Lion Links
Lion Links: 3/13/21
Happy Saturday, everyone. It’s inching closer and closer to the 2021 MLS and NWSL season and our teams are gearing up for what will hopefully be a great year. The Pride are in action today against Florida State and, while we’re not going to be in Tallahassee to see it today, we eagerly await news that the team is scoring goals again. It should be interesting to see who plays today with another preseason friendly tomorrow against Flagler College.
Let’s get to the news of the day.
Orlando City Reportedly Turned Down $10 Million for Dike
This one goes out to the “but it’s not a $20 million buyout!” crowd. The BBC reported Friday that Orlando City had turned down a purchase bid of $10 million from a “big six” Premier League club for striker Daryl Dike, who is currently on loan with Barnsley FC. Further, Orlando Sentinel reporter Julia Poe reported that a source confirmed that the bid was made and that it included the same retention of 20% of the sell-on fee that was included in the purchase option in Dike’s loan to Barnsley. Poe’s story, as well as the BBC’s, both reiterated that the loan to Barnsley has a $20 million purchase price.
What this all means is that the club places a great deal of faith in Dike’s continued development and, so far, Luiz Muzzi has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to personnel decisions. The club wants Dike to stay in Orlando a while longer, continue to grow as a player, and then wish him well and sell him on to a European side for a large sum. A $10 million sale seems hard to turn down and I’m sure the club had to think long and hard before doing so. It would be — by far — a club record sale. So, to turn that down is an indicator of what Orlando City thinks Dike will become. Gifted strikers bring good financial returns and the Lions are betting on making bank on Dike down the road. Atlanta sold Miguel Almiron to a non-big six club for $21 million. Dike’s sale could bring in more than that if he keeps filling the goal.
The Duck Migrates to Orlando
Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato has arrived. Orlando City released comments from Pato and photos of ‘The Duck’ at Exploria Stadium, showing off his new purple ‘Thick N Thin’ No. 7 kit on Friday. Pato seems excited to be here and to play for Oscar Pareja.
“He’s like a father,” Pato said. “He loves you, but sometimes he knows [you] need a push. … I will give everything for him. From the first impression, he’s amazing.”
…
“I’m so empowered now,” Pato said. “My mentality is empowered. I understand what I need to do to enjoy my work. I need to work hard. You get some things important in your life, you need to work hard. So that’s my challenge when I accept[ed] to come to Orlando.”
Orlando Stepping Up as Soccer Destination
We’ve been saying for years that Orlando is the soccer capital of the south and we will continue to irrationally believe that until the sun explodes, but the soccer world really has made its home in Central Florida since the pandemic began.
At a time when sports events closed down, Orlando hosted a combined 94 matches at Exploria Stadium and ESPN Wide World of Sports — only nine of which were closed to fans.
The ability to host games helped to absorb a year of loss for a city dependent on tourism and potentially bolstered Orlando’s bid to become a World Cup host city in 2026.
“I think that in tough times like these, it could have exposed weaknesses and instead just the opposite happened,” Greater Orlando Sports CEO Jason Siegel said. “It showed our true character. I believe that’s the reason that our community was able to come together and start the process of recovering.”
Pulling off events like the MLS is Back Tournament, the Concacaf Champions League, the SheBelieves Cup, international friendlies, and MLS and NWSL Fall Series matches during such a crazy time can only improve Orlando’s chances of becoming a World Cup host city.
Ex-Lion Alex De John Signs with Atlanta United
Like many of you, I was surprised to see that former Orlando City defender Alex De John had signed with Atlanta United on Friday. After all, De John just signed with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds a month ago and seemed poised to get a lot of playing time in the USL Championship. It turns out that the Riverhounds are magnanimous folks who apparently just let their players walk away. Pittsburgh released De John from his contract so he could sign with the Five Stripes. Pittsburgh released a statement yesterday about it.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has released defender Alex De John from his contract with the club after De John was offered an opportunity to sign with Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United FC.
“We were excited to have Alex’s USL rights for the 2021 season, but we were very clear with him and his agent prior to signing that we would not stand in his way if an MLS opportunity presented itself,” Riverhounds Head Coach Bob Lilley said. “Although we are disappointed to lose his services, we wish Alex success moving forward with Atlanta.”
It’s unclear if the Riverhounds received anything for De John’s rights from Atlanta, but if they did not, they are now on our Arya Stark list of names for letting him go to Atlanta. This should only add some more spice to the growing rivalry.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City is among the MLS teams with the highest percentages of returning minutes played (88%) from a year ago, which is a sharp rise from the transition from 2019 to 2020, when the club returned below 75% of its minutes played.
The Rapids lead MLS by returning players that accounted for 96% of 2020 minutes played. After a disappointing season, the Galaxy have the most turnover.
The 2020 expansion teams, Nashville and Miami, are following different paths into their second seasons. https://t.co/IypbWXFyvH pic.twitter.com/SrcN8D88C1
— Eliot McKinley (@etmckinley) March 12, 2021
- FOX will broadcast all of Concacaf’s Olympic qualifying matches in English. It will be the first time in history that this has happened.
