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Lion Links: 7/2/21

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How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope you all are staying dry after a pretty rainy week. It’s definitely a great time to be a sports fan with so many events going on and with even more slated for later this month. Before we jump into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan and Orlando City SuperDraft pick Brandon Hackenberg!

Orlando City Linked With Argentinian Left Back

Reports surfaced that the Lions are on the hunt for River Plate left back Nahuel Gallardo, although The Mane Land’s sources don’t indicate any truth to the rumors. The 23-year-old hasn’t played for River Plate since 2019 and his loan with Defensa y Justicia ended on June 30. The Lions could certainly use another left back on the roster, considering injury issues with Joao Moutinho. Kyle Smith has done well filling in at both fullback positions, but it will be interesting to see how the Lions address the needed depth in the future.

Daryl Dike Called Up for Gold Cup

United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Gregg Berhalter named his 23-man roster for the Concacaf Gold Cup this month and Orlando forward Daryl Dike was selected. Dike’s inclusion doesn’t come as much of a shock and the tournament will give him a great opportunity to make his case for the starting spot during World Cup qualifying later this year. The other center forwards on the roster include Gyasi Zardes, Matthew Hoppe, and Nicholas Gioacchini.

Of the 23 players, 19 are from MLS clubs as Berhalter will use the Gold Cup to get a better look at players other than the usual starters on the first team. Orlando’s Andres Perea and Chris Mueller were both named to the preliminary roster, but neither made the cut. Atlanta United and the Colorado Rapids both have three players on the roster, while New York City FC and D.C. United have two each. Notable names to keep an eye on apart from Dike include Sporting Kansas City’s Gianluca Busio, NYCFC’s James Sands, and the New England Revolution’s Matt Turner.

Orlando Pride Players Named to NWSL Team of the Month

Marta and Courtney Petersen were both selected for the NWSL’s Team of the Month after their impressive performances throughout June. Marta had three assists in the Pride’s four matches in June and now leads the league in assists, alongside former Pride player Carson Pickett. She also scored a stunning goal from range in the Pride’s 3-1 road win against Kansas City. Petersen also scored for the Pride last month, doing so in dramatic fashion late against NJ/NY Gotham FC to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw. While the Pride didn’t have any clean sheets in June, Petersen anchored the defense during a tough month that included three road games.

Sydney Leroux scored twice in the Pride’s win over Kansas City, but was beaten out by the Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman and the North Carolina Courage’s Lynn Williams. With four goals and an assist in June, Williams was also named NWSL Player of the Month.

Young Lions Advance to MLS NEXT Cup Final

Orlando’s U-17 squad won 2-1 against Sacramento Republic FC to book its place in the MLS NEXT Cup final. Ethan Subachan scored Orlando’s first goal in the 23rd minute and then assisted on Gonzalo Agustoni-Chagas’ goal in the 29th. Sacramento scored in the 38th minute to close the gap but the Lions held on for the win even though Orlando City Homegrown Player Thomas Williams was sent off in the 75th minute for a soft second yellow card. Williams won’t be available for the final tomorrow night at 6:05 p.m. against Players Development Academy and fellow center back Quembol Gaudalupe limped through the final stages of the match, so we will see if he can play.

USWNT Wins Over Mexico in Send-Off Series

The United States Women’s National Team won 4-0 against Mexico in the first of two matches as part of a Send-Off Series before the Olympics. In the 21st minute, Kristie Mewis found her sister Sam Mewis in front of goal, with the latter then burying the ball into the bottom right corner to get the scoring started. Christen Press then scored in the 39th minute with an assist from Megan Rapinoe to double the USWNT’s lead.

In the 74th minute, Morgan made a great assist after pouncing on a loose ball and Tobin Heath delivered a pinpoint strike from distance to score her first goal of 2021.

Morgan was subbed off in the 78th minute and Press scored again in the 85th to complete her brace. The two teams will play again on Monday night in the USWNT’s final match before heading to Tokyo.

