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Lion Links: 3/5/21

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How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope the work week hasn’t been too hard on you as we head into the weekend. The weather is heating up enough that it should be a nice time to head to the beach or a park unless it rains. But for now, here are some links to get your Friday morning started off right.

Orlando City Enters 2021 Season With Versatile Attack

Although Daryl Dike will be in England until May while on loan with Barnsley FC, Orlando City heads into the upcoming season with a strong offense. Nani, Chris Mueller, Benji Michel, and Tesho Akindele are joined by new additions Alexandre Pato and Silvester van der Water to help give the Lions more bite in 2021. It will also be nice to see more of Matheus Aias and Alexander Alvarado this year after only seeing glimpses of them last season. Not only will the upgraded offense give the Lions more ways to find the back of the net, but it adds depth over the course of the season to handle injuries.

Orlando Set to Reveal New Kit Tonight

During tonight’s City Art Jam from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Orlando will unveil its jersey for the 2021 season. The event will also feature a speed art competition and the reveal of this year’s Face of City class. The club also gave a sneak peek of the jersey on Twitter and you can pre-order it. I do like the two-tone look and am interested what the collar ends up looking like.

Those at the event can also be the first to purchase the new kit and the first 200 will get to walk down the tunnel at Exploria Stadium on Saturday as part of an exclusive event.

Young Players Headed to Bradenton Preseason Camp

The Lions will head to Bradenton on Sunday for their preseason camp, but the team’s draft picks are still with their college teams for the time being. The team will still have a handful of young players present though as Head Coach Oscar Pareja is bringing five academy and Orlando City B players to camp. Moises Tablante, Wilfredo Rivera, Raul Aguilera Jr., Thomas Williams, and Quembol Guadalupe will all be challenged at the camp to see if they can make it onto the first team. Defenders Williams and Guadalupe may have the most opportunity ahead of them due to the team having less depth across the back line.

Orlando Pride Rookies Learned From Loans

Like many Pride players during 2020, rookies Taylor Kornieck and Phoebe McClernon headed to Europe on loan for playing time. Kornieck played with MSV Duisberg in Germany, while McClernon spent time in Sweden with Vaxjo DFF. McClernon was able to communicate freely with her teammates in English while in Sweden and even make a trip to see the northern lights, but time away from the U.S. was harder on Kornieck. On a German team, Kornieck had a language barrier to get past and hardly enough time to learn more than a few phrases. Despite the forward’s challenges, Pride Head Coach Marc Skinner spoke about Kornieck’s improvement after her time abroad.

“I can see a hell of a lot of growth in her and her maturity as a player,” Skinner said. “We’ll keep her feet right on the ground and ready to play and perform, and she’ll be a real, real handful.”

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  • The Lions played soccer tennis at training and it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Mauricio Pereyra ended up winning.

  • The Pride are hard at work as they get ready for the upcoming NWSL Challenge Cup and season.

  • Although we don’t yet know which teams will take part or when, the 2021 Florida Cup is expected to be hosted in Camping World Stadium rather than Exploria Stadium.
  • MLS may make the first few games of the season incredibly important for team’s wanting a spot in this year’s U.S. Open Cup.


That’s it from me today, Mane Landers. I hope you all have a great Friday and rest of your weekend.

Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/18/25

Justin Ellis named U-19 MLS NEXT MVP, Orlando Pride announce historic apparel collection, landing spots for USMNT players, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B

Happy Friday! It’s been a long week, but the weekend is nearly upon us. My parents are in town on vacation, so I’m looking forward to having an excuse to go out to brunch. It should be a nice few days with plenty of soccer to keep us all entertained. Let’s get to the links!

Justin Ellis Named U-19 MLS NEXT MVP

Orlando City B forward Justin Ellis was named MLS NEXT MVP for the U-19 age group after a stellar season that included 18 goals for the Lions. The 18-year-old was the top scorer of this year’s Generation Adidas Cup to help his team lift the trophy and helped the team reach the semifinals of the MLS NEXT Cup. In MLS NEXT Pro action, Ellis has recorded seven goals and three assists in 11 appearances for OCB. It’s quite the accolade for the forward and hopefully he can continue to make strides in his development to make an impact with the first team.

Orlando Pride Announce Full-Team Apparel Collection

The Orlando Pride became the first NWSL club to offer a merchandise line featuring every player on the roster after announcing a new apparel collection. The Pride, in collaboration with apparel brand 500 Level, will offer over 500 player-specific items to form the largest player collection across the major U.S. sports leagues. As someone who is usually a fan of the unsung heroes when it comes to sports, I think it’s pretty great that fans are now able to get apparel representing their favorite Pride player no matter who that is.

Ideal Transfer Landing Spots for USMNT Players

ESPN took a stab at identifying the best fits for United States Men’s National Team players with transfer buzz following the Concacaf Gold Cup. Orlando City right back Alex Freeman was listed but could need a bit more time solidifying his game with the Lions before big clubs come knocking. Midfielder Diego Luna had a strong tournament with the U.S. this summer and could fit in well with Celta Vigo’s rebuilding plans. As for other intriguing things to keep an eye on, a move to MLS could give Giovanni Reyna the playing time he desperately needs; Ricardo Pepi may be best off staying at PSV Eindhoven; and Marseille may be just what the doctor ordered for Tim Weah.

