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Lion Links: 6/25/21

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5 years ago

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How’s it going, Mane Landers? This Friday is better than most because it’s also a game day as Orlando City takes on Inter Miami at 8 p.m. That’s not the only soccer to look forward to this weekend as the Orlando Pride are in action tomorrow at 8 p.m. against the Houston Dash. The knockout stage of the 2020 Euros also begins tomorrow. It’s an exciting time to be a soccer fan, so let’s get right into today’s links.

The Lions Face Miami Tonight

The first Tropic Thunder match-up of 2021 takes place tonight as the Lions are on the road in Miami. The Lions lost twice in Fort Lauderdale last year, but also won twice against their Floridian rivals to split the series. The game is Orlando’s third in just seven days, while Miami has had nearly a full week of rest. That being said, momentum is on Orlando’s side after a 3-2 win against Toronto FC last Saturday and a 5-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Miami is riding a three-game losing streak and will also be without defensive midfielder Gregore and center back Ryan Shawcross after they received red cards in a 1-0 loss to D.C. United.

Nani Named to MLS Team of the Week, Dike Makes Bench

After scoring from the spot and making two great assists in Orlando’s win over San Jose, Nani was named to the MLS Team of the Week. Nani joined the New England Revolution’s Carles Gil and LAFC’s Carlos Vela as star players who shined in midweek games. He was nominated for Player of the Week as well, but that honor went to Gil. It’s Nani’s first time as a starter on the Team of the Week in 2021 after making the bench three times earlier this season.

Daryl Dike made the Team of the Week bench this week after getting on the end of both of Nani’s assists for a brace in his first start of 2021. Benji Michel was snubbed despite also scoring twice and drawing the penalty that Nani scored. If Michel has more performances like the one he had Tuesday then it will become impossible for the league to ignore him.

Orlando Pride Win Social Media Award

At Sports Business Journal’s 2021 Sports Business Awards, the Pride won the award for Best in Sports Social Media. After withdrawing from the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, the Orlando Pride created a “Pride Stan” persona across their social media accounts to promote the National Women’s Soccer League at a critical time when the NWSL was the first North American team sport to resume competition during the pandemic. Using memes, gifs, and plenty of polls on who to cheer for, the account kept fans engaged with every single match in the Challenge Cup. During the 17 days of the tournament, the Pride accounts totaled over 1.5 million engagements from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The NWSL won the award for Sports Breakthrough of the Year as well for increasing viewership, paying its players their salaries and benefits, and partnering with high-profile sponsors such as Google and Verizon.

Young Lions Will Compete in MLS Next Cup Playoffs

The MLS NEXT Cup playoffs kick off today and Orlando City’s U-15 and U-17 sides will be in action. In the U-15 bracket, Orlando will take on Real Salt Lake today at 10 a.m. with a potential match-up with Inter Miami in the quarterfinals. As for the U-17 playoffs, Orlando will play New England tomorrow at 10 a.m. in what should be a good match. Later games in both brackets will be streamed, but each game across all levels will still be filmed and will include a post-game report. Thomas Williams, who recently signed a Homegrown Player contract with Orlando’s first team, was noted as a player to watch in the tournament as he anchors the U-17 team’s defense.

UEFA Changes Tiebreaker Rule

A major change will be implemented in European soccer tournaments this upcoming season as UEFA decided that away goals will no longer break ties in knockout stages. Instead, only extra time and penalties will be used to break deadlocks. Citing changes in the significance of home-field advantage, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin stated the rule dissuaded home teams from attacking since the away team would gain more from scoring. It will be interesting to see the impact this has on matches and if it could possibly be implemented in Concacaf tournaments in the future. What do you think? We’re fairly used to single-elimination formats here in the U.S., but would you like to see this in more tournaments?

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City showed support to all those affected by the deadly collapse of a condo building in Miami.

  • Marta’s stunner from long range in the Pride’s 3-1 win over Kansas City was also appreciated by the folks over at ESPN.

  • New York Red Bulls midfielder Caden Clark signed a three-year deal with RB Leipzig in Germany. The 18-year-old will remain with the Red Bulls through the rest of the 2021 season.
  • Tobin Heath and Christen Press are leaving England after solid seasons with Manchester United in the Women’s Super League. Both players made the United States Women’s National Team’s Olympic roster and their NWSL rights are owned by Racing Louisville FC. The Pride play Louisville three times this year, including home matches on July 9 and Sept. 11 that may be worth circling on your calendar if you haven’t already.
  • The United States Soccer Federation took to Twitter to respond to the “LFG” documentary about the USWNT’s fight for equal pay, saying that there was an inaccurate account of the facts.

That’s going to be it for me today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend filled with soccer. Go Lions and Pride!

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Lion Links

Lion Links 9/22/26

Cosette Morche up for weekly honors, lessons from matchday 27, key players in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, and more.