Free Kicks

  • The Philadelphia Union’s Quinn Sullivan won MLS Goal of the Week for his great bicycle kick against the Chicago Fire. The 17-year-old received 42.8% of the vote, narrowly surpassing Nani’s 38.7% of the vote after his game-winning goal against Inter Miami.
  • In a puzzling decision, Carles Gil was named MLS Player of the Month for June after logging five assists in three matches. While Gil is certainly a great player, it’s bizarre that he received the distinction when Nani had three goals and three assists in June. One could argue that the Revolution faced tougher opponents in wins over NYCFC and the New York Red Bulls, but they also lost to FC Dallas while Orlando won all three of its games.
  • The Copa America quarterfinals start today with Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and Peru squaring off against Paraguay at 5 p.m., before Brazil plays Chile at 8 p.m. Tomorrow, Uruguay and Colombia will play at 6 p.m. and then Orlando’s Sebas Mendez and Ecuador will take on Lionel Messi and Argentina at 9 p.m.
  • Canada also named its Gold Cup roster, with 13 MLS players chosen. Former Lions Richie Laryea, Kamal Miller, and Cyle Larin are all on the roster. It’s worth noting that Toronto FC will be without Laryea, Ayo Akinola, and Jonathan Osorio when it plays Orlando on July 17.
  • The 2020 Euros continue today, with Switzerland taking on Spain at noon before a heavyweight match-up between Belgium and Italy at 3 p.m.
  • The NWSL is working on a rebrand to its visual identity that will be revealed later this year. The rebrand is being led by Soulsight, an agency based in Chicago with clients that include the Tennessee Titans, the NBA, and Gatorade.

That’s going to be it for today. I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and rest of your weekend. Make sure to get plenty of rest and to hydrate when you can. Go Orlando!

Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/12/24

Orlando City loses Heine Gikling Bruseth, Facundo Torres now linked with Cruz Azul, Orlando Pride sign goalkeeper Kat Asman, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

How’s it going, Mane Landers? December is flying by and the clock is ticking to get things squared away before the holidays are fully upon us. I still have some shopping I need to knock out and then need to decide what I’m baking for when I visit my family in a couple of weeks. Let’s dive into today’s links.

Lions Lose Heine Gikling Bruseth in Expansion Draft

Midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth is no longer a Lion after San Diego FC selected him in the 2024 MLS Expansion Draft. Orlando City signed the 20-year-old from Norwegian side Kristiansund BK in August as a U22 Initiative player, and he has yet to play in an MLS game. We won’t get a chance to see what impact Bruseth can have here in Orlando and he’s now part of San Diego’s plans on the other side of the country. Bruseth joins Kamal Miller, Nicholas Gioacchini, and Mikey Ambrose on the list of Lions taken in the MLS Expansion Draft, as Orlando just can’t seem to catch a break in these events.

San Diego also selected Colorado Rapids midfielder Jasper Loffelsend and Charlotte FC defender Hamady Diop as well. New York City FC forward Thiago Andrade was selected and promptly traded to Toronto FC. St. Louis City midfielder Hosei Kijima is on the move as well after being selected and traded to D.C. United.

Cruz Azul Joins Hunt for Facundo Torres

Orlando City forward Facundo Torres, who was linked with a move to Palmeiras earlier this week, is reportedly being courted by Cruz Azul of Liga MX as well. While Orlando and Palmeiras have reportedly agreed to terms on what would be a club-record deal, Cruz Azul has not yet submitted a bid to Orlando. If Torres does leave the club this winter, I’d personally rather see him head to Palmeiras in Brazil instead of Cruz Azul. The idea of the Lions going up against Torres in the Leagues Cup or another competition makes me sick to my stomach.

Orlando Pride Sign Kat Asman

The Orlando Pride are already making moves this off-season, signing goalkeeper Kat Asman to a two-year contract. Asman was drafted with the 39th overall pick by the Portland Thorns last year but didn’t make any appearances as a rookie. She now joins a Pride goalkeeping group that currently includes Anna Moorhouse, McKinley Crone, and Sofia Manner. While Asman may not make much of an impact next year, she’ll have the opportunity to grow her game and push the players ahead of her on the depth chart.

MLS Free Agency Opens Today

The MLS off-season is in full swing and the free agency officially kicks off today. There is plenty of talent across all positions available, which should make for an exciting flurry of wheeling and dealing as clubs prepare for 2025. It will also be interesting to see where former Lions wind up, as Ruan, Junior Urso, and Benji Michel are all free agents. As for other notable players to keep an eye out for, forwards like Josef Martinez and Jeremy Ebobisse could give clubs some additional firepower. Goalkeeper Tim Melia, center back Jack Elliott, and journeyman striker Kei Kamara are a few of the other interesting players out there.

Champions League Roundup

The latest round of Champions League matches wrapped up, but the standings remain a murky mess where only three points separate the team in third and team in 19th. The heavyweight match of the day Wednesday was between Juventus and Manchester City in Italy, with Juventus putting in a great defensive performance to win 2-0. Americans Weston McKennie and Tim Weah linked up for Juventus’ second goal after coming off the bench.

