Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/3/21
Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers! Hopefully you’ve recovered from celebrating Orlando City’s 3-0 romp of FC Cincinnati. That was the most complete showing from the Lions so far this season, and launched the club into third place in the Eastern Conference. Also, the Orlando Pride secured their second consecutive clean sheet following a 0-0 draw against the North Carolina Courage.
Orlando City Continues Youth Investment
Head Coach Óscar Pareja and Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations Luiz Muzzi are continuing to build a top-to-bottom organization in Orlando like they did at FC Dallas. The importance of developing local young players and bringing them up through the ranks to the senior team is crucial to the long-term success of the club. OCSC added Orlando City Soccer School South and Seminole locations to expand its youth network. The Seminole location will be at the Seminole Soccer Complex, near the Orlando Pride’s training facility. The South location will be at Osceola Heritage Park, the current Orlando City training ground, and home to the Lions’ academy system.
Third Week of MLS Wraps Up
There were plenty of positives for the Lions after their first win, but the result was tough on Cincinnati as it has given up 10 goals in three matches. The New England Revolution handed Atlanta United its first loss of the regular season so far, defeating the Five Stripes 2-1. The Revolution are at the top of the Eastern Conference, though a lot can happen before the Lions meet them in September. D.C. United suffered its second loss, falling to the San Jose Earthquakes 4-1. Things are not going well for former Orlando City gaffer Adrian Heath as Minnesota United sits in last place after losing 1-0 to Austin FC.
Americans Abroad This Weekend
Daryl Dike wasn’t able to score in Barnsley FC’s 2-0 loss to Preston North End FC and the club’s last regular season game will be this Saturday before the Championship playoffs later this month. Elsewhere in Europe, Giovanni Reyna continued his run of form by scoring a brace in Borussia Dortmund’s 5-0 home win over Holstein Kiel. There were plenty of other Americans making appearances throughout the European leagues, including Josh Sargent, Tyler Adams, Christian Pulisic, and Tim Ream.
Protest at Old Trafford Postpones Match
Despite an off year for my English Premier League team, Liverpool, I was looking forward to watching its match against Manchester United. Sadly, it was not to be as hundreds of United supporters took to the streets outside Old Trafford to protest the Glazer’s ownership of the club following the whole Super League debacle. While the protest was planned, the escalation of the supporters breaking into the field was not. The result is that the match has been postponed as the club was unable to secure the stadium following the incident. Where things go from here is still up in the air.
European Title Races Reach Their Finish Line
Ajax has secured the Dutch league title for the 35th time after a 4-0 win over Emmen. The club clinched the Eredivisie with three games to spare and a 14-point lead over second-place PSV Eindhoven. While Ajax added to its titles, Inter Milan ended Juventus’ run of nine consecutive Serie A titles after beating FC Crotone 2-0. It’s been over a decade since Inter has won the league, as its last title came in 2010. Inter earned this title while riding a 15-match unbeaten streak, with its last loss coming to Juventus in the Coppa Italia. The club has only lost two matches all season.
A brace from Lionel Messi helped FC Barcelona complete a comeback against Valencia CF and win 3-2. The result keeps things tight in the La Liga title race between Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Sevilla. France’s Ligue 1 is also far from over as Lille has a slight lead over Paris Saint-Germain with three games left in the season. In the English Premier League, Manchester City has the chance to claim the title with a win over Chelsea this Saturday.
Free Kicks
- If you’re like me, you want to relive that beautiful Nani goal. Of course, it isn’t the only goal like that he’s scored for the Lions.
We’ve seen those moves before from @luisnani 😏pic.twitter.com/pjobP4ra5b
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) May 2, 2021
- Former Lion Santiago Patiño is on a bit of a tear with San Antonio FC in the USL Championship. Patiño has scored two hat tricks for the USL Championship side. It might be nice to still have him in purple.
