Connect with us

Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/15/22

Published

2 years ago

on

Happy Tuesday, everyone. The start of the World Cup is less than a week away, and I’m finally starting to get excited for it. There’s some very important news to cover this morning, but before we get to that, let’s wish Orlando City defender Robin Jansson a happy birthday, as the Beefy Swede turns 31 today.

Orlando City Announces Roster Decisions

Orlando City announced its roster decisions on Monday, and while there weren’t any major surprises, there were a few interesting moves. Two of them were picking up the option on Jack Lynn, and extending a bona fide offer to Benji Michel to return to the club. Lynn barely featured for OCSC and didn’t make a huge impact during his loan to San Antonio FC, so it wouldn’t have been surprising for the club to decline his option, as the Lions did with Derek Dodson last year. Regarding Benji, while his goal contributions have dropped the last two seasons, the team’s decision to not renew Tesho Akindele might mean that Michel will be a more cost-effective backup than the Canadian. Now that we mostly know where the roster stands, the off-season work can begin in earnest.

Former Pride, USWNT Goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris Retires

Ashlyn Harris, the United States Women’s National Team goalkeeper who backstopped the Orlando Pride for the club’s first six seasons in the NWSL has called it a career. News of Harris’ retirement dropped Monday evening, bringing to a close a professional career that began in 2010 after a stellar collegiate career at the University of North Carolina (winning two NCAA titles). She was in the USWNT senior setup from 2013, earning 25 career caps as she mainly served in a backup role with the Yanks. Harris won both the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup as a backup with the U.S. and was the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. squad that won the 2002 FIFA Under-19 Women’s World Cup. She has also had a distinguished club career, which included making 82 appearances with Orlando in the NWSL from 2016 through 2021.

USMNT Will Use Rainbow Flag Logo in Qatar

The United States Men’s National Team has released an alternate logo with the colors of the rainbow flag that it will use during its time in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. While the crest will not be worn on the field during games, it will be seen at areas the team controls, such as training facilities, the team hotel, media areas, and parties. Sean Johnson spoke about the team’s desire to push the message “Be the Change,” and this is a small way for the team to make known its dissatisfaction with Qatari laws regarding homosexuality. It will be interesting to see if other nations, such as Germany, whose fans have been loudly outspoken against the tournament, will follow suit in similar fashion.

MLS Roster Decision Roundup

Orlando City was not the only MLS team to announce its end-of-season roster decisions Monday (Nov. 14 at noon was the MLS deadline), and there are some notable moves to cover. Josef Martinez’s future with Atlanta United has not yet been resolved but the club did pick up the options of Juan Jose Purata and the injured Miles Robinson.

Meanwhile, FC Dallas declined the option on Matt Hedges, meaning that the defender and club’s all-time appearances leader is now eligible to explore free agency. Dallas did pick up the options of Marco Farfan and Edwin Cerillo.

The biggest move though, comes from Vancouver, where the Whitecaps declined the option on club-record signing Lucas Cavallini, with the forward’s departure opening up a Designated Player spot for the team.

Mexico Finalizes World Cup Squad

Mexico made the final four cuts down to its 26-player squad that will take the field in Qatar next week, and there were some interesting choices. Raul Jiminez has been battling an ankle injury that’s kept him off the field since August, but has recovered enough to make the plane. On the other hand, the omissions of Diego Lainez and Santiago Giminez came as surprises. Giminez is currently tied for the most goals in the Europa League, while Lainez had a lot of success as a substitute for Mexico during qualifying. Mexico’s Group C also includes Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Poland, and the USMNT rivals should have a decent chance of progressing to the Round of 16.

Free Kicks

  • Alexandre Pato and Tesho Akindele said their farewells to the Orlando City faithful.

  • Former Lion Kaká had some words of praise for the USMNT.

  • Manchester United is not particularly amused about the interview Cristiano Ronaldo gave over the weekend.

That’s all for me today. Y’all stay safe out there.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/7/25

MLS transfer happenings, USMNT January camp roster announced, Christian Pulisic stars for AC Milan, and more.

Published

5 hours ago

on

January 7, 2025

By

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I returned to work after a nice little break for the holidays and frankly, I’m struggling. I don’t mind being back, it’s just difficult getting back into a routine after being away for so long. Alas, I’ll survive somehow. We have plenty to discuss in today’s American-heavy edition of Lion Links, so let’s get into the news.

