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Lion Links: 9/2/21

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5 years ago

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Good morning, friends! With the international “break,” the new cycle in our Orlando City sphere is relatively quiet. But in a sport that’s 24/7, 365 days a year, we’ve got plenty of news to share with you, so let’s jump into it.

Jordan Bender Recalled from USL Loan

Orlando City Homegrown Player Jordan Bender was recalled from his loan with USL Championship side Charlotte Independence after less than four months. The young winger played 15 times in the USL, tripling his career professional appearances, but only two of them were starts. In total, Bender played just 355 minutes — fewer than 25 minutes per game — during his time away. With that limited playing time, he scored no goals and registered no assists, and only had two total shots, with both on target. This move is probably not to strengthen Orlando City in the short term, though he is back in training and Orlando has dealt with injury issues everywhere.

Concacaf World Cup Qualifying Starts Tonight

It’s been 1,484 days since the United States Men’s National Team suffered a legendarily embarrassing defeat to Trinidad & Tobago that kept the U.S. out of the 2018 World Cup. A lot has changed since that fateful night, but now is the time to make amends for that failure. The USMNT begins its Concacaf World Cup qualification campaign tonight in El Salvador. Star playmakers Christian Pulisic did not make the trip to Central America with the rest of the team and will not play tonight, but he could still be available for the final two games this window. Goalkeeper Zach Steffen also didn’t make the trip due to back spasms. making New England’s Matt Turner the starter for tonight.

Outside of the USMNT’s trip to El Salvador, the other six teams in the Concacaf “Ocho” also open up their campaigns, with Jamaica traveling to play Mexico, Panama hosting Costa Rica, and Honduras facing Canada in Canada.

Rochester Rhinos now Rochester New York FC (ugh)

One of the most storied brands in American professional soccer took a step in a “meh” direction yesterday, with the club formerly known as the Rochester Rhinos being rebranded to Rochester New York FC. The club, partially owned by star Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, hasn’t played a match in four years, but in the late 90s was a force. Playing in the USL, the Rhinos dominated their division and are still the only non-MLS side to win a U.S. Open Cup in the MLS era, defeating the Colorado Rapids in 1999.

The new branding, aside from being a clunky mouthful, has drawn heaps of criticism from the American soccer world, with many commentators calling it yet another attempt to destroy actual history in exchange for a “global brand.” While RNYFC (ugh) is on nowhere the scale of an MLS side, it’s yet another example of the bland, corporate nothingness of modern rebrands in the sport.

World Cup Qualifying Begins in Earnest

While Concacaf and AFC might kick off qualifying tonight, the first round of qualifiers in Europe and Africa were played last night. Among the highlights were a 2-1 victory for Portugal over Ireland, where Cristiano Ronaldo scored at the death to lift his side over the Irish. Elsewhere, France played Bosnia & Herzegovina to a somewhat surprising 1-1 draw in France.

In Africa, Liverpool winger Sadio Mane started and scored in a 2-0 win for Senegal over Togo, while Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon side fell 2-1 to Libya on the road.

Free Kicks

  • Some Orlando City injury updates, including the return of Andres Perea to training. Mauricio Pereyra is still out, though.

  • Alexandre Pato says via Twitter he’s almost back, but whether that’s actually the case remains to be seen.

That’s all for this Thursday morning. Thank you all for joining me. Have a fantastic rest of your day.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 5/26/26

Martin Ojeda up for weekly award, lessons from MLS matchday 15, Phil Neville out in Portland, and more.

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3 hours ago

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May 26, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda celebrating a goal against New England.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

It was another mixed bag for Orlando’s soccer teams over the weekend, as two out of the three sides came away with victories, only for Orlando City to lose in resounding fashion. Fortunately, we can put what’s been a torturous MLS season so far behind us for the time being, as the league is now on break for roughly two months. The big thing currently on the horizon is today’s World Cup roster reveal for the United States Men’s National Team, when we’ll see if the leak reported over the weekend was accurate or not. Then, it’ll be games on Friday and Sunday for the Orlando Pride and Orlando City B, respectively, with a USMNT friendly against Senegal thrown in on Sunday for good measure. Clearly there’s a lot to talk about today, so let’s attack those links.

