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Lion Links: 4/29/23

Orlando City focused on winning at home, Pride strive to remain unbeaten against San Diego, OCB hosts TFC II, and more.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

It’s time for another pair of matches today, Mane Landers! Orlando City invites one California team to town in the LA Galaxy, while the Orlando Pride takes the flight all the way across the country to San Diego. I feel like some jet fuel money and ozone layer could have been saved with a little bit of plane-pooling had both matches been played in the same state, but hey, I’m no airplane expert. But, it is a neat proposal to think that nearby men’s and women’s teams could start traveling together and playing double-headers for fans. While I’m almost certain this will never happen, I’ll take credit for it if it ever does, because I have now put the idea into print here. Alas, scroll no further, here’s what you really came here for, today’s links.

Orlando City Focused for LA Galaxy

With a home match upon us, the Lions of Orlando City spent their final Friday practice in the stadium. There is a photo gallery of the boys looking all-business as they aim for their first win at home since February. The LA Galaxy currently sit 13th in the West following their first win of the season last weekend against Austin FC. Orlando City midfielder Dagur Dan Thorhallsson discussed the team’s focus following another disappointing home loss.

“It is always kind of a worry when you’re not winning in front of your home fans. And of course, we as a team want to win every game. But especially, we want to make the Orlando City Stadium like… people come there and they fear to be there. But that is something that we need to do as a team. And I don’t have the answer why it is happening, but we are going to find out. And we’re going to start winning.”

The match is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Exploria Stadium. Be sure to get there early, be loud, and make the stadium somewhere for opponents to truly fear.

Orlando Pride Travel to San Diego

The Orlando Pride will look to pick up where they left off in San Diego. The last time the club traveled to San Diego it left Torero Stadium with a 1-0 victory. In that match, Meggie Dougherty Howard scored from the spot for the Pride. While she is now with the Wave, she has not accumulated any minutes so far this season due to injury. The Pride remained undefeated against the 2022 expansion team after playing to a 2-2 draw at Exploria Stadium. Dougherty Howard was once again able to find the back of the net, with Gunny Jónsdóttir scoring the second goal for Orlando. Despite the Pride sitting winless and in last place, Head Coach Seb Hines remains optimistic for his team to find a result.

“You know it is going to be a difficult game. They have some good players, but you know this league. Now anyone can win on any day so we’re hoping to go there and put a really good team performance out there and hopefully come away with three points.”

Tune into the match at 10 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network to see if the Pride can gather those first three points of the season.

MLS NEXT Pro Matchday 6: OCB Hosts Toronto FC II

The Young Lions of Orlando City B round out the festivities for the weekend, hosting Toronto FC II Sunday at 6 p.m. On MLS NEXT Pro Matchday 5, Toronto was able to finally find its scoring prowess. After an early 2-0 deficit, the match finished 3-3 in regulation. Ultimately, TFC II fell in a 5-4 shootout following regulation. Orlando City B earned two points on Matchday 5 in a thrilling 8-7 shootout of its own against NYCFC II after a 2-2 draw. OCB defender Nabi Kibunguchy claimed his first goals for the club in the match.

MLS Matchday 10 Preview

With 13 matches around the league, there are sure to be some fireworks this weekend. After catching Orlando City at home (or while simul-streaming from your seat), be sure to check out some notable other fixtures around the league. Giorgos Giakoumakis, who is tied for fourth in the Golden Boot race, will be unavailable for Atlanta United in its match against Nashville SC. Lucas Zelarayán and the Columbus Crew look to make it seven straight league losses for Inter Miami at Lower.com Field. The Eastern Conference’s two top clubs, FC Cincinnati and the New England Revolution, headline must-watch this week’s matches, playing at Gillette Stadium.

And finally, let us know in the comments below who you have in matchup of marquee strikers: D.C. United’s Christian Benteke or Charlotte FC’s Karol Swiderski?

Free Kicks

  • Midfielder David Ruiz has signed a Homegrown contract with Inter Miami through the 2025 MLS season with options for 2026 and 2027.
  • The Portland Timbers signed midfielder Noel Caliskan through the 2023 MLS season with options for 2024 and 2025. Caliskan was selected by Portland with the 15th pick of the 2023 MLS SuperDraft.
  • Gareth Bale confirms that he will not be coming out of retirement to play for Wrexham next season, despite the begging of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
  • Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani submitted his third and final bid to buy Manchester United on Friday and remains confident it will be successful.
  • Alejandro Garnacho has signed a new contract that will extend his stay at Manchester United until 2028. At the age of 18, he has already made 31 appearances for the senior team.
  • Napoli will secure the club’s third Serie A crown if it can beat visitors Salernitana and second-place Lazio drops points against Inter Milan.
  • Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund’s title chances are in question after they stumbled to a 1-1 draw at struggling VfL Bochum with four games left to play.
  • Cristiano Ronaldo returned to the scoresheet after a goalless three-game run by heading in the opening goal in Al Nassr’s 4-0 victory over Al Raed in the Saudi Pro League.
  • The Liga MX match between Club Puebla and Club Tijuana has been rescheduled due to the activity of the Popocatepetl volcano.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the matches. Vamos Orlando!

Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/8/24

Barbra Banda’s soccer journey, Celia will retire after 2024 season, NWSL playoffs begin tonight, and much more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Congratulations on making it to Friday. It’s been a long week, but we’re rewarded with Orlando playoff soccer both today and tomorrow. Before we dive into today’s jam-packed links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City B defender Manuel Cocca!

Barbra Banda Shares Her Soccer Journey

Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda sat down with The Athletic ($) to talk about her time playing soccer both as a young girl in Zambia and in her first season in the City Beautiful. She also discussed her upbringing, including her mother’s initial disapproval in her playing soccer until she joined Bauleni United Sports Academy in Lusaka. Now one of the best players in the world, Banda has lived up to the lofty expectations set since joining Orlando and has excelled at both the club and international level this year. Banda also spoke about her friendship with teammate Grace Chanda, the differences in her playstyle since joining the Pride from Shanghai Shengli, and what it’s like playing alongside Marta in Orlando.

Celia Announces Her Retirement

Pride right back Celia announced that she will retire following the end of the 2024 season. The 29-year-old joined the Pride before the 2022 season as part of a trade with the club then known as OL Reign, and she’s appeared in 37 matches with the Pride. She was also the Pride’s nominee for the 2024 Lauren Holiday Impact Award for her work with SpaceKids Global. Celia will hang up her cleats after a playing career that’s also included stints with European clubs and trips to the World Cup with Spain in 2015 and 2019. We wish her the best of luck in whatever path she takes moving forward!

NWSL Playoffs Kick Off Tonight

This year’s NWSL playoffs will get started in Orlando tonight when the Pride host the Chicago Red Stars. Although the Red Stars will be without forward Ludmila due to suspension, they should still be a tough opponent for the Pride. Temwa Chawinga’s availability looms over Saturday’s clash between the Kansas City Current and the North Carolina Courage, as the Golden Boot winner did not play in the Current’s season finale. Sunday’s slate includes the Washington Spirit hosting Bay FC before NJ/NY Gotham FC squares off against the Portland Thorns.

San Jose Earthquakes Hire Bruce Arena

Bruce Arena is back in MLS, as the San Jose Earthquakes have hired him as the club’s head coach and sporting director. The 73-year-old has a stellar coaching career that’s included success at the collegiate, club, and international levels. He’s the winningest coach in both MLS and United States Men’s National Team history and was named to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2010. He returns to MLS after resigning as the New England Revolution’s head coach in 2023 while on administrative leave amid a league investigation into allegations of insensitive remarks made by him. While he’s had successful rebuilds in the past with the LA Galaxy and the Revolution, Arena has his work cut out for him with a San Jose team that finished last in the league this season and conceded a record 78 goals.

Jim Curtin and Philadelphia Union Part Ways

The MLS coaching carousel is in full swing as Jim Curtin is no longer the head coach of the Philadelphia Union. Curtin has been with the Union since 2014 and was named MLS Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2022. While the Supporters’ Shield in 2020 may be the only silverware Curtin put in the Union’s trophy case, the team reached the U.S. Open Cup final three times, the MLS Cup final once, and the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals twice in his tenure. Philadelphia finished 14th in the Eastern Conference and missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2017. With a rebuild looming, it makes sense for both Curtin and the Union to part ways. It will still be admittedly weird seeing Curtin coaching anywhere but Philadelphia.

Free Kicks

  • Orlando City and Pride owners the Wilf family applied to develop parts of the Osceola Heritage Park complex. While the land that encompasses Osceola County Stadium or Silver Spurs Arena isn’t included, the former Johnson University campus is available.
  • United States Men’s National Team Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino will be in Orlando this weekend for the Lions’ playoff match against Charlotte.
  • Kylian Mbappe was not called up for France’s UEFA Nations League games this month against Israel and Italy.
  • Let’s wrap things up with a moment of zen courtesy of Orlando right back Dagur Dan Thorhallsson.

That’s all I have for you on this fine Friday. I hope you all have a fantastic day and rest of your weekend. Go Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/7/24

Orlando Pride prepare for the playoffs, Lewis Morgan named MLS Comeback Player of the Year, Champions League roundup, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Welcome to Thursday, Mane Landers. Playoff soccer looms here in the City Beautiful, as Orlando City and the Orlando Pride both host games in which defeat means elimination. I’ll unfortunately be spending the next few days working but am still looking forward to following along when I can. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Orlando Pride Focus On Playoff Game

A historic season for the Orlando Pride will continue Friday when they host the Chicago Red Stars in their first playoff game at home. Preparing for the postseason is unfamiliar territory of sorts for this Pride team, but NWSL veterans like Morgan Gautrat and Carson Pickett can help the team get in the playoff mindset. Emily Sams, who is in just her second year with the Pride but has experience winning an NCAA championship with Florida State, spoke on how the team is focused on its goal of winning the championship that’s driven the team forward this year.

