Connect with us

Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/1/22

Published

4 years ago

on

Welcome to Spooky Season, Mane Landers! If you are anything like me, you were counting down the days until FIFA 23 released yesterday. Luckily, I had the day off from work and was able to spend it relaxing and playing the latest edition. For this year, I decided to take on the Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney challenge of putting Wrexham AFC into English Football League Two and attempting to continue winning leagues and promotions until I finally lift the Premier League trophy. Don’t fear though as I have not fully abandoned Orlando City! For my Ultimate Team online mode side hustle, I am working towards acquiring all the purple cosmetic items, club jerseys and badge, and of course making Ted Lasso Orlando City’s newest manager. But enough of my FIFA goals, enjoy these links from around the soccer world.

Orlando Pride Close Season Tonight

The Orlando Pride end their 2022 campaign tonight with a match at Lumen Field at 10 p.m. In the first match-up with OL Reign, the Pride dropped points by giving away a 92nd-minute goal to fall 2-1.

“It’ll be a competitive game. We know what to expect with the way that the Reign play, we experienced it not long ago at our own stadium,” Interim Head Coach Seb Hines said. “It’ll be a tough game, another challenge for us and something that we can build from from our last game with San Diego. We want to continue to play the way that we want to play and there’s no better way to do it than at Seattle.”

The loss to OL Reign also snapped a seven-match unbeaten streak, which finished tied for the second longest in club history. The Pride have found themselves in a poor run of form since the loss but were able to at least halt their losing streak Sunday against the San Diego Wave with a draw. While tonight’s game will conclude the 2022 season for the Pride, the Reign will surely be firing on all cylinders to secure all three points with the potential for the NWSL Shield still within reach.

Orlando City Hunts For Home Playoff Game

The Lions of Orlando City travel to Red Bull Arena to take on New York City FC Sunday at 1 p.m. While both teams are playing away from “home,” NYCFC will still feel as if it has the home field advantage, being local and not needing to travel far despite statistics begging to differ.

The silver lining for the Lions, however, will be a full-sized pitch compared to that of Yankee Stadium, where the Pigeons usually play matches. With a win, Orlando City threatens to knock NYCFC out of the top four in the Eastern Conference and make a run at hosting a home playoff match. FC Cincinnati is also only three points behind NYCFC at the time of this writing and banging on the door. Sunday’s stakes are high, as an NYCFC win solidifies a first-round playoff bye for New York side, while Orlando City could either greatly strengthen or jeopardize its postseason position.

MLS Players Locked in for Qatar

The United States Men’s National Team just wrapped up the final tune-up camp before the 2022 FIFA World Cup. With the final stretch run of the MLS season soon coming to a close, many domestic players are wondering if they will get a ticket to be on the plane to Qatar. ESPNFC’s Jeff Carlisle gives his take on which MLS-based USMNT players will be guaranteed to make the trip.

Nashville SC’s Walker Zimmerman has done well to claim a place on the back line. FC Dallas forward Jesús Ferreira continues to make his case to be Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s No. 9 in the attack. Midfielder Kellyn Acosta of LAFC has show his own versatility as a depth player and can fill in as a holding midfielder or at one of the No. 8 spots. The real question marks at this point are for NYCFC’s Sean Johnson as a third-string goalkeeper, FC Dallas winger Paul Arriola, and Sounders midfielder Cristian Roldan.

With matches still to be played in the MLS season and playoffs to come, many factors are still in play. A player could take a knock, fall out of form, find incredible form, or even work his way out of his club’s good graces. It still might be too far to know for sure, but let us know in the comments which MLS players you think are locked in for the World Cup.

Jesse Marsch Loves Leeds United

Leeds United Head Coach Jesse Marsch is an American soccer legend currently leading his club in the Premier League. Prior to his coaching days, Marsch played 14 seasons as a midfielder in MLS with D.C. United, the Chicago Fire, and Chivas USA, while collecting three league titles and four U.S. Open Cup trophies along the way. Since then, he has written quite the resume as a coach and USMNT fans have taken notice.

In 2010, Marsch retired from his playing career and became an assistant coach for the USMNT under Bob Bradley, reaching the Round of 16 in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He then became the inaugural head coach of the Montreal Impact upon their entry to MLS in 2012. And in 2015, Marsch was hired as head coach of the New York Red Bulls and stayed in the role through the first half of the 2018 MLS season. In his first year coaching the Red Bulls, the club won the Supporters Shield and he was named MLS Coach of the Year.

Despite his success at the club level, Marsch claims he would not leave Leeds now if he was offered a position at the helm of the USMNT for the 2026 World Cup cycle.

“I don’t want to leave. If I got an offer to go anywhere in the world right now to coach football I wouldn’t leave this spot,” Marsch, who coaches USMNT stars Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams at Leeds, said on Friday.

“I’m more happy in my career than I’ve ever been and I’m very thankful to be here, and my total focus and our total focus is just trying to maximize what we’re achieving every day.”

