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Lion Links: 11/7/23

Phil Neville named Portland Timbers coach, Real Salt Lake beats Houston in shootout, chaos reigns in Chelsea’s match with Tottenham, and more.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

Happy game day, everyone! Orlando City will try to put away Nashville SC tonight and advance to the next round of the MLS Cup playoffs without needing to take things to a Game 3. The first game was an extremely tight affair and hopefully Game 2 is a bit more comfortable for the Lions. There’s a ton for us to talk over this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Portland Timbers Hire Phil Neville

The Portland Timbers have named Phil Neville as the team’s new head coach. Neville has signed a deal that will keep him at the club through 2026. He becomes the team’s fourth coach as an MLS franchise, following Gio Savarese’s firing back in August. This will be his second stint coaching in MLS, as he spent a little over two seasons with Inter Miami. While he got the team to the playoffs in 2022, his overall record with the team was 35-42-13, and reports of Portland’s interest in him raised some eyebrows. Aside from the questions of his qualifications, the Timbers Army voiced its displeasure of his candidacy due to a past history of sexist tweets.

Real Salt Lake Survives Against the Houston Dynamo

It took a spectacular equalizer and a perfect outing at the penalty spot, but Real Salt Lake got the result it needed after a 1-1 draw at home against the Houston Dynamo. Jefferson Savarino’s gorgeous free kick cancelled out Amine Bassi’s opening goal to send the game to penalty kicks. Zac MacMath held his nerve and saved Bassi’s second penalty kick attempt of the night, and RSL made five straight attempts from the spot to get the shootout win and force a Game 3 back in Houston. This result, along with FC Dallas’ win at home against the Seattle Sounders, contrasts the first-round sweeps after Sporting Kansas City and LAFC each advanced by winning the first two games of their matchups.

Chaos in Chelsea’s Win Over Tottenham

Chelsea handed Tottenham its first loss of the Premier League season in a positively bonkers game on Monday afternoon. Spurs got the game’s first goal in the sixth minute, but things descended into anarchy from there. Chelsea had goals ruled out in the 21st and 28th minutes before Cristian Romero was shown a red card for Spurs after a video review determined he fouled Enzo Fernandez in the box. Cole Palmer scored the resulting penalty kick for Chelsea, and Micky van de Ven and James Maddison both went off injured before the 10 minutes of first-half stoppage time had finished. Destiny Udogie received a second yellow card in the 55th minute to reduce Tottenham to nine men, and Nicolas Jackson then scored a hat trick to give the Blues a 4-1 win that was far less comfortable than the bloated score indicated.

UEFA Champions League Preview

The UEFA Champions League’s group stage continues today and there are a number of storylines to watch. Barcelona will make the round of 16 after missing out last year if it wins or draws against Shakhtar Donetsk. Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah, and AC Milan have a massive game against Paris Saint-Germain, and the Italian side really needs a win if it wants to have a chance of advancing out of the group. Giovanni Reyna and Borussia Dortmund take on Newcastle United as well, with both clubs currently on four points, trailing PSG but ahead of AC Milan in Group F.


  • The Lions got a nice little send-off from training ahead of traveling to Tennessee to face Nashville SC tonight.
  • The baby Lions had themselves an excellent weekend.
  • Marta spoke a little bit about getting some practice in before she took on the responsibility of waving the checkered flag at the Brazilian Grand Prix.

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

Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/11/25

Orlando City signs Eduard Atuesta, MLS news roundup, Americans in midweek action, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, gang! It was a long weekend for me but an interesting one, as I attended an event at St. Louis City’s Energizer Stadium on Saturday night. It was a fun time, but personally I prefer Orlando City’s home digs. We have plenty of things to discuss this morning, so let’s get into the links.

Orlando City Signs Eduard Atuesta

Orlando City has found its replacement for the injured Wilder Cartagena, as the club announced the signing of Colombian midfielder Eduard Atuesta from Palmeiras on Monday. Atuesta’s deal runs through the end of the 2025 season and also contains a club option for 2026. While the Lions still have some depth issues that need to be addressed at various positions, Atuesta will pair alongside Cesar Araujo in midfield, and if his previous numbers in Major League Soccer are any indication, he may even provide more goal scoring and creation from the position than Cartagena usually did.

