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Lion Links: 12/31/22

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4 years ago

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Happy New Year’s Eve, Mane Landers! We are officially waving goodbye to 2022 and saying “Hello, 2023!” When the ball drops at midnight, I’ll be spending some time on the couch, watching the festivities tonight with family this year. Hopefully, I can still get around to visit those today who I still have not seen yet this holiday season before heading back to work and normal day-to-day life.

As we wrap up this year’s Lion Links, I want to say on behalf of myself and all of The Mane Land staff — it has been an honor and a privilege to collect and report club- and soccer-related news for you all this year. We wish you all a happy and healthy 2023. Now, check out the final links of 2022!

Get to Know Orlando Pride’s Mikayla Cluff

The Orlando Pride went “Outside the Lines” with midfielder Mikayla Cluff. The Utah native and BYU product talked about her hobbies, some of which fans might find surprising, how competitive she and her husband are when it comes to…well, everything, and how a general lack of belief in the Pride helped fuel the team in 2022. Orlando ultimately didn’t make the postseason but the Pride gave the playoffs a much better run than most expected, climbing into the thick of the race until the final six games. Give the video a watch and get to know the Pride midfielder better.

Cristiano Ronaldo Reportedly Joins Al-Nassr

It appears to be the end of an era as Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a contract with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr for $75 million per year through the summer of 2025.

With the deal, Ronaldo appears to be giving up his top-level playing career but it will ensure he is extremely well remunerated in his compensation package.

“I am excited to experience a new football league in a different country,” Ronaldo said in Al-Nassr’s statement announcing the deal. The vision of what Al Nassr are doing and developing in Saudi Arabia both in terms of men’s and women’s football is very inspiring. We can see from Saudi Arabia’s recent performance at the World Cup that this is a country with big football ambitions and a lot of potential. I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia. I am looking forward to joining my new teammates and together with them help the Club to achieve success.”

The logistics behind Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabia have been agreed upon with the club. The deal includes a home for the striker and his family in an affluent area close to the training ground, along with his salary worth well in excess of $1 million per week. Ronaldo could see his earnings more than double through the sale of his image rights. He is also expected to have a role in the Saudi bid for the 2030 World Cup.

In addition to Ronaldo, Al-Nassr is eyeing his former teammate Sergio Ramos. Ramos and Ronaldo played alongside each other at Real Madrid from 2009 to 2018, winning four Champions League titles and two La Liga championships. Ramos would be able to sign as a free agent with the 36-year-old’s contract at Paris Saint-Germain expiring at the end of this season.

Top Targets for January Transfer Window

Despite inflation and other financial instability around the globe, the English Premier League still broke its spending record in the summer transfer window, dishing out $2.2 billion. That was more money than Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Serie A, and the German Bundesliga combined. With the World Cup over and finances set to be stretched further, free transfers will become even more important, and there are plenty of star players available as free agents at the end of the season if they don’t put pen to paper soon.

Real Madrid has a host of players out of contract in the summer such as Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos, Marco Asensio, Luka Modric, and Dani Ceballos. French World Cup star Adrien Rabiot’s future at Juventus is up in the air, as the club deals with a host of financial and legal issues. N’Golo Kante, Chelsea’s 31-year-old midfielder, has become less of a key player for the Blues in recent seasons and has suffered more injuries.

The World Cup thorn in the USMNT’s side, Memphis Depay, has had no hope that he will be given a chance at Barcelona with only two appearances in La Liga this season. He is Xavi’s sixth-choice forward and the club is looking to get him off the wage bill.

These are just a handful of top players in a very long list that scouts are soon to be calling about. One thing is for certain, it is sure to be a very busy January.

English Premier League Friday Recap

We were blessed with two EPL matches Friday. Brentford defeated West Ham, 2-0. Star striker Ivan Toney left the field on the back of a cart after suffering what appeared to be a serious injury to his right knee. The 26-year-old, who scored his 11th goal of the EPL season, now sits third in the league scoring rankings but was in considerable pain as he received treatment for nearly five minutes before he was carted off at the end of the match.

Also across the league at Anfield, Liverpool came out on top 2-1 winners in a hard fought contest against Leicester City. It was the visitors who took the lead in the fourth minute as Patson Daka found Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who scored for Leicester. Liverpool found the equalizer in the 38th minute when a Trent Alexander-Arnold cross was deflected into his own net by Wout Faes. This was just the first for Faes, however, as seven minutes later he deflected Darwin Nunez’s effort in to make it 2-1 after the Uruguayan’s chipped effort had come back off the post.