If Berhalter does not get out of the group stage at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there will be plenty of vocal fans calling for his dismissal. Jesse Marsch is sure to be on the short list of coaches to take over the position. Let us know in the comments who you think should be Berhalter’s successor. Or, do you think Berhalter should be the coach all the way through the 2026 cycle?

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja updated player injuries and storm experiences in his Friday press conference.

That’s all I have for you today. After that opening paragraph, I’m sure you know where to find me this weekend. I will be kicked back and couch-coaching my virtual teams to victory. Of course, I will take a break to catch the Lions and Pride play, though. Vamos Orlando!

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/15/26

Orlando City concedes late in draw with Toronto FC, Justin Ellis earns praise, U.S. Soccer announces Crest Cup for women’s soccer, and more.

Published

5 hours ago

on

October 15, 2026

By

Image of Antoine Griezmann and Justin Ellis celebrating a goal against Real Salt Lake.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

How are you feeling after last night’s Orlando City game? I don’t think my thoughts have ever been as mixed, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles at times when supporting the Cardiac Cats. It could’ve gone worse though, and being able to watch Antoine Griezmann work his magic is always a treat. Today marks nine years since Kaká’s final game with Orlando City, and I’ve loved being able to see world class players like him, Griezmann, Nani, and more over the years in Orlando. Let’s get to the links.

Lions Blow Lead Late in Dramatic Draw

Orlando City went on the road to Canada and played to a 3-3 draw against Toronto FC in a rollercoaster of a match. The Lions clawed their way back to equalize twice and managed to take the lead late in the match, but couldn’t close things out despite another solid performance by goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau behind a leaky defense. Make sure to check out our match recap of what was an exciting, yet frustrating, match that at least featured a couple of great Orlando goals.

Justin Ellis Earns Praise During Breakout Season

The Athletic‘s Tom Bogert ranked his top 22 MLS players under the age of 22 and Orlando City forward Justin Ellis ranked eighth on his list. The 19-year-old has 10 assists and a goal to his name this season, thriving in the attack with an intriguing combination of creativity, strength, and positioning. He’s also already scored for the United States Men’s National Team, doing so in Orlando last month against Peru. Bogert predictably has Philadelphia Union phenom Cavan Sullivan at the top of his list and Julian Hall in second. We’ll see if Ellis lands a bit higher than eighth when the annual MLS 22 Under 22 list is unveiled later this year.

U.S. Soccer Announces Crest Cup

A new club tournament is coming to women’s soccer. U.S. Soccer announced the Arthur M. Blank Crest Cup for women’s soccer teams across the country to compete against each other in a single-elimination format. Official details such as when this will take place and which teams will be allowed to participate haven’t been unveiled at this point, but it does seem like it will at least include teams from both the NWSL and USL Super League. The winner of the Crest Cup will receive $1.1 million and qualify for the Concacaf W Champions Cup. Toothpaste jokes aside regarding the name, I’m excited for a tournament that puts a spotlight on more women’s soccer teams.

Takeaways From USWNT Friendlies

The United States Women’s National Team may not have beaten Spain in either of its two friendlies against the European powerhouse, but it at least finished strong by rallying to a 2-2 draw in the second meeting. Not many of the problems the USWNT faced were unexpected either. Naomi Girma’s absence was felt on defense, neither Claudia Dickey nor Phallon Tullis-Joyce emerged as the clear starter in goal, and the midfield looked suboptimal against the best team in the world. Head Coach Emma Hayes has multiple decisions to make before the Women’s World Cup next summer, with the USWNT’s next match coming on Nov. 27 against El Salvador in the Concacaf W Championship quarterfinals.

UEFA Champions League Roundup

The UEFA Champions League returned this week and there were plenty of good games across Europe. In one of the bigger matchups of this round, Paris Saint-Germain went to England and beat Manchester City 4-2 to move to the top of the table. Elsewhere, Real Madrid mounted a late comeback to beat AS Roma 4-3 in Italy, Bradley Barcola scored a hat trick in Liverpool’s 6-3 win over LAK Linz, and Bodo/Glimt won 1-0 in Norway against Borussia Dortmund. The teams will play again on Tuesday and Wednesday, with PSG going up against Barcelona and Bayern Munich hosting Arsenal as two of the heavyweight showdowns.

Free Kicks

  • Congratulations to Orlando Pride newlyweds Rafaelle and Hailie Mace on tying the knot!

That’s all I have for you this time around. Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week. Go Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/14/26

Orlando City plays Toronto FC, Orlando Pride prepare for Houston, the USWNT draws Spain, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

October 14, 2026

By

Image of Iago passing the ball against Toronto FC.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s also match day for Orlando City. As the regular season winds down, the tension ramps up. The Lions are currently above the playoff line, but it’s a precarious perch. With two matches this week, earning crucial points will be even more difficult. We will have more match prep later today, but for now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Visits Toronto FC Tonight

Orlando City travels to the Great White North tonight for a match against Eastern Conference opponent Toronto FC. Points are at a premium as both teams chase a playoff appearance. Rest assured that Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman is making sure the team is prepared and taking it one match at a time. It is a double match week so we’ll see how Perelman rotates the starting lineup.

