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Lion Links: 11/22/21

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Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers! We are only one sleep away from Orlando City’s opening match of the 2021 MLS playoffs at Nashville SC. How are you feeling? Confident? Worried? I know I’m going to be a bit on edge for a day or so. The good news is that we don’t have to wait much longer. Before we get to today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando Pride player Taylor Kornieck!

Orlando City Prepares for MLS Playoffs

The Lions made the MLS playoffs for the second year in a row, but this is not Óscar Pareja’s first or even second rodeo. Pareja has advanced 18 times in of 28 tries in the postseason (this includes draws followed by penalty shootout wins), including last year’s results during his first season in Orlando. Lions forward Daryl Dike and center back Robin Jansson spoke about the team’s mentality heading into Tuesday’s match.

The Lions have drawn Nashville in all three matches between the two teams this season. While that is still a possibility in the playoffs, only one team will advance. If the game does end level, Orlando City has some experience winning a shootout as you might remember from last year’s match with New York City FC, which happened one year and one day ago.

Home Teams Advance in MLS Playoff Games

Atlanta United traveled to Yankee Stadium to take on New York City FC. As is often the case, the postage stamp of a pitch helped the Pigeons and they defeated Atlanta, 2-0. Valentin Castellanos and Alexander Callens scored for NYCFC and Atlanta center back Alan Franco earned a red card in stoppage time. NYCFC will now travel to take on the waiting New England Revolution on Nov. 30. The Philadelphia Union won 1-0 against the New York Red Bulls thanks to a late strike from Jakob Glesnes. The result means that the Lions will not host a playoff game this postseason and will travel to Philadelphia if they advance.

In the Western Conference, Minnesota United FC took an early lead against the Portland Timbers, but was unable to hold on as the Timbers scored three goals to move on in the playoffs. Minnesota Head Coach Adrian Heath spoke about the inconsistency that plagued his club this season. Sporting Kansas City also won 3-1 against the Vancouver Whitecaps and will play the winner of tomorrow’s match between the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake.

CF Montréal Claims a Concacaf Champions League Spot

Although Toronto FC and CF Montréal missed out on the MLS playoffs, they still had a match to play after Decision Day. The two squared off in the Canadian Championship final, with Romell Quioto’s second-half strike bringing home the hardware for Montréal. After the win, Montréal coach Wilfried Nancy pointed to the 2-0 loss to Orlando City and missing out on the playoffs as part of the motivation to win the domestic title. The victory is worth more than just bragging rights in Canada as Montreal secured a place in the Concacaf Champions League next year.

As for Toronto, reports surfaced following the loss that forward Jozy Altidore will leave the club. If true, it would be the end of an era and open up a Designated Player slot for Toronto heading into the off-season.

European Soccer Returns With Plenty of Changes

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left his role as Manchester United’s manager following the club’s 4-1 loss to Watford on Saturday. Former player Michael Carrick, who was a part of Solskjaer’s staff, will take charge for the team’s match tomorrow against Villareal in the UEFA Champions League.

Speaking of managers, Xavi won his first match at the helm of FC Barcelona with a 1-0 win over Espanyol. Steven Gerrard also won in his managerial debut as Aston Villa beat Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0. Elsewhere, Lionel Messi scored his first goal in Ligue 1 for Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund closed the gap between it and Bayern Munich, and Fiorentina won 4-3 against AC Milan in a thrilling match that featured forwards Dusan Vlahovic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic trading goals.

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  • The Orlando Pride’s Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris are doing their part to light the city purple in support of the Lions’ playoff campaign.

  • In the USL Championship semifinals, former Lion Santiago Patino converted his kick in the penalty shootout but his San Antonio FC side fell to Orange County SC. The Californian club will head to Florida for the final against the Tampa Bay Rowdies this Sunday and you can watch the game on ESPN.
  • The No. 1 Florida State Seminoles defeated No. 19 Pepperdine University to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. FSU will next play No. 9 Michigan this coming Friday in Tallahassee.
  • Don’t throw stuff from the stands. You think it wouldn’t be that hard to follow such a simple rule, but it wasn’t so easy for a supporter at the match between Lyon and Marseille. Someone threw a water bottle and hit Dimitri Payet in the head, prompting officials to abandon the match.

