Lion Links
Lion Links: 7/31/23
Cartagena’s excellent goal, the Pride strive to be better, Women’s World Cup news, and more.

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers. July might be ending, but Orlando City is moving on in the Leagues Cup, facing in-state rival Inter Miami on Wednesday. Evidently, Miami made some sort of player moves recently, but I’m not concerned. Oscar Pareja knows about tournament play. With that said, let’s get to today’s links.
Cartagena’s Winning Goal
Orlando City won the South 2 group of the Leagues Cup with a 3-2 win over Club Santos Laguna. The winning goal came from an unlikely combination from Orlando City’s pair of defensive midfielders, with Cesar Araujo providing the assist to Wilder Cartagena for the finish. I wouldn’t have predicted Cartagena to score, but it seems his daughter knew and told him to practice his celebration. Somebody put that kid on the scouting team. The Lions now turn their attention to Inter Miami and the Round of 32.
Pride Need to Raise Standard
The Pride followed up a disappointing 3-1 loss to Gotham FC in the Challenge Cup with an even more lopsided 5-0 loss to the North Carolina Courage. Despite only missing the Pride’s Brazilian contingent for the Women’s World Cup, Orlando has not been able to take advantage of other clubs missing more of their squads. Head Coach Seb Hines stated, “We have to raise our standard.” Despite recent results, the coaches and players still believe the Pride are a better team than they are showing. With a game coming up on Friday against the Washington Spirit at Exploria Stadium, let’s hope they are right.
Women’s World Cup News
New Zealand is the first host team to be knocked out of the Women’s World Cup group stage. It is a record that the Football Ferns will not be pleased to have, and while the players are disappointed, they are still proud of what they accomplished this World Cup.
Colombia shocked Germany with a last-minute goal to win 2-1 over the group favorites. The Germans are still likely to advance out of the group stage, but the stoppage-time goal will still haunt them. Colombia’s Linda Caicedo netted the winner, after coming back from a battle with cancer to earn her spot on the World Cup squad. With the win, Colombia has already qualified for the round of 16.
Finally, the USWNT will play its final group stage match against Portugal at 3 a.m. Tuesday morning. The U.S. will advance with either a win or draw against Portugal. The USWNT can win the group if it defeats Portugal and the Netherlands lose or draw against Vietnam or if the Dutch win by only one goal.
Transfer News Involving USMNT Players
It seems that Yunas Musah will be joining fellow USMNT player Christian Pulisic at Serie A club AC Milan. The pursuit of Musah came to light earlier this month and seems to be all but done.
AC Milan will hope that Musah comes in and performs as well as his American teammate has during the preseason for the club. Pulisic has made two starts, and his attitude and effort has been recognized by his teammates, his coaches, and the supporters of his new club.
USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner has been linked to a move to Nottingham Forest. Arsenal will most likely be looking to either transfer or loan out Turner as they are hoping to bring in Brentford’s David Raya. Such a move might give the U.S. keeper an opportunity for more playing time.
Free Kicks
- Flamengo fired assistant coach Pablo Fernández following his assault of the club’s striker Pedro. Fernández slapped Pedro three times before punching him in the face. Fernández is also facing official charges.
- USWNT stars Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn, and Julie Ertz have all had children since the last Women’s World Cup, and it has changed them as players. For the good, of course.
- If, like me, you didn’t get to watch all the Women’s World Cup matches, here is a highlight reel of every goal scored on Matchday 11.
- Are the Women’s World Cup, the Challenge Cup, and the Leagues Cup not enough soccer for you? No worries. Here is a list of every preseason match for all the English Premier League clubs.
- If you didn’t get a chance to take in Orlando City’s victory, or just want to relive the magical feeling, check out the highlights as presented by the club.
That will do it for today. Check back for our continuing coverage of Orlando City’s upcoming Leagues Cup match, the Orlando Pride, OCB, and the Women’s World Cup. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/28/23
Luciano Acosta named MVP, Americans in action, scheduling news for U.S national teams, and more.

Happy Tuesday, everyone. I’m dragging a little today after having an extended period of time off for the Thanksgiving holiday, but there’s no rest for the wicked and the only way out is through. With that being the case, let’s get into today’s news.
Luciano Acosta Wins MLS MVP
In a piece of news that plenty of people likely saw coming from several miles away, Luciano Acosta has been named Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Player. Acosta racked up 34 goal contributions during the regular season, finishing the 2023 campaign with 17 goals and 14 assists as the driving force behind his team’s run to the Supporters’ Shield. He was voted the best player in the league by quite some margin, and won the award in a landslide, taking 60.37% of the votes to Denis Bouanga’s 14.97% and Thiago Almada’s 6.46%.