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5 hours ago

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September 22, 2026

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Image of Cosette Morche during her NWSL debut vs. Washington.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. It was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad weekend for Orlando’s three soccer teams, as they all lost and did so by an aggregate score of 12-5. Fortunately, we’ve got lots to talk about this morning, so let’s not dwell any further on the horror show that was the weekend slate, and instead dive into today’s links.

Cosette Morche up for Weekly Honors

Despite the Orlando Pride falling at home against the Portland Thorns, a bright spot has emerged from the game in the form of Cosette Morche being nominated for the NWSL Save of the Week. She made a fantastic triple save in the 17th minute to frustrate both Sophia Wilson and Pietra Tordin and keep the score at 1-0. Unfortunately, the Pride went on to lose 4-1, but Morche continued a trend of strong performances in net since taking over for the loaned-out Anna Moorhouse. Make sure you go vote for her to win!

Lessons from Matchday 27

Matchday 27 is in the books for Major League Soccer, and there are plenty of things to be learned from the weekend’s action. A number of young players called up by the United States Men’s National Team turned in impressive performances, as Cavan Sullivan had a goal and an assist, Frankie Westfield and Neil Pierre helped Sullivan and the Union overturn a 4-3 deficit against Sporting Kansas City, and Julian Hall scored the winner in the Hudson River Derby. Elsewhere, Nashville clinched a playoff spot and did so in style by knocking off a good Chicago Fire team 3-0. Finally, St Louis City beat Toronto FC 3-1 and now has a mind-boggling 16-game unbeaten streak in the league that grows to 18 games unbeaten in all competitions.

Women’s Champions League Key Players

The UEFA Women’s Champions League kicks off today, so this is an excellent time to familiarize yourself with some of the most important players in the competition. Some of them may be familiar to you already, like Real Madrid’s Colombian attacker Linda Caicedo or Chelsea midfielder Lauren James. Midfielder Patri Guijarro will be an important piece for Barcelona following the summer departures of Alexia Putellas and Salma Paralluelo, while Annamaria Serturini, Remina Chiba, and Redondo are in a similar situation for Juventus. Finally, there are players on less heralded teams, like Uka Modesta for Austria Wien and Lowiese Seynhaeve for OH Leuven.

Granit Xhaka Dropped by Switzerland

We finish our main story section today with an odd one, as Granit Xhaka has been left out of the latest Switzerland squad after he admitted to using a fake COVID-19 vaccination certificate. Amid an investigation into a Swiss doctor who was allegedly producing false certificates for unvaccinated individuals, Xhaka has admitted to using falsified paperwork. Not only has he been left out of the Swiss squad, but he could also face legal repercussions, and the player confirmed that he is currently in the process of speaking to the authorities. Xhaka is Switzerland’s all-time leader in appearances, and has been a key member of the team for a number of years.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City somehow rose two spots to no.10 in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
  • The Orlando Pride held fast at no. 12 in the same outlet’s NWSL power rankings.
  • For better or worse, Orlando City will be back in the red kits for Saturday’s match against the Philadelphia Union.

That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 9/21/26

All of Orlando’s soccer teams lose, Lions unveil Vinicius Nogueira, and more.

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1 day ago

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September 21, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda playing the ball against Inter Miami.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy at work over the weekend. Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando Pride defender Cori Dyke, who turned 26 on Sunday, and a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Bernardo Rhein, who turns 19 today. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Concede Two Late Goals in Loss at New England

Orlando City fell 4-2 to the New England Revolution on the road on Saturday at Gillette Stadium, conceding twice in stoppage time to drop a point. After trailing 2-0, the Lions came back with second-half goals from Ivan Angulo and Martin Ojeda, with the latter from the penalty spot just before the 90 minutes were up. However, in stoppage time, the Lions imploded, with Peyton Miller and Carles Gil closing out the night with two goals each for the Revolution. The loss snapped Orlando’s five-game unbeaten streak in league play, and the Lions left Foxborough with no points instead of at least one. Orlando City will be back on the road for its next match on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union.

Lions Unveil Vinicius Nogueira

Orlando City unveiled left back Vinicius Nogueira on Friday with a photo shoot at Inter.co Stadium.

The Lions signed Nogueira on Aug. 27 on loan from Bulgarian First League side PFC Ludogorets through the end of the 2027 MLS Sprint Season, with an option to make the move permanent. The 24-year-old Brazilian was on the bench during Orlando City’s match against the New England Revolution on Saturday but did not play.

Pride Fall at home to Portland Thorns

The Orlando Pride lost 4-1 to the Portland Thorns on Saturday at Inter.co Stadium, and while the team is still mathematically alive for the postseason, the home defeat made things even more of a longshot than they were. The Pride started slowly and were down 2-0 before Ally Lemos pulled one back in the first half. Orlando missed several scoring chances, and in the second half, Portland scored two goals to put the match away. Orlando will travel to the West Coast to take on Bay FC on Sunday.