That will do it for today. Vamos Orlando!

Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/15/25

Lions earn weekly recognition, United States Men’s National Team announces friendlies, talking points about the women’s Euros, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Good morning, everyone. I write to you all from the great state of South Carolina, as I continue my summer of frequent and widespread traveling. We have a lot to talk through this morning, so let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B’s Tristan Himes and get into today’s links!

Lions Earn Weekly Recognition

A pair of Orlando City players have earned some recognition for their contributions during the Lions’ 1-1 draw with CF Montreal on Saturday. First up is Martin Ojeda, who garnered a nomination for the MLS Goal of the Matchday for this pinpoint, low free kick he scored which gave Orlando a lead in the first half.

We also can’t forget about Alex Freeman, who got a shoutout as a well-performing young player due to another solid performance at right back. Here’s hoping both men keep up the good work!

USMNT Announces October Friendlies

The United States Men’s National Team has announced that it will play friendlies against Ecuador and Australia during the October international window. The USMNT will face Ecuador on Oct. 10 at Q2 Stadium in Austin, TX, before playing Australia at Dick’s Sporting Good Park in Commerce City, CO. Both opponents are ranked in the top 25 in the world, and have already secured qualification for the 2026 World Cup. The games are exactly the sort of contests that the U.S. should be scheduling in the buildup to the tournament, and it’ll be interesting to see the performances of whatever roster Mauricio Pochettino chooses to deploy.

Women’s Euro Talking Points

The group stage of the women’s European Championship has come to an end, and there are plenty of things to talk about while we wait for the knockout stages to start later this week. Teams like Italy and Sweden have exceeded the expectations that many people had for them ahead of the tournament starting, while others like the Netherlands and Denmark had poor showings compared to what was expected of them. Alexia Putellas has unsurprisingly shone, and the quarterfinal matchup between France and Germany is the one that many people will have circled on their calendars.

Club World Cup Takeaways

Now that the Club World Cup has come to a conclusion, what did we learn from the tournament? For one, the quality of play was mostly good, as teams certainly took the competition seriously. Lessons need to be learned when it comes to pricing tickets appropriately and not kicking games off in the middle of the day during the heat of summer, but if the right adjustments are made, it could grow into a really fun competition to look forward to. Brazilian fans were one of the highlights of the tournament, while extremely low attendance numbers for some games were more of a blemish. Overall, the tournament is probably a net positive, but there are absolutely things that can and must be improved upon if it’s going to continue in this form.

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  • Martin Ojeda has now gone seven straight matches with a goal contribution, which is a new club record!

That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 7/14/25

Lions draw against CF Montreal, Pride players in action abroad, OCB wins, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you in Florida. I’ve been keeping myself busy at work. Our Lions and OCB were both in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Drop Points in Home Draw against CF Montreal

Orlando City picked up a 1-1 draw against CF Montreal on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions got off to a good start in the first half as Martin Ojeda scored the opening goal. In the second half, defender Kyle Smith came off the bench and became the second player in club history to make 200 appearances for the club across all competitions.

However, Orlando was unable to hold onto the lead as Rodrigo Schlegel fouled Prince Owusu, and Montreal was awarded a penalty kick late in the second half. Owusu buried his shot from the spot to tie the match as the teams split the points. Orlando is winless in its last three matches and dropped to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings with 35 points. Orlando City will face New York City FC Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium.

Pride Players in Women’s AFCON, Euros, and Copa America

Orlando Pride forwards Barbra Banda and Prisca Chilufya were in action for Zambia in their final group stage match in the 2025 Women’s African Cup of Nations against Congo DR over the weekend. Grace Chanda did not play, but Zambia defeated Congo 1-0 with a goal from Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji to book a spot in the quarterfinals.

