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Lion Links: 4/30/21

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How’s it going, Mane Landers? It’s the last day of April as we look ahead to a May filled with soccer and holidays. This weekend is a great time to get a jump on any Mother’s Day shopping you’ve been putting off because that’s right around the corner. There’s plenty to look forward to this weekend as both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride play tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. But for now, enjoy today’s links!

Daryl Dike Will Stay on Loan with Barnsley FC

After negotiations between Orlando City and Barnsley, an agreement was reached for Dike not to be recalled until after the English Football League Championship playoffs in exchange for an undisclosed fee. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando City CEO Alex Leitão stated that Dike will return to the Lions after the Championship playoffs and the 20-year-old’s future will be explored in the summer transfer window. The Lions also reportedly aren’t planning to accept an offer under $20 million for Dike when the time comes. Dike’s next match for Barnsley is tomorrow at 10 a.m. against Preston North End FC.

Orlando Hosts FC Cincinnati Tomorrow Night

The Lions will welcome FC Cincinnati to Exploria Stadium, where the Lions have only lost one MLS regular season game with Head Coach Oscar Pareja at the helm. They are still on the hunt for their first win of the season and will have a good opportunity against a Cincinnati side that was blown out 5-0 by New York City FC last week.

Orlando City also announced the broadcast team for this year’s MLS season, with new sideline reporter Gabrielle Amado joining familiar faces Miguel Gallardo and Evan Weston for television coverage. On radio, Sergio Ruiz Torres and Israel Heredia will call games in Spanish, while Scott Harris and Paul Shaw will handle the English coverage. Gallardo and Weston have proven to be a solid duo and they broke down what to watch for in tomorrow night’s game.

Sebas Mendez Brings Stability to the Midfield

The Lions had to start the season without Mauricio Pereyra or Uri Rosell, two key parts of the team’s midfield. However, Ecuadorian midfielder Sebas Mendez has stepped up to the plate for the Lions, delivering strong performances in the team’s two draws. Consistent both offensively and defensively, Mendez has become a pillar for the Lions. Pareja weighed in on the midfielder’s efforts after a 2020 season where Mendez struggled to find stability in Pareja’s system due to international call-ups during the pandemic.

“This year we have found the Sebas that we all want,” Pareja said. “He is carrying the team and he is holding the responsibility to be the one who is moving the team in the middle.”

As for the team’s absences, Pereyra is expected to return after serving his two-game suspension. Silvester van der Water, who didn’t travel with the team to Kansas last week, will be available after dealing with some hamstring tightness. Rosell and forward Alexandre Pato are both still recovering, but left back João Moutinho is nearing his return and should be available on the bench again tomorrow.

The Orlando Pride Head to North Carolina

In their final group game of the NWSL Challenge Cup, the Pride are on the road for a tough match against the North Carolina Courage. Both teams have plenty to play for in this one as they can potentially overtake NJ/NY Gotham FC for the top spot in the group. Although Crystal Dunn and Abby Dahlkemper departed during the off-season, the Courage still have plenty of talented players like Debinha and Lynn Williams to make life difficult for the Pride tomorrow. If Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris maintains her superb form while forward Alex Morgan continues to make an impact on offense, the Pride will certainly have a shot to bring all three points back to Orlando.

Europa League Semifinals Get Started

Playing at Old Trafford, Manchester United ended the first half of its Europa League match-up with AS Roma trailing 2-1. I’m not sure what Ole Gunnar Solskjær told his players during the break, but United scored five goals in the second half to win 6-2. Edinson Cavani scored in the 48th minute and then the team was off to the races, with Cavani scoring another in the 64th minute to earn a brace. Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty in the second half to notch a brace as well.

In the other semifinal, Villareal CF won 2-1 over Arsenal thanks to a pair of goals in the first half from Manu Trigueros and Raul Albiol. Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos picked up a second yellow card in the 57th minute and Arsenal wasn’t able to mount a comeback, although Nicolas Pepe scored from the spot to give the team an important away goal.