American Stars in Midweek Action
There are a number of United States Men’s National Team players that will be in action this week, with several UEFA Champions League clashes highlighting the viewing slate. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and AC Milan will face Giovanni Reyna’s Borussia Dortmund today in a game with huge ramifications for both teams. Malik Tillman, Ricardo Pepi, and Sergino Dest may play in PSV Eindhoven’s match with Sevilla tomorrow, and a win would likely go a long way to securing a place in the Round of 16. Additionally on Wednesday, Brenden Aaronson and Union Berlin have a chance to make a big move towards a place in the Europa League, as a win over Braga would leapfrog the German club into third place in Group C.
USMNT & USWNT Scheduling News
The USMNT will open its 2024 slate of games with a match against Slovenia on Jan. 20 in San Antonio. The match will fall outside of an international window, meaning that the January camp roster will largely be made up of domestic-based players. The USMNT have faced Slovenia twice before, with the most recent time being a 3-2 win in Ljubljana courtesy of a Jozy Altidore penalty kick.
While we already knew that the United State’s Women’s National Team would play China PR on Dec. 5 in Frisco, we now know that one of the team’s legends will be honored before the game. The U.S. Soccer Federation has announced that former Orlando Pride defender Ali Krieger, who stated in March that she will retire following the NWSL season, will be honored before the match. Krieger played 108 games for the USWNT and is a two-time World Cup winner with the team.
Notable Women’s Players to Miss International Matches
A pair of high profile women’s players will miss upcoming international games. First up, Sam Kerr will not feature in Australia’s back-to-back friendlies against Canada due to a foot injury. Kerr has struggled with injuries this year and her availability was limited during this summer’s World Cup.
Alexia Putellas will miss Spain’s two Nations League matches against Sweden and Italy after picking up a left knee injury. Putellas had missed Euro 2022 due to an ACL tear, but was back to help her side win the World Cup several months ago. Fortunately for Spain, the team is well positioned atop its group and has enough players in the squad that it shouldn’t feel her absence too keenly.
Free Kicks
- A pair of Willian penalties and an early Alex Iwobi goal helped Fulham beat Wolverhampton, with American defenders Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream also starting.
- New York Red Bulls forward Tom Barlow is reportedly headed to the Chicago Fire.
- With just three games remaining, Brazil’s title race is coming right down to the wire.
- The Liga MX playoffs are about to start, so make sure you get up to speed on what you should know as the Apertura gets underway.
That’s all I’ve got for you this morning. Y’all stay safe out there.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/27/23
Western Conference final is set, Jim Curtin wants Alejandro Bedoya to stay, action from top European leagues, and more.

Happy Monday, everyone. Orlando City’s season might not have ended the way any of us wanted, but 2023 was still a year with a lot to enjoy and be proud of for Lions fans. Before getting into today’s news, let’s wish Martin Ojeda a happy 25th birthday!
Western Conference Final is Set
The Western Conference final is now set, as the Houston Dynamo will be facing LAFC. Houston grabbed a 1-0 win at home over Sporting Kansas City in the first game of the night. Franco Escobar got the home team on the board in the 39th minute and that proved to be enough for Houston to book its ticket to the next round.
In the late kickoff, LAFC went on the road and got its own 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders. Denis Bounga did what he does best and got the game’s only goal in the 30th minute, and LAFC was able to see out the remainder of the match. Seattle didn’t go down without a fight though, and Maxime Crepeau produced a string of outstanding second-half saves to deny the Sounders an equalizer.
Jim Curtin Wants Alejandro Bedoya Extended
Last month it was being reported that the Philadelphia Union were not planning on extending Alejandro Bedoya, whose contract expires now that the season is over. Following the Union’s exit from the playoffs, Jim Curtin did not mince words when expressing his belief that Bedoya’s time with the club should be extended, saying that Bedoya is bigger than anyone and that his work on the field speaks for itself. Things got really interesting when he appeared to take a shot at Philly’s front office, saying “I think anywhere in the world, the head coach would have a say in what’s up with this captain. I think there was a miscommunication for sure.”
Action Packed European Weekend
It was a busy weekend in the top European leagues, and there’s a lot to catch up on. We’ll start in the Premier League, where Aston Villa beat Tottenham 2-1 to hand a third straight loss to Spurs. The victory saw Villa leapfrog Tottenham into fourth place and only two points behind Arsenal at the top of the table.
In Italy, Juventus and Inter Milan battled to a 1-1 draw in a clash between the two teams at the top of the table. The result means that Inter maintains its spot in first place, and keeps a two-point lead over Juve, and a six-point gap between AC Milan in third.
Finally, Rodrygo scored a brace and Jude Bellingham got yet another goal as Real Madrid beat Cadiz 3-0 to retake first place in La Liga from Girona.
Transfer Rumor Roundup
As always, the transfer rumor mill is turning 24/7, and that means there are some interesting stories to cover today. First up, Victor Osimhen is reportedly Chelsea’s top transfer target during the upcoming January window. The Blues would likely need to break their transfer record to get the job done, but they’ve struggled to start the year and Todd Boehly isn’t shy about whipping out his checkbook.
