Lion Links: 1/16/23

Good morning, Mane Landers. Due to technical difficulties, I get to bring you the news two days in a row. I don’t know about you, but I’m over American football and am ready for American soccer to get back in action. We’re getting so close I can almost hear The Wall and smell the beautiful green grass of Exploria Stadium. Let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Back in Training

Orlando City started training for the 2024 season at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee on Monday. The core of last year’s excellent squad is back, along with the additions of Nico Lodeiro and the MLS SuperDraft picks. Head Coach Oscar Pareja will aim to improve on last season to take the Lions to the promised land of an MLS Cup.

Draftees Jeorgio Kocevski, Yutaro Tsukada, and Filip Mirkovic were among the first to arrive at practice, which is a good sign. Of course, some players are on international duty, but it’s still good to get things started. I’m also not convinced that Orlando City is done with this roster, but that is still to be determined. You can check out the new and returning players in this picture gallery.

Marta Receives FIFA Special Award

Marta is without a doubt the all-time greatest women’s soccer player. To give you an idea of how great, she is the highest scorer in World Cup history. She was awarded the FIFA Special Award for outstanding career achievement. FIFA has also created a new award in her honor. Starting in 2025, the best goal scored in women’s football will receive the ‘Marta Award.’ That is pretty cool.

Trialists Join the Pride

The Pride are once again bringing in some non-roster invitees for the preseason. These players will look to prove they deserve a chance at making the squad. Having non-roster invitees as part of the team’s preseason camp allows the coaches to do more in training than with just the normal squad. So far, we know that Texas A&M’s Kenna Caldwell and Michigan State’s Raegan Cox will be at training.

Pulisic’s Copa America Message

Christian Pulisic told The Athletic (paywall) that the USMNT’s goal is to win the Copa América. Of course, that is always the goal of every team that enters a competition, but the point stands. He and his teammates want to show the world what they can do. He was also asked about Lionel Messi’s impact on MLS. Pulisic thinks it’s been positive, which just goes to show that he and I don’t agree on everything.

Free Kicks

• Speaking of Messi, he was named FIFA’s best men’s player, beating out Erling Haaland for the honor. I really hope it’s a final award for Messi. It’s time to let someone else hold some hardware.
• Former Lion Andrés Perea is leaving the Philadelphia Union after being acquired by New York City FC. In return, Philadelphia gets $650,000 in General Allocation Money (split across two seasons) and an additional $150,000 in GAM if certain metrics are met.
• Israel international Sagiv Jehezkel has been charged with inciting hatred by Turkish authorities. Jehezkel was wearing a wristband with “100 Days 7.10,” which is in reference to the attacks and abduction of hostages by Hamas on Oct. 7. He plays for Antalyaspor in the Turkish Super Lig, and the club has suspended Jehezkel and is looking for a way to terminate his contract.
• Both Everton and Nottingham Forest have been charged with breaching the Profitability and Sustainability Rules by the English Premier League. There will be independent commissions for each team to decide the penalties, if any.
• Sometimes it’s good to take a minute and make sure you have a good grip on the ball. If not…

That will do it for today. I said it yesterday, but I’ll say it again. Enjoy your week. Vamos Orlando!