Martin Ojeda Up for Weekly Honors

Martin Ojeda has been nominated for MLS Goal of the Matchday. Orlando City’s no. 10 has his second goal of Saturday’s match up for consideration, and it was a doozy. The Lions had a free kick on the edge of the box just a couple minutes into the second half, and Tincho stepped up and smashed a shot over the wall and into the top corner of Roman Celentano’s net. The strike leveled the game at 2-2, and although OCSC went on to concede a whopping four second-half goals to slump to a 6-2 defeat, we still have to celebrate the few bright spots to be found. Make sure you go vote for Martin’s strike.

Lessons from Matchday 15

Matchday 15 is now in the books for Major League Soccer, and the league now goes on sabbatical until the World Cup concludes. As for what we learned from the weekend’s action, for starters, it was the last time we’ll see Wilfried Zaha in a Charlotte FC uniform. The forward’s loan expires on June 30, and while his time in MLS certainly can’t be called a failure, it’s also understandable that neither side wanted to extend his stay, as things never seemed to fully click between the two parties. Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, Jorge Ruvalcaba is starting to find a groove for the New York Red Bulls, and he’s helped the team to sit fifth in the East heading into the break. Finally, both Nashville SC and the Vancouver Whitecaps flashed some impressive depth as they picked up shorthanded wins over tough opposition.

Phil Neville Out in Portland

The Portland Timbers announced Monday afternoon that they have parted ways with head coach Phil Neville. Portland sits 13th in the Western Conference heading into the World Cup break, and Saturday’s 3-1 home loss to the San Jose Earthquakes was seemingly the straw that broke the camel’s back. Neville was in charge of Portland for two full seasons, and while the Timbers made the playoffs in each of them, they failed to advance out of the first round on both occasions. Portland is now on a three-game losing streak and will immediately begin its search for a new head coach, with no interim having been named. As for Neville, it brings an end to his second stint with an MLS team after he coached Inter Miami for two-and-a-half seasons.

Iran Moves Tournament Base to Mexico

Iran has officially moved its World Cup base of operations to Mexico. The Iranian federation announced news of the move on Saturday, with FIFA confirming the switch on Monday when it also confirmed the base camp locations for each of the tournament’s 48 teams. Iran will be based in Tijuana after previously choosing to stay in Tucson, AZ before the United States and Israel launched the Operation Epic Fury attacks. Mexico’s president Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that she has “no issue” hosting the team and was told by a FIFA representative that the U.S. was reluctant for the Iranian team to spend time outside of games on American soil.

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

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Lion Links: 5/25/26

Lions fall to FC Cincinnati, Pride and OCB win, USMNT World Cup roster leaked, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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May 25, 2026

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Image of Martin Ojeda fighting for the ball against LAFC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Memorial Day, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy at work over the holiday weekend, covering high school lacrosse playoff games. The Lions, Pride, and OCB were all in action over the weekend, and the World Cup is less than three weeks away. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get into the links.

Lions Suffer Heavy Defeat at FC Cincinnati

Orlando City fell 6-2 to FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium Saturday in another embarrassing road display. Martin Ojeda scored the opener for the Lions in the first half before Cincinnati scored twice to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. Ojeda equalized for Orlando early in the second half. However, it was all Cincinnati from that point as Evander scored his second goal of the match and added three assists as Orlando suffered a heavy defeat on the road for the fourth time this season. The loss snapped the Lions’ three-match unbeaten streak. Orlando City will be off until late July due to the MLS World Cup break. The Lions’ next match will be on the road against the San Jose Earthquakes at PayPal Park on July 22.

Payne’s Goal Lifts Pride over San Diego Wave

The Orlando Pride defeated the San Diego Wave 1-0 at Snapdragon Stadium Sunday and snapped their two-match losing streak. Nicole Payne scored the lone goal in the match for Orlando, which moved above the Seattle Reign on goal difference to eighth in the NWSL table with 14 points. The Pride will return home Friday to take on Bay FC at Inter&Co Stadium.

