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Lion Links: 5/19/23

Michael Halliday called up for U-20 World Cup, Pedro Gallese makes MLS Team of the Matchday, Orlando Pride get ready for the Washington Spirit, and more.

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3 years ago

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I hope this week has been going well for you as we get ready for plenty of Orlando soccer. I’m looking after my friend’s pets for the next week or so, but other than that there’s not much different going on with me. It’s been a bit of a hectic month, so I’m looking forward to unwinding a bit this weekend. But before then, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world.

Michael Halliday Joins U.S. U-20 Team

Orlando City right back Michael Halliday was called up to replace an injured Mauricio Cuevas on the United States U-20 Men’s National Team’s roster for the U-20 World Cup. The 20-year-old has received plenty of playing time for Orlando this season and recorded his first MLS assist on April 29. Halliday helped the U.S. win the Concacaf U-20 Championship last summer and also participated in a training camp with the team in Spain in March. The U-20 World Cup kicks off tomorrow, with the U.S. taking on Ecuador at 2 p.m. The tournament runs through June 11, meaning Halliday could miss up to four Orlando City games while in Argentina.

Pedro Gallese Named to MLS Team of the Matchday

Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was named as the starting goalkeeper in the latest MLS Team of the Matchday. The Peruvian came up with five saves, including a few great ones to keep Orlando in front for a majority of the match. Although he wasn’t able to get what would have been his fourth clean sheet of the season, it was still a strong performance from El Pulpo. Luciano Acosta, Jesus Ferreira and Charlotte FC’s Brandon Cambridge were also named to the Team of the Matchday.

Lions Look Ahead Amid Winless Skid

Orlando heads into this weekend after two fairly different draws, coming back on the road against the Columbus Crew and then dropping points at home to New York City FC. It puts some added pressure on the team to respond in tomorrow’s match against rival Inter Miami. The Lions have yet to win during a busy May that also included them getting bounced from the U.S. Open Cup in the round of 32. However, there have been bright spots, as forwards Ercan Kara and Duncan McGuire continue to score and Mauricio Pereyra made his return to the field earlier this week. Hopefully, the rest of the offense finds its footing and Head Coach Oscar Pareja spoke on how the team needs to turn its chances into goals.

“We are not scoring many goals we’ve wasted opportunities,” Pareja said, “We have done things that just give us hope and we’re not going to give those up either. We’re a good team, we have good players and the other teams in the league are pretty much in the same spot. And we want more, but we don’t want to just throw everything out. We’re gonna keep going.”

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride are on a three-game unbeaten run in league play as they get ready to host the Washington Spirit tomorrow night. It will be a rematch of sorts after the Pride fell 4-2 on the road to the Spirit last week in the NWSL Challenge Cup, with both sides rotating their lineups. The Pride are improving and Head Coach Seb Hines talked about how not winning in a scoreless draw with NJ/NY Gotham FC this past weekend should help keep the team hungry for more. Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse also discussed the importance of earning clean sheets in her past two games, along with building chemistry with her back line and playing in front of the home crowd this weekend.

Orlando City B Aims to Bounce Back Tonight

OCB has yet to lose at home this season and will welcome Atlanta United 2 to Osceola County Stadium tonight at 7 p.m. You’ll be able to catch the game on MLS Season Pass if unable to make it out for what should be an exciting game. These two teams last met on April 16 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, with Orlando falling, 3-1. The Young Lions have lost their past two games, making tonight a great opportunity to right the ship against an Atlanta side that has lost both of its road games this year.

San Diego Announced as 30th MLS Team

In news that had been pretty much known all week long, MLS awarded San Diego an expansion team for the 2025 season. San Diego’s MLS team will play at Snapdragon Stadium, which is also the home of the NWSL’s San Diego Wave. Entrepreneur Mohamed Mansour owns the team, alongside others such as MLB star Manny Machado and the Sycuan Band, which becomes the first Native American tribe to have an ownership stake in U.S. pro soccer. The team’s name and crest will be announced later on, so place your bets now. I’m guessing AS San Diego, with a powder blue and white logo that features clouds in some way.

Free Kicks

  • Atlanta United transferred winger Luiz Araujo to Brazilian club Flamengo for a reported $10 million transfer fee, opening up a Designated Player spot as well. Araujo will stay with Atlanta until after a match with the New York Red Bulls on June 24.
  • If you need an example of how close the Pride came to scoring against Gotham, look no further than the NWSL Save of the Week by Abby Smith. Shout out to her for the save, but shout out to the Pride as well for creating great chances like that throughout the match.
  • In the League One playoffs, Sheffield Wednesday bounced back from a 4-0 loss in the first leg against Peterborough to send the second leg into a penalty shootout, which it won. The Owls will face the victor between Barnsley and Bolton for promotion.
  • Former Pride goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris spoke about how much she’s enjoying retirement from professional soccer.
  • In the Europa League semifinals, a scoreless draw was enough for AS Roma to advance past Bayer Leverkusen, giving manager Jose Mourinho a chance to win his sixth European trophy. Roma will face Sevilla, which beat Juventus thanks to both an equalizer and game winner from Erik Lamela.
  • Fiorentina beat Basel in the final moments of extra time to reach the Europa Conference League final. It will take on West Ham in the final after the Hammers won against AZ Alkmaar. An Italian club can win the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League.
  • Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was fined and suspended for two days for his comments to the media about referee Paul Tierney.

That’s all for this fine Friday. There’s OCB soccer to enjoy tonight and even more soccer ahead of us tomorrow. Stay hydrated and have fun!

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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

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.

Published

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

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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