MLS Transfer Happenings

There are a lot of MLS moves we need to get caught up on, starting with Austin FC’s signing of Brandon Vazquez as a Designated Player from CF Monterrey. Vazquez joins on a four-year deal after Austin sent $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to the San Diego Earthquakes to jump to the top of the league’s waiver order. We then move to the New England Revolution, which sent midfielder Emmanuel Boateng to San Diego FC in exchange for $200,000 in 2025 GAM. The Revs have also recalled midfielder Noel Buck from his loan with Southampton. The Chicago Fire have signed Danish winger Phillip Zinckernagel from Club Brugge, with his contract running through the end of the 2028 season. Finally, CF Montreal has reportedly traded $650,000 in GAM and an international roster spot to the LA Galaxy in exchange for center back Jalen Neal.

January Camp Roster Announced

The United States Men’s National Team has announced the 24-man roster for its annual January camp. The team will convene today in Ft. Lauderdale with a squad primarily made up of MLS players, as is usually the case. Zack Steffen is easily the most experienced of the four goalkeepers, with Patrick Schulte the only other one to be capped. Tim Ream, Miles Robinson, and Walker Zimmerman make up the veteran core of defenders, while none of the four midfielders have more than one cap to their name. Jesus Ferreira is the most seasoned of the seven forwards, with Brian White the only other one to have earned a cap.

Christian Pulisic Stars in Supercoppa Final

AC Milan erased a 2-0 second half deficit in the Italian Supercoppa final on Monday, roaring back to win the trophy with Christian Pulisic taking on a starring role. The American winger snuck into the box in the 80th minute and executed a great turn and finish to level the game at 2-2 in the 80th minute.

He then helped create Tammy Abraham’s game-winner, playing an outstanding ball to release Rafael Leao down the right wing, who squared it for Abraham to tap home and win new boss Sergio Conceicao his first trophy with the club after just two games.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are several other American players who will take part in games this week, so get them all marked down on your calendar so you don’t miss anything. We start on Wednesday, when Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic will play host to Dundee United in Scottish Premier League action. Thursday sees Antonee Robinson and Fulham take on Watford in the third round of the FA Cup, and things wrap up on Friday with Cole Campbell, Giovanni Reyna, and Borussia Dortmund facing off against Bayer Leverkusen in Bundesliga action.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday and rest of your week!

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/6/25

Orlando City reportedly bids for Alejandro Zendejas, Antonee Robinson named U.S. Male Player of the Year, Americans abroad, and more.

Published

1 day ago

on

January 6, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy working at Under Armour and Wrigley Field this past week, but I got a chance to watch some soccer over the weekend. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Transfer Bid for Alejandro Zendejas Rejected

Liga MX side Club America has reportedly rejected a bid from Orlando City for American winger Alejandro “Alex” Zendejas. Talks have stalled as Club America sorts out manager Andre Jardine’s future with the club, as he has been linked to Brazilian side Botafogo. Zendejas has four goals and five assists in 19 matches so far this season for Club America. Orlando City has an open Designated Player spot after the club sold Facundo Torres to Palmeiras last month. The Lions will reportedly prioritize other targets during the winter transfer window.

Antonee Robinson Named U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year

On Sunday, Fulham and United States Men’s National Team defender Antonee Robinson was voted the 2024 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year. Robinson won 55% of the vote and was also a finalist for the award in 2022. He started 11 matches for the USMNT and had an assist in its 1-0 win against Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. Robinson had a solid year at Fulham, recording 10 assists in 37 matches, and won the club’s 2023-2024 Player of the Year award. Robinson beat out AS Monaco forward Folarin Balogun, PSV Eindhoven forward Ricardo Pepi, AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic, and Charlotte FC defender Tim Ream. He’s the first defender to win the award since Oguchi Onyewu won it in 2006.

Keeping Up With the Americans Abroad

We had another busy weekend featuring several Americans in action in Europe. Cristian Pulisic returned to AC Milan for Friday’s Italian Super Cup semifinal matchup against Juventus that also included Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Yunus Musah. Pulisic scored the equalizer from the penalty spot to tie the match in the second half, helping AC Milan overcome a 1-0 deficit to defeat Juventus 2-1 and book a spot in the Italian Super Cup final against Inter Milan later today. Gianluca Busio played a full 90 minutes for Venezia as his side fought to secure a 1-1 draw against Empoli in Serie A action. Auston Trusty scored his first goal for Celtic as his side defeated St. Mirren 3-0.

