Lion Links: 12/11/23

Merry Monday morning, Mane Landers. The 2023 MLS season is officially over and the the off-season begins in earnest. While many find it the most wonderful time of the year, I’ll miss MLS soccer for the next few months. I do like the cooler weather though, so you take the good with the bad. In the meantime, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Reportedly Keeping Oscar Pareja

The Athletic‘s Tom Bogert is reporting that Orlando City and Oscar Pareja are in the process of finalizing a new contract to keep the head coach in Orlando (paywall).

Pareja’s current contract is set to expire, an announcement may be coming soon. It is likely that the club is also negotiating new contracts with Executive Vice President of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi and Technical Director and Assistant General Manager Ricardo Moreira. Keeping the trio that orchestrated Orlando City’s recent success together is a top priority this off-season.

Transfer Rumor Mill in Full Swing

A new contract for Pareja might be the first order of business, but there will be plenty more off-season moves to come. Although I wasn’t expecting interest in Duncan McGuire to start so soon, Malmö FF of the Allsvenskan in Sweden is reportedly the latest club interested in Orlando City’s striker (translator needed). McGuire’s contract ends at the end of the year, though he does have an option year.

There is also a rumor that Orlando City is interested in Brazilian attacking midfielder Lucas Moura. Given the fact that Orlando City parted ways with Mauricio Pereyra, this would not be the worst acquisition. The 31-year-old has previously played for Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham, and has spent the past year in Brazil with Sao Paulo.

Orlando Soccer Insider Awards Announced

Miguel Gallardo and Gabby Amato handed out end-of-the-year awards for Orlando City and the Orlando Pride on the Orlando Soccer Insider show. The awards included honoring the MVP, breakout star, best goal, best celebration, and best moment for each team. You can probably guess the nominees, with Duncan McGuire, Robin Jansson, Adriana, Messiah Bright, and Emily Madril all receiving some praise. Take a bit to watch and see if you agree with the picks.

Columbus Crew Win MLS Cup

The Columbus Crew defeated LAFC 2-1 to win the 2023 MLS Cup. The Crew scored a pair of goals in the 33rd and 37th minutes to secure the win. LAFC was able to pull one back in the second half, but the defending champs weren’t able to complete the comeback. This is Columbus’ third MLS title, with the first two coming in 2008 and 2020.

Free Kicks

• Orlando City’s Cesar Araujo received a call up to the Uruguayan U-23 team in preparation for the Olympics.

• The U.S. and Mexico submitted a joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup. If the bid is successful, the countries will host the biggest event two years in a row. The bid emphasizes being able to leverage the same venues from one year to the next.
• Manchester City, Fluminense, Leon, Al-Ahly, Urawa Red Diamonds, Auckland City, and Al-Ittihad will all meet in Saudi Arabia this week for the 2023 Club World Cup. Here is everything you need to know about this year’s competition.
• The Concacaf Women’s Gold Cup draw is tonight to determine which teams will face each other. The USWNT is in Pot A with Brazil and Canada. The competition starts Feb. 20 and runs through March 10.
• USMNT player Tim Weah has returned to training for Juventus after dealing with a thigh injury.
• Folarin Balogun scored a brace in Monaco’s win over Rennes. Balogun continues to impress at the club level.
• The Women’s Super League set a record for attendance with 59,042 watching Arsenal defeat Chelsea 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
• There are some big names available as the NWSL’s second free agency period begins today. Crystal Dunn, Rose Lavelle, and Becky Sauerbrunn are all available.

That will do it for today. I hope you have a good week and keep checking in for our Orlando City and Orlando Pride Season in Review pieces.