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Well, that puts a stamp on the final 2022 edition of Lion Links. The year as a whole had ups and downs for the club on both the men’s and women’s side and even for the Young Lions. But on the positive side of things, it was a year that saw Orlando City lift its first major MLS-era trophy. As we step forward into 2023, let’s all say it together — vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 8/21/26

Orlando Pride prepare for the Washington Spirit, MLS playoff changes reportedly coming, Hall of Fame finalists unveiled, and more.

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2 days ago

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August 21, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a bit of a rough month for all three of Orlando’s soccer teams, but hopefully they can turn things around this weekend. Things haven’t been great, but surely that just means things can only go up from here, right? Let’s get to the links!

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride are on the road this weekend for a match against the Washington Spirit on Sunday. It’s been a cruel summer for the Pride, as they’ve lost four of their past five games and are currently 13th in the league standings. Despite being on a three-game winless streak, the Spirit are second in the standings and will be a tough opponent for the Pride to face on the road. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on where the team needs to improve in order to get a result away from home against one of the league’s top teams.

Changes Reportedly Coming to MLS Playoff Format

For the umpteenth time, MLS is reportedly planning on overhauling its playoff format. The changes would go into effect when the league changes its calendar and they include allowing 20 teams to qualify for the playoffs, with the overall league standings being used to determine those top 20 teams. After a play-in round, the remaining 16 teams will play in a double elimination format that also features reseeding between rounds. If these changes do come to pass, hopefully the league decides to stick with it rather than constantly fiddling it with it.

National Soccer Hall of Fame Finalists Announced

The finalists for the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s class of 2027 were announced, with nine candidates making the list in their first year of eligibility. Former Orlando Pride player Ali Krieger is one of those nine, along with Megan Rapinoe, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore. Central Florida native Graham Zusi was also named as a finalist. The two players who receive the most votes and are on at least half the ballots will make the Hall of Fame, with a third player able to make it if they’re on 75% of ballots.

Storylines Ahead of English Premier League Season

The English Premier League season begins today with Arsenal starting its title defense at home against Coventry City. Arsenal has a talented team once again, but it will be interesting to see how much of a challenge Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City can pose with new managers at the helm. Managers seem to be a focal point this season, as other storylines include whether or not Michael Carrick and Unai Emery can keep succeeding at Manchester United and Aston Villa, respectively. I’m just hoping we have an exciting title race by the time spring rolls around.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City’s Antoine Griezmann tied with Robert Lewandowski for the second-highest rating of all MLS players in EA Sports FC 27.

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: 8/20/26

Orlando City defeated at home, Simone Jackson loaned to FC Rosengard, U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup roster unveiled, and more.

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3 days ago

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August 20, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Justin Glatt

I think we can confidently say Orlando City’s Wednesday night excellence has come to an end after last night’s loss. I’m not going to claim the new kits are cursed after just two games, but I’ve bought some sage just in case. Before we get to that match and more in today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City interim head coach Martin Perelman.

Orlando City Falls at Home

The Lions hosted the Chicago Fire and got burned in a 2-1 loss that included a lengthy weather delay that paused things right before halftime. The Fire struck first with an early goal, but Orlando leveled things after the lightning storm passed. However, Robert Lewandowski converted a penalty kick from a needless foul in the box for the winner, with the Lions failing to claw their way back a second time. It’s a disappointing result at home and Orlando will need to figure things out before hosting Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Simone Jackson Heads to Sweden on Loan

The Orlando Pride loaned forward Simone Jackson to FC Rosengard in Sweden through June of 2027. Jackson was signed by the Pride in 2025 after four years playing collegiately at the University of Southern California and she has since made 20 appearances for the club. Hopefully this move gives her some more minutes to develop her game abroad so that she can make an impact with the Pride when she returns next summer.

U.S. U-20 Women’s World Cup Roster Announced

United States U-20 Women’s National Team Head Coach Vicky Jepson called up 21 players for the U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland next month, including eight from NWSL clubs. Goalkeeper Evan O’Steen, midfielders Kennedy Fuller and Nyanya Touray, and forward Emeri Adames are a few of the U.S. players to keep an eye out for this tournament.