A look at @SPatino_9’s third of the night to lock in the hatty!!! 🎩 @chrislema1996 with the assist! #Defend210 pic.twitter.com/vGzAoHJvKo
— San Antonio FC (@SanAntonioFC) May 2, 2021
- Chelsea’s women’s side defeated Bayern Munich 4-1 to advance to the Women’s Champions League final. Meanwhile in the Women’s Super League, Manchester City is putting pressure on defending champion Chelsea.
- Lastly, here is a lesson to all of us when filming or taking pictures at a soccer match.
Poor guy… pic.twitter.com/j59ri03JcU
— Michael Graue (@MichaelGraue1) May 2, 2021
That’s going to be it for now. Have a wonderful Monday and rest of your week.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/31/25
Orlando Pride transfer Adriana for record fee, Orlando City re-signs Carlos Mercado, new Leagues Cup format revealed, and more.
Happy Friday, Mane Landers! Today ends the first month of 2025 and my resolutions are mostly intact. I’d like to walk a bit more in the afternoons than I currently am, but I’ll take what I can get. I don’t have too many plans lined up this weekend beyond working, catching some sports, and board games with friends. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world.
Adriana Transferred For Orlando Pride Record Fee
The Orlando Pride have transferred Adriana to Al Qadsiah FC in the Saudi Women’s Premier League for a club record fee of reportedly $500,000. Adriana requested the move after two seasons with the Pride since joining in January of 2023. The versatile attacker recorded 12 goals and five assists in 46 regular-season appearances with the Pride. This move opens up an opportunity for more minutes for the team’s young players, and that transfer fee should help improve the Pride’s roster.
Carlos Mercado Re-Signs With Orlando City
Orlando City signed goalkeeper Carlos Mercado to a new contract through the upcoming 2025 season, with club options for 2026 and 2027. The club declined the option on his previous contract following the 2024 season, but he’s back in purple after Mason Stajduhar’s trade to Real Salt Lake. The 25-year-old will likely feature as Orlando City B’s starting goalkeeper this season, with Javier Otero backing up Pedro Gallese on the first team. Mercado started 20 games for the Young Lions last season, so he has some playing time and familiarity with the team under his belt ahead of the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro season.
Leagues Cup Reveals New Format for 2025
Orlando City was one of only 18 MLS clubs to qualify for this summer’s Leagues Cup and we now know what the new format for the tournament will be. The group stage is gone and in its place is a convoluted first phase that can be simplified as there being six sets of six teams —three from MLS and three from Liga MX. Each team will play one match against the three teams from the opposing league, and then only the top four teams overall from each league will advance to the quarterfinals. This means that there will be MLS vs. Liga MX matchups every game until possibly the semifinals. One rule that stuck around though is that there will still be a penalty shootout for an additional point if two teams draw.
NWSL Awards Franchise to Denver
The NWSL officially announced that the league’s 16th franchise will be in Denver. The new club will take the field in 2026 and is finalizing plans to build a stadium for the team. Rob Cohen, who founded the Denver Sports Commission to help bring major sporting events to the city, will serve as the club’s controlling owner and governor, while Mellody Hobson will be the alternate governor. Denver’s team doesn’t have a name, colors, or a logo just yet, but I think anything other than DEN Nation FC would be a good idea.
Free Kicks
- Former Pride player Emily van Egmond joined Birmingham City on a two-and-a-half-year contract after three years with the San Diego Wave. Birmingham is at the top of the Women’s Championship in a tight race for promotion to the Women’s Super League.
- Manuel Cocca, whose contract with Orlando City B expired after last season, has joined Arsenal de Sarandi in Argentina’s second division.
- Miguel Almiron officially returned to Atlanta United from Newcastle United for a reported $10 million transfer fee, signing a contract through 2027 with an option for 2028. Atlanta also sent $400,000 in General Allocation Money to Charlotte FC for his discovery rights, which is peak MLS.
- Minnesota United signed center back Nicolas Romero as an MLS U22 Initiative Player.
- American forward Ricardo Pepi’s knee injury suffered in PSV Eindhoven’s win against Liverpool may keep him sidelined for two months. Hopefully that’s not the case, as he would miss out on the Concacaf Nations League games in March.
