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Lion Links: 4/1/22

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3 years ago

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Welcome to April, Mane Landers. It’s April Fools’ Day, so make sure to take any outrageous news you see today with a grain of salt. Of course, you don’t have to worry about that here at The Mane Land as we get ready for a weekend filled with Orlando soccer. Let’s get this month started with some links from around the soccer world!

Key Players Return Ahead of Orlando’s Home Game

Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, winger Facundo Torres, and midfielder Sebas Mendez are all back with Orlando City ahead of its match tomorrow night against LAFC at Exploria Stadium. The trio spent the past week in South America for World Cup qualifying and should give a boost to an Orlando side coming off a 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers. Torres scored and Gallese had a clean sheet in Orlando’s 1-0 win against the LA Galaxy on March 19, so hopefully that momentum continues after the international break.

In Orlando’s draw in Portland, Alexandre Pato recorded his first assist of the season by feeding a great ball to Junior Urso, who scored his second goal of the year. Although the Lions haven’t scored multiple goals in a game since the opener, they’ve only been shut out (controversially, no less) once in their five games and the offense seems to be finding its footing.

Orlando City Academy Adds U-12 Age Group

Orlando City announced that its academy will have a team in the U-12 age group as it continues to develop players for the first team. The fully-funded U-12 squad will play in the upcoming season, with a schedule to be released in May. The team will train at Osceola Heritage Park alongside Orlando City’s first team, OCB, and the U-15 and U-17 teams.

“We are very excited to add the U-12 age group to the Orlando City Academy,” Orlando City Academy Director Marcelo Neveleff said. “We firmly believe that this addition will enhance the way we develop our players in being able to identify talent at a much younger age. This is a great step for our club and we look forward to welcoming a number of new Lions into our family.”

FIFA World Cup Draw Takes Place Today

The draw for the 2022 FIFA World Cup is at noon today as the qualified nations learn which groups they’ll play in. The FIFA rankings were used to place the teams into pots, with the winners of the intercontinental playoffs and the remaining UEFA playoff placed in the fourth pot. Teams can’t be drawn with others in their pot or with others from their confederation, excluding UEFA, as that is unavoidable.

The United States is ranked 15th in the world and was put in the second pot alongside Mexico, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Uruguay, Switzerland and Croatia. Despite finishing at the top of the Octagon, Canada was placed in the fourth pot alongside others with strong qualifying campaigns but low rankings, such as Cameroon and Ecuador. That fourth pot can also include 18th-ranked Wales and 22nd-ranked Peru, depending on how the remaining playoffs shake out. We may not know which group winds up as the “group of death” until those playoffs in June, but the draw should let us know which match-ups to look forward to in November.

Daryl Dike Suffers Another Leg Injury

Former Lion Daryl Dike won’t play this weekend for West Bromwich Albion after suffering another injury to the same leg that’s kept him sidelined since January. Manager Steve Bruce spoke about Dike’s setback in training and is being cautious with Dike’s return to action as a result. The 21-year-old joined West Brom from Orlando during the winter transfer window but has only featured in two games for the Championship side. The injury also kept Dike from playing in the U.S.’s final World Cup qualifying window. Hopefully this is just a minor setback for the American and he can come back strongly.

Women’s Champions League Semifinals are Set

After a 2-1 loss to Juventus in the first leg, Olympique Lyonnais won 3-1 in the second leg to advance to the Champions League semifinals. Norwegian forward Ada Hegerberg scored Lyon’s first goal in the 33rd minute and USWNT midfielder Lindsey Horan gave a great cross for Melvine Malard to score minutes later. American midfielder Catarina Macario then used a spin move in the box to score Lyon’s third goal and the defense held on to win on aggregate.

Lyon will take on fellow French club Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals. The other semifinal will be between Barcelona and VfL Wolfsburg, which won 2-0 at home against Arsenal.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando Pride players Sydney Leroux and Erika Tymrak set some milestones in the team’s match against NJ/NY Gotham FC.

  • Before Athletic Training Month came to a close, Orlando City and the Pride gave some recognition to their athletic trainers.

