Lion Links
Lion Links: 3/24/21

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope everybody is having a good first week of spring. It’s hard to believe that March is almost over. How are you all doing now that we are less than a month away from Major League Soccer’s return? We have plenty to get to today, so let’s get to the links.
Orlando City Will Host Match in 2021 Leagues Cup
Orlando City will officially take part in the second edition of the 2021 Leagues Cup this August. The tournament will be Orlando’s first international competition since joining MLS and the Lions will get to host a Liga MX club. The other MLS clubs participating alongside Orlando in the single-elimination tournament will be the Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City, and New York City FC and their Liga MX opponents will be decided later in May.
Wilfredo Rivera Discusses His Signing and More
Orlando City Homegrown Player Wilfredo Rivera signed a three-year deal with the Lions on Monday. While fielding questions from Evan Weston, Rivera talked about signing with the first team, what he learned while training in Bradenton, and the motivation that propels him forward as a player. Rivera was part of the Orlando City Academy since 2018 and also spoke about what he’s learned from Orlando City Academy Director Marcelo Neveleff over the years.
“He’s taught me that if you don’t work hard, you’re not going to get anywhere. It does not matter. Your talent, your capabilities, [what] you can do, but if you do not work hard, he will definitely let you know.”
Benji Michel Features in Interview
Orlando City Forward Benji Michel did an interview on the This Week in MLS Show hosted by Eli Lesser. In the interview, Benji talked about his time with Orlando City’s youth academy and how the team kept track of him while he played college soccer at the University of Portland. Benji also shared what it meant for him to make the U.S. Men’s Olympic qualifying team and his goals to jump from Orlando City’s bench to the starting XI.
Alex Morgan Named to USWNT Roster
Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan was called up to the United States Women’s National Team for a pair of friendlies in April against Sweden and France. USWNT Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski named 17 NWSL players and six Europe-based players to the roster. Morgan is the only Orlando Pride player that will head to Europe with the USWNT while Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris will be with the club next month.
Sam Mewis was also called up after an injury kept her out of the USWNT in the SheBelieves Cup and forward Carli Lloyd could earn her 300th cap next month. She would become the third player in international soccer history to play 300 times for her country, joining the ranks of former USWNT players Kristine Lilly and Christie Pearce Rampone.
Free Kicks
- With the National Women’s Soccer League season right around the corner, ESPN FC and espnW ranked the top 50 women playing right now. Two Pride players made the cut, with Morgan placed at 38th and Marta at 35th.
- Along with many other sports leagues, including MLS, the NWSL partnered with the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative as part of a campaign to better inform fans about vaccination.
- We also have another top 50 list from Goal.com featuring the most promising youngsters in men’s soccer.
- USL Championship side Louisville City FC is considering applying for an MLS expansion spot in the future with Sacramento’s MLS bid in doubt.
NEWS: Louisville City FC (@loucityfc) will evaluate over the next six to 12 months whether to apply for a Major League Soccer expansion slot going forward and what that process would entail, most likely new investment. https://t.co/hWCuR6EnZ5
— Bob Williams (@WilliamsBob75) March 23, 2021
That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Wednesday, stay safe, and I’ll see you next time.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 6/12/25
Reliving the Orlando Pride’s win, Orlando City B loses on the road, Jhon Solis Wins MLS NEXT Pro Goal of the Matchweek, and more.

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been enjoying a pretty good week so far and actually made pizza for the first time last night. It was burnt beyond belief in the end, but still edible, which is a huge win in my book. Let’s go ahead and dive right into today’s links!
Sights and Sounds From the Orlando Pride’s Victory
The Orlando Pride beat the Houston Dash 1-0 at home in dramatic fashion and the club has released a video highlighting the action. Substitute Cori Dyke scored the winning goal deep in stoppage time to give the Pride all three points and second place in the league standings. The video includes Dyke being tossed in the air afterwards in celebration, as well as a pretty good pep talk from Marta. Let’s hope the Pride can win a bit more comfortably when they travel across the country to face Bay FC on Friday night.
Orlando City B Falls to Carolina Core FC
The Young Lions are returning to Orlando empty handed after a 1-0 loss to Carolina Core FC in North Carolina. A goal by Carolina right before halftime proved to be the difference, as OCB struggled to get much going offensively and couldn’t conjure some of the late magic it’s shown in recent matches. Ultimately, it’s a disappointing result after impressive wins over both Chattanooga FC and Huntsville City FC earlier this month. The Young Lions have a bit of a break to reset before trying to get back on track at home against Toronto FC II on June 25.
