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Lion Links: 10/27/21

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Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all is well down in Florida. I’ve been busy this week at work but am looking forward to catching up with friends over the weekend. There’s plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Faces the Columbus Crew Tonight

The Lions are on the road tonight for their midweek match-up at 7:30 p.m. against the Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field. The Lions have beaten the Crew five straight times, with the most recent meeting taking place on Sept 4. as Orlando won 3-2 in Exploria Stadium. Orlando enters tonight’s match following a 2-2 draw this past weekend against the New England Revolution while the Columbus Crew lost 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls. Orlando can clinch a playoff berth tonight with a win, a draw between D.C. United and the Red Bulls, and a win from Inter Miami over Atlanta United. Meanwhile, the Crew face elimination from playoff contention tonight if they don’t win and other results across the league don’t fall their way.

Carli Lloyd Bids Farewell in USWNT Win

The United States Women’s National Team defeated South Korea 6-0 at Allianz Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota in Carli Lloyd’s last international game before retirement. Lloyd played until the 66th minute when she was subbed off, finishing an international career that includes 315 appearances, 134 goals, two World Cup titles, and two Olympic gold medals. Orlando Pride forward Alex Morgan replaced Lloyd on the pitch and scored a goal in the 69th minute, had an assist in the 89th, and helped create the USWNT’s final goal in stoppage time. Lindsey Horan, Megan Rapinoe, Rose Lavelle, and Lynn Williams scored the other goals in the friendly as the USWNT bounced back following a scoreless draw against South Korea last week.

Grading Productivity From MLS Designated Players

Orlando City SC received an A grade for getting great value out of its Designated Players this season. Nani and Mauricio Pereyra have combined for 11 goals and 17 assists this year, spearheading Orlando’s offense as the Lions hunt for a playoff berth. Orlando ranked second in the Eastern Conference in terms of bringing the most value out of its DPs, with Nashville SC taking the top spot thanks to a strong year from Hany Mukhtar and the rest of the offense. The Revs, Seattle Sounders, and Red Bulls are a few of the other clubs that earned strong grades as well.

Kansas City to Make History with NWSL-Specific Stadium

Kansas City’s NWSL team and Port KC announced historic plans to build the first soccer-specific stadium for an NWSL team to be the primary tenant. The stadium will be privately funded and is estimated to be a $70-million project. The team announced earlier in the season that it will build a privately funded training facility and will play its home matches next season at Sporting Kansas City’s Children's Mercy Park. Another announcement from the team is set to take place this weekend as the club will reveal its name after playing its inaugural season without one.

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  • Pride midfielder Marta had an assist in Brazil’s 2-2 draw with Australia. The Pride’s Emily van Egmond also started for Australia in the friendly.
  • Orlando City moved up one spot to seventh in the MLS power rankings following its pair of draws at home to New England and CF Montreal.
  • MLSsoccer.com‘s Joseph Lowery analyzed every Eastern Conference team’s leader in touches. Sebas Mendez leads the Lions with 67.8 touches per 90 minutes and his passing ability has made him a crucial part of Orlando’s midfield.
  • With the next United States Men’s National Team’s World Cup qualifying matches right around the corner, there’s some discussion to be had on which players will be called up. Daryl Dike is in the mix to be one of the team’s forwards and can bolster his case by continuing to play well for the Lions.
  • LAFC played the Sounders in a critical match for Bob Bradley’s squad and won 3-0. Forward Carlos Vela made his return from injury and will certainly improve LAFC’s chances in its final two games.
  • Chelsea had to go to penalties to defeat Southampton and advance in the Carabao Cup. Arsenal shut out Leeds United 2-0 to also advance to the quarterfinals.

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

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/18/25

Orlando City set to play the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Lions reach Generation Adidas Cup semifinals, Angel City hires Alexander Straus, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! I hope today finds you well as we gear up for another Saturday filled with soccer to enjoy. I don’t have many plans this Easter weekend beyond working, catching soccer when I can, and playing Baldur’s Gate 3 for the first time if I find some spare hours. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Learns U.S. Open Cup Opponents

Orlando City’s 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign will begin on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 7 at 7:30 p.m. in what will be the latest edition of the I-4 Derby. It will be Orlando’s first game of this year’s tournament, while the Rowdies joined in the previous round and got past FC Naples in penalties. The Rowdies have lost four of their five games so far this season in the USL Championship and fired Robbie Neilson as head coach earlier this month. The Lions also notably would have hosting priority if they reach the round of 16, where they will play either Nashville SC or the Chattanooga Red Wolves.

Here’s the full schedule for the round of 32, which includes some interesting matchups across the country. The Tacoma Defiance are the only MLS NEXT Pro side left and will face the Portland Timbers, while the New York Red Bulls will have a long road trip to take on the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Lions Advance to Generation Adidas Cup Semifinals

Orlando City’s U-18 team beat Real Salt Lake 1-0 in the Generation Adidas Cup to secure a spot in the semifinals. The Young Lions have won four of their five games of the tournament and will take on Santos Laguna in the semifinal on Saturday. The winner of that match will face whichever team becomes victorious in the other semifinal between Atlanta United and the Colorado Rapids.

The U-16 team’s run in the Premier bracket is also going strong after a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, and Orlando will take on the New England Revolution in the semifinals on Saturday.

Angel City FC Hires Alexander Straus

Bayern Munich’s Alexander Straus was named Angel City FC’s next head coach and will officially join the club on June 1. The Norwegian coach has won back-to-back Bundesliga titles and has Bayern positioned well to make it three straight this season. He’ll join an Angel City team that’s unbeaten in its first four games of the season under interim head coach Sam Laity, who will stay on as an assistant coach once Straus joins.