  • There are many players for USMNT Head Coach Gregg Berhalter to consider taking to the World Cup. While there are players who will definitely be on the plane to Qatar, the striker position remains mostly up for grabs.
  • Here’s a great video that breaks down former Lion Kaká’s storied career and how his playstyle differed from other global superstars.

I hope you enjoyed today’s links! I’m excited to see all three of Orlando’s soccer teams in action later this weekend. Have yourself a fantastic Friday and stay hydrated.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/6/25

Alex Freeman called up for Concacaf Gold Cup, Orlando Pride get ready for the Houston Dash, Orlando City B plays tonight, and more.

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1 day ago

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June 6, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! I’ll be spending this weekend celebrating my birthday by beating my friends at mini golf with no mercy but still hope to catch some soccer over the next few days. I’ve also been on a bit of a movie kick and plan on catching Wes Anderson’s new flick at some point soon. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links!

Alex Freeman Called Up For Gold Cup

Orlando City defender Alex Freeman was officially called up by the United States Men’s National Team for the Concacaf Gold Cup this summer. He’s the only Lion who will be at the tournament and is one of seven uncapped USMNT players on the roster. The 20-year-old could receive more playing time than expected, as right back Sergino Dest is not on the roster so that he can recover over the summer. Left back John Tolkin was added to replace Dest, so Freeman has a real shot at making a claim for the position this month. The U.S. will take on Turkey Saturday in the first of two friendlies before its first Gold Cup match against Trinidad & Tobago on June 15.

Orlando Pride Prepares to Host the Houston Dash

With the international break for women’s soccer over, the Orlando Pride return to action Saturday with a home game against the Houston Dash. It should be a great opportunity for the Pride to ease back into the swing of things against a Dash team that’s only scored 10 goals this season. Pride midfielder Ally Lemos spoke on the benefit of being able to rest heading into this match while maintaining a winning mindset from a 3-1 victory on May 23.

Anna Moorhouse Called Up For 2025 Euros

Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse was named to England’s final roster for the 2025 UEFA European Women’s Championship. She’s one of three goalkeepers on the squad following Mary Earp’s surprise retirement from international soccer, and she will likely compete with fellow uncapped player Khiara Keating for the backup position behind Hannah Hampton. Moorhouse has started in every game for the Pride this season and was an NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year finalist for her record-breaking season last year. England’s Euro run will begin July 5 against France before other group matches against the Netherlands and Wales.

Orlando City B Takes On Huntsville City FC

The Young Lions are riding high after a 2-1 win over Chattanooga FC and will take that momentum into tonight’s road match against Huntsville City FC. Midfielder Noah Levis scored his first career goal in that home win, with Justin Hylton providing the assist in his OCB debut. Orlando’s offense has been hot and cold this season but has a variety of attacking talent that can create chances in different ways. The Young Lions have only won once on the road, but a win tonight would lift them to third in the Eastern Conference.

Free Kicks

  • FIFA Club World Cup action is coming to the City Beautiful this month and Orlando City legend Kaká spoke on how it’s nice for Orlando to host games.
  • San Diego Wave Head Coach Jonas Eidevall was named NWSL Coach of the Month. The Wave were undefeated in May, winning three of their four matches to climb to second in the league standings.
  • The NWSL will allow intraleague loans for all teams, with the players needing to consent to the move in order for it to happen. Denver and Boston’s expansion teams will have access to potentially over $1 million in Allocation Money starting on July 1 to build their rosters before the 2026 season.
  • Atletico Madrid is reportedly close to signing American midfielder Johnny Cardoso from Real Betis.
  • South Korea, Uzbekistan, and Jordan all qualified for the 2026 World Cup, while China was eliminated from contention. Australia beat Japan 1-0 and will qualify so long as it doesn’t lose heavily to Saudi Arabia on June 10.
  • Spain beat France 5-4 in a wild game to reach the UEFA Nations League final against Portugal on Sunday. Lamine Yamal continues to take the world by storm, but a late rally by France nearly completed a comeback.

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: 6/5/25

MLS All-Star voting update, Kerry Abello shines with USWNT, Sergio Zapata earns recognition, and more.

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2 days ago

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June 5, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been treating you well as we enjoy some international soccer and prepare for the return of NWSL action this weekend. Before we jump right into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B midfielder Dylan Judelson!