England Comes Back to Reach Euro Semifinals

England secured its spot in the Women’s European Championship semifinals in dramatic fashion, advancing on penalties against Sweden after a 2-2 draw. A pair of goals in the first half by Sweden had the Scandinavian nation on top for most of the match, but Lucy Bronze scored in the 79th minute, before 19-year-old substitute Michelle Agyemang scored the equalizer in the 81st. The penalty shootout included nine misses, but the defending champs prevailed in the end. It’s a brutal way for Peter Gerhardsson’s tenure as Sweden’s head coach to come to a close. England will face Italy in the semifinals on Tuesday.

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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: 7/17/25

Orlando City falls apart at home, Orlando Pride players in action abroad, Charlotte will host 2026 MLS All-Star Game, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Sometimes the Cardiac Cats are fun to watch, and other times they really do just stomp your heart into pieces. We’re unfortunately in the aftermath of the latter after Orlando City’s rough defeat last night. The good news is that the Lions can’t lose today as well. Let’s jump right into today’s links.

Orlando City Beaten by New York City FC

The Lions’ summer struggles continued with a disappointing 2-1 loss at home to New York City FC. Robin Jansson scored his first goal of the season, but Orlando collapsed late at home yet again, suffering from an own goal and a winner from Alonso Martinez in stoppage time. Orlando City is now winless in its past four games and has not won at home since May 24. There’s not much time to shake off this loss, as the Lions are back in action on Saturday for a tough road match against the New England Revolution.

Keeping Up With the Pride Players Abroad

Marta came off the bench and provided a pair of assists in Brazil’s dominant 6-0 win over Bolivia in the Copa America Femenina’s group stage. Kerolin had a hat trick and the result keeps Brazil at the top of its group for the time being. The Brazilians will be back in action on Tuesday to face Paraguay.

The CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinals kick off on Friday with a great matchup between Zambia and Nigeria. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji have each scored three goals this tournament and both were named to the Best XI of the group stage. Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse likely won’t play, but England takes on Sweden today in the Women’s European Championship quarterfinals.

Charlotte Will Host 2026 MLS All-Star Game

MLS announced that Charlotte will serve as the host of the 2026 MLS All-Star Game, the 30th in the league’s history. Charlotte FC joined the league in 2022 and this will be the first time the event is held in Charlotte. It’s always nice to see a smaller market receive its day in the sun, and Charlotte has really embraced soccer over the years. But if Sir Minty doesn’t take part in the skills challenge next year, then what are we even doing?

D.C. United Hires Rene Weiler

Rene Weiler is officially the next head coach of D.C. United and will take over once he receives a U.S. work permit. The 51-year-old brings plenty of European experience to the nation’s capital and won the Swiss Cup with Servette FC last year. He replaces Troy Lesesne, who was fired by the club after its exit from the U.S. Open Cup earlier this month. It’s a new era for one of the league’s older clubs, and it will be interesting to see how aggressive D.C. will be to bring in talent during the upcoming transfer window.

Free Kicks

  • Argentine midfielder Rodrigo De Paul has reportedly agreed to terms with Inter Miami and could be with the club in time for the Leagues Cup. He also reportedly won’t need to take up a Designated Player spot this year, because of course.

That’s all I have for you this time around, Mane Landers. Stay hydrated and have a great Thursday!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/16/25

Orlando City faces NYCFC, Marco Pasalic is an All-Star, OCB’s Jhon Solis transfers out, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s matchday in the City Beautiful as Orlando City hosts New York City FC in a crucial Eastern Conference bout. I know I’m in the minority, but I love Wednesday matches since I’m off work on Thursdays. That being said, if you have the opportunity, you should definitely head down to the match tonight. For now, let’s get to the links.

Lions Host the Pigeons

Orlando City welcomes New York City FC to Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The midweek match comes after a short turnaround following Saturday’s draw against CF Montreal. The Lions will need to get the offense back in gear to take all three points from NYCFC. Our own Ben Miller joined Hudson River Blue to answer questions for the opposition. Check back later today for our detailed preview of the match.

Pasalic is an All-Star

Marco Pasalic was named to the MLS All-Star squad by coach Nico Estévez. Pasalic joins Alex Freeman as the second Lion to represent Orlando City in the match. The MLS All-Stars will play a team of All-Stars from Liga MX. Pasalic is tied with Martin Ojeda for the team’s goal-scoring lead with 10. He also has four assists for the Lions. Pasalic is a worthy addition to the MLS All-Star Team, but it does beg the question why Ojeda didn’t also get an invitation.

So Long, Solis

Orlando City B has transferred midfielder Jhon Solis to Fortaleza C.E.I.F. of Liga BetPlay Dimayor — Colombia’s top tier. Solis made 70 appearances for the Young Lions since joining prior to the 2023 season. As a native of Medellín, Colombia, the 26-year-old is returning to his home country to continue his career. Solis wasn’t able to make the jump to Orlando City’s first team, but he was a consistent starter for OCB.

U.S. National Team News

Fresh off his appearances in the Concacaf Gold Cup, Patrick Agyemang has been transferred from Charlotte FC to Derby County in the English Championship. In sadder news, Aaron Long is out for the season after having surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles.

On the women’s side, USWNT coach Emma Hayes has great praise for Sam Coffey and her presence in the U.S. midfield.

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That will do it for today. Check back later as we prepare you for tonight’s match, and don’t forget to follow The Mane Land on Bluesky to get match updates. Vamos Orlando!

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