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Lion Links: 8/27/20

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6 years ago

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Happy Thursday, Lionesses and Lions, as ever I sincerely hope you overcame your hump day with ease. Orlando City made its return to the Exploria Stadium in front of a sparse, socially distanced, yet present crowd with a win against Nashville SC. Because of that, this hump day was much easier than the past weekend was for fans of Orlando soccer.

Along with the Orlando City win, there was also a great deal of news that occurred as well. With that, let’s get into the links.

Orlando City Cruises Past Nashville SC in Exploria Return

Orlando City managed it’s first win of the, well, as close to “regular” as it can be MLS season, beating Nashville SC, 3-1. The Lions played very well, dictating possession in the protagonistic way which Oscar Pareja prefers and the young Americans — Chris Mueller and Daryl Dike — were responsible for the three goals. Mueller forced in an equalizing header in the 21st minute and Dike scored the second and third, which saw the Lions across the line. Orlando City will be full of confidence going into the next game against Southern rivals, Atlanta United, away from home come Saturday.

Check back at TML later today for Dave Rohe’s five takeaways from the match and Michael Citro’s player grades and Man of the Match.

Weston McKennie is Reportedly Juventus Bound

Schalke and USMNT midfielder Weston Mckennie looks set to move to Juventus. The ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano reported the news and it appears as if the American midfielder is Turin bound. While some have reservations over the switch from the Bundesliga to Serie A, for the American and America as a whole, the move is one of gigantic proportions. I Bianconeri has won the Scudetto nine times running and it would be safe to bet on the side winning again next season as well. McKennie would be the first ever American to win the Serie A league title if Juventus bags the trophy again. 

It is reported that the side now managed by Andrea Pirlo will be bringing the 21-year-old in on loan for one-year and an €18 million Euro ($21 million) option to buy will be attached to the Texan Schalke midfielder.

Lionel Messi May be En Route to MLS

CBS Soccer has reported that Manchester City is weighing up an offer for superstar and face of Barcelona, Lionel Messi. The report states that Manchester City may sign the Argentine on a three-year deal that would then see Messi move to partner club, NYCFC, after the 36-month tenure in England comes to an end. Even at the ripe age of what will be 36, it would be a massive coup for MLS. However, with this link coming to light there is also still a great deal of clubs interested in Messi’s signature — Juventus, PSG, Manchester United, and basically everybody else as well, also seem to be interested in signing the 33-year-old who has been playing for Barcelona for 20 years. 

Olympique Lyon Feminin Reach Fifth Consecutive UEFA Women’s Cup Final

Captain Wendie Renard scored to book Olympique Lyon Feminin a spot in the UEFA Women's Champions League final with a thunderous header, knocking out PSG. With Lyon on to the final, if the French side win, it will be it’s fifth consecutive UEFA Women’s cup title and seventh overall, which is the most out of any other side. Lyon is the favorite to win going into the trophy decider against Wolfsburg come Sunday. The previous final between the two sides in the final this season was during the 2017-2018 season. On that day Lyon emphatically prevailed by a margin of 4-1.

Free Kicks

  • An unnamed Orlando CIty player has returned an inconclusive COVID-19 test. The club mentioned a statement stating so and that the player was isolate from the rest of the squad while he awaits results from a second test. The anonymous individual was the only person who saw a test come back inconclusive. Those who didn’t appear on the team sheet last night include Antonio Carlos, Tesho Akindele, Joey DeZart, and David Loera, if you want to speculate (we don’t).
  • Orlando City supporters will be able to watch Lions’ loanee Santiago Patino at Cimarrones de Sonora on TUDN this season, starting today. Patino may not be settled in there yet, so he may not play against Cancun F.C. at 9:55 p.m., but it’ll be handy to watch him when he is ready to go.

  • FC Cincinnati has shown interest in English midfielder Marcus Maddison. The 26-year-old attacker is currently a free agent after his contract with Peterborough United expired after making 249 appearances with the club. He spent the last half of the season on loan at Hull City and only made seven appearances.
  • Yesterday was National Women’s Equality Day, and Pride supporters can enter to win a pair of tickets for the 2021 season. The link to enter remains available until Friday and the link can be found here.
  • The MLS Twitter page voiced it’s support for equality upon the horrifying Jacob Blake shooting. Aside than Orlando City’s match vs. Nashville, none of the other scheduled MLS games too place.

