeal their case to the CAS.

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That’s all I have for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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