Connect with us

Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/14/21

Published

4 years ago

on

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope you all are looking forward to a weekend filled to the brim with soccer. As of today, I’m fully vaccinated and will probably celebrate with a trip to my favorite local coffeeshop for some idle reading. Congratulations to any graduates out there as well since it’s that time of the year. Now, let’s jump into today’s links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City Player Salaries Revealed

The Major League Soccer Players Association released the 2021 salary information for every player in the league as of April. Orlando City is 16th in total player salary commitments and Nani is 15th among all players, with a guaranteed 2021 salary of $2,486,250. As for a few of the players who became Lions this off-season, Alexandre Pato has a guaranteed salary of $272,727, Silvester van der Water will make $325,750 this year, and loaned goalkeeper Brandon Austin is set to make $279,477 if he’s in Orlando all season.

Inter Miami, Toronto FC, the LA Galaxy, Atlanta United, and FC Cincinnati are the league’s five biggest spenders this year. I believe player spending shouldn’t be looked at too closely when trying to set expectations for a team or a player given the many variables in play such as performance bonuses or the length of a contract. That being said, here’s a fantastic visual guide that turns those numbers into something a bit more consumable.

Lions Will Face D.C. United On the Road

The Lions will take on D.C. United this Sunday for their second road game of the season. Despite multiple injuries and the absence of Daryl Dike, Orlando remains unbeaten after four games this season. Many players have stepped up to the plate, particularly in the midfield as Sebas Mendez and Junior Urso have done well on both sides of the ball. Nani leads Orlando with three goals and Antonio Carlos continues to impress in the center of defense. Evan Weston and Miguel Gallardo broke down what to watch for in Orlando’s upcoming match.

As for Orlando’s opponents, D.C. United won 1-0 over the struggling Chicago Fire last night. The last time Orlando and D.C. faced off was in June of 2019 when Wayne Rooney scored the game’s only goal in the 10th minute. Rooney can no longer torment the Lions, but Ola Kamara is still in D.C. and has a decent track record against Orlando.

Orlando Pride Start Season This Sunday

At Exploria Stadium, the Pride will host the Washington Spirit on Sunday at 6 p.m. Although this will be the first game of the National Women’s Soccer League season for both sides, the Pride won 1-0 against the Spirit in the group stage of the NWSL Challenge Cup last month. In that match, Alex Morgan connected with Sydney Leroux for the Pride’s goal while Ashlyn Harris made nine saves, including one from a penalty. Marta is excited to get the season started at home as the Pride aim for all three points against the Spirit once more.

Concacaf Gold Cup Schedule Unveiled

Exploria Stadium will host six matches for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup this summer. The first matches in Orlando will take place on July 12 as Jamaica plays Suriname and Costa Rica takes on whichever nation advances from one of the preliminary matches. Those same teams will play again in Orlando on July 16, but July 20 will feature a clash between Costa Rica and Jamaica and then a match between Panama and Grenada.

The United States Men’s National Team will play all of its group matches in Kansas City, including a showdown with Canada on July 18. In the knockout stage, matches will take place in either Glendale, AZ or Arlington, TX and the final will be on Aug. 1 in Las Vegas.

Americans Abroad This Weekend

With seasons winding down across Europe, plenty of Americans have something to play for over the next few days. Orlando’s Dike and Barnsley FC will host Swansea City on Monday at 3:15 p.m. in the first leg of their English Football League Championship playoff matches. Elsewhere in England, Christian Pulisic and Chelsea will take on Leicester City in Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Three teams are fighting over two Champions League spots still up for grabs in the Bundesliga, with Giovanni Reyna, John Brooks, and Timothy Chandler all in the mix. Near the bottom of the table, Werder Bremen’s Josh Sargent has an important match against FC Augsburg with relegation still a possibility for either side.

Elsewhere, Weston McKennie and Juventus will have their Champions League qualification hopes on the line against Inter Milan. Sergino Dest and FC Barcelona will need a win against Celta Vigo and other results in their favor to remain in the La Liga title hunt. Timothy Weah has featured here and there during Lille’s remarkable Ligue 1 campaign and the club can clinch the title if it beats Saint-Étienne. Whew, there really is a lot of soccer worth watching this weekend.

Free Kicks

  • Nani earned 25.9% of the MLS Goal of the Week vote to finish second behind Real Salt Lake’s Rubio Rubin’s stellar bicycle kick. It was Nani’s third consecutive nomination as he continues to find the back of the net in style.
  • In Pride defender Ali Riley’s last episode of her video series, she spoke to Ali Krieger about the team’s expectations this year and motherhood. The video also features Krieger swaddling Riley in a blanket on the locker room floor.
  • Former Lion Dennis Chin is retiring from soccer and his announcement included a compilation of moments that will definitely make you nostalgic.

  • New York City FC and Valentin Castellanos agreed to a new contract that will keep the forward in the Big Apple through 2025.
  • The injuries just keep adding up for the Portland Timbers as goalkeeper Jeff Attinella is out for the season. The Timbers added Logan Ketterer on loan from the USL Championship’s El Paso Locomotive to help replace Attinella for the time being.
  • One of my favorite things in soccer is seeing coaches and players having fun and just being real people behind the scenes beyond what we get to see on television.

  • Let’s end our links with some training footage of Mason Stajduhar taking a blow of his own.

That’s going to be it for today, folks. Remember to stay hydrated out there and take care of yourselves and others. It should be a fun weekend, so enjoy the rest of your Friday!

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/22/25

Orlando City transfer rumors, Orlando Pride preseason begins, USMNT at Inter&Co, and more.

Published

3 hours ago

on

January 22, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The ManeLand

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.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881755961125449765?s=46&t=pMoq7Wulqfb35D7C8ydroA

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.

https://twitter.com/sandiegofc/status/1881741042904350864

Cucho Hernandez evidently wants to stay with the Columbus Crew, though he is still waiting on a new offer.

https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1881786193693823104

Free Kicks

https://twitter.com/weareangelcity/status/1881749040863588770?s=12&t=_WZBNG4ILAyRLdwBeB4mpQ
  • Keep your eyes peeled later today for the NWSL schedule drop.
https://twitter.com/nwsl/status/1881749035218042954?s=46&t=pN-YJp3s7ZQlCXqnTAgSfw

That will do it for today. Stay warm out there, my friends. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/21/25

Orlando Pride release preseason camp roster, scouting Costa Rica, women’s soccer transfer grades, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

January 21, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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.

That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/20/25

Orlando City signs Nicolas Rodriguez, Jack Lynn announces retirement, USMNT defeats Venezuela in friendly, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

January 20, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

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

  • 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.

Continue Reading

Trending