Atletico Madrid won its third straight Champions League match, beating Slovan Bratislava 3-1, thanks to a brace from Antoine Griezmann. Arsenal cruised past Monaco 3-0 to stay near the top of the standings, Ferran Torres scored twice in Barcelona’s 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund, and Benfica and Bologna battled to a scoreless draw in Portugal.

Free Kicks

  • Curt Johnson has resigned as the North Carolina Courage’s chief soccer officer after 14 years with the club in order to pursue other opportunities.
  • San Diego FC sent up to $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to D.C. United in order to sign defender Christopher McVey, inking him to a contract through 2026. San Diego is also reportedly set to sign New York Red Bulls center back Andres Reyes for a hefty amount of GAM.
  • Speaking of the Red Bulls, they announced a 13-year partnership with Sports Illustrated Tickets and their stadium will now be named Sports Illustrated Stadium. Starting in 2026, Sports Illustrated Tickets will also be the official ticketing partner for events at the stadium, including Red Bull and NJ/NY Gotham FC home matches.
  • MLS announced the 44 players invited to take part in this year’s MLS College Showcase. The closed-door scouting event will take place over the next few days, with the MLS SuperDraft set for 3 p.m. Dec. 20.
  • There will be two matches between MLS teams in the first round of the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup, with Sporting Kansas City facing Inter Miami and LAFC taking on the Colorado Rapids. The Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy won’t join the fun until the round of 16 after earning byes.
  • 2024 MLS NEXT Pro MVP David Poreba will be joining the big leagues, with the Chicago Fire signing the 22-year-old to a contract that will run through 2025, with options for 2026, 2027, and 2028.
  • Wolfsburg forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir came off the bench and put on a show, scoring four goals to help her team beat AS Roma in the Women’s Champions League.
  • It’s official, Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. FIFA also confirmed that the 2030 edition of the tournament will have matches in six different countries.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/11/24

Orlando City’s protected players, Orlando Pride roster update, the USMNT is returning to Inter&Co Stadium, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. The season might be over, but there’s still plenty of news to be found. I’m glad that we have all the movies and specials to watch since there are no MLS or NWSL matches. There are quite a few that my family watch each year including Elf, Scrooged, and of course, Die Hard. Let me know your favorites in the comments below. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Protected List Released

The addition of San Diego SC to MLS means another expansion draft this off-season. Yesterday, Orlando City released its protected players list. There are a total of 19 players on the list, though seven of those are automatically protected due to either Homegrown or Generation Adidas status. San Diego will be able to pick up to five players from across the league, but only one from any given club. There aren’t many surprises in which players Orlando City chose to protect.

Pride End-of-Season Roster Update

Following a historic season that saw the club win both the NWSL Shield and the 2024 NWSL Cup, the Pride have released their end of season roster update. We already knew that Celia, Carrie Lawrence, and Megan Montefusco retired. Given how the club works its contracts, often re-signing players during the season, there weren’t a lot of surprises. Marta and Evelina Duljan were the two players out of contract, and we now know that Duljan won’t be returning, while the club is negotiating a deal that would keep Marta in Orlando.

USMNT Returning to Inter&Co Stadium

The USMNT is heading back to the City Beautiful, as the team will play Costa Rica Jan. 22 at Inter&Co Stadium. Kickoff for the match will be 7 p.m., allowing fans in the Orlando area to make it after work. It will be the second match in Florida, as the Americans will take on Venezuela Jan. 18 at Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale. Pre-sale tickets went on sale Tuesday, and ticket sales for the general public start Friday.

USWNT vs. Brazil

If you were hoping for a rematch of the 2024 Women’s World Cup final between the USWNT and the Brazilian Women’s National Team, you are in luck. The two teams will square off on April 5 and April 8, 2025 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and at PayPal Park in San Jose, respectively. The match at SoFi Stadium will be the first soccer match played in the venue, which will also host matches for the 2026 World Cup.

Free Kicks

  • It’s no surprise to those of us who work with the Pride regularly that Jackie Maynard, Lucas Medeiros, and the rest of Orlando’s comms staff was named the first-ever NWSL Communications Team of the Year winner. We congratulate Jackie and her team and look forward to continuing to work with a great group of professionals.
  • Take a trip down memory lane with this compilation of Facundo Torres’ goals from 2024.
  • Today, FIFA will award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia. The circumstances leading up to this “decision” are exactly as forthright, transparent, and without any hint of shenanigans as one expects from FIFA. Give me a minute, my eyes got stuck in the back of my head because of how hard I rolled them.
  • In related news, Norway plans to protest the decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia and will abstain on the basis that not enough has been done to protect human rights at the event.
  • Orlando City wasn’t the only team to drop its list of protected rosters. Here are the lists for every MLS club.
  • Plenty of teams were in action in the UEFA Champions League Tuesday. Liverpool won its sixth consecutive first round match 1-0 over Girona, and Mbappe scored and got injured in Real Madrid’s 3-2 victory over Atalanta.

