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Lion Links: 8/27/19

Published

7 years ago

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Greetings, Mane Landers, and welcome to the Tuesday edition of Lion Links. I know I’m a day late, but I hope you don’t mind my stopping in today. Hopefully your week has started out well, and we do have a ton of stuff to get to, so here are your Links!

Sané Leads the Lions Defense

Lamine Sané has been a bright spot for Orlando City this season, and has taken to his leadership role along the back line. James O’Connor has found his chosen center back pairing with Sané and Robin Jansson, and their chemistry has led Orlando City to tie its record for shutouts in a season with matches still to play. However, there has been a lot of rotation on either side of the pair, thanks to injuries. For Kyle Smith and Shane O’Neill, adjusting to their new positions has been easier thanks to Sané’s instruction, both in training and during matches. Under the leadership of Sané, Orlando City’s greatest area of improvement in 2019 has been the defense. 

Pride Players Up for Weekly NWSL Awards

After splitting a pair of games last week on the road, the Orlando Pride have a pair of players up for weekly league awards. You could help them win these awards if you’re on Twitter, by visiting the accompanying tweet links and voting. Marta is up for NWSL Goal of the Week, so vote early and vote often. I’m assuming they gave her extra credit for the backward roll after scoring?

Ashlyn Harris is up for NWSL Save of the Week. Might as well try and make it two for two when you vote.

USMNT Players Abroad

More and more, USMNT players are seeing action in the top European leagues. Christian Pulisic earned an assist and helped set up another of Chelsea’s goals to secure the club’s first win of the season, defeating Norwich City, 3-2. Pulisic put in an 84-minute shift for the Blues. Over in the Bundesliga, John Brooks earned his second consecutive start for VFL Wolfsburg in a 3-0 victory over Hertha Berlin. Fabian Johnson also started and played 81 minutes in Borussia Monchengladbach’s 3-1 victory over Mainz. Weston McKennie, Tyler Boyd, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Tim Ream all saw playing time as well as others. 

Adding Depth to the USWNT

Casey Short and Kristen Hamilton have been added to the USWNT roster for the upcoming matches against Portugal. Short is a defender for the Chicago Red Stars and Hamilton is a forward for the North Carolina Courage. This is the first call-up for Hamilton, who is tied for second in goals in the NWSL this season. Short has 27 caps for the U.S. Between injuries to players like Alex Morgan, and keeping the World Cup players healthy for their clubs, adding depth to the roster helps everyone, and gets some newer blood for the U.S. going forward. 

33 Minutes of Silence

If we’re being honest, the Portland Timbers/Seattle Sounders match is one of the best rivalries in MLS. The match is typically a raucous maelstrom of chants, singing, and tifos. This weekend, no one from either club’s supporters’ groups so much as whispered for 33 minutes. The reason was a coordinated protest against the MLS policy supported by the front offices of the clubs prohibiting shows of political protest. In particular, the flying of the Iron Front symbol. The Iron Front was a group that fought and protested the rise of fascism in 1930s Germany. Now, there are those in the U.S. who have adopted the symbol to protest the rise of white nationalism in this country. For 33 minutes, these rival supporter groups stood in silence together against MLS, their clubs’ ownership, and fascism. Those 33 minutes of silence spoke so very loudly that night. 

Bolton Wanderers on the Brink

Last Friday, it looked as if a deal was about to be completed to keep the Bolton Wanderers in the EFL, and in existence as a soccer club. Now with the Wednesday deadline fast approaching, it seems one or more of the parties involved have reached an impasse. The result will be the closing of a club 145 years old, having been founded in 1874. Hundreds will lose jobs, and it could be devastating to the Bolton faithful. Here’s hoping someone can pull out a miracle. 

Free Kicks

  • The newest MLS playoff projections have given Orlando City a 29% chance of making the playoffs.
  • Evidently Allstate wasn’t watching 20 seconds earlier, when Rowe kicked the ball directly to Atlanta United. I’m not saying the save wasn’t great, but he set himself up pretty poorly.

  • When Zlatan doesn’t want you in his wall.

  • Carli Lloyd will apparently get a look at placekicker in an NFL preseason game.
  • Skynet is ready to begin their takeover of humanity, and it looks like FIFA is helping that along. The world governing body of soccer is looking into replacing linesmen with robots. First VAR, and now this. Someone call John Connor!
  • Just look at Mateo Messi’s face, and Luis Suarez’s reaction to little Messi.

  • Finally, this isn’t at all soccer related, but it sure is impressive.

That will do it for today, good readers. Check back for more coverage of all things Orlando soccer. Go City!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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