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Lion Links: 9/1/23

Orlando City gets ready for FC Cincinnati, Lions and Samsunspor reportedly near completion on Ercan Kara deal, Pride players make NWSL Best XI of the Month, and more.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

How’s it going, Mane Landers? September is here, which means things should be cooling off a bit as time goes on. It still may be some time before we can go outside without instantly sweating, but it’s something to look forward to regardless. There’s plenty of soccer to enjoy this weekend, along with some football and tennis as well. But for now, let’s dive into today’s links from around the soccer world.

Orlando City’s Road Trip Continues

After a 1-1 draw against Charlotte FC earlier this week, Orlando City will head to Ohio for a match against FC Cincinnati tomorrow night. Cincinnati is undefeated at home this season, winning 12 of their 13 games at TQL Stadium and drawing the other. On the other hand, the Lions have notched more points on the road than any other team in MLS this season.

This will be the second meeting between the two teams this year, as they played to a scoreless draw at Exploria Stadium in March. The Lions will definitely be underdogs against the league leaders, but it should be an exciting match between two of the Eastern Conference’s best.

Ercan Kara Reportedly Headed to Turkey

You’ll need Google Translate or something similar for the full details, but beIN Sports is reporting that an agreement was reached between Orlando City and Samsunspor for forward Ercan Kara. The Austrian forward is reportedly going to Istanbul today for a medical and will sign a three-year deal with the Turkish club. Talks between the two clubs have been reported on throughout the week, and Samsunspor may have given a good enough offer for the Lions to part with one of their Designated Players. Kara has only started in 11 games this season, but having him available as an option up top would be vital for Orlando’s playoff aspirations.

Orlando Pride Players Make NWSL Best XI of the Month

The Orlando Pride’s Messiah Bright, Kerry Abello, and Kylie Strom were all named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month for August. Bright scored three goals across the Pride’s four games in August, including a brace in a 5-0 victory over the Chicago Red Stars. Abello provided the assist on Bright’s goal against NJ/NY Gotham FC in the NWSL Challenge Cup, and Strom did well as part of a Pride defense that only allowed three goals last month. The Kansas City Current also had three players make the Best XI of the Month, with Adrianna Franch, Lo’eau LaBonta, and Kristen Hamilton selected.

Pride Prepare for Reign

The Pride will play their first match of September on Sunday against OL Reign at Lumen Field. It will be a chance for the Pride to return to their winning ways after a 2-1 defeat to the San Diego Wave a week ago. It’s a pivotal match for both teams, as the Reign sit in sixth place and just two points above the Pride in the NWSL standings. The Reign have lost their past three league matches, including a 1-0 defeat to the Pride at Exploria Stadium on July 7. However, the Pride have struggled on the road this season and have never beaten the Reign in an away game.

Julie Ertz Hangs Up Her Cleats

United States Women’s National Team star Julie Ertz announced that she is retiring from professional soccer. She excelled during the USWNT’s winning campaigns at the 2015 and 2019 World Cups and took part in this year’s World Cup as well. Ertz was named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year in 2017 and 2019, and was also named U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year in 2012. At the club level, she was drafted by the Chicago Red Stars in 2014 and helped them reach the playoffs in all seven of the seasons she was there. Earlier this year, she joined Angel City FC and scored in her debut with the Californian club.

Champions League Group Stage is Set

The draw for the UEFA Champions League’s group stage is complete, with all 32 teams learning their paths to the knockout stage. The toughest group on paper is Group F, which includes Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Newcastle. That should be an exciting group to keep an eye on, and Christian Pulisic will get to play against his former club. Group C is also formidable, as it features Real Madrid, Napoli, Union Berlin, and Braga. Also, Manchester United was drawn with Bayern Munich in Group A, while Sevilla and Arsenal will contend with PSV Eindhoven and Lens in Group B.

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  • Orlando Pride Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Haley Carter praised goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse’s performance this year.

That’s all I have for you today. I hope you all have a wonderful Friday and rest of your weekend!

Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/21/24

Marta’s chance to shine in NWSL Championship, NWSL and MLS award winners announced, 2025 SheBelieves Cup details, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I’ve been spending most of this week plotting out some holiday shopping to make things a little less stressful for myself over the next few weeks. A big weekend filled with Orlando soccer awaits us, so make sure to get any errands or obligations out of the way sooner rather than later. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Spotlight Falls On Marta in NWSL Championship

There are plenty of storylines heading into Saturday’s NWSL Championship between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit, including Marta’s opportunity to put an exclamation point on what has been an excellent season for the Pride. Orlando has been enjoying the fruits of its labor this season after a rebuild over the past few years that’s included plenty of change in the City Beautiful. Marta has been a constant, however, enduring some difficult seasons since joining the Pride and adapting her game She’s scored in both of the Pride’s playoff games so far and has a chance to author a storybook ending on Saturday.

Ann-Katrin Berger Named NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year

NJ/NY Gotham FC goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was named 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year, beating out the Pride’s Anna Moorhouse and Utah Royals FC’s Mandy Haught for the honor. It was Berger’s first year in the NWSL and she’s the first European player to win the award. She only conceded 16 goals across her 22 matches for Gotham this season and was a key reason behind her team’s success. I’m not too surprised that Moorhouse did not win, considering how solid the Pride’s defense was as a whole, but this won’t take anything away from a record-breaking season for her.

Wilfried Nancy Named MLS Coach of the Year

Columbus Crew Head Coach Wilfried Nancy was voted 2024 MLS Coach of the Year after a historic season in which the Crew set club records in both points and goals. The Crew also won the Leagues Cup this summer and their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup campaign included advancing past Tigres and Monterrey en route to the final. This is Nancy’s first time being named Coach of the Year and he has been a finalist for the award every year since 2021. The Frenchman received 40.02% of the vote, winning the award over Inter Miami’s Gerardo Martino and Colorado Rapids Head Coach Chris Armas.

2025 SheBelieves Cup Details Unveiled

The 10th annual SheBelieves Cup will take place next year and the tournament will return to its usual format where each of the four teams plays each other once. The United States Women’s National Team will host Japan, Colombia, and Australia in February in what should be an exciting tournament. The U.S. will take on Colombia on Feb. 20 in Houston before facing Australia in Arizona on Feb. 23 and finishing the tournament on Feb. 26 against Japan at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. These games will also be the first domestic games of 2025 for the USWNT as it prepares to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

Eric Quill Named FC Dallas Head Coach

FC Dallas announced that Eric Quill will become the team’s next head coach. Quill joins Dallas after a great year with New Mexico United that included trips to the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals and USL Championship Western Conference semifinals. It’s also a reunion of sorts for Quill, as he previously coached North Texas SC and was named USL League One Coach of the Year with the club in 2019. Dallas missed out on the playoffs this season, with Peter Luccin coaching the team on an interim basis after the firing of Nico Estevez in June.

Free Kicks

  • District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser challenged Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to a bet involving this weekend’s NWSL Championship, with embarrassing lightshows on the line.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/20/24

Martin Ojeda could be a key factor against Atlanta, Seb Hines wins Coach of the Year, Lions abroad, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Good Wednesday morning, Mane Landers. For long time readers, you might remember me as a staple in your Lion Links but having stepped away on sabbatical. Today, I’m honored to be called off the bench and fill in for Dave. My life has been filled with being a first-time father along with taking over as commissioner of a soccer league and my normal day job. Through all of it, I have stayed true to catching as many Orlando City matches as I can or at least the highlights. TML is my go-to source for all things purple, so I’m glad to pitch in and talk about what is happening around the City Beautiful and soccer once again. So, let’s get into the links!

Lions’ Not-So Secret Weapons

Orlando City is ready to take on Atlanta United on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. According to Andrew Wiebe of MLSsoccer.com, midfielder Martín Ojeda and the home field advantage of Inter&Co Stadium will be the key to victory for Oscar Pareja to finally lift the cup with Orlando. On the other side of the ball, Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan is in impeccable form and will give the Five Stripes an opportunity to advance again despite being the underdogs.

Seb Hines Wins Major Award

The National Women’s Soccer League announced Pride Head Coach Seb Hines has been named the 2024 NWSL Coach of the Year. Following his stint as a player for Orlando City and coaching at the youth level, Hines became the Pride’s interim head coach in June 2022 before getting the gig full time. This season was his best yet with Orlando, finding 18 wins and leading a team that scored a club-record 46 goals along the way. He learned about his award from his players:

Internationals Take The Pitch

Tuesday gave some Lions the chance to represent their home nations. Orlando City right back Dagur Dan Thorhallsson entered the UEFA Nations League match between Wales and Iceland in the 75th-minute, but Iceland fell 4-1 after scoring first. Goalkeeper Pedro Gallese gained another start for Peru in its CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier against Argentina but couldn’t earn a shutout in a 1-0 loss.

