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Lion Links: 8/6/21

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3 years ago

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How’s it going, Mane Landers? I feel like I’m finally able to catch my breath after all of the soccer so far this summer. This weekend I’ll be dragged to the beach by some friends and it should be a nice time to get some reading done. Hopefully the work week hasn’t been too hard on you these past few days and you can also unwind a bit this weekend. Let’s get this Friday started with some links from around the soccer world.

Nani Named to MLS Team of the Week Bench

Orlando City’s Nani made the bench of the MLS Team of the Week after midweek matches throughout the league. The Lions’ captain had an assist late in the first half of Orlando’s 1-1 draw with Inter Miami. It was Nani’s sixth assist of the season, tying him at third-most in the league and just one behind Orlando teammate Mauricio Pereyra. Both trail Carles Gil, who has 15 assists this year and is currently out due to injury. Nani has been in fine form for the Lions as of late, with two goals and three assists in his past four appearances.

Pereyra has also done well for the Lions recently after a slow start to the season and showcased his ability in Orlando’s midweek result. Suspensions and injuries have limited Pereyra’s impact this year, but he weighed in on how he’s finding his groove in the offense again.

“In my case, I think the most important is to be healthy physically and in a good condition,” Pereyra said. “Because after this is giving you more confidence when you can run when, when you are not held and when you are 100%, healthy, then, of course, you should show your skills. You can have mistakes and you can have answers but in the most important for the team is to have the whole players in good shape and in good condition and this is what we are working on now.”

MLS Clubs Were Busy for Transfer Deadline Day

Although the Lions didn’t make much noise, it was a hectic day for MLS clubs as the summer transfer window closed. The LA Galaxy officially signed Serbian forward Dejan Joveljić from the Bundesliga’s Eintracht Frankfurt to a deal through 2025. The 21-year-old scored 20 goals in 46 appearances while on loan with Wolfsberger AC in Austria. I’m personally glad he’s in the Western Conference. In fact, many teams out west landed players on deadline day as the Seattle Sounders added Brazilian attacker Leo Chu from Gremio, Sporting Kansas City signed former AC Milan midfielder Jose Muari to a deal through 2022, and the Vancouver Whitecaps acquired 19-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder Pedro Vite to a contract through 2025.

As far as departures go, two young Americans are headed to Europe. SKC’s Gianluca Busio is officially headed to Serie A’s Venezia FC while Colorado Rapids left back Sam Vines will join Royal Antwerp in Belgium. The New England Revolution agreed to a deal in principle with Belgium’s Club Brugge for Tajon Buchanan, but the deal isn’t finalized. The Chicago Fire dealt Przemyslaw Frankowski to RC Lens of France’s Ligue 1 for a transfer fee around $3 million.

Some trades were also completed as Jeremy Ebobisse was officially traded from the Portland Timbers to the San Jose Earthquakes, while FC Cincinnati nabbed New York Red Bulls midfielder Florian Valot in exchange for an initial $50,000 in General Allocation Money. That amount could double if Valot reaches certain performance metrics.

USWNT Wins First Bronze Medal

The United States Women’s National Team will leave Tokyo with a bronze medal after beating Australia 4-3. This match was a stark contrast to the scoreless draw the two countries shared in the group stage. For the second time in her career, Megan Rapinoe scored an Olimpico at the Olympics. She bent a corner kick into goal in the eighth minute to get the scoring started and then scored on the volley in the 21st minute for an early brace. Carli Lloyd also had a brace and broke Abby Wambach’s record to become the USWNT’s leading scorer in the Olympics with 10 goals. She hunted a hat trick throughout the match but wasn’t able to find a third goal. Australia’s Sam Kerr, Caitlin Foord, and Emily Gielnik all scored to keep the game fairly competitive. The Orlando Pride’s Alex Morgan came on in the 81st minute for Lloyd and had to exit due to an injury in stoppage time. Morgan was pleased that the USWNT was able to end its Olympic campaign with a win.

As for the gold medal game between Canada and Sweden, it was moved to this morning at 8 a.m. Both nations expressed concerns about the intense heat in Japan during the original set time for the match and this should allow the players to compete at their best. Although she’s not likely to play in this match, Pride goalkeeper Erin McLeod will earn a medal as she was included on Canada’s roster for its win over Chile in the group stage.