- Temwa Chawinga signed a three-year contract extension with the Kansas City Current. She scored 20 goals last season and was named NWSL MVP in her first year in the league.
- Manchester United, Tottenham, and Olympiacos all secured a spot in the Europa League’s round of 16 after winning on the final matchday of the league phase. The draw for the knockout phase is today, and there should be some interesting matchups with teams like Roma, Porto, and Galatasaray eager to make the round of 16.
- Chelsea has reportedly agreed to sign English midfielder Keira Walsh from Barcelona.
That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/30/25
Orlando City reveals kickoff events, women’s transfer market grows, Tanner Tessmann named U.S. Young Male Player of the Year, and more.
We’re all another day closer to the return of Orlando soccer and I can’t wait. I’ve been whittling the days away with reading, writing, and taking far too many photos of my cat. This month has flown by for me, and I’m not complaining too much about it. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world.
Orlando City Announces Kickoff Events
In preparation for Orlando City’s 2025 season, the club announced various events before the season opener at home against the Philadelphia Union on Feb. 22. The launch for the team’s new primary kit will take place on Feb. 12 at the Canvas Event Venue, with fans in attendance able to get the jersey and meet players. Other events throughout February include a chalk talk, musical bingo night, and plenty of ways to get merch ahead of the season. However, the Purple Pride 5K is not listed, which is a bit disappointing considering it would have been the 10th annual edition of the event.
Analyzing the Women’s Soccer Transfer Market
American defender Naomi Girma’s move from San Diego Wave FC to Chelsea was the first to break the $1 million threshold for transfer fees in women’s soccer and The Athletic ($) dove into which players could warrant similar spending from clubs in the future. Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda was one such player noted. Banda did fantastic in her first season in the league last year, starred in the past two Olympics, and is still only 24 years old. Only time will tell if Europe can entice her before her contract in Orlando is up, but clubs would likely pay seven figures for her services. Americans Sophia Smith and Trinity Rodman could also surpass that $1 million mark, along with NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga and Paris FC’s Clara Mateo.
Tanner Tessmann Named U.S. Young Male Player of the Year
U.S. Soccer announced that midfielder Tanner Tessmann was voted 2024 U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year after a solid year for both club and country. The 23-year-old captained the U.S. at the Olympics last summer and started for the senior team in both Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal games against Jamaica. A regular starter for Venezia last year, Tessmann scored in the promotion playoffs to help the team earn a spot in Serie A. He was then transferred to Olympique Lyon in August and has taken part in the Europa League. Tessmann received 70% of the vote, winning the award over Gianluca Busio and Niko Tsakiris.
Champions League First Stage Wraps Up
The UEFA Champions League’s league phase is finally over, with eight clubs already through to the round of 16 and 16 set to take part in a knockout round. Manchester City escaped elimination after a 3-1 win over Club Brugge that resulted in both teams advancing to the knockout stage. A hat trick from Ousmane Dembele lifted Paris Saint-Germain to a 4-1 win against Stuttgart and secure 15th in the standings. Aston Villa, Lille, and Bayer Leverkusen all won to clinch a spot in the round of 16, all three benefiting from Atalanta coming up short in a 2-2 draw with Barcelona. AC Milan lost 2-1 to Dinamo Zagreb in a match that included Christian Pulisic scoring and Yunus Musah being sent off. Liverpool’s perfect run came to an end following a 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven, but it still topped the standings.
While I found the new league phase to be a bit underwhelming, the knockout stage should provide some intriguing matchups. The draw will take place on Friday, but we already know that Manchester City will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich and Juventus will face either AC Milan or PSV Eindhoven.
Free Kicks
- MLS Season Pass will broadcast a featured game with enhanced production on Sunday nights. It’s a solid strategy and hopefully it can catch on and become something fans across the country look forward to each week.
- The Chicago Fire are set for a nice payday if Jhon Duran completes his move from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr.