MLS News Roundup

With the start of the MLS season under two weeks away, the off-season news is still flying thick and fast. First up, the Colorado Rapids have signed midfielder Ted Ku-DiPietro from D.C. United in exchange for up to $1.4 million in cash, with United also maintaining a sell-on percentage in the player. The trade was executed using the league’s cash-based trade system, with Colorado becoming the latest team to make use of the new mechanism. Up next, San Diego FC has signed defender Willy Kumado from Lyngby Boldklub in the Danish Superliga. The right back joins on a two-year deal that also contains option years for 2027 and 2028. Finally, Tom Bogert is reporting that Joseph Paintsil is expected to be out of action for over a month after sustaining an injury to his quadriceps.

Americans in Midweek Action

As always, there are a number of Americans taking part in games during the working week, and there’s a heavy emphasis on UEFA Champions League play. Things get started later today, as Tim Weah, Weston McKennie, and Juventus face a PSV Eindhoven side that has all four of Ricardo Pepi, Richy Ledezma, Sergino Dest, and Malik Tillman injured. Meanwhile, Gio Reyna, Cole Campbell, and Borussia Dortmund will travel to face Sporting CP. Wednesday has Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah traveling with AC Milan to take on Feyenoord, while Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic will be sorely tested at home against Bayern Munich. Thursday will wrap up European play with Johnny Cardoso and Real Betis squaring off against Gent in the Conference League.

Josh Sargent’s Opportunity

Josh Sargent had a difficult end to 2024, as he spent several months on the sideline while recovering from a groin injury that eventually required surgery. There were some natural moments of wondering what he’d be like when he made his return, but he’s hit the ground running since his first game back on Jan. 25, as he has four goals in three games for Norwich City. Not only is he getting his chance at the club level, but with Pepi and Folarin Balogun both currently injured, Sargent looks almost certain to lead the line for the United States Men’s National Team for March’s Concacaf Nations League semifinal matches. Sometimes timing is everything, and right now Sargent’s timing is pretty damn good.

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That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/10/25

Orlando City falls to CF Montreal in preseason scrimmage, latest OCSC transfer rumblings, MLS transfer roundup, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. Under Armour has been keeping me busy, and I’ve been covering some high school basketball. We are less than two weeks away from the 2025 MLS season kicking off, with the Lions’ home opener on Feb. 22 against the Philadelphia Union. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links. Before we do, we want to thank subscriber Dave Shine for upgrading to a Designated Player support level. We appreciate all of our supporters, and to see if one of our three levels of support is right for you, please visit our Buy Me a Coffee page.

Orlando City Falls to CF Montreal in Preseason Scrimmage

Orlando City suffered a preseason loss on Saturday, falling 2-1 to CF Montreal in a 120-minute friendly scrimmage at Inter&Co Stadium. The match remained scoreless after 90 minutes of play, and the two clubs played an extra 30-minute session. CF Montreal took a 2-0 lead before Nico Lodeiro scored a late free-kick goal for the Lions to make it 2-1. The Lions’ next preseason match will be Tuesday against USL Championship side Rhode Island FC in a closed-door scrimmage. Orlando will conclude its preseason friendly schedule on Friday in Tampa against Inter Miami at Raymond James Stadium.

Latest Orlando City Transfer Reports

The Lions have been busy as we get close to their home opener in 12 days. Midfielder Eduard Atuesta reportedly had his medical exam with Orlando City on Friday, but nothing is official until it’s official. Atuesta reportedly terminated his contract with Palmeiras two years before it expired, and the Brazilian club will keep 20% of any future sale as Orlando works towards finalizing the deal.

Meanwhile, the Lions have also reportedly submitted a transfer bid to Bolivian club Always Ready midfielder Moises Paniagua. Per the source post from Twitter, the bid was lower than the club is expecting for Paniagua.

Lastly, defender Noham Abdellaoui of Serie A side Genoa has reportedly signed a one-year contract to join Orlando City. This seems like more of a move the club would make to stock OCB than the first team, but we’ll wait to see if it becomes official.

MLS Transfer Roundup

Major League Soccer had another busy weekend with some notable transfer moves. CF Montreal added a pair of defenders, signing former Lion Luca Petrasso through the 2025 season with options for 2026 and 2027. He played against Orlando City on Saturday. Montreal also signed defender Brandan Craig through the 2025 season with options for 2026, 2027, and 2028. New York Red Bulls forward Lewis Morgan has reached an agreement on a new contract, extending his deal through 2026 with options for 2027 and 2028. The Chicago Fire have signed defender Omar Gonzalez on a contract for the 2025 season with a club option for 2026.