Jhon Solis Wins Goal of the Matchweek
OCB midfielder Jhon Solis won MLS NEXT Pro Goal of the Matchweek for his strike in the club’s 3-2 road win over Huntsville on June 6. He curled a free kick towards goal with enough power behind it to beat the keeper and equalize things in the 84th minute. Solis also provided the assist from a corner kick on OCB’s first goal, so hopefully he can continue to make opponents pay in those instances this season.
Getting Ready for the Concacaf Gold Cup
The Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off this weekend and plenty of pressure is on the U.S. after a pair of losses in the friendlies leading into this tournament. The team is without many of its usual starters, and Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino will have to figure things out in a group against Saudi Arabia, Haiti, and Trinidad & Tobago. As for other things to watch out for in this Gold Cup, I’m interested to see how Canada fares in its group and if Miguel Herrera’s Costa Rican team can make some noise against Mexico. Panama’s group could end up as the most enticing though, as it features fellow dark horse Jamaica and a pair of underdogs in Guadeloupe and Guatemala.
Free Kicks
- LAFC took advantage of the transfer window open to Club World Cup teams by adding Javairo Dilrosun on loan from Club America through July 24, with an option to purchase. He’ll be a Designated Player, with Cengiz Under returning to Fenerbahce to open up the roster spot.
- The Chicago Stars have signed German defender Kathrin Hendrich to a two-year contract, with a mutual option for 2027. The veteran should help strengthen a Chicago defense that’s conceded a league-high 24 goals this season.
- Sam Coffey reportedly signed a contract extension with the Portland Thorns back in March of 2024 that will keep her at the club through the 2027 season.
- Portland Timbers forward Jonathan Rodriguez will reportedly miss the rest of the season, with the club set to bring a Designated Player in to fill his spot once he’s moved to the season-ending injury list. The 31-year-old led the Timbers in goals last year, but has only made six appearances this season.
- Former Atlanta United forward Giorgos Giakoumakis is reportedly likely to leave Cruz Azul this summer and is interested in a return to MLS. Charlotte FC holds his rights for some reason, but hopefully he winds up in the Western Conference if he does come back to the league.
- Concacaf announced that it is in communication with officials in Los Angeles regarding the situation involving immigration raids and protests in the city ahead of the Gold Cup opener on Saturday between Mexico and the Dominican Republic.
That’s all I have for you this time around. Make sure to stay hydrated out there as we get closer and closer to the unbearable part of summer here in Florida. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 6/11/25
Orlando City B plays tonight, the Orlando Pride want to enter the break strong, USMNT pounded by Switzerland, and more.

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Hopefully, you decided to put your mental and emotional health first last night and skipped watching the USMNT match. I, unfortunately, did not. I’m going to take Ted Lasso’s advice to be a goldfish and move on. I think a great way to do that is to share today’s links with you, but not before we wish Orlando Pride forward Grace Chanda a happy birthday.
Pride Looking to Enter the Break on a High Note
The Orlando Pride are sitting in second place in the NWSL standings. The club is also sitting second in the SI.com power rankings and the goal.com power rankings. For some reason, All For XI has the team at number three in their power rankings, but nobody is perfect. Now, the Pride are looking to head into the NWSL break on a high note in their upcoming two road games. Next up is Bay FC on Friday night.
OCB Visits Carolina Core Tonight
Orlando City B is in action tonight against Carolina Core FC at Truist Point Stadium in North Carolina. The Young Lions look to continue their recent success following two late winners against Chattanooga and Huntsville City. The midweek matchup should mean that Manuel Goldberg will have everyone available for the match, except those who played for the U-18 USMNT in the 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup. We will have match coverage for you both here and on BlueSky.
USMNT Crumbles vs. Swiss
If you turned off the USMNT versus Switzerland match at halftime (or before), I don’t blame you. The Swiss scored four goals in a devastating first half for the USMNT. I’m not saying it happened because Orlando City’s Alex Freeman did not get the start, but I’m not, not saying it either. Things got nominally better in the second half, considering the U.S. did not give up any more goals, but the 4-0 final score was still very, very bad. It was not what fans were hoping to see in the send-off match heading into the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Club World Cup Struggles
I’m not certain if you know that the FIFA Club World Cup starts this weekend, including matches in Orlando at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium in the coming weeks. What I do know is that across the various venues the response can best be described as…meh.