OCB Falls to Atlanta United 2 on Decision Day

Orlando City B lost 4-2 to Atlanta United 2 on Decision Day Sunday at Osceola County Stadium, falling all the way to 10th and out of the playoff places. Atlanta struck first early before Issah Haruna tied it up for the Young Lions. However, Atlanta got an own goal when Tristan Himes punched a set piece deliver in off Harvey Sarajian to retake the lead, and Ignacio Saurez-Couri added another to make it 3-1. Justin Hylton scored for OCB to cut the deficit to one before halftime. In the second half, Dominik Chong-Qui scored the final goal to secure Atlanta’s win. For the Young Lions, the season ends in disappointment again, missing the MLS NEXT Pro postseason for the second straight season.

Free Kicks

  • Just two days after Gabi Nunes and the Orlando Pride mutually agreed to part ways on Wednesday, Nunes signed with Liga F side Atletico de Madrid Femenino on Friday.
  • New York City FC is reportedly signing defender Matt Miazga after he was waived by FC Cincinnati earlier this month.

🇺🇸 BREAKING: NYCFC set to sign center back Matt Miazga, per sources.- Miazga waived by FC Cincinnati earlier this month- Miazga, 31, is former MLS Defender of the Year. Boosts defensive options for NYCFC down the stretchwww.nytimes.com/athletic/760…

— Tom Bogert (@tombogert.bsky.social) 2026-09-18T13:17:04.926Z

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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Lion Links: 9/18/26

Justin Ellis named to USMNT roster for the first time, Orlando City players called up, MLS club profiles unveiled, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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September 18, 2026

By

Image of Wilder Cartagena playing the ball as Robin Jansson looks on.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! There’s plenty of soccer to look forward to this weekend, with both the Orlando Pride and Orlando City in action on Saturday before Orlando City B finishes its regular season on Sunday. Hopefully, we’ll have plenty to celebrate over the next few days. But for now, let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Justin Ellis Named to First USMNT Roster

United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino called up 28 players for training camp ahead of the team’s first friendlies since the World Cup. Orlando City forward Justin Ellis has had a breakout season at just 19 years old and is one of 13 uncapped players to earn a spot on the roster. Cavan Sullivan, Zavier Gozo, and Julian Hall are a few of the other young talents to keep an eye out for during these matches. Former Lion Alex Freeman, who scored for the U.S. at the World Cup, was called up as well. The U.S. will take on Peru on Sept. 26 at Inter.co Stadium, so hopefully fans will be able to see some familiar faces. Following that match, the Yanks will play against Chile on Sept. 29 in St. Louis before friendlies against Mexico on Oct. 3 and Canada on Oct. 6.

Lions Called Up For International Duty

Ellis isn’t the only Lion who will be with their national team over the next couple of weeks. Midfielder Wilder Cartagena was called up for Peru’s friendlies, along with former Lions Pedro Gallese and Yoshimar Yotun.

Tyrese Spicer was called up for Trinidad & Tobago’s upcoming Concacaf Nations League matches with spots in the quarterfinals up for grabs. Trinidad & Tobago will play against Haiti and the Dominican Republic before a pair of matches against Curacao.

Defender David Brekalo was also called up for Nations League games and will head to Europe for Slovenia’s matches in League B against Scotland, Switzerland, and North Macedonia.

Orlando City’s Club Profile Revealed

MLS released the club roster profiles for each team as of Sept. 15. These profiles have been a great way to see how each team’s roster is constructed, while also showing the contract and option details for each player. The Lions have all Designated Player and MLS U22 Initiative slots filled, with Eduard Atuesta, David Brekalo, and Braian Ojeda listed as TAM players. The profile also reveals that Orlando has $1.86 million in 2026 General Allocation Money remaining, and it’s hard not to wonder about the improvements that could have been made to the team with that money.

Vlatko Andonovski Joins the Chicago Stars

The Chicago Stars have hired Vlatko Andonovski as the club’s chief soccer officer to right the ship after another rough season. Already eliminated from playoff contention, the Stars have only won five games so far this season and fired Martin Sjögren as head coach last month. Andonovski joins the Stars after terminating his contract with the Kansas City Current on Sept. 7. The former United States Women’s National Team head coach has had plenty of success in women’s soccer and it’ll be interesting to see if he can turn things around in Chicago.

Free Kicks

  • The Orlando Pride remained in 11th in CBS Sports’s NWSL power rankings following their 2-2 draw on the road against the Kansas City Current.
  • The San Diego Wave signed 18-year-old attacker Melanie Barcenas to a contract extension through the 2028 season. She’s been enjoying a breakout season in San Diego, scoring six goals so far this season.
  • Despite being called up to the USMNT, Julian Hall stated that he remains open to playing for Poland, which is where his mother is from.
  • From the heavyweight match between Roma and Inter in Serie A to the derby match between Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid, here are the matchups to watch for in Europe this weekend.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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