Keeping Up With Americans Abroad

We had another busy weekend featuring Americans in action in Europe. Norwich City forward Josh Sargent continues his stellar form as he scored in his third consecutive match in a 1-1 draw against Derby County on Saturday. Sargent has scored four goals in his last three appearances for the EFL Championship side. Christian Pulisic came off the bench for AC Milan in the second half and notched two assists as AC Milan defeated Empoli 2-0 and moved to seventh in the Serie A table. Cardiff City goalkeeper Ethan Horvath made three clutch saves in an FA Cup match against Stoke City. One was in the penalty shootout as Cardiff City defeated Stoke City 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 3-3 draw and move on to the Round of 16.

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  • Orlando City midfielder Wilder Cartagena tweeted that he recently had surgery at the end of January. We here at The Mane Land wish Wilder a speedy recovery.
  • Former Lion Alexandre Pato visited his former teammates during preseason training last week.
  • Orlando City announced its theme night calendar for the 2025 season, featuring wrestling night, pride in our city night, and a video game night.
  • Plymouth Argyle defeated Liverpool 1-0 on Sunday to knock out the Reds in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
  • After multiple delays, the popular mobile game Football Manager 25 has been canceled just weeks before its March release. Sports Interactive issued the following statement on social media.

That will do it for me today, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Monday, and I’ll see you next time.

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 2/7/25

Angelina called up by Brazil, MLS transfer news, dual-sport performance center announced for Portland women’s teams, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday! The groundhog may have seen his shadow earlier this week, but winter feels pretty much over and done with here in Florida. Hopefully this nice weather lasts a while before we reach the part of the year where it becomes unbearable to exist outside due to the heat. Let’s jump right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Angelina Called Up By Brazil

You’ll need a translation tool for the full details, but Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina was one of 30 players called up by Brazil for a training camp in Rio de Janeiro. The 25-year-old was a key part of Orlando’s historic season last year, bringing stability to the midfield and giving Orlando’s attack an edge as well.

Brazil’s camp will last from Feb. 17-26 as the team begins preparations for this summer’s Copa America. Adriana, who was recently transferred from the Pride to Al Qadsiah FC in Saudi Arabia, was also called up by Head Coach Arthur Elias.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

The New York Red Bulls bolstered their back line by adding a pair of defenders. They signed left back Marcelo Morales from Universidad de Chile, inking the 21-year-old to a three-year deal. Center back Tim Parker officially returned to the Red Bulls as well, signing a one-year contract. In other news involving Orlando City’s Eastern Conference foes, the Philadelphia Union signed Jovan Lukic from FK Spartak Subotica in Serbia’s top flight, FC Cincinnati loaned defender Alvaro Barreal to Santos FC, and CF Montreal signed 21-year-old defender Dante Sealy to a two-year deal.

Joint Facility Announced For Portland Thorns and WNBA Team

Plans for a dual-sport performance center to serve both the Portland Thorns and the city’s future WNBA team were announced by RAJ Sports, the ownership group behind both teams. The initial phase of the facility will reportedly cost around $75 million, with a goal for the soccer and shared side of things to be completed before the Thorns’ 2026 season and the basketball portions done before the WNBA team’s inaugural season begins that summer. It will feature two full-sized basketball courts, two soccer pitches, dressing rooms for each team, and a shared dining room with a chef and nutritionist. It’s pretty great to see this kind of investment put towards women’s sports and I hope this sparks similar projects across the country.

Keeping Up With the Americans Abroad

There’s a new American playing in Europe to keep an eye out for, as FC Koln striker Damion Downs had a statement game against Bayer Leverkusen in the German Cup quarterfinals. His team lost in extra time, but the 20-year-old had a goal and an assist. Downs has eight goals and four assists this season and could land on USMNT Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino’s radar.

As for how other Americans did this week, Yunus Musah started and Christian Pulisic came off the bench in AC Milan’s 3-1 win against AS Roma to reach the Coppa Italia semifinals. Defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty both played every minute of Celtic’s 6-0 win over Dundee FC. It wasn’t all good news for Americans abroad though, as Jordan Pefok had to be stretchered off in his first game with Stade de Reims after just joining the French team this week.

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  • Enjoy this moment of captains Robin Jansson and Marta hanging out during the preseason.

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

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