Lionel Messi Will Leave FC Barcelona

It’s the saga that has dominated the soccer world for quite some time, but Messi’s time at Barcelona seems to be over. The La Liga giant announced that an agreement was reached between Messi and the club, but league regulations and financial issues prevented it from being a reality. Paris Saint-Germain is eager to swoop in for the Argentine legend while Manchester City is likely out of the running after officially signing Jack Grealish for a hefty fee. Only time will tell if Messi’s reign at Barcelona is officially over, but this could be another step towards him eventually playing in MLS further down the line in his career.

Free Kicks

  • Here’s a nice refresher on the upcoming Leagues Cup. It’s a single-elimination tournament and Orlando City will take on Liga MX’s Santos Laguna at 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Exploria Stadium.
  • Before that cup match, Orlando will hit the road for a match against Cincinnati tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. and the Lions are already hard at work in preparation.

  • FIFA wants Uruguay and kit sponsor Puma to remove two of the four stars on the team’s jersey. Two of the stars are there to recognize Uruguay’s Olympic gold medals won in 1924 and 1928, which were considered world championships at the time.
  • We’ll end our links with a speed walking competition from the Pride. In case you didn’t know, the primary rule that differentiates speed walking from other races is that one foot must always be in contact with the ground. The result is basically the kind of walk you do when someone holds the door open for you even though you’re far away.

That’s going to be it for today. I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/25/24

Marta’s legacy, Orlando Pride get ready for Monterrey, U.S. men lose to France in Olympic soccer, and more.

Published

23 hours ago

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July 25, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’m settling back into the swing of things after a weekend trip to Maine that featured so many lobster rolls that I’m pretty sure my veins have more butter than blood in them at this point. All of the soccer going on takes some of the sting out of returning to work at least. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Marta’s Journey to Paris

Orlando Pride and Brazilian star Marta will begin her final international tournament today when Brazil takes on Nigeria this afternoon. Through interviews with the coaches, teammates, and opponents she’s had over the course of her career, ESPN detailed the impact she’s had on soccer. It’s a great feature that I strongly suggest you read in full, as it also touches on the instability of women’s soccer at the club level that she and many others had to battle against. From her teenage years in Brazil to becoming an outspoken ambassador for the sport, there are plenty of great vignettes into her life as a player included as well.

Orlando Pride Prepare for Monterrey

After losing a penalty shootout to the North Carolina Courage in their NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup opener, the Orlando Pride will aim to right the ship when they take on Monterrey on Saturday. It’s been over a month since the Pride have played at home, which should give the team a boost while notable players are at the Olympics. None of the Liga MX teams beat an NWSL team in the first round of matches, and Monterrey lost 3-1 to Racing Louisville. Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on how he’s excited to see how the team matches up against a team from outside the NWSL, along with how it will be a good experience for the players.

Checking In With Dennis Chin

As part of the recurring series to put a spotlight on those who have played a part in Orlando City’s history, former Lion Dennis Chin spoke on his time in Orlando during the team’s USL days. It’s been 10 years since Chin played in Orlando, where he scored 32 goals across 103 appearances and won the 2012 USL Pro Golden Boot. His family came to Orlando from Jamaica when he was young, and playing for the club gave him a chance to represent the City Beautiful.

“I felt like an extension of what everyone wanted to be,” he explained. “I felt like I was representing not just myself, but the whole city, my family and everyone. To still have that connection and to still feel that love, it just means the world to me.”

Chin tried his hand at coaching after retirement but stated he didn’t enjoy it, instead choosing to start his own player agency. He’s made strides providing player representation since then, using the lessons he learned from his own career to support players.

U.S. Olympic Men’s Team Loses to France

The United States Men’s Olympic Soccer Team had a rough first game in Paris after losing 3-0 to France. After a scoreless first half, Alexandre Lacazette gave France the lead in the 61st minute and Michael Olise scored another soon after. Orlando City forward Duncan McGuire started up top for the U.S. and was subbed off in the 86th minute, right after Loic Bade scored France’s third goal. The next match for the U.S. will be on Saturday against a New Zealand side that won 2-1 against Guinea. The Yanks will need to be sharper in that match and the group stage finale against Guinea on Tuesday if they want to advance.