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That’s going to be it for today, Mane Landers. I hope you all enjoy your Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/4/25

Orlando City gets ready for the Philadelphia Union, OCSC partners with Footy Access, USWNT prepares for Brazil, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Happy Friday! It may feel a bit like the calm before the storm today, as Orlando City, Orlando City B, and the United States Women’s National Team are all in action on Saturday. It all makes for a fun next few days and I’m looking forward to it and also watching some kart racing on Sunday. Let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Gets Ready For the Philadelphia Union

The Lions are back in action Saturday with an away game against the Philadelphia Union at 7:30 p.m. Orlando has won its past two games and leads the league with 15 goals this season. The Union remain near the top of the Eastern Conference, but have lost two of their past three games. Duncan McGuire detailed how healthy competition and a willingness to defend has the offense firing on all cylinders heading into this match.

This will also be a rematch of the season opener on Feb. 22 when the Union won 4-2 at Inter&Co Stadium. Philadelphia Union Head Coach Bradley Carnell spoke on how Orlando is a different team compared to that match due to changes on offense and center back Robin Jansson’s recovery from a knock.

Orlando City Partners With Footy Access

With the Generation Adidas Cup set to take place later this month, Orlando City has partnered with Footy Access, which is a media company focused on youth soccer. This collaboration means fans will be able to enjoy highlights and interviews from Orlando’s academy as it progresses through the tournament. I’m pretty excited about being able to see how well Orlando’s academy is doing.

MLS NEXT also announced that new rankings focused on development rather than results will be used for its U-13 and U-14 age groups. These rankings will use an analytical formula that measures game play and the caliber of offensive and defensive actions. There will also be encouragement for teams to have their own identities on how they want to play.

USWNT Prepares to Face Brazil in Friendlies

The United States Women’s National Team will take on Brazil on Saturday in the first of two friendlies this international break, with the second match set for Tuesday. These friendlies will be rematches of last year’s Olympic gold medal match, which the U.S. won 1-0. Marta has retired from international soccer, but Pride midfielder Angelina was called up for these friendlies, along with former Pride forward Adriana. Lorena, who has only conceded one goal in three games for the Kansas City Current this season, will likely get the start in goal for Brazil behind a talented back line anchored by Tarciane. The USWNT will need to find ways to limit attacking threats like Kerolin and Gabi Portilho as well. These should be matches, with familiar faces on both sides for Orlando fans.

U.S. Set to Host 2031 Women’s World Cup

It looks like the 2031 Women’s World Cup will be held in the U.S., as FIFA President Gianni Infantino stated that the only bid came from the U.S. and potentially other Concacaf nations. The U.S., which withdrew from hosting the 2027 World Cup, would be the first country to host the tournament three times and last hosted it in 2007. The United Kingdom was also revealed as the lone valid bid to host the 2035 World Cup and it would be the first time the tournament is hosted there.

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  • Shout out to Orlando City’s U-19 team for its title win and securing a spot in the MLS NEXT Cup playoffs.

That’s all for this fine Friday, I hope you all have a fantastic day and a relaxing weekend!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/3/25

Martin Ojeda in the MLS MVP mix early, Orlando Pride players won’t play for Zambia this window, Tierna Davidson out for the NWSL season, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been going well for you as we gear up for a busy Saturday filled to the brim with soccer to enjoy. Despite my blender’s protests, I’ve finally figured out how to make frozen coconut mojitos and plan on having those get me through the rest of the week. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy 28th birthday to Orlando City legend Rodrigo Schlegel!

Martin Ojeda’s MVP Credentials

Orlando City’s Martin Ojeda placed second in Sacha Kljestan’s MLS MVP power rankings this week. With four goals and three assists so far this season, Ojeda leads the league in goal contributions and is a major reason why the Lions have scored a league-high 15 goals. It’s great to see the 26-year-old take the reins of the offense after Facundo Torres’ departure. Inter Miami’s Luis Suarez tops Kljestan’s rankings, despite only having a goal in five games this season. Tai Baribo, Evander, and Lionel Messi round out the top five in what could be an interesting MVP race this year.

Pride Players Won’t Join Zambia For International Duty

Zambia will be without four NWSL players when it takes part in the Yongchuan International Tournament in China this month. Along with Bay FC forward Rachael Kundananji, Orlando Pride trio Barbra Banda, Grace Chanda, and Prisca Chilufya were withdrawn from international duty, with the Football Association of Zambia stating it was due to additional travel measures by the current U.S. administration. FAZ General Secretary Reuben Kamanga expects the quartet to be available for future matches and both Banda and Kundananji played in friendlies in Zambia in February. Restrictions like this may limit the appeal of the NWSL to foreign players in the future.