Zambia finished second in the group behind host Morocco on goal difference with seven points. The Copper Queens will take on Nigeria Friday in the quarterfinals at Stade Larbi Zaouli. On Sunday, England crushed Wales 6-1 in the third match of the group stage in the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euros in Switzerland. Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was on the bench. England finished second in its group and will face Sweden Thursday in the quarterfinals. Lastly, Brazil was in action Sunday in the group stage of the 2025 Copa America Feminina against Venezuela. Orlando Pride forward Marta and midfielder Angelina played as Brazil defeated Venezuela 2-0.

OCB Beats Carolina Core FC at Home

Orlando City B beat Carolina Core FC 3-1 Sunday at Osceola County Stadium. The Young Lions struck first with a goal from Justin Ellis. OCB held onto the lead through halftime. In the second half, Orlando City B won a penalty kick, and Ellis converted to give the Young Lions a 2-0 lead. Carolina Core FC scored to pull within one, but Thalles scored his first goal for OCB late in the second half to clinch the three points. OCB won its first home match since June 6 and remains unbeaten in its last three matches. The Young Lions will be on the road to face New England Revolution II Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

Chelsea Wins the FIFA Club World Cup

Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 to win the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Chelsea dominated PSG in the first half, as Cole Palmer scored twice and Joao Pedro added one. Palmer also assisted on Pedro’s goal. Palmer scored three goals and recorded two assists throughout the competition and won the Best Player of the Tournament Award. Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez won the Golden Glove Award as the best goalkeeper in the tournament. Paris Saint-Germain forward Desire Doue won the Best Young Player Award, and Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia won the Golden Boot, scoring four goals in the tournament.

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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

Lion Links: 7/11/25

Storylines ahead of Orlando City’s match with CF Montreal, Mia Fishel signs with Seattle Reign FC, D.C. United coach Troy Lesesne fired, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC

Happy Friday! The weekend is nearly here, which means it’s almost time to pack Inter&Co Stadium to enjoy some Orlando City soccer. It should be a nice next few days, and I’m hoping I can catch the new Superman movie at some point if the crowds aren’t too crazy. Let’s get to the links!

Storylines Ahead of Orlando City’s vs. Montreal

Orlando City takes on CF Montreal Saturday, and there’s plenty to watch for as the Lions aim to get back in the win column. Martin Ojeda has had a goal contribution in six straight matches, while fellow Designated Player Marco Pasalic is one of three MLS newcomers with double-digit goals so far this season. The Lions will be without Pedro Gallese and Robin Jansson due to yellow card accumulation, although right back Alex Freeman is back from international duty. Orlando is unbeaten in its past five matches against Montreal, including a scoreless draw in Canada on April 19.

Seattle Reign FC Signs Mia Fishel

American forward Mia Fishel made the move to the NWSL, signing a contract with the Seattle Reign through the 2029 season. She was drafted by the Orlando Pride with the fifth overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft, but opted to join Tigres in Mexico instead of coming to the City Beautiful. The 24-year-old has spent the past two seasons with Chelsea and should get more playing time in a Seattle offense that could use a dynamic player like her. Fishel and the Reign will be in Orlando to take on the Pride on Nov. 2, adding another wrinkle to the Decision Day match.

D.C. United Fires Troy Lesesne

Troy Lesesne was fired as D.C. United’s head coach Thursday, with assistant coach Zach Prince leaving the club as well. This decision comes while D.C. United is 12th in the Eastern Conference and just lost to Nashville SC in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. Academy Director Kevin Flanagan will take over as the interim head coach, but the club has reportedly agreed to terms with Swiss manager Rene Weiler as a replacement.

Switzerland and Norway Advance to Euro Quarterfinals

Switzerland booked its spot in the 2025 Women’s European Championship quarterfinals in dramatic fashion against Finland. The game was a scoreless affair until Finland took the lead in the 79th minute, but Riola Xhemaili scored an equalizer in stoppage time for the host nation to secure a 1-1 draw. Norway advanced after a 4-3 win over Iceland, with Signe Gaupset scoring twice and assisting on both of Frida Maanum’s goals. Iceland rallied late but finished the tournament without a win.

Today’s action includes a solid matchup between Italy and Spain for the top spot in the group. Meanwhile, Portugal and Belgium will mostly be playing for pride, although Portugal could sneak into the quarterfinals depending on how goal differential shakes out.

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

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