MLS All-Stars Fall to Liga MX All-Stars

It was a rough night for the MLS All-Stars, who lost 4-1 to the Liga MX All-Stars in Columbus. Monterrey striker German Berterame got the scoring started in the 16th minute, but Columbus Crew duo Diego Rossi and Cucho Hernandez linked up for an equalizer a minute later. The Liga MX All-Stars scored again before halftime and then put the game to bed with a pair of back-to-back goals in the second half. The MLS All-Stars had their chances to score but lacked a finishing touch and weren’t able to claw their way back into the match. Attention now turns to the Leagues Cup, which kicks off on Friday and will pit MLS and Liga MX teams against each other.

Free Kicks

  • French winger Delphine Cascarino will join the San Diego Wave after the Olympics, signing a contract through the 2026 season. The 27-year-old has been with Lyon since making her professional debut in 2015.
  • An assistant coach and analyst for Canada were both removed from the team and sent home after New Zealand reported Canada for disrupting its Olympic training with a drone. Head Coach Bev Priestman withdrew herself from coaching the match as well.
  • The Olympic match between Argentina and Morocco had to be suspended for two hours due to fans rushing the field to protest a goal deep in stoppage time. What would have been the equalizer from Argentina was disallowed for offside upon video review after the delay, and Morocco went on to win 2-1.
  • American striker Ricardo Pepi scored a hat trick in PSV Eindhoven’s friendly against FC Eindhoven.
  • Konrad de la Fuente is headed to Switzerland after being transferred from Marseille to FC Lausanne. The American has spent the past two seasons on loan, playing for Eibar in Spain’s second division last year.
  • The Belgian Pro League kicks off on Friday and there are some Americans to keep an eye out for, including Owen Otasowie, Mark McKenzie, and Westerlo duo Bryan Reynolds and Julian Placias.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a great Thursday and rest of your week!

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Lion Links: 7/24/24

The Olympics are here, the MLS Skills Competition thrilled, the East won the MLS NEXT All-Star game, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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July 24, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. With the start of the Olympics, the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, and the Leagues Cup, it’s tournament time in our soccer world. There is plenty to watch and follow, but I want to take the opportunity to wish my wonderful wife a happy birthday! She is very supportive of my work with The Mane Land, and I appreciate her greatly. Now, let’s get to the links.

Olympic Pride

The Olympics are upon us, and thus the opportunity to watch the Orlando Pride’s representatives in action. You will definitely want to check out the matches, as it is Marta’s last Olympics. The Brazilian is playing in her sixth Olympics, though she isn’t there just because of her name. She has earned it through her play. It’s no surprise to Orlando Pride supporters that Marta secured her place on the squad, as she has looked much more like her old self this season during the Pride’s undefeated regular season run.

MLS Skills Competition and MLS NEXT All-Star Game

The MLS Skills Competition took place Tuesday at Lower.com Field in Columbus, OH. Liga MX won the Shooting Challenge, MLS won the Touch Challenge, Liga MX took the lead again on the Cross & Volley Challenge, and MLS tied things up by winning the Passing Challenge. The Crossbar Challenge tiebreaker went to the visitors, as Liga MX won the overall competition. Special Olympics Ohio received a $25,000 donation as Liga MX’s charity of choice.

The Philadelphia Union’s young star, Cavan Sullivan, scored a goal and provided an assist as the East squad came from two goals down to win 4-2 over the West in the MLS NEXT All-Star Game on Tuesday. Orlando City was represented by Colin Guske and Juan Rojas on the winning side. It was quite a showcase for the future of MLS.

U.S. to Face Host France in Olympic Opener Today

The U-23 USMNT starts its Olympic journey today against host France. Orlando City’s Duncan McGuire will likely be leading the attack for the Yanks. He will be a part of a squad unlike those that many are accustomed to watching, since the normal stars won’t be in attendance. Of course, that does give players like McGuire a chance to shine on the international stage.

USWNT Prepares for Zambia

The USWNT begin its quest for Olympic gold tomorrow against the Zambian National Team. Obviously, Orlando Pride supporters will get to watch Pride players Barbra Banda and Grace Chanda for Zambia. USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes is aware of the expectations surrounding her squad, and knows the challenge that Zambia presents. Hayes said the assumption that the U.S. will simply dominate is “disrespectful” of the growth of the women’s game across the world.