“We’ve come back to that at different points in the season and reminded ourselves that our big goals are to win the shield and to win the championship,” Sams said after training. “We know that it’s very serious and that if we don’t perform well, we could possibly go home. But also knowing that Chicago’s in the same boat, they’re coming to our environment, they’re in front of our fans, where we can control things and just know that we’re the better team and that we can, if we play our best and play up to the standard that we want to, that we’ll be the ones happy at the end of the game.”

Lewis Morgan Named MLS Comeback Player of the Year

New York Red Bulls midfielder Lewis Morgan was voted 2024 MLS Comeback Player of the Year for his performance this season after undergoing hip surgery in September of last year. The 28-year-old led his team with 13 goals and also had seven assists to help the Red Bulls clinch a spot in the playoffs. Morgan was also called up by Scotland for the Euros and UEFA Nations League. Injuries kept him out for most of the 2023 season and there were concerns over whether he would be able to return to form this year. He received 37.69% of the vote to win the award over Robin Lod and Maxi Moralez.

Hector Herrera Not Returning to Houston

The Houston Dynamo declined the option on captain Hector Herrera’s contract for next year. Herrera joined the Dynamo from Atletico Madrid in the middle of the 2022 season and helped the club win the 2023 U.S. Open Cup and make the playoffs the past two years. He had five goals and 21 assists over 62 regular-season matches and was named an MLS All-Star twice. It will be interesting to see what the Dynamo do with the now open Designated Player spot. Only two Western Conference teams scored fewer goals than the Dynamo’s 47 this season, so we’ll see how they add some firepower to the attack heading into next year. Houston is also in discussions with five players regarding returning for next year, including goalkeeper Steve Clark and midfielder Latif Blessing.

Champions League Reaches Midway Point

The fourth round of the UEFA Champions League wrapped up and there were plenty of great games held across Europe. Atletico Madrid went to France and left with all three points after a win against Paris Saint-Germain that included a winner in stoppage time from Angel Correa. A penalty kick right before halftime was the difference in Inter Milan’s 1-0 win at home against Arsenal. Aston Villa was handed its first loss of its campaign in a 1-0 loss to Club Brugge due to Tyrone Mings picking up the ball in his own box. Barcelona, Atalanta, and Bayern Munich all won, while RB Salzburg got its first win of the tournament by beating Feyenoord on the road.

Free Kicks


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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/6/24

Orlando City and Orlando Pride set for upcoming playoff games, Rafaelle out for the season, UEFA Champions League results, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. It’s win or go home time for both Orlando City and the Orlando Pride this weekend. As if this week wasn’t stressful enough, we have that to occupy our collective minds. I know that I often prefer to concentrate on soccer, so let’s let to the links.

Do or Die Time for the Lions

Thanks to a lackluster performance by Orlando City in the second match against Charlotte FC away from home, the Lions need a victory to advance in the playoffs. Fortunately, the next match will be back at Inter&Co Stadium. The Lions will need Facundo Torres and Martin Ojeda to return to form if they are to win. Orlando City isn’t the only home squad looking to win this weekend.

The NWSL Playoffs Are Here

With the NWSL playoffs imminent, it is any club’s championship to win. Of course, we want the Orlando Pride to win a second trophy. Each club has a chance to win, though some are better positioned to do so than others. The argument against the Pride stems from the two road matches they recently lost, and the goals given up after winning the NWSL Shield. If the Pride can return to the defensive form from earlier in the season, their odds will be better.

Rafaelle’s Season is Over

Any hope we had of Rafaelle bolstering the Orlando Pride back line came to an end Tuesday, as did her season. The Brazilian has been placed on the Season Ending Injury list with a partial tear of her quadriceps tendon in her right leg. The club is working with Orlando Health on a recovery program for Rafaelle, in hopes she’ll be available for the 2025 season. We wish her a complete and speedy recovery.

Champions League Doesn’t Disappoint

It was quite a day in the UEFA Champions League Tuesday. Liverpool dispatched Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 on the back of a Luis Diaz hat trick, with all four goals coming after the 60th minute. Another high-scoring match saw Sporting CP down Manchester City 4-1 thanks to a hat trick from Victor Gyokeres.

Christian Pulisic helped AC Milan defeat Real Madrid 3-1 with the American providing an assist off a corner. It really was quite a beauty with a finish by Malick Thiaw.

The USMNT’s Malik Tillman scored a goal and added two assists in PSV’s 4-0 victory over Girona. Of course, Girona played a man down after Arnau Martinez received a second yellow card 10 minutes into the second half.

Free Kicks

  • This Atalanta supporter will have a story to tell that few, if any, could ever dream of when talking about his club.
  • If you were wondering what a day in the life of Felipe looks like, wonder no more.
  • If you’re looking for something to do tonight perhaps you’d like to meet Simone Charley and Grace Chanda? The info is in the post below from Tuesday.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for both matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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