- Someone set fire to the Everton women’s stadium.
- Apparently, ‘Dundee United’ is an insult in Nigeria.
- Former Orlando City striker Cyle Larin keeps on finding the net.
Cyle Larin can’t stop scoring 🤷♂️🇨🇦pic.twitter.com/nuPFLJUc1x
— Waking the Red (@WakingtheRed) March 12, 2021
- Those born on this date include singer/songwriter Neil Sedaka (1941), open-wheel racer Lyn St. James (1947), actor William H. Macy (1950), singer and actress Charo (1951), U2 bassist Adam Clayton (1960), Annabeth Gish (1971), actor/rapper Common (1972), racer Marco Andretti (1987), and basketball’s Tristan Thompson (1991).
That’s all for me this morning. Enjoy your weekend as we get closer and closer to meaningful OCSC games in 2021.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/22/25
Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Up here in Tallahassee, I’m waking up to snow/sleet, closed schools, closed government offices, and potentially icy roads. Many people will get an extra day off of work, however, I still get to go to work. I’m sure you can imagine how happy I am about that. Enough of my winter grumbling. Let’s get to the links but not until after we wish Orlando City fullback Michael Halliday a happy 22nd birthday.
Orlando City Reportedly Targeting Croatian International
While I can no longer say that Orlando City hasn’t signed any new players, the club is still moving at its traditionally slow speed as compared to other MLS clubs. We had the signing of Nicolas Rodriguez last week. Now, we have Tom Bogert report of yet another winger prospect for the club in Croatian Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka, though it is not a done deal. Hopefully the other targets Bogert mentions are of the striker variety.
Pride Preseason Begins
The 2024 NWSL champions are back to defend their title. The Orlando Pride returned to training on Tuesday. The club hasn’t needed to add many pieces, though some of the players already here, like Simone Charley and Grace Chanda, haven’t actually played any minutes for the Pride yet. Most of the chemistry is in place for Seb Hines, but reinforcing those bonds will be the challenge as the Pride look to repeat.
USMNT at Inter&Co Tonight
Hopefully you have tickets to the USMNT friendly match versus Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium tonight. The match starts at 7 p.m. and there are television and streaming options if you’re not going in person. Despite the squad having 14 players with three or fewer caps, Mauricio Pochettino does not consider this an “alternative” squad, nor does he want the players to think of themselves like that.
Girma Reportedly Nearing Completion of Chelsea Move
USWNT defender Naomi Girma is reportedly headed to Chelsea FC Women for a record $1.1 million transfer fee. That is a very big chunk of change for San Diego FC to use to try to replace one of the best defenders in the world. The deal is not complete as of Tuesday evening, but according to the original report from The Athletic, it is close to being done. Girma would be the first women’s soccer player to earn a transfer fee of over $1 million.
MLS Transfer Updates
Other MLS clubs keep on putting pen to paper when it comes to new players. The Chicago Fire are bringing in Jonathan Bamba on a Designated Player deal from La Liga side Celta de Vigo. The Luca de la Torre loan from Spain’s RC Celta de Vigo to San Diego FC is also official.
Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.
Free Kicks
- I know you might think that Orlando City has a lot to do personnel-wise as the preseason begins, but evidently, the Lions didn’t make the Top 5.
- EUFA Champions League is in full swing, with big names Liverpool and Barcelona winning yesterday. There’s also more to come today.
- Former Orlando Pride player Alanna Kennedy signed a one-year contract with Angel City FC.
- Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/21/25
Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.
Good morning, everyone! If you had yesterday off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, then I hope you enjoyed some restful time off. If not, then I hope you got your week started off on a good and productive note. There’s a lot going on around here this week as the United States Men’s National Team is in town, and Orlando City will play its first preseason match on Saturday. That means we have plenty to discuss, so let’s dig into today’s links.
Orlando Pride Drop Preseason Roster
Monday might have been a holiday but the Orlando Pride were busy, as they announced the roster for their upcoming preseason camp. Almost all of the usual suspects from the 2024 season are back, as the Pride return 98% of the player-minutes from last season and every single scorer. Mariana Larroquette is on the list although she’s currently on loan in Argentina, and Amanda Allen is likewise included after her loan at Lexington Sporting Club was terminated due to a torn labrum. The biggest intrigue comes from the trio of non-roster invitees: goalkeeper DeAira Jackson, midfielder Aryssa Mahrt, and forward Simone Jackson.
Scouting Costa Rica
The USMNT takes on Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium to wrap up the team’s annual January camp. Like the U.S., Costa Rica is bringing a roster devoid of the majority of its important players. Costa Rica also has a new manager at the helm in Miguel Herrera, who will take charge of the team for the very first time on Wednesday. Herrera typically lines his teams up in a 5-3-2 where the wingbacks take on a very important role and the team looks to hit on the counter while staying compact at the back. This will be the last time we see the USMNT in action until the Concacaf Nations League semifinals in early March.
