Lion Links: 1/19/22

Hello, Mane Landers. I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been catching up with friends from Wisconsin over the weekend and checking out the local sports scene up here in Chicago. Let’s wish a happy birthday to Orlando Pride draft pick Caitlin Cosme! The Pride traded up to select Cosme with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft.

Orlando City Linked With DeAndre Yedlin

A Turkish journalist tweeted that Orlando City made an offer for Galatasaray and United States Men’s National Team right back DeAndre Yedlin.

Translated, the tweet reads:

Orlando City made an official offer to Galatasaray Club to sign Yedlin. Galatasaray did not approve the MLS team’s offer for the time being, as the suggested number was too low and Torrent wrote the ‘back’ transfer to the 3rd place after the number 6 with the goalkeeper.

In order to sign Yedlin, Orlando would first need to acquire the top spot in the allocation order, which currently belongs to Inter Miami. A move for Yedlin would certainly be unexpected considering Ruan was re-signed to a new two-year contract this off-season. Yedlin hasn’t played in a match for Galatasaray since Dec. 18 and featured as the USMNT’s right back during World Cup qualifying when Sergino Dest was out due to injury.

Preseason Training Camp Begins for Lions

The preseason is underway as Orlando City trained for the first time in 2022 at Osceola Heritage Park. Head Coach Oscar Pareja is focused on catching the players up to speed in terms of their fitness. Veterans such as Mauricio Pereyra, Júnior Urso, and Kyle Smith were at training, along with plenty of academy players who are expected to take part in the team’s scrimmage behind closed doors this Sunday. Pareja spoke about the importance of familiarizing these young players with the first team.

“I want to see the youngsters too,” said Pareja. “We brought a good amount of players from our U23 and from our Academy, and so we want to just meld those players into our team and into our training, make sure these guys understand…our methodology. I want to get them close to the First Team.”

Speaking of young Lions, rumors surfaced that Orlando City academy center back Quembol Guadalupe was offered a contract by the club. The 17-year-old is currently with the U-20 Peruvian National Team and wouldn’t take up an international slot if he does end up signed as a Homegrown Player.

Orlando Pride Trade Kornieck and van Egmond to San Diego

The Orlando Pride announced that they have traded the rights to Taylor Kornieck and Emily van Egmond to San Diego Wave FC in exchange for $125,000 in allocation money and a second-round pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft. Kornieck was drafted by the Pride with the third overall pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft and made 26 appearances for the club, starting in 17 matches and recording 1,641 minutes for the Pride. Van Egmond had recently rejoined the Pride for their playoff push this past season after playing for West Ham United in England’s FA Women’s Super League. Van Egmond was transferred to the Newcastle Jets to play for her hometown club and now won’t be returning to the Pride.

This off-season has seen many star players leave the club such as Alex Morgan, Ashlyn Harris, and Ali Krieger. The club has some flexibility after amassing allocation money and future draft picks as it rebuilds for the upcoming 2022 NWSL season and future.

Pato Seeks Redemption in Second Season with Lions

After a difficult 2021 season spent dealing with injuries, Orlando forward Alexandre Pato is focused on this upcoming season after re-signing with the Lions for another year. Pato suffered a knee injury in Orlando’s first game of 2021, missing a majority of matches until available late in the season. Following the season, the 32-year-old received offers to play elsewhere but chose to stay another year in Orlando after meeting with Pareja.

“We spoke very seriously, but it makes me happy how he says things,” Pato said of Pareja. “He said to me, ‘You’re coming back, you’ll be 100% and I need you to be near me and we’re going to do the best this year,’ and that made me happy and after I signed I was filled with joy.”

Free Kicks

• Let’s all give our congratulations to Orlando winger Silvester van der Water and his growing family!

• Don’t forget to check out the next episode of NWSL Game Changers tomorrow as it will feature Pride midfielder Erika Tymrak’s story of returning to soccer after retiring to focus on her mental health.

• The Kansas City Current have re-signed former Orlando Pride player Kristen Edmonds to a new contract for the 2022 NWSL season.
• Leeds United reportedly made a bid in the range of $20 million for USMNT midfielder Brenden Aaronson, but the offer was rejected by RB Salzburg.
• The Houston Dynamo have acquired Sebastian Ferreira from Club Libertad Asunción in Paraguay. The forward will become a Designated Player and is the club’s most expensive signing in its history.
• The Mexican Football Federation announced that fans in Mexico will be given a five-year ban from stadiums if they are found to have made an anti-gay chant.
• The LA Galaxy signed former North Texas SC goalkeeper Richard Sanchez to a one-year contract.
• Borussia Dortmund was knocked out of the third round of the DFB-Pokal Cup after a 2-1 loss to 2. Bundesliga leaders FC St. Pauli.
• Ghana was eliminated from the group stage at the African Cup of Nations, losing 3-2 to debutants Comoros and finishing last in its group.

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