Fan Banned For Hateful Language Towards Banda

NJ/NY Gotham FC announced that the fan who directed hateful language towards Banda has been banned following an investigation that included interviewing witnesses and reviewing security footage. The incident took place at the Pride’s match against Gotham on March 23 at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The fan was found to be in violation of the NWSL Code of Conduct and their season ticket was revoked as well. Gotham also encouraged fans to report inappropriate behavior through the team’s encrypted text message service to inform the stadium’s incident management team.

USWNT Defender Tierna Davidson Out for the NWSL Season

American center back Tierna Davidson will miss the remainder of the 2025 NWSL season after tearing the ACL in her left knee in the club’s draw against the Houston Dash. It’s tough news for her, Gotham, and the United States Women’s National Team, as she captains the NWSL club and featured heavily in the Olympics last year. Davidson sustained an ACL injury in her right knee back in 2022, which contributed to her missing out on the 2023 World Cup. Gisele Thompson replaced Davidson for the USWNT’s upcoming friendlies with Brazil, and Pride defender Emily Sams will likely receive more playing time as the team prepares for the 2027 World Cup.

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  • Orlando City received $100,000 in General Allocation Money in exchange for former academy goalkeeper Zack Campagnolo’s Homegrown Player rights. The Lions will receive another $100,000 in GAM if conditions are met, and they retain a sell-on percentage if Campagnolo is transferred.
  • San Diego FC added Milan Iloski on loan from FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark through July of this year. Iloski is a San Diego native and won the USL Golden Boot for Orange County SC in 2022.
  • New England Revolution midfielder Carles Gil won MLS Goal of the Matchday for his free kick against the New York Red Bulls.
  • El Farolito SC, which is named after a burrito chain and bar local to San Francisco, has reached the third round of the U.S. Open Cup for the second straight year. The National Premier Soccer League side took down Monterey Bay FC to reach this point of the tournament.
  • Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 to book its ticket to the Copa del Rey final, where it will face rival Real Madrid on April 26.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/2/25

Orlando Pride players on International duty, NWSL power rankings, USWNT friendlies, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. There is plenty of Orlando Pride news today, which is good considering we’re heading into an international break. That means we can look forward to some women’s international matches in addition to Orlando City’s next bout against the Philadelphia Union. Before we jump into today’s news, please join us in wishing Orlando City midfielder Cesar Araujo a happy 24th birthday. Let’s get to the links.

International Duty, Pride Edition

Four players from the Orlando Pride have been called up for international duty. Anna Moorhouse (England), Angelina (Brazil), Emily Sams (U.S.), and Zara Chavoshi (U.S. U-23 training camp) will all head to their respective national teams. Moorhouse’s England will compete in the UEFA Women’s Nations League, while Angelina and Sams will face off in a pair of friendlies between the USWNT and the Brazil Women’s National Team.

Pride Still on Top

It seems that there are more outlets providing NWSL power rankings every week, but as long as they keep the Pride on top, I’ll keep letting you know about it. Given that the Pride are undefeated, with the most goals scored and the best goal differential, it isn’t surprising that the club is sitting atop the official standings along with these “highly scientific” power rankings. Goal.com, Sports Illustrated, and All For IX all rank the Pride in first place just above the Kansas City Current. I suppose even power rankings are occasionally correct.

Orlando’s Various World Cup Ties

You probably know that Orlando wasn’t selected to be one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As disappointing as that was, there’s still a chance that the city, and Orlando City SC’s training grounds at Osceola Heritage Park will host team training during the event. The top notch facilities, plus the relatively close proximity to host cities Miami and Atlanta, make Orlando a good option.

On a more positive note, Orlando was chosen as a host city for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Camping World Stadium will see Club León vs. CR Flamengo, and Juventus vs. Manchester City. The Group H runner-up vs. Group G winner match and one of the quarterfinal round matches will also be in Orlando. There’s plenty to see and do in the City Beautiful, including some great soccer.

USWNT Youth Movement

Sams won’t be the only younger player in Emma Hayes’ lineup for the friendlies against Brazil. Hayes wants to deepen the player pool, which means bringing in players with an average age of just over 25 years old, and the average number of appearances is less than 35. Hayes also believes this is a chance for the younger players who appeared in the loss to Japan in the SheBelieves Cup. The first of the two matches is this Saturday at 5 p.m., with the second coming up Tuesday at 10:30 p.m.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and OCB matches this weekend. Hopefully, you have two screens since the match start times overlap. Vamos Orlando!

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