Arsenal is said to be interested in signing Douglas Luiz in January, but Unai Emery has made it clear that Aston Villa want to keep him, which is unsurprising given how important he’s been for the team this season.
Finally, Steven Bergwijn says he’s happy at Ajax despite interest from West Ham and Saudi Arabia.
Free Kicks
- Alejandro Garnacho scored a completely absurd goal to spark Manchester United’s 3-0 win over Everton.
- Wrexham is up to second place in League Two after a 6-0 dismantling of Morecambe.
- Christian Pulisic made his return in a 1-0 win for AC Milan, but the big story was Francesco Camarda becoming the youngest player in Serie A history at 15 years, 8 months and 16 days.
- Former England manager Terry Venables has died at the age of 80.
That’s all I have for you this morning. Y’all stay safe out there.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 11/25/23
Lions set to host Crew, Orlando must stop potent Columbus attack, Pereyra approaches 10,000 minutes, and more.

The day has arrived, Mane Landers! The Lions are set to host an Eastern Conference semifinal match tonight at Exploria Stadium. I hope you have grabbed your tickets, but if not, there is still a bit of time to find your way into the stadium. Prior to the match, my wife and I are going to check out the new Hunger Games prequel at the movie theater. The original series released when I was in college, so there will be a bit of nostalgia watching the latest edition.
With such a big match upon us, there are plenty of links breaking it down today. So let’s get right to it.
Lions Host Columbus Crew
Orlando City hasn’t been to the conference semifinals since the 2020 season. The match against the Columbus Crew marks just the second time reaching this point in club history. Orlando enters as the No. 2 seed, but the two clubs often play to exciting scorelines no matter the potential talent gap through seeding purposes. The last time these teams played, Columbus took a 3-1 lead, only for the Lions to score three times from the 73rd minute and beyond to claim a wild 4-3 win.
A Clash of Strengths
Orlando City and the Columbus Crew offer contrasting styles and opposite strengths. The Crew play a pressure possession game that puts opposing defenses on their heels with quick attacks. Columbus led MLS with 67 goals in the regular season and scored eight during the three-game, opening-round series against Atlanta United. Orlando, on the other hand, was tied for the fifth-fewest goals allowed in the league, conceding only 39 in the regular season. The Lions were also the only team in the playoffs not to give up a goal, putting together consecutive 1-0 wins against Nashville in their first-round matchup. Head Coach Oscar Pareja knows that he needs more out of his Orlando attackers.
“In Columbus, you can see that initiative to be more aggressive,” Orlando City Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “I guess that sometimes they need to defend too, and now our initiative is just to create a way where we can make them worry about defending too.”
Powering Through the Break
Orlando City has not played for 18 days. While the long layoff was partially due to the first-round sweep, it also backed up to the November FIFA international window. The Lions had five players away on international duty: goalkeeper Pedro Gallese and defensive midfielder Wilder Cartagena for Peru, winger Facundo Torres for Uruguay, forward Wilfredo Rivera for Puerto Rico, and defender Abdi Salim for Somalia. For the remaining players who stayed behind at home, they tried to make the most of the situation.
“We have been working,” Head Coach Oscar Pareja said. “After our game against Nashville, we had a couple of days off to refresh after our efforts there and the emotions the game brought us. We have kept a good pace and have worked on some details toward what is coming with Columbus. We are waiting for some players that are out on national team duty, but we are ready. This week, we have been a bit more intense in our preparations. The boys are good and healthy.”
Mauricio Pereyra Set to Hit 10,000 Minutes
Should he start and play through the 38th minute today, captain Mauricio Pereyra will reach 10,000 minutes across all competitions as a Lion. Pereyra will be only the third Orlando City player to reach the milestone, joining defender Robin Jansson and goalkeeper Pedro Gallese. In his time with Orlando, the Uruguayan maestro has accumulated 134 appearances and holds the club assists record with 47. Pereyra will likely reach his milestone tonight, but the club has a chance at collectively reaching new heights as well. A win would advance the Lions to the Eastern Conference final for the first time in team history. The win would also make seven straight victories and 16 consecutive results at home. Each would be club records.
Free Kicks
- Are Orlando City players really the villains of MLS?
- It is a split decision on our match, but check out who the experts think will be in the final four.
- The Columbus Crew have averaged only 1.5 goals per game on the road this season and have scored two or more goals in road matches just twice this season (once in Orlando).
- Harry Kane scored yet again, reaching 18 goals in the first 12 rounds of the Bundesliga, and became the first English player to reach 18 goals in a single Bundesliga season.
- Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has asked for patience before deciding whether his team is guilty of breaches of financial rules.
- Kylian Mbappé scored a penalty and his 14th league goal of the season as French leader Paris Saint-Germain beat third-place Monaco, but USMNT striker Florian Balogun didn’t leave empty-handed, bagging one of his own.
It’s about that time for our earlier-than-usual kickoff time. Be early, be loud, and be safe. Vamos Orlando!
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