- After missing out on Girma, Olympique Lyonnais is reportedly finalizing a deal for Houston Dash defender Tarciane for a transfer fee around $830,000.
- West Ham reportedly had a bid for American forward Ricardo Pepi rejected by PSV Eindhoven.
- Giovanni Reyna earned some style points for this assist in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.
- In wild news, it was revealed that North American Soccer League Chairman Rocco Commisso used a burner account on Twitter to attack MLS Commissioner Don Garber and USSF President Sunil Gulati.
- Federico Higuain, who spent the past two seasons coaching Inter Miami II, was named head coach of Columbus Crew 2.
- Police arrested 59 French fans in Germany ahead of PSG’s game against Stuttgart. Bans were also ordered to 47 Stuttgart fans as well.
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 1/29/25
Orlando City’s cup competitions, Orlando Pride’s new home kit leak, NWSL’s top 2025 matches, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City’s preseason continues in Mexico, where the Lions played a closed door match against Canadian Premier League club Forge FC in Cancun on Tuesday. The club didn’t release any details on the match (more on that below), but the feature image is from the scrimmage. For now, let’s get to today’s links!
Orlando City Cup Competitions
Orlando City will compete in two of the four North American cup competitions in 2025. After a year away, the Lions return to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup along with 15 other MLS clubs and 10 MLS Next Pro participants. Orlando City will also take part in the Leagues Cup with 17 other MLS clubs and 18 Liga MX clubs. The Lions did not qualify for the Concacaf Champions Cup, nor will they compete in the Canadian Championship for obvious geographical reasons.
Lions Remain Scoreless in Preseason
While Orlando City didn’t release any details from Tuesday’s scrimmage, the folks at TrueNorthFoot reported that the Lions and Forge FC played to a 0-0 draw in Cancun Tuesday. The photos released by the club mostly featured younger players, and it’s not surprising that the offense isn’t sharp at this stage, but at least the defense is doing well through two matches. The next scrimmage will take place Feb. 5 against Atlanta United.
Pride Home Kit Leak?
From now on, all Orlando Pride kits will have a star above the crest (or more, pending future results). Like many of you, I’ve eagerly awaited what the next home kit will look like. We now have a glimpse, if a leak from Footy Headlines is accurate.
I really hope that picture doesn’t convey how purple the kit is supposed to be. I’m also not a big fan of the crest in the center thing, but they don’t let me make those decisions. If the new kit doesn’t float your boat, you can pick up some previous Pride kits from the club’s official shop at a nice discount.
The Orlando Pride are Must-Watch TV
As the defending NWSL Shield and NWSL Cup winners, it’s not a surprise that the Orlando Pride earned three spots on All for XI’s Top 10 Must-Watch NWSL Games in 2025 list, including the top spot. The matches against NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Kansas City Current, and of course, a rematch against the Washington Spirit will certainly draw big viewership numbers.
NWSL Expansion Update
An official announcement adding Denver to the cities with an NWSL club is expected in the near future. Prior to that commissioner Jessica Berman hinted that there are plans to further expand the league. If Denver joins as planned, the team’s ownership will pay a record $110 million franchise fee. You can expect those fees to continue to grow as the league does the same.
Free Kicks
- Remember Amro Tarek? He made 20 appearances for Orlando City back in 2018. If you don’t remember him, that’s all right since Austin FC supporters will almost certainly remember him for this fun fact.
- Crystal Dunn and Gotham FC have mutually parted ways. As of now, Dunn has not shared where her journey will take her next.
- USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams is now a part of the Westchester FC ownership group. Adams grew up in nearby Dutchess County.
- Some pretty big names have left the NWSL for other shores. While the story includes the Pride’s Mariana Larroquette, she’s not quite the biggest name on the list, and she’s also only on loan until July 1.
- The U.S. Open Cup has tweaked the competition rules so that teams must use primary venues when possible. If they cannot, the team will be on the hook for any differences in the cost to broadcast the match.
That will do it for today. Have a great rest of the week. Vamos Orlando!
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