Connect with us

Lion Links

Lion Links: 6/24/23

The Lions are ready for the Sounders, the Pride host Kansas City, The Beautiful Game invaded, and more.

Published

3 years ago

on

Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

It’s matchday, Mane Landers! I hope you slept in this morning. If not, you might want to catch a nap this afternoon since Orlando City doesn’t kick off until 10:30 p.m., as the Lions are all the way out west for a match against the Seattle Sounders. Fortunately, that gives us time to watch the Orlando Pride match earlier in the evening. I know that I’m looking forward to staying up super late — well, late for an old guy like me. Until then, let’s get to the links!

Lions Prepared for Seattle

Orlando City is ready to take on the Seattle Sounders this evening, and you can get prepared to watch and support. Everything you need to know about where the Lions stand and what to expect from the opponents is available here and our Michael Citro will have a match preview for you later today. The last time the two teams met, Orlando City pulled out a come-from-behind victory thanks to goals from Facundo Torres, Ercan Kara, and Kyle Smith. All three will be in the Emerald City for the match. It has been confirmed that Raúl Ruidíaz will not be at tonight’s match as he will be attending his father’s funeral. Our thoughts are with him and his loved ones.

Pride Ready to Host the Current

It’s been a rollercoaster ride recently for the Orlando Pride with a big win over the Portland Thorns, but losses to the Houston Dash and North Carolina Courage. As such, Seb Hines is making sure his team doesn’t take the Kansas City Current for granted. The Current are near the bottom of the table, but that doesn’t mean the Pride can relax. There are some things to watch as the Pride host the Current. Orlando is on a three-match winning streak at home and is undefeated against the Current in Exploria Stadium in the series. Let’s hope that continues.

Marta May Be Used as a Super Sub by Brazil

The Women’s World Cup is less than a month away, and the Orlando Pride’s Marta will be representing Brazil for the sixth time in her career. The six-time FIFA World Player of the Year is Brazil’s all-time leading scorer with 115 goals — 17 in Women’s World Cup competitions — but at 37 years old she may be coming off the bench this go around. Marta is still recovering from a left knee injury. Regardless of whether Marta starts or not, Brazil coach Pia Sundhage said, “I am sure she will give everything.”

The Beautiful Pitch Invasion

Exploria Stadium hosted (most of) The Beautiful Game Friday night. Team Ronaldinho took on Team Roberto Carlos in a star-studded match of legends. Orlando City’s former captain Nani returned for the exhibition match. There was plenty of scoring — which is not uncommon in these types of matches — and the match ended 4-3 in favor of Team Ronaldinho. When I say ended, I mean that the game was abandoned due to the numerous pitch invasions and a heavy rainstorm. For all the details check out our story here.

USMNT Gold Cup Competition Begins

The USMNT will kick off its defense of the Concacaf Gold Cup tonight, with coverage starting at 9:30 p.m. — 10 p.m. kickoff — against Jamaica. The roster is very MLS-heavy to allow the European-based players we saw in the Nations League competition to get some rest. In addition to veterans like Aaron Long, DeAndre Yedlin, and Matt Turner you have a slew of youngsters who are looking to prove themselves. Cade Cowell, James Sands, Aidan Morris and others will try to make the most of their playing time in hopes of making the 2026 World Cup squad.

U.S. to Host 2025 FIFA Club World Cup

The United States will host the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The tournament will be the first to be expanded to a 32 team field. The Seattle Sounders — who have one of the four Concacaf spots — will be joined by clubs like Chelsea FC, Real Madrid, and Manchester City. The announcement means the United States will host large international competitions in back-to-back years, with the shared hosting of the 2026 World Cup the following year. FIFA officials also delayed voting on the 2030 World Cup hosts until the latter part of 2024.

Free Kicks

  • I don’t actually recommend watching it again, but José Martinez‘ goal against Orlando City was named MLS Goal of the Matchday. It’s kind of tough to argue against it, though I still didn’t enjoy it.
  • Concacaf announced the suspensions for the four players shown red cards in the U.S. versus Mexico Nations League match.
  • Inter Miami is apparently getting the band back together, announcing Sergio Busquets on social media. He can’t actually sign just yet, but a deal can be in place. It should be interesting to see how the Herons clear cap space and which players depart to create that space.
  • Players from MLS and other leagues will have an easier time signing with clubs in England as the English Football Association has changed the regulations on bringing in players from “lower-profile leagues.”
  • Faruk Hadžibegić agreed to resign as Bosnia-Herzegovina coach after only four games in charge. One win and three consecutive losses was enough for the Federation to ask him to resign.
  • Jose Mourinho has asked to step down from his role on the UEFA football board after he was banned for four European matches following a verbal altercation with referee Anthony Taylor in the Europa League final.
  • Check out the stunning 2023 Community Pride Pitch at the Ground in New York City. Sophia Yeshi is one talented artist in my opinion.

That will do it for today. Vamos Orlando!

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

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.

Published

2 days ago

on

August 21, 2026

By

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!

Continue Reading

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

on

August 20, 2026

By

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!

Continue Reading

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

on

August 19, 2026

By

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!

Continue Reading

Trending