That’ll do, pig. That is all for today’s set of links. As always, I’ll catch you on the flip side.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/21/26

Orlando Pride prepare for the Washington Spirit, MLS playoff changes reportedly coming, Hall of Fame finalists unveiled, and more.

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2 days ago

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August 21, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a bit of a rough month for all three of Orlando’s soccer teams, but hopefully they can turn things around this weekend. Things haven’t been great, but surely that just means things can only go up from here, right? Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride are on the road this weekend for a match against the Washington Spirit on Sunday. It’s been a cruel summer for the Pride, as they’ve lost four of their past five games and are currently 13th in the league standings. Despite being on a three-game winless streak, the Spirit are second in the standings and will be a tough opponent for the Pride to face on the road. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on where the team needs to improve in order to get a result away from home against one of the league’s top teams.

Changes Reportedly Coming to MLS Playoff Format

For the umpteenth time, MLS is reportedly planning on overhauling its playoff format. The changes would go into effect when the league changes its calendar and they include allowing 20 teams to qualify for the playoffs, with the overall league standings being used to determine those top 20 teams. After a play-in round, the remaining 16 teams will play in a double elimination format that also features reseeding between rounds. If these changes do come to pass, hopefully the league decides to stick with it rather than constantly fiddling it with it.

National Soccer Hall of Fame Finalists Announced

The finalists for the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s class of 2027 were announced, with nine candidates making the list in their first year of eligibility. Former Orlando Pride player Ali Krieger is one of those nine, along with Megan Rapinoe, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore. Central Florida native Graham Zusi was also named as a finalist. The two players who receive the most votes and are on at least half the ballots will make the Hall of Fame, with a third player able to make it if they’re on 75% of ballots.

Storylines Ahead of English Premier League Season

The English Premier League season begins today with Arsenal starting its title defense at home against Coventry City. Arsenal has a talented team once again, but it will be interesting to see how much of a challenge Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City can pose with new managers at the helm. Managers seem to be a focal point this season, as other storylines include whether or not Michael Carrick and Unai Emery can keep succeeding at Manchester United and Aston Villa, respectively. I’m just hoping we have an exciting title race by the time spring rolls around.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City’s Antoine Griezmann tied with Robert Lewandowski for the second-highest rating of all MLS players in EA Sports FC 27.

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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/20/26

Orlando City defeated at home, Simone Jackson loaned to FC Rosengard, U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup roster unveiled, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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August 20, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

I think we can confidently say Orlando City’s Wednesday night excellence has come to an end after last night’s loss. I’m not going to claim the new kits are cursed after just two games, but I’ve bought some sage just in case. Before we get to that match and more in today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman.

Orlando City Falls at Home

The Lions hosted the Chicago Fire and got burned in a 2-1 loss that included a lengthy weather delay that paused things right before halftime. The Fire struck first with an early goal, but Orlando leveled things after the lightning storm passed. However, Robert Lewandowski converted a penalty kick from a needless foul in the box for the winner, with the Lions failing to claw their way back a second time. It’s a disappointing result at home and Orlando will need to figure things out before hosting Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Simone Jackson Heads to Sweden on Loan

The Orlando Pride loaned forward Simone Jackson to FC Rosengard in Sweden through June of 2027. Jackson was signed by the Pride in 2025 after four years playing collegiately at the University of Southern California and she has since made 20 appearances for the club. Hopefully this move gives her some more minutes to develop her game abroad so that she can make an impact with the Pride when she returns next summer.

U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup Roster Announced

United States U-20 Women’s National Team Head Coach Vicky Jepson called up 21 players for the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland next month, including eight from NWSL clubs. Goalkeeper Evan O’Steen, midfielders Kennedy Fuller and Nyanya Touray, and forward Emeri Adames are a few of the U.S. players to keep an eye out for this tournament.