Pair of Lions Lead MLS All-Star Voting

Voting for this year’s MLS All-Star Game remains underway and an update was provided on which players are leading at each position. Orlando City defender Alex Freeman leads all right backs as he enjoys a breakout season. I was aware of the buzz he’s been getting this year, but it’s still surprising to see a Lion as an All-Star frontrunner. What’s even more surprising is that Pedro Gallese leads the voting for goalkeepers. The Peruvian made a rough gaffe last week, but has otherwise had a stellar season with Orlando that’s included seven clean sheets. Voting will close on June 11, so make sure to get those votes in before then.

Kerry Abello Impresses With USMNT

Orlando Pride defender Kerry Abello made her first appearance for the United States Women’s National Team Tuesday, playing every minute of the 4-0 win over Jamaica. The versatility she’s shown with the Pride translated well in Head Coach Emma Hayes’ system, as she was able to hold things down defensively and contribute to the attack as well. Abello could end up bringing solid depth to the USWNT as Hayes figures out the team’s future core of players. Enjoy this video from the USWNT that provides a look behind the scenes of Abello’s international debut.

Sergio Zapata Named Player of the Month

Sergio Zapata scored a whopping 11 goals for Orlando City’s U-19 team over the course of just four matches in May, winning the honor of MLS NEXT Player of the Month. He had three hat tricks last month, including one against Hoosier Premier at MLS NEXT Fest. Zapata committed to Cornell, so hopefully we’ll get to see him tear it up in the Ivy League over the next couple of years.

Zack Steffen Sustains Knee Injury

Goalkeeper Zack Steffen injured his knee at the United States Men’s National Team’s training camp and will reportedly miss this summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup. It’s rough news for the 30-year-old, as he was expected to compete with Matt Turner for the starting job with the USMNT. He’s been having a great season with the Colorado Rapids and returned to the club for further evaluation on the injury.

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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: 6/4/25

USWNT wins as Abello gets first cap, Orlando Pride’s Concacaf W Champions Cup draw, Club World Cup in Orlando, and more.

Published

3 days ago

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June 4, 2025

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Tuesday was a busy soccer day, especially on the women’s side. We have plenty of Orlando Pride news, and the USWNT secured yet another victory. I’m hoping the good vibes continue since I’ll be coming down to Orlando for the Pride’s match this Saturday. If you’re going to the match, let me know, as I’d love to meet as many of our readers as possible. For now, let’s get to the links.

USWNT Blanks Jamaica

The USWNT defeated Jamaica 4-0 in a friendly at Energizer Park in St. Louis. The Orlando Pride’s Kerry Abello got her first start and her first cap in the match. She went the full 90 minutes and almost had her first international goal in the second half, but the chance went a bit wide of the right post. Ally Sentnor and Lynn Biyendolo each scored a brace as the U.S. rolled to an easy win.

Pride Internationals

Abello wasn’t the only Pride player to make an international appearance. Marta returned to international duty for Brazil getting the start and the captain’s armband in a 2-1 win over Japan. Both Grace Chanda and Barbra Banda started for Zambia in the 2-0 loss to South Africa in the Three Nations Challenge. Congratulations are also due to Zara Chavoshi, who earned her first cap with the Canadian Women’s National Team in the match against Haiti.

Concacaf W Champions Cup Draw

The Concacaf W Champions Cup draw happened yesterday and the Orlando Pride are in Group A with Club America Femenil, CF Pachuca Femenil, LD Alajuelense, and Chorrillo FC. Group B consists of NJ/NY Gotham FC, the Washington Spirit, CF Monterrey Femenil, Vancouver Rise FC Academy, and Alianza Women FC. The competition kicks off Aug. 19-21.

FIFA Loves Orlando

FIFA President Gianni Infantino sat for an interview with Jamie Seh of WKMG Orlando. Infantino spoke about the upcoming Club World Cup matches at Inter&Co Stadium and Camping World Stadium. FIFA loves Orlando enough for the city to host the Club World Cup, but not the actual World Cup. Here is the schedule for the matches in Orlando. We will be bringing you coverage of these matches.

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

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