Record MLS Signing Reported

FC Cincinnati has splashed the cash and has reportedly completed the signing of 23-year-old Cercle Brugge forward Kévin Denkey. The transfer fee of $16.2 million is an MLS record, passing the previous $16 million that Atlanta United spent to acquired Thiago Almada in 2022. The signing of Denkey to a four-year contract fills a gap at forward for Cincinnati. The length of the deal appears to make him the centerpiece of the team as only one player on the roster has guaranteed contract years beyond 2026, and only striker Kevin Kelsy has option years into 2028 and 2029, but he is currently on loan.

Inter&Co Stadium Will Host Orlando Cup

Coming in January 2025, the Orlando Cup Pro Series will bring clubs Santos FC, Atlético Nacional, and Fortaleza to our home stadium. These will be preseason matches for the participating teams to help them tune up and grow their brands in the United States.

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That’s a wrap on links for the day. I wish you all the best with the rest of you week. Who else is excited for a big Orlando soccer weekend? Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 11/19/24

Orlando Pride players honored, USMNT beats Jamaica, USWNT roster announced, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone! We’ve had a busy few days with the Orlando Pride advancing to the NWSL Championship in style, and games continuing to come thick and fast during the international break. Things aren’t slowing down around here though, as the Pride will play for a trophy on Saturday, and Orlando City faces Atlanta United in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday. Today also marks 11 years since Orlando City was announced as the 21st MLS club. Let’s dive into today’s links!

Pride Players Named to NWSL Best XI

On top of advancing to the NWSL Championship, a number of Orlando Pride players have been honored with places in the league’s Best XI First Team and Best XI Second Team. Emily Sams, Marta, and Barbra Banda made the cut for the First Team, while Anna Moorhouse and Kerry Abello were chosen for the Second Team.

Sams started in all 13 of the Pride’s shutouts, while Marta had 10 goal contributions on the year and Banda bagged 13 goals and six assists in her first year in the league. A big congratulations to all five players!

USMNT Routs Jamaica

The United States Men’s National Team ran riot over Jamaica in the second leg of its Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal series, winning by a score of 4-2 in St. Louis. The Yanks used a dominant first half to put the game away early, with two Christian Pulisic goals and Ricardo Pepi’s second goal in as many games giving the Americans a 3-0 lead at halftime. In the first 45 minutes, the USMNT enjoyed 70% possession and took six shots to the visitors’ two, with the majority of the action being played in Jamaica’s half. The game opened up more in the second half with Demari Gray grabbing a brace, but the Yanks were never truly threatened and advanced to the Concacaf Nations League semifinals.

USWNT Roster Announced

The United States Women’s National Team has announced its roster for upcoming friendlies against England and the Netherlands. Emma Hayes has named a 24-player roster for the two games, both of which will take place overseas. The roster features a familiar face, as the Orlando Pride’s Sams was named to the squad as a center back. The team also features Lily Yohannes, who recently announced her decision to play for the USWNT, and she will face the other team she was eligible to declare for in the Netherlands. To date, Sams has made two appearances for the USWNT and could be in line to double that number. The Yanks will face England at Wembley on Nov. 30, and then take on the Dutch on Dec. 3 at ADO Den Haag Stadium.

UEFA Nations League Roundup

The international break continued yesterday and there are a number of results to catch up on. In Europe, Croatia and Portugal both advanced to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after a 1-1 draw, and Scotland used a late goal by Andy Robertson to beat Poland 2-1, with the result sending the Scots to a playoff that will determine if they’ll be relegated from League A, while Poland dropped into League B. San Marino won just its second game in 20 years by beating Liechtenstein 3-1 to move up into League C. Finally, Denmark advanced to the quarterfinals courtesy of a scoreless draw with Serbia.

Free Kicks

  • Come meet Duncan McGuire tomorrow and enjoy some chicken to boot.

That’s all I have for you today. Vamos Orlando!

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