Orlando Pride News and Notes

Yolanda Thomas is getting the Orlando Pride ready for Sunday’s road match against the Houston Dash. Of course, there are several players on international duty before then. Oihane got the start for Spain against the USWNT (see below) on Tuesday night. Barbra Banda scored a brace for Zambia in a 4-1 win over Uganda in an Olympic qualifier. Ally Lemos contributed two assists in the U.S. Under-23 Women’s National Team’s 5-0 dismantling of the Dominican Republic.

USWNT Comes from Behind to Draw Spain

The USWNT played its second friendly against top-ranked Spain Tuesday night at Subaru Park in Philadelphia. Much like the previous match, Spain was able to build a 2-0 lead before the end of the first half. Unlike last time, the U.S. was able to score two goals to draw Spain. Ashley Sanchez scored in the 49th minute in her first USWNT start in nearly two years, and Mallory Swanson added the second goal in the 86th minute. Unfortunately, the USWNT wasn’t able to get a third, but a 2-2 draw is still a better result than last time and coming back from two goals down made it feel more like a win in the end.

USMNT Players in Club Action

Former Orlando City defender Alex Freeman came on in the 63rd minute of Villarreal’s 3-1 victory over Napoli in the UEFA Champions League. Johnny Cardoso played all 90 minutes for Atletico Madrid in his club’s 2-0 win over Manchester United. He almost scored a goal, but it was disallowed after video review. Sergino Dest’s PSV lost 1-0 to RB Leipzig. Dest is Top 10 when it comes to Champions League appearances by U.S. players. There are a few more USMNT players making appearances in the matches today.

Free Kicks

That will do it for today. You can follow The Mane Land on Bluesky for live match updates and we will also have a recap of the match tonight and more coverage tomorrow. Vamos Orlando!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 10/13/26

Orlando City players named to MLS Team of the Matchday, USWNT takes on Spain tonight, Americans in action this week, and more.

Published

2 days ago

on

October 13, 2026

By

Image of Ivan Angulo playing against D.C. United.
Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a bit of a pep in my step so far this week after Orlando City’s win this weekend. Hopefully, the soccer we have ahead of us tonight and Wednesday night doesn’t end up dimming that enthusiasm. Let’s go ahead and dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Lions Make MLS Team of the Matchday

Orlando City players Maxime Crepeau and Ivan Angulo were both named to the MLS Team of the Matchday, with Antoine Griezmann landing on the bench. Crepeau was immense in Orlando’s 3-2 win over the Columbus Crew, recording a club-record 12 saves. Angulo also excelled with a goal and an assist, with his late winner landing a spot on Sports Illustrated‘s top five goals of the week as well. Griezmann also chipped in a goal and an assist. There are a couple of familiar faces on the bench with Griezmann, with former Orlando goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. earning the honor after making nine saves for the San Jose Earthquakes and former Lion Shak Mohammed recording a goal and an assist in Nashville’s win.

USWNT Aims to Bounce Back Against Spain Tonight

After a 2-0 loss to Spain on Saturday, the United States Women’s National Team will play the top team in the world again tonight. It will be interesting to see what lineup changes Head Coach Emma Hayes makes following the loss, particularly with regard to the defense to help stop Spain’s potent attack. Spain got off to a hot start in Saturday’s match, but the team’s physicality likely won’t catch the U.S. by surprise this time around. Orlando Pride defender Oihane, who is with Spain for these friendlies, said she expects the U.S. to be more aggressive in this rematch.

Spain's Oihane Hernández on what she expects from the #USWNT in Tuesday's rematch:"I honestly expect like a really more physical game. I think they're gonna be more aggressive."(I would expect the same.)

— Jeff Kassouf (@jeffkassouf.bsky.social) 2026-10-12T15:37:35.556Z

Americans in Action Abroad This Week

The UEFA Champions League and Europa League return this week and there are many Americans to keep an eye out for across Europe. Former Lion Alex Freeman, who earned plenty of praise for his performance against Real Madrid on Saturday, could start in his first UEFA Champions League game today when Villarreal hosts Napoli. We may also see more of 17-year-old winger Mathis Albert when Borussia Dortmund plays Bodo/Glimt as he continues to impress at such a young age. Sergino Dest and Johnny Cardoso are other Americans who could play in the Champions League, while Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, and Tim Weah may suit up for Europa League play.

U.S. Soccer Announces Referee Development Program

U.S. Soccer unveiled a new program aimed at improving referee development and making the pathway for aspiring officials more consistent. Named R90+, the program will give referees access to mentors and coaches for them to improve across multiple aspects of officiating, such as game management, physical preparation, and tactical awareness. The first edition of this program will take place in the South, with 10 of the 60 officials coming from Florida. Hopefully this investment in officiating improves things for everyone involved.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

Continue Reading

Trending