This is Zambia’s second Olympics, though the road to Paris was not an easy one, thanks to the Football Association of Zambia. There are accusations of money laundering by the president of the association, and sexual misconduct by a coach. It really is impressive that the team made it and will compete. Of course, Banda and Chanda are not the totality of the Zambian team, meaning there is a lot more to know about the USWNT’s first opponent.

Free Kicks

  • The Concacaf Award Nominees have been announced. U.S. national team players Sophia Smith and Christian Pulisic are up for their respective Player of the Year awards.
  • The New Zealand Women’s National Team was allegedly spied on by a drone for the Canadian Women’s National Team during training for the Olympics. The two teams will meet on Friday for their fist match.
  • Former Lion Denny Chin has a new gig with Young Money APAA Sports.
  • The Orlando Pride are also participating in a school supply drive for the Orlando community, and you can contribute as well. Here’s Simone Charley to tell you all about it.

That will do it for today.

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Lion Links: 7/23/24

Duncan McGuire’s road to Paris, MLS transfer happenings, USWNT will play Iceland after the Olympics, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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July 23, 2024

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It was a rather odd weekend as all three of Orlando’s soccer teams recorded 1-1 draws. The games will continue to come thick and fast between the Orlando Pride’s Summer Cup participation, Orlando City’s Leagues Cup opener, Orlando City B’s regularly scheduled programming, and the start of the Olympic tournaments. Before we get into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando Pride forward Alex Kerr!

Duncan McGuire’s Path to Olympics

Orlando City’s Duncan McGuire will likely suit up for the United States Olympic team in just one day’s time, and he’s had quite the interesting journey to arrive at this point. After being overshadowed in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft despite the Lions selecting him with the sixth overall pick, McGuire proceeded to have an outstanding rookie season by bagging 13 goals. His family members have long been some of his biggest supporters, and it’s good to hear that they’ll be on hand to cheer him on over in France. As the only traditional striker on the roster, he’ll have a good chance to make an impact. With as odd as his road has been to get here, it won’t be at all surprising if he does.

MLS Transfer Happenings

There are a number of MLS transfer moves that we need to catch up on. We’ll start with something that’s been rumored for awhile, as Atlanta United has officially sold Caleb Wiley to Chelsea for a fee reported to be in the area of $11 million. We stay in the Eastern Conference with Nashville SC, which has used a U22 Initiative spot to sign midfielder Patrick Yazbek from Viking FK. D.C. United has signed Boris Enow from Maccabi Netanya, a move that will add some important depth to the midfield. Shifting to the West, FC Dallas has signed Manuel Cafumana from Maccabi Haifa on a year-long loan deal. He continues the trend of midfield signings, and has experience playing for the Angolan national team. Finally, LAFC has sold defender Mamadou Fall to Barcelona after he spent last season on loan with the Spanish club.

USWNT Will Face Iceland in Friendlies

The United States Women’s National Team has announced that it will play a pair of matches against Iceland in October. The friendlies will take place on Oct. 24 in Austin, and Oct. 27 in Nashville, and will be the team’s first games following this summer’s Olympic tournament. Iceland is the 14th ranked team in the world, and should present a good test for the U.S. team. Additionally, a third match will take place on Oct. 30, with an opponent and location still to be announced. The USWNT will begin Olympic play on Thursday against Zambia.

Mexico Names Head Coach

Mexico has named Javier Aguirre as the team’s new head coach with legendary former defender Rafa Marquez joining the staff as an assistant. This is Aguirre’s third stint as the head coach of the team, but he will only have the job through the 2026 World Cup, after which he will turn the duties over to Marquez ahead of preparations for the 2030 edition of the tournament. Aguirre led Mexico to the round of 16 in the 2002 and 2010 editions of the tournament, and recently spent time coaching Monterrey and Mallorca. Marquez’s playing career needs little introduction, but he recently left his post as manager of Barcelona B in order to join Mexico’s staff.

Free Kicks

  • Make sure to participate in Orlando City’s school supply drive.
  • The Lions held steady at 14th in ESPN‘s MLS power rankings.
  • West Ham United has brought a very striking bus with them on the team’s tour of the United States.

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

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