The team will be without notable eligible players like Lily Yohannes, Claire Hutton, and Jordyn Bugg though, as youth tournaments take place outside of official FIFA windows when teams are required to release players. United States Women’s National Team Head Coach Emma Hayes also spoke on the importance of tournaments like this one to develop talent while uncertainty looms over the event due to UEFA’s boycott of FIFA competitions. The U.S. is set to start its campaign on Sept. 6 against Italy.

Americans to Watch in the English Premier League

The English Premier League season kicks off this weekend and there are a number of Americans to root for across the league. Bournemouth midfielder Tyler Adams, Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards, and Fulham defender Antonee Robinson are all still in the league but have new managers at the helm of their respective teams. Brenden Aaronson and Leeds United avoided relegation last season and will look to build on that, while Haji Wright and Coventry City will fight to stay after earning promotion last season. Unfortunately, Wright will miss multiple weeks at the start of the season due to a quad injury.

Free Kicks

  • Alhassan Yusuf scored a hat trick in the New England Revolution’s 3-0 win over D.C. United, with Jack Harrison recording three assists.
  • Americans Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty both played every minute of Celtic’s 3-0 win over LASK in the first leg of its matchup against the Austrian club in UEFA Champions League qualifying
  • Bay FC announced that the club and midfielder Tess Boade mutually agreed to terminate her contract, which was set to end after this season. Boade had been with the club since being selected in the 2024 NWSL Expansion Draft and was the captain last season.
  • Aston Villa signed goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma for a reported $40 million transfer fee. Suzuki played for Japan at the recent World Cup and it will be interesting to see what this move means for Emiliano Martinez’s future at the club.
  • Brighton is covering the cost of tickets for its fans who will be making the trip to the Arctic Circle for its UEFA Conference League playoff match against Tromso in Norway.

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

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Lion Links: 8/19/26

Orlando City match day, Colin Guske reportedly being loaned to RSL, Banda is an MVP candidate, and more.

Published

4 days ago

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August 19, 2026

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Image courtesy of Orlando City B / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. Orlando City plays in a midweek match that thankfully isn’t a Leagues Cup match. There are those who will say they’re sad the Lions are out of Don Garber’s cash grab competition, but I’m not one of them. The U.S. Open Cup and the MLS regular season provide plenty of fixtures for now. The schedule congestion is real, as we can see this week. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Match Day

Orlando City hosts Robert Lewandowski and the Chicago Fire tonight in an Eastern Conference clash. Defending against Lewandowski and Philip Zinckernagel will be a tough task for the Lions’ defense. Orlando City will need its offense to keep pace with the Fire if the Lions are going to take any points from the match. It will be interesting to see both Antoine Griezmann and Lewandowski on the pitch at the same time. Here is your official match guide from the club. Our match preview will drop later this morning at 11 a.m. You can also listen to our thoughts on the match on The Mane Land PawedCast.

Go West, Young Guske

It appears that Orlando City is loaning midfielder/defender Colin Guske to Real Salt Lake, according to Tom Bogert. This is not entirely surprising given how crowded Orlando City’s defensive midfield is with Joran Gerbet and Wilder Cartagena healthy and Luis Otavio rounding into form, not to mention Eduard Atuesta and Braian Ojeda once they return. It’s a good opportunity for Guske to get some minutes, given he’s a bit down on the depth chart with the senior team — far enough down to see more minutes recently at center back with the first team than in the midfield.

MVP Candidate Banda

Despite being away for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and not scoring in her first game back, Barbra Banda maintains her slim lead in the Golden Boot competition and is still a League MVP candidate. If she hopes to win either of those accolades, she will need to resume scoring. The upcoming match against the Washington Spirit this Sunday is the perfect opportunity to extend that lead.

U.S. National Team News

USMNT defender Mark McKenzie is reportedly returning to the Philadelphia Union and will occupy a Designated Player spot. Real Salt Lake’s 19-year-old forward Zavier Gozo has been signed by Premier League club Crystal Palace. Of course, there are other USMNT players already playing in Europe, and some are making a quick return to form following the World Cup. USWNT players are also experiencing ups and downs in the NWSL.

Free Kicks

  • Former Lion Nicholas Gioacchini is headed to CE Sabadell FC of the Segunda División in Spain.

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

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