Premier League Weekend Roundup

There are plenty of results in the Premier League to catch you up on from the weekend. Former Lion goalkeeper Brandon Austin made his debut for Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately, his side fell to Newcastle United 2-1. Manchester City defeated West Ham United 4-1 to get back-to-back Premier League victories, Bournemouth defeated Everton 1-0, Aston Villa edged past Leicester City 2-1, and Brentford dominated Southampton with a 5-0 win. Crystal Palace and Chelsea battled to a 1-1 draw, while Brighton and Arsenal also played to a 1-1 draw. On Sunday, Raul Jimenez scored twice as Fulham fought back for a 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town. The Liverpool and Manchester United match also ended in a 2-2 draw. We have one Premier League matchup later today, as Wolverhampton faces Nottingham Forest.

Free Kicks

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

Continue Reading

Lion Links

Lion Links: 1/3/25

Philadelphia Union hire Bradley Carnell, Americans abroad this weekend, New England Revolution transfer Esmir Bajraktarevic, and more.

Published

4 days ago

on

January 3, 2025

By

Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Jeremy Reper

Happy first Friday of 2025! I don’t have too many plans for the weekend beyond brunch with friends, so it should be a relaxing couple of days. Before we dive into today’s links, we here at The Mane Land want to give a special shout out to Michael Garvey for signing up for a Homegrown Player-level membership on our Buy Me a Coffee page. By signing up at one of our three levels of support, our readers and podcast listeners can enjoy added benefits in addition to keeping our bills paid so we can continue doing what we do. Let’s get to today’s soccer news!

Philadelphia Union Hire Bradley Carnell

The Philadelphia Union have hired Bradley Carnell as their fourth head coach in franchise history. He has tough shoes to fill in Philadelphia, as Jim Curtin led the Union to plenty of success since joining in 2014 and was named MLS Coach of the Year twice in that span. Carnell coached St. Louis City through a stellar inaugural season in 2023 that included finishing atop the Western Conference standings, but he was fired by the club last summer. We’ll see if Carnell can get the Union back to the postseason after they missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2017 last season.

Americans in Action This Weekend

While we endure the off-season here in the U.S., there are thankfully plenty of Americans playing abroad for us to root for this weekend. Ligue 1 soccer is back, and defender Mark McKenzie could continue building his case to make the Concacaf Nations League roster when Toulouse plays Lens on Sunday. Johnny Cardoso, who has been excelling amid transfer interest from clubs across Europe, will have a chance to impress when Real Betis takes on Huesca on Saturday in the Copa del Rey. Christian Pulisic may return from injury today when AC Milan faces off against Juventus in an Italian Super Cup semifinal that could also feature Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, and Tim Weah.

Injuries have dampened what was set to be a fun EFL Championship season for American fans, but Leeds United’s Brenden Aaronson and Burnley’s Luca Koleosho are helping their teams lead the promotion race. We may get to see Antonee Robinson, Tyler Adams, and Chris Richards in the English Premier League as well.

Esmir Bajraktarevic Transferred to Europe

The New England Revolution transferred 19-year-old Esmir Bajraktarević to PSV Eindhoven for a reported fee of up to $6 million. It’s a hefty sum for the Homegrown Player and the Revolution retain a sell-on fee as part of the deal as well. Bajraktarevic has spent the past three seasons with New England’s first team and was 10th on the 2024 MLS 22 Under 22 rankings. He joins a PSV side that sits atop the Eredivisie and has experience developing players coming from America. As for the Revolution, they helped fill the void left by Bajraktarevic’s exit by signing winger Luis Diaz, who previously played for Caleb Porter in Columbus for a few years.

Denver Reportedly Lands NWSL Team

For a reported expansion fee of $110 million, the NWSL has reportedly chosen Denver as the home of its 16th franchise. That fee is more than double the $53 million expansion fee both BOS Nation FC and Bay FC paid to join the league, and it would also be the highest expansion fee in U.S. women’s sports history. The group behind Denver’s bid, which is led by IMA Financial Group CEO Robert Cohen, reportedly submitted its first payment to the league earlier this week. It’s all tough news for Ohio, as both Cleveland and Cincinnati were finalists to become the 16th team in the league.

Free Kicks

That’s all I have for you this time around. Thanks again to Michael for the support! I hope you all have a fantastic Friday.

Continue Reading

Trending