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Lion Links: 11/30/20

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6 years ago

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While it might be a melancholy Monday morning, Mane Landers, hold your heads high. This was a season to remember, and one that no one here at The Mane Land predicted. From a COVID-19 delay, to the MLS is Back Tournament run, to making the playoffs for the first time in the club’s MLS history, there were so many moments we’ll remember as the start of something better. That is what I want for all of us. Know that there is every chance that it gets better next season, and in the seasons to follow. For now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City’s Playoff Run Ends

Orlando City ran out of luck at home against the New England Revolution. The loss of key players, going down a man for the second straight match, and Nani not converting the potential game-tying penalty doomed the Lions on Sunday. The 3-1 score doesn’t accurately represent how tightly contested this match was, nor how much the Lions controlled much of the match. Then there were the moments they didn’t, and it was in those moments the match was lost.

Christopher Adams has your five takeaways later today, followed by Sean Rollins with your player grades and Man of the Match.

Nashville’s Season Stops in Columbus

In the other Eastern Conference semifinal, the Columbus Crew hosted Nashville SC. It took until extra time, but the Crew finally put an end to Nashville’s inaugural season thanks to a goal from Pedro Santos in the 99th minute and another from Gyasi Zardes in the 103rd. Nashville was its usual stubborn self for most of the match, but wasn’t able to hold off the more experienced Crew in the end. Columbus will now host the Revolution in the Eastern Conference final on Dec. 6.

Americans Abroad

One of the good things about 2020 is that there have been many more Americans playing abroad at the highest levels. John Brooks both scored and had an own goal in Wolfsburg’s 5-3 win over Werder Bremen while Tyler Adams had a strong performance in RB Leipzig’s 2-1 win over Arminia Bielefeld. As for other Americans in Europe, Christian Pulisic returned for Chelsea in a scoreless draw with Tottenham Hotspur, Giovanni Reyna came off the bench and got an assist for Borussia Dortmund, and Duane Holmes scored his first goal for Derby County.

The Champions League Continues This Week

The UEFA Champions League continues tomorrow with a slate of eight matches, including Liverpool vs. Ajax, Atlético Madrid vs. Bayern Munich, and FC Porto vs. Manchester City. Liverpool simply needs a draw or better to advance, and Atlético will try to give Bayern its first taste of defeat in 16 Champions League matches. One other interesting storyline is that Eden Hazard was ruled out for Real Madrid’s match against Shakhtar Donetsk due to injury.

Papa Bouba Diop Passes

2020 continues to take its toll on the soccer world as Papa Bouba Diop passed at the age of 42 following a long illness. The Senegal midfielder scored the first goal of the 2002 World Cup against France, and won the FA Cup with Portsmouth FC in 2007. Diop played in Switzerland, France, Greece and for numerous clubs in the English Premier League. Liverpool’s Sadio Mané was among the many to express grief and praise for the fellow Senegalese footballer.

Free Kicks

  • Fans will be allowed with masks and in socially-distanced seats for the United States Men’s National Team game against El Salvador in Fort Lauderdale. The match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 9 and will be broadcast on ESPN, UniMás and TUDN.
  • In a strange turn, Diego Maradona’s doctor is under investigation for “culpable homicide” after witnesses claimed they saw Maradona and his doctor have a confrontation that included a shove.
  • Like so many others, Lionel Messi honored Maradona after scoring Barcelona’s fourth goal against Osasuna. Messi took off his kit to show a Newell’s Old Boys shirt with the number 10 on it. Maradona played for a brief spell with Messi’s boyhood club.
  • Elsewhere, Boca Juniors gave Dalma Maradona — Diego’s daughter — a standing ovation following their opening goal.

  • Finally, on a sad note for the Orlando sporting community, Orlando Magic co-founder Jimmy Hewitt passed away on Sunday. Hewitt had been suffering from dementia and had recently contracted COVID-19. He will be missed.

That will do it for the last Lion Links of Orlando City’s 2020 season, and also for November. While it’s a shame it had to end, we can take a few bits of wisdom from Ted Lasso. Be a goldfish.

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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.

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10 hours 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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/18/26

Americans in midweek action, WAFCON takeaways, senior FIFA official fired, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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August 18, 2026

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Image of Barbra Banda holding off a Washington Spirit defender.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It wasn’t a great weekend for Orlando’s soccer teams, as the three outfits combined to take just one point from the nine on offer. Fortunately, Orlando City gets an immediate opportunity to bounce back against the Chicago Fire Wednesday night, before all three teams are back in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to talk about today, so let’s have a look at the links.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans playing games during the working week, so get some of the highlights marked down on your calendar. Things get started later today when Tanner Tessmann and Lyon face Fenerbahce in UEFA Champions League qualifying. Wednesday features Johnny Cardoso and Atletico Madrid kicking off their La Liga season against Malaga, before Folarin Balogun and Monaco face Gornik Zabrze in UEFA Conference League qualification play. The week then wraps up on Friday when Haji Wright and Coventry City open the Premier League season against Arsenal.

