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Lion Links: 8/20/19

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6 years ago

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It was another tough weekend for Orlando soccer fans, with only one point claimed out of nine that were available to Orlando City SC, the Orlando Pride, and Orlando City B. The silver lining is that the Lions are now tied on points with Montreal, which sits in the seventh and final playoff spot, but they’ll still need to keep getting results if they want to play in the postseason for the first time. There’s an absolute smorgasbord of news today, so let’s get cracking.

Pereyra Shows Potential in Orlando City Debut

Mauricio Pereyra made his Orlando City debut this past weekend at Minnesota, and while he still has some work to do to reach optimal fitness, the DP signing showed flashes of his immense potential in the second half of the 1-1 draw.

“I thought he did a good job at keeping the ball,” Orlando City coach James O’Connor said. “That’s what he’s good at. It’s gonna take him a little time to get used to the style of the play, but we’ve signed a good player in Mauricio.”

O’Connor has not rushed to throw Pereyra into the lineup since his arrival in The City Beautiful, and hopefully that patience will pay off as the Lions hit the stretch run toward what could be their first MLS postseason. Lions fans can only hope to see more of Pereyra as he acclimates to the heat and humidity of Orlando and sees more minutes.

Lion in MLS Team of the Week

Brian Rowe made the bench of the most recent MLS Team of the Week following his exploits in the draw with Minnesota. Chief among what he did were two excellent saves, both at close range, to deny almost certain goals. For the first save, he dived away to his right and got two strong fists to a sharp drive from Darwin Quintero, while on the the second he again dived to his right and got a hand on a goal-bound shot that he must have seen very late. Rowe was named The Mane Land’s Man of the Match by yours truly, and without his contributions the team wouldn’t have been in a position to even take one point out of their trip to St. Paul.

Morgan Makes Shortlist for The Best FIFA Women’s Player

The shortlist has been released for the rather awkwardly named The Best FIFA Women’s Player award, and it contains some familiar faces. Four Americans have made the shortlist, including the Orlando Pride’s own Alex Morgan. She’s not all though, with Julie Ertz, Megan Rapinoe, and Rose Lavelle also in contention to be named the best women’s soccer player in the world. Personally, my money is on Lavelle or Rapinoe, who both had excellent campaigns during the United States’ defense of its Women’s World Cup title over the summer.

St. Louis Expansion To Be Announced

It would seem that St. Louis will be announced shortly as the newest expansion team in Major League Soccer, with “a special announcement” set to be made by Don Garber in St. Louis this afternoon. He will also be joined by leadership from the #MLS4TheLou ownership group as well as the St. Louis mayor. Given all of those players in attendance and the location of the announcement, it seems a forgone conclusion that St. Louis will be the next city to get an MLS team, unless Garber has some sort of very unexpected prank planned. St. Louis will become MLS’ 28th team, with Inter Miami and Nashville SC set to begin play in 2020, while Austin will play as the 27th team starting in the 2021 campaign. 

MLS and Political Displays

MLS and politics have certainly been in the news lately, beginning with Alejandro Bedoya’s recent plea for congress to find a solution to stop gun violence. More recently, however, there is further news on the subject with the revelation that the Portland Timbers have banned the display of the Iron Front symbol on a banner or larger display at the stadium on game day. The front office released a statement on the banning of the symbol on banners and large displays and why it was done, while also speaking about the tricky question of what constitutes a political statement. If you want to read more about the juncture MLS finds itself at in regards to political statements on game day, you should check out this article over at Inside Hook.

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  • Here you can find a collection of solid quotes from Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner and various Pride players regarding the team’s loss over the weekend.
  • Wayne Rooney had words with the fourth official following D.C. United’s 1-0 loss to Vancouver on Saturday, and then took aim at the admittedly rather taxing MLS travel schedule.
  • The shortlist for the 2019 Puskas Award has been announced.
  • The Pride had a visitor at training.

  • Nani takes you behind the scenes at MLS All-Star Week.

  • Forward Madison FC has very strong game when it comes to promotion nights.

For your soccer viewing pleasure this week, the Pride play Chicago Red Stars tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET on the road before going to our nation’s capital to play the Washington Spirit on Saturday at the same aforementioned time. Orlando City will take on Atlanta at home on Friday at 8 p.m., and Orlando City B hits the road to take on Tucson on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Y’all stay safe out there.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/30/25

The U.S. Open Cup approaches, the Pride are back on top, USMNT and USWNT news, and more.

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13 minutes ago

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April 30, 2025

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Welcome to the last Wednesday of April, Mane Landers. May promises to be a busy month for Orlando City. You will have as many matches as you want to watch over the next few weeks. I’m certainly not complaining, but we could use a little help here at The Mane Land if you’d like to join the staff. I promise you’ll enjoy it. For now, let’s get to the links.

The U.S. Open Cup Beckons

We’re only a week away from Orlando City’s match against the Tampa Bay Rowdies to start the Lions’ 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign. Of course, the Lions aren’t the only MLS squad entering the tournament in the Round of 32. Starting Tuesday, 16 MLS clubs join the competition, with Orlando City playing on Wednesday. While we’re waiting for the next Orlando City match, enjoy the sights and sounds from the victory over Atlanta United.

Pride Back on Top

The Orlando Pride back on top of the NWSL standings, though the Kansas City Current are technically listed No. 1 thanks to the alphabet. Of course, we all know that power rankings are actually more important than actual results. Fortunately, the Pride are top of the pops in the Goal.com power rankings and in the All For XI power rankings. Just so you know that sometimes the internet isn’t always accurate, Sports Illustrated kept the Pride in the No. 2 spot.

USMNT Concerns and Commendations

Various people in the U.S. soccer community are calling out the USMNT players for lacking the desire, drive, or passion to be successful. Former USMNT forward Herculez Gomez is the latest, though not only one to do so. At the same time, players like Christian Pulisic and Josh Sargent are making a difference at their European clubs. Pulisic is likely to sign a contract extension with AC Milan that will include a hefty pay bump. Sargent was named to the EFL Championship Team of the Season after scoring 15 goals for Norwich City. Alexi Lalas has suggested Mauricio Pochettino bring in Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. If Pochettino is looking for “characters” for his squad, perhaps he should give Orlando City’s Alex Freeman a look?

USWNT Players Thriving

USWNT players are making an impact on both sides of the pond as they wait for their next match against China at the end of May. Emily Fox’s Arsenal squad advanced past Lindsey Heaps’ Olympique Lyon Sunday in the second leg of the UEFA Women’s Champions League semifinals. It’s not all bad news for Heaps, who was named to the Women’s French Premiere Ligue Awards Team of the Season. Meanwhile, Lily Yohannes continues her growth after becoming the youngest starter in group-stage history of the UEFA women’s Champions League late last year for her club, Ajax.

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That will do it for today. Check back with us as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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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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1 day 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: 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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2 days 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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