Europa League Quarterfinals End In Dramatic Fashion

Old Trafford hosted one of the wildest games in Europa League history, with Manchester United and Lyon battling for a spot in the quarterfinals. United scored twice in the first half, then conceded twice in the second, sending the game to extra time. Lyon took the lead despite being a man down and then the teams traded penalty kicks as the madness continued. Casemiro orchestrated Manchester’s victory in the end, assisting on two late goals within a minute of each other to beat Lyon 5-4 and advance. This United fan pretty much sums up just how much of a rollercoaster this match was.

There was also drama in Italy, as Lazio came back in the second leg to force extra time against Bodo/Glimt. The match went to penalties and Bodo/Glimt goalkeeper Nikitka Haikin denied former New York City FC player Taty Castellanos from the spot to book his team’s place in the semifinals. Although Tottenham was without Son Heung-Min, it got the job done in a 1-0 road win against Eintracht Frankfurt, while Athletic Club beat Rangers 2-0 in Spain to advance as well. In the semifinals, Tottenham will face Bodo/Glimt and Manchester United will take on Athletic Club.

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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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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/17/25

Oscar Pareja signs new contract with Orlando City, Orlando Pride prepare for the Washington Spirit, Orlando’s youth teams win, and more.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I can’t believe we’re already into the back half of April and Easter is right around the corner. There’s plenty of soccer to enjoy between now and then and we also have the draw for the U.S. Open Cup’s round of 32 this morning at 9:15. MLS teams are finally joining the fray, so we’ll see where the chips fall for Orlando City. Let’s get to the links!

Oscar Pareja Signs New Contract

Orlando City and Head Coach Oscar Pareja have agreed to a new three-year contract that will keep him in the City Beautiful through 2028. Pareja was hired as Orlando’s fourth head coach in its MLS era back in December of 2019 and he’s led the Lions to the playoffs in all five seasons he’s been at the helm.  Under Pareja, the Lions won the U.S. Open Cup in 2022, set club records in points and wins in 2023, and reached the Eastern Conference final for the first time last year. This year was the final one on the contract he signed in December of 2023, so it’s nice to know Pareja will be sticking around in the future.

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride will look to make it five wins in a row when they host the Washington Spirit on Saturday in another rematch of last year’s final. While this is the first match between Orlando and Washington this season, the two clashed in the NWSL Challenge Cup on March 7 and the Spirit lifted the trophy after a penalty shootout. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on how the team has grown since that game and has benefitted from depth and consistency carried over from last year.

Orlando City Youth Teams Win in Bradenton

Orlando City’s U-18 team won in the Generation Adidas Cup’s round of 16, beating St. Louis City 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. The Young Lions remain unbeaten in that age group and will take on a Real Salt Lake team that also won its group and just beat Toronto FC in a penalty shootout following a scoreless draw.

Orlando’s U-16 squad didn’t qualify for the Championship bracket, but still advanced in the Premier bracket. After a 1-1 draw with Toronto, Orlando prevailed in the ensuing penalty shootout and will play Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.

UEFA Champions League Semifinals Are Set

The quarterfinals for this year’s UEFA Champions League are over and only four teams remain in the tournament. Arsenal secured its spot in the semifinals after an impressive 2-1 road win against Real Madrid that included two assists from Mikel Merino. The Spanish club couldn’t muster its usual magic in the tournament and forward Kylian Mbappe exited in the second half due to injury. In Italy, Inter Milan held on for a 2-2 draw against Bayern to advance on aggregate, with defender Benjamin Pavard scoring a crucial goal for Inter against his old team. The semifinals will take place at the end of the month and will feature Arsenal taking on Paris Saint-Germain and Inter going up against Barcelona.

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  • Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of former FC Cincinnati player Aaron Boupendza, who died after falling from the 11th floor of a building in China.
  • The Chicago Fire are reportedly strongly interested in signing star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne on a free transfer. If any Western Conference teams could join the hunt for him, that would be great.

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 4/16/25

Orlando Pride on top, OCB falls to Inter Miami II, USMNT eyes Gold Cup, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I know I’ve said it before, but I love that I can always find soccer to watch. Whether it’s UEFA Champions League or the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, or anything in between, I love it. I’m willing to bet you love it too. Speaking of love, we want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City Designated Player Luis Muriel. Let’s get to the links.

All the Rankings

With the win over the Seattle Reign, the Orlando Pride stayed perfect on the season. It was enough for the Pride to remain on top of the standings and also at the top of numerous power rankings. All for XI kept the Pride at No. 1 with a shoutout to Anna Moorhouse, SI.com did the same, while noting Summer Yates’ injury, and Goal.com completed the sweep. The Pride also landed at No. 8 in Opta’s global power rankings for women’s clubs. Strangely, the Kansas City Current were two spots above on that particular list.

OCB Falls to Inter Miami II

Orlando City B traveled to IMG Academy to take on Inter Miami II Tuesday night. The Young Lions went down early on the road, but were able to equalize thanks to a goal from Tahir Reid-Brown. Unfortunately, Inter Miami scored two more goals before a penalty in second-half stoppage time gave OCB a slight lifeline. It was not enough as the team fell 3-2 to their in-state foes.

Generation Adidas Cup Matchups

Orlando City Academy’s U-18 squad won Group J in the Generation Adidas Cup. Now the team will face St. Louis City SC 2 in the Round of 16. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the younger generations of players in Orlando City’s system, here is your opportunity.

U.S. Eyes Gold Cup

We’re about two months out from the start of the Concacaf Gold Cup and it feels like a must-win for the USMNT given recent results. Winning an eighth Gold Cup title will not come easily. Naturally, all eyes fall on Christian Pulisic to lead the squad, though not everyone thinks he should be the pick for captain. Tyler Adams is looking for more belief from his teammates heading into the competition.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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