That will do it for today. Keep checking in for our Season in Review pieces for both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/10/24

Facundo Torres linked with move to Palmeiras, Pride players in FIFPRO Women’s World 11, Amanda Allen suffers injury, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I hope your week is getting off to a good start and that you’re on top of any Christmas shopping that you still need to do, because I’m just now realizing that I’ve done exactly zero of mine. Alas, the only way out is through. As usual, we have a lot to talk through this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Facundo Torres Linked With Palmeiras

Tom Bogert reported on Monday evening that Orlando City has agreed to a deal with Brazilian club Palmeiras for the transfer of Facundo Torres. While Bogert says the two clubs have reached an agreement, the transfer is still pending as Torres and Palmeiras still need to agree on personal terms. While no price tag was given, the fee would reportedly eclipse the $9.5 million fee that West Bromwich Albion paid for Daryl Dike, which is OCSC’s current outbound transfer record. Torres is the club’s record signing, as he joined from Penarol for roughly $7.5 million, and has been central to the team’s success ever since. We will bring you more from this story as it develops.

Familiar Faces in FIFPRO Women’s World 11

FIFA announced the 2024 FIFPRO Women’s World 11 on Monday and there are two familiar faces in the lineup, as Orlando Pride stars Marta and Barbra Banda were named to the team. This is the third time in Marta’s career that she has been chosen for the award, which is the only global player award decided exclusively by the players themselves. Banda is included in the team for the first time, and is the first African player ever named to the team. Both players had incredible seasons for the Pride and were instrumental in the team winning its first two pieces of silverware. Congratulations to both for all their hard work and justified recognition!

Amanda Allen Suffers Injury

The Orlando Pride announced on Monday that forward Amanda Allen has suffered a torn labrum in her right shoulder and will undergo surgery to repair it. As a result, Allen’s loan with USL Super League team Lexington Sporting Club has been terminated, and she has been placed on the season-ending injury list. It’s a tough break for Allen, who became the youngest player to debut for the team back during the 2023 season, as she was getting good minutes and experience on loan. We wish her all the best and hope to see her back on the field soon.

Christian Pulisic Injury News

AC Milan announced on Monday that United States Men’s National Team forward Christian Pulisic has torn a muscle in his right calf, and will spend time on the sideline. The winger went off injured during the team’s game on Friday, and Milan has said that he could be on the shelf until January. While the USMNT won’t play a competitive game until March’s Concacaf Nations League semifinals, the timing is a tough blow for Pulisic, who has had an excellent start to the season with eight goal contributions in Serie A and three UEFA Champions League goals. Here’s hoping that he makes a speedy recovery.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of Americans who will take part in games this week, so make sure you get everything marked down on your calendar. Things get started later today as Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers, and Celtic take on Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, while Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Malik Tillman, and PSV Eindhoven face Brest in the same competition. Tomorrow has Yunus Musah and AC Milan hosting Crvena Zvezda in the Champions League, while Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Juventus welcome Manchester City to Allianz Stadium. Things then finish up on Friday as Mark McKenzie and Toulouse host St-Etienne in Ligue 1 play.

MLS Transfer Happenings

We have a lot of MLS transfer moves and roster changes to cover this morning. Cruzeiro has declined the purchase option on FC Cincinnati winger Alvaro Barreal, meaning he has returned to the club following the conclusion of his loan. Expansion side San Diego FC has acquired Tomas Angel and a second-round pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft from LAFC in exchange for $200,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM). Austin FC also bought out Gyasi Zardes’ contract, making the 10th-highest scorer in MLS history a free agent.

The Colorado Rapids signed center backs Ian Murphy and Chidozie Awaziem from FC Cincinnati in exchange for $1 million in General Allocation Money. Tom Bogert is also reporting that Bournemouth is finalizing a deal to sign American center back Matai Akinmboni from D.C. United in a deal worth up to $2.5 million. Finally, in the wildest piece of MLS transfer news I’ve seen in awhile, I simply present the following tweet.

Free Kicks

  • Check out this very interesting and informative article detailing how Pedro Araujo, Orlando City’s senior vice president of marketing and brand, sells and markets the Lions and Pride to the club’s fanbases.
  • In MLS NEXT Fest action, Orlando City’s U-15 team beat Real Salt Lake 5-0 but the U-16 team fell 3-2 to LAFC.

That’s all I have for this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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