OCB Beats Inter Miami II

Orlando City B defeated Inter Miami II 4-1 at Osceola County Stadium on Sunday. The Young Lions got off to a flying start in the first half as Ignacio Gomez scored the opening goal. Bernardo Rhein added another, and OCB got an own goal by Miami defender Daniel Sumalla to take a 3-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Zakaria Taifi scored for OCB and Miami pulled one back, but the Young Lions had the match wrapped up by then. OCB will take on Chattanooga FC Sunday at Osceola County Stadium.

USMNT World Cup Roster Leaked

According to Jeff Rueter and Pablo Maurer at The Guardian, the full 26-man U.S. Men’s National Team roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was leaked over the weekend, just days before the official announcement. Former Lion Alex Freeman, Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, and Tim Weah were notable mentions, while other players reportedly making the cut include Alejandro Zendejas, Gio Reyna, Sebastian Berhalter, Brenden Aaronson, Mark Mackenzie, and goalkeeper Matt Turner. Diego Luna, Tanner Tessmann, and Aidan Morris were left out of the squad. The U.S. Soccer Federation will officially announce the USMNT roster Tuesday, while the final deadline to submit the roster to FIFA for the World Cup is June 1.

Free Kicks

  • Wilfried Zaha will reportedly depart from Charlotte FC this summer when his loan deal expires.
  • Josef Martinez will reportedly become a free agent after reaching an agreement to part ways with Liga MX side Tijuana.

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: 5/22/26

Orlando City prepares for FC Cincinnati, Angelina receives an additional suspension, Orlando City B signs Albright Chikamso, and more.

Published

4 days ago

on

May 22, 2026

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Image of Angelina launching a long pass.
Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! There’s a smorgasbord of Orlando soccer waiting for us this weekend and I’m looking forward to it. Along with enjoying the games, I plan on spending the weekend tearing my way through the rest of Kristen Perrin’s murder mystery series after devouring “How to Solve Your Own Murder.” I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of whodunits. Now, let’s get to the links!

Orlando City Prepares for FC Cincinnati

The Lions are back in action on Saturday with a road match against FC Cincinnati in the last match for both clubs before the World Cup break. Orlando enters this match with plenty of momentum after beating Atlanta United 4-1 in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals, but the team has struggled playing away this year and Cincinnati is a tough opponent. Both offenses are flying high as of late, and the only team in the league that has conceded more goals this season than Cincinnati is Orlando, so a high-scoring affair might be in the cards for us before the break.

Angelina Suspended for an Additional Game

The NWSL Disciplinary Committee handed Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina an additional one-game suspension for a violation of “Major Game Misconduct.” Angelina received a red card following video review in Orlando’s 3-1 loss to the Denver Summit after she pulled Delanie Sheehan’s hair. The Pride will now be without her for both Sunday’s game against the San Diego Wave and the game on May 29 against Bay FC, meaning she won’t be available for selection until after the summer break.

Orlando City B Signs Albright Chikamso

Defender Albright Chikamso has signed an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Orlando City B that will last through 2028. The academy product has made four appearances with OCB already and scored in his first start with the team on Oct. 10 of last year. It’s nice to see the club’s youth program continue to develop players so that they can move up the pipeline. Hopefully Chikamso can continue to impress with the Young Lions this season.

Chris Richards Injury Update Before World Cup

American defender Chris Richards tore ligaments in his ankle according to Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, who confirmed that he won’t be available for the team’s season finale on Sunday. There’s notably still a chance that he plays in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday. However, the World Cup is only a few weeks away and United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino will announce the team’s roster on Monday. Richards has been a critical part of the U.S. defense under Pochettino and we wish him a speedy and smooth recovery.

Free Kicks

  • MLS players will wear personalized jerseys this weekend in recognition of the upcoming World Cup, with an auction to follow.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday!

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