Women’s Soccer January Transfer Grades
January has been a busy time for transfers in the women’s soccer world, so which teams have done the best business? Well, the Orlando Pride received an A grade for signing Marta to a new two-year deal, retaining a player who helped the team win its first ever trophies. Liverpool got an A for signing Julia Bartel on loan from Chelsea. Leicester City made an interesting call by transferring goalkeeper Lize Kop to Tottenham despite just being a point above the relegation zone. The Foxes get a C for the move, while Spurs get a B+ for adding a capable netminder.
Americans in Midweek Action
There are a number of Americans taking part in some very important games over the course of this week. Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus face Club Brugge today in the UEFA Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Esmir Bajraktarević, Malik Tillman and PSV Eindhoven take on Crvena Zvezda in the same competition. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan will play Girona in the UCL on Wednesday, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic take on Young Boys. On Friday, John Tolkin could make his Bundesliga debut when his new team, Holstein Kiel, travels to face Wolfsburg.
Free Kicks
- Orlando Pride players reported for their preseason physicals on Monday.
- Meanwhile, Orlando City took on the dreaded beep test during Monday’s training session.
- Toronto FC has signed goalkeeper Luka Gavran to a contract extension that runs through 2027, with an option for 2028.
- Australia Men’s National Team Head Coach Tony Popovic praised MLS as a destination for Australian players, noting the league’s resources and professionalism.
That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/20/25
Orlando City signs Nicolas Rodriguez, Jack Lynn announces retirement, USMNT defeats Venezuela in friendly, and more.
Hello, Mane Landers! I hope you’re all having a good holiday weekend as we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Over the past week, I’ve been working and covering high school ice hockey. It will be a busy week in Orlando, with the United States Men’s National Team’s match against Costa Rica on Wednesday and Orlando City’s first preseason match against Atletico Mineiro on Saturday. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.
Orlando City Signs Nicolas Rodriguez
Orlando City announced on Friday that the club has signed forward Nicolas Rodriguez from Fortaleza CEIF in Colombia’s top flight. The deal is through the 2027 season, with a club option for 2028, and Rodriguez will occupy a MLS U22 Initiative slot. Rodriguez made 19 appearances for Fortaleza, recording 1,607 minutes, five goals, and three assists during the 2024 Primera A Clausura season. The Lions add a young attacking player the club can develop and Rodriguez can play on the right wing, the right side of a three-man midfield, or in the No. 10 spot.
Jack Lynn Announces Retirement
Orlando City forward Jack Lynn announced his retirement from professional soccer on Saturday. Lynn was drafted by Orlando in the first round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. He became a regular starter for Orlando City B, scoring a team-record 38 goals in over three seasons with the MLS NEXT Pro side. Lynn also won the Golden Boot with 19 goals during the 2023 season and became the first OCB player to be named MLS NEXT Pro MVP. He played sparingly with the first team, but he scored twice last season as his role increased. The Lions will likely look to add another striker for more depth up top.
Orlando Pride Acquire Allocation Money in Trade
On Friday, the Orlando Pride announced that the club has acquired $50,000 in Allocation Money from the Washington Spirit. In exchange, the Pride sent the Spirit a 2025 international roster spot. The Pride will face the Spirit in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on March 7 at Inter&Co Stadium.
USMNT Defeats Venezuela in Friendly
The USMNT defeated Venezuela 3-1 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday in a friendly. Jack McGlynn and Patrick Agyemang scored in the first half to give the USMNT a 2-0 lead just before halftime. Matko Milijevic scored the third goal for the Americans in the second half, with Venezuela pulling one back thanks to a goal from Jorge Yriarte. Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino has led the USMNT to winning four out of its first five matches since he took charge last September. The USMNT’s next match will be against Costa Rica on Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.
Alyssa Naeher Named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year
On Saturday, goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. Naeher won 40% of the vote, while defender Naomi Girma finished in second with 32%. In her final year with the USWNT, Naeher ended 2024 with 18 starts, playing 1,170 minutes and only conceding 11 goals. She played a crucial role with clutch saves to help the USWNT win the 2024 SheBelieves Cup, 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, and gold at the Olympics in Paris. Naeher is the second goalkeeper to win the award since Hope Solo won it in 2009.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City and the Pride announced a partnership with the YMCA of Central Florida to launch the Lions Pride Jr. soccer program.
- Angel City FC forward Christen Press has reached an agreement with the club on a new one-year contract for the 2025 NWSL season.
- GiveMeSport ranked which MLS club has made the best winter transfer moves so far this off-season. Atlanta United, the San Jose Earthquakes, and FC Cincinnati were the top three ranked clubs.
- The LA Galaxy have re-signed defender and captain Maya Yoshida to a two-year contract through the 2026 MLS season.
- Brazilian side Santos is reportedly in talks to sign Neymar on a loan deal from Al-Hilal.
- Manchester City forward Erling Haaland has reached an agreement with the club on a record-breaking contract that extends his deal through 2034.
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.
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