If you weren’t interested in going because the price was too high, you might want to check again. There are several former MLS players in the competition, including former Orlando City attacker Facundo Torres with Palmerias, though he won’t be playing in Orlando. There are several good matchups, including Manchester City versus Juventus at Camping World Stadium.
Free Kicks
- Orlando City B players Justin Ellis, Colin Guske, and Jackson Platts were members of the U-18 United States Men’s National Team that won the 2025 UEFA Friendship Cup in Nyon, Switzerland on Tuesday. The U.S. and Portugal drew 1-1 in the final before heading to penalties, where the Yanks won 3-2. Unfortunately, Guske had his attempt from the spot saved in the shootout, but his teammates bailed him out.
- USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes will be giving the European-based players a break following the end of their season. Instead, the team’s training camp later this month will be made up of exclusively domestic players.
- U.S. Soccer will have a committee look at the college soccer system for ways to better integrate it into the the modern soccer ecosystem.
- USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah’s time at AC Milan may be coming to a close as Serie A champions Napoli may be interested in the American.
- This article came out prior to the 4-0 beatdown, but it still raises some interesting questions about whether Mauricio Pochettino’s style will work with the USMNT.
That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 6/10/25
Get to know an Orlando City Homegrown Player, Angelina and Marta called up, scouting Switzerland, and more.

Happy Tuesday, gang. It was a good weekend for Orlando soccer, as Orlando City B and the Orlando Pride both picked up wins. The games will come thick and fast this week, as OCB, the Pride and Orlando City will all be in action over the course of the next few days. We have plenty to discuss today, so let’s get right into it.
Get to Know Zakaria Taifi
With Orlando City in the midst of a small break in between games, now is a good time to familiarize yourself with one of the Lions’ Homegrown players. Zakaria Taifi is the first player to advance through the full gamut of OCSC’s youth development pathway, as the 19-year-old started out at the U-9 Orlando City Soccer school before advancing to the club’s academy, then Orlando City B, and finally signing a Homegrown Contract with the first team. In my opinion, one of the highlights of his conversation with the club’s website is a picture of Taifi with all of his jerseys from each step in his pathway to the first team. He remembers standing outside Inter&Co Stadium when it was still being built, and spoke about how he wants to set a good example for other young players in the Lions’ youth teams.
Angelina and Marta Called Up
Angelina and Marta have both been called up to represent Brazil in this summer’s Copa America Femenina. The pair have been key performers for the Orlando Pride this year, with Marta playing in every game for the team while Angelina has appeared in all but one. Brazil is the defending champion of the tournament and will begin play on July 13 when it faces Venezuela. It will also have group games against Bolivia, Paraguay, and Colombia. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, while the two third-place finishers will go to the fifth-place match.
Scouting Switzerland
The United States Men’s National Team will conclude its preparations for the Gold Cup by taking on Switzerland in Nashville tonight. The Swiss are currently ranked 20th in the world and made it to the quarterfinals of last summer’s European Championship. The team is littered with guys playing in Europe, and features familiar names like Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez, and Granit Xhaka. Head Coach Murat Yakin has been setting his team up in a 3-4-2-1 or 4-2-3-1 and emphasizes both man marking and pressing. That’s something that could prove difficult for the USMNT, as both goals it conceded against Turkey came as a result of being unable to successfully play out of the back and break the opposition’s smothering press. If nothing else, the game should provide an opportunity to show what, if anything, was learned from Saturday’s 2-1 loss. The U.S. will be without Tyler Adams though, as he’s dealing with a foot problem and will potentially miss the start of the Gold Cup.
Transfer Rumor Roundup
There are plenty of transfer market whisperings bouncing about this time of year, so let’s take a minute to run through a few of them. Of chief interest to USMNT fans is a reported move to Lyon for Matt Turner, who is in desperate need of regular minutes. Bayer Leverkusen boss Erik ten Hag reportedly wants to sign Jack Grealish as a replacement for Florian Wirtz. Manchester United is reportedly interested in signing one of Marc-Andre ter Stegen or Lucas Chevalier to replace Andre Onana. Finally, Liverpool is said to have joined Chelsea in the race to sign Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.
Free Kicks
- Congratulations to a pair of Orlando City youth teams for winning some silverware!
- We’re starting to get a clearer idea of who will be on the roster for the MLS All-Star Game.
- Concacaf has rejected Greenland’s application to join the confederation as a member nation.
- After multiple complaints over the quality of the fields at last summer’s Copa America, FIFA is using the Club World Cup to make improvements before the 2026 World Cup.
That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!
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