The team will be without notable eligible players like Lily Yohannes, Claire Hutton, and Jordyn Bugg though, as youth tournaments take place outside of official FIFA windows when teams are required to release players. United States Women’s National Team Head Coach Emma Hayes also spoke on the importance of tournaments like this one to develop talent while uncertainty looms over the event due to UEFA’s boycott of FIFA competitions. The U.S. is set to start its campaign on Sept. 6 against Italy.

Americans to Watch in the English Premier League

The English Premier League season kicks off this weekend and there are a number of Americans to root for across the league. Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams, Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards, and Fulham defender Antonee Robinson are all still in the league but have new managers at the helm of their respective teams. Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United avoided relegation last season and will look to build on that, while Haji Wright and Coventry City will fight to stay after earning promotion last season. Unfortunately, Wright will miss multiple weeks at the start of the season due to a quad injury.

Free Kicks

  • Alhassan Yusuf scored a hat trick in the New England Revolution’s 3-0 win over D.C. United, with Jack Harrison recording three assists.
  • Americans Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty both played every minute of Celtic’s 3-0 win over LASK in the first leg of its matchup against the Austrian club in UEFA Champions League qualifying
  • Bay FC announced that the club and midfielder Tess Boade mutually agreed to terminate her contract, which was set to end after this season. Boade had been with the club since being selected in the 2024 NWSL Expansion Draft and was the captain last season.
  • Aston Villa signed goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma for a reported $40 million transfer fee. Suzuki played for Japan at the recent World Cup and it will be interesting to see what this move means for Emiliano Martinez’s future at the club.
  • Brighton is covering the cost of tickets for its fans who will be making the trip to the Arctic Circle for its UEFA Conference League playoff match against Tromso in Norway.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/19/26

Orlando City match day, Colin Guske reportedly being loaned to RSL, Banda is an MVP candidate, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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August 19, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City plays in a midweek match that thankfully isn’t a Leagues Cup match. There are those who will say they’re sad the Lions are out of Don Garber’s cash grab competition, but I’m not one of them. The U.S. Open Cup and the MLS regular season provide plenty of fixtures for now. The schedule congestion is real, as we can see this week. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Match Day

Orlando City hosts Robert Lewandowski and the Chicago Fire tonight in an Eastern Conference clash. Defending against Lewandowski and Philip Zinckernagel will be a tough task for the Lions’ defense. Orlando City will need its offense to keep pace with the Fire if the Lions are going to take any points from the match. It will be interesting to see both Antoine Griezmann and Lewandowski on the pitch at the same time. Here is your official match guide from the club. Our match preview will drop later this morning at 11 a.m. You can also listen to our thoughts on the match on The Mane Land PawedCast.

Go West, Young Guske

It appears that Orlando City is loaning midfielder/defender Colin Guske to Real Salt Lake, according to Tom Bogert. This is not entirely surprising given how crowded Orlando City’s defensive midfield is with Joran Gerbet and Wilder Cartagena healthy and Luis Otavio rounding into form, not to mention Eduard Atuesta and Braian Ojeda once they return. It’s a good opportunity for Guske to get some minutes, given he’s a bit down on the depth chart with the senior team — far enough down to see more minutes recently at center back with the first team than in the midfield.

MVP Candidate Banda

Despite being away for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and not scoring in her first game back, Barbra Banda maintains her slim lead in the Golden Boot competition and is still a League MVP candidate. If she hopes to win either of those accolades, she will need to resume scoring. The upcoming match against the Washington Spirit this Sunday is the perfect opportunity to extend that lead.

U.S. National Team News

USMNT defender Mark McKenzie is reportedly returning to the Philadelphia Union and will occupy a Designated Player spot. Real Salt Lake’s 19-year-old forward Zavier Gozo has been signed by Premier League club Crystal Palace. Of course, there are other USMNT players already playing in Europe, and some are making a quick return to form following the World Cup. USWNT players are also experiencing ups and downs in the NWSL.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Nicholas Gioacchini is headed to CE Sabadell FC of the Segunda División in Spain.

That will do it for today. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for match updates and we will also have a recap of the match. Vamos Orlando!

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