Takeaways from WAFCON

WAFCON 2026 is officially in the books, so what did we learn from this year’s tournament? For one thing, expanding from 12 teams to 16 was largely successful, as Cameroon won the trophy after getting into the tournament on the strength of its world ranking after being eliminated during qualifying. We also saw a competitive tournament that had some upsets, with first-time participants Malawi making a run all the way to the final, and Zambia failing to get out of the group stage despite racking up six points. That said, attendance was non-existent for matches not involving host Morocco, and the video review process wasn’t exactly speedy for the most part. Still, it was mostly a great tournament and a great showcase for African women’s soccer.

Kevin Lamour Leaves Position as FIFA Executive

Kevin Lamour has been fired from his position as FIFA’s chief operating officer just several weeks after strongly condemning Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. Lamour said that FIFA’s leadership had been “deceived” when it came to the plan and that losing his job over his opposition to it would be worth it since he would at least be able to sleep well at night. Before his two years at FIFA, Lamour had previously worked alongside Infantino when the two men were at UEFA. FIFA confirmed his departure with a brief statement on Monday afternoon.

Transfer Rumor Roundup

Most summer transfer windows will be closing soon, but we’ve still got plenty of rumors to discuss. We begin with a piece close to home, as Breel Embolo has reportedly rejected the personal terms offered to him by Atlanta United and is said to be negotiating with Ipswich Town. Speaking of the Premier League, Manchester City is reportedly still in pursuit of a deal for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez despite missing the Blues’ stated deadline of Aug. 14 to get a deal done. Moving to Spain, Real Madrid is reportedly interested in signing Martin Zubimendi from Arsenal and has already had contact with his representatives. Finally, Inter Milan is said to be interested in signing Liverpool’s Curtis Jones.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/17/26

Lions draw FC Cincinnati, Pride and OCB lose, Americans abroad, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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August 17, 2026

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Image of Orlando City's starters pose for a pregame photo wearing their Archive Collection third kits.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’m back to covering high school sports again for the fall season, with golf, soccer, and football this week. Our beloved Lions, Pride, and OCB were all in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Draw FC Cincinnati at Home

Orlando City drew FC Cincinnati 1-1 on Saturday at Inter.co Stadium. The Lions trailed 1-0 at halftime, but Tyrese Spicer’s early goal in the second half was enough for Orlando to secure a point at home. Orlando City hasn’t won in its last three matches across all competitions and will need to pick up wins down the stretch, with the club sitting outside the MLS playoff spots in the Eastern Conference standings with 21 points. Before the match, Orlando City announced it had signed OCB midfielder Issah Haruna to a short-term contract. Haruna was on the bench but did not play against FC Cincinnati. The Lions have a quick turnaround, with two home matches this week. Orlando City will face the Chicago Fire on Wednesday and Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Pride’s Winless Run Continues with Loss at Portland Thorns

The Orlando Pride fell 2-1 to the Portland Thorns at Providence Park on Saturday. After a scoreless first half, Portland struck first to take a 1-0 lead in the second half. Jacquie Ovalle scored the equalizer for Orlando, but in stoppage time, Caiya Hanks scored a late winner for Portland. Orlando has lost three consecutive matches. The Pride will be on the road for their next match on Sunday against the Washington Spirit.

OCB Falls at Chicago Fire II

Orlando City B fell 2-0 to Chicago Fire II at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday. Robert Turdean scored the opening goal for Chicago in the first half, and the Fire took a 1-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Damyan Villanueva added the insurance goal for Chicago, which won its third in four matches. The Young Lions have lost four consecutive matches. OCB will be on the road to take on Atlanta United 2 on Saturday.

Americans Abroad

Let’s catch up on Americans in action abroad in Europe. Sebastian Berhalter and Max Arfsten were both in action for Middlesbrough in a 2-1 win against Lincoln City on Saturday in the EFL Championship. Ricardo Pepi scored, and Sergino Dest notched an assist for PSV Eindhoven in a 2-1 win over Excelsior in the Eredivisie. Gianluca Busio played a full 90 minutes for Venezia as his side defeated Modena 3-2 in the Round of 64 in the Coppa Italia. Austin Trusty scored for Celtic, and Cameron Carter-Vickers was also in action in a 4-0 win against Dundee United, as the Scottish Premiership leaders advanced to the quarterfinals in the Scottish League Cup. On Sunday, former Lion Alex Freeman came off the bench late in the second half for Villarreal in a 2-2 draw against Racing Santander in La Liga.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride forward Seven Castain, who is on loan at Dallas Trinity, scored her first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against the Tampa Bay Sun on Saturday in the USL Super League.
  • Former Lion Cyle Larin scored for Southampton, but his side fell 2-1 to Watford on Sunday in the EFL Championship.
  • Atlanta United is reportedly close to signing forward Breel Embolo from Stade Rennes for an $18 million transfer fee.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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