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Lion Links: 1/26/24

Orlando Pride season schedule revealed, David Brekalo speaks out about Viking FK, NWSL off-season grades, and much more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! It’s been a hectic and stressful week for me, but I’m looking forward to the weekend. The Gasparilla Pirate Festival is this weekend here in Tampa and the weather is looking pretty nice for some dressing up and enjoying rum cocktails outside. Orlando’s friendly with Flamengo is tomorrow as well, so it’s shaping up to be a great next few days. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish Orlando Pride midfielder Angelina a happy birthday!

Orlando Pride Learn Their 2024 NWSL Season Schedule

The 2024 NWSL schedule is out and the Orlando Pride will open their season on the road against Racing Louisville on March 16 at 4 p.m. Their home opener is set for Friday, March 22 at 8 p.m. against Angel City FC in what will also be the first regular-season game shown on Amazon Prime Video as part of the league’s new broadcast deal. Including the season opener, the Pride will have 14 games shown on NWSL+, which is a new direct-to-consumer streaming service free to those in the U.S. On paper, the Pride have a difficult stretch to end the 2024 regular season. Orlando will take on the Portland Thorns and then NJ/NY Gotham FC in road games on Oct. 11 and Oct. 20, respectively, before hosting the Seattle Reign on Nov. 2 to close out the Pride’s regular season.

Tahir Reid-Brown Praises Orlando City’s Academy

Orlando City defender Tahir Reid-Brown took the next step in his career earlier this week by becoming the 15th player to sign a Homegrown contract with the club. The 17-year-old, who joined Orlando City’s academy at 14, spoke on what this signing means to him, staying humble, and his excitement to make his debut for the first team. He also talked about how well Orlando’s academy has prepared him for the future, and it’s nice to see that the club’s efforts to improve at the youth level over the past few years are bearing fruit.

“Since the days of being in the Academy, it’s been the culture,” he said. “You feel like you’re professional from the moment you step on the field and just being able to migrate through all the different teams, you feel that professionalism from the coaching staff, from the senior players and even the young players, so it’s always been a professional feeling from the day I was in the Orlando City Academy, but now signing with the first team, it feels just surreal to have it official.”

David Brekalo Speaks Out Against Viking FK

With Antonio Carlos now in Brazil, the Lions remain on the hunt for a center back. It was reported earlier this month that the club has its eyes on Slovenian center back David Brekalo, who plays for Viking FK in Norway. Orlando reportedly had a bid around $2 million rejected last week and reports suggest the club made a second bid of $2.8 million. Brekalo has since had some fairly strong words about his club that do not make it seem like negotiations are going smoothly between Orlando and Viking.

It’s not a great situation for any involved party, as Orlando City’s center back search is in a limbo, Brekalo isn’t getting the move he wants, and Viking isn’t receiving playing time from the center back it evidently values quite highly. Hopefully things get ironed out and Brekalo comes to Orlando for a reasonable fee and he plays like a man possessed. The transfer window closes at the end of the month, so there’s at least some time left for Orlando to either sort this out or pull the trigger on a backup plan.

NWSL Off-Season Grades

Sandra Herrera of CBS Sports graded how each NWSL team did this off-season and the Orlando Pride received a B+. The Pride retained their back line, added plenty of midfielders, and have considerable potential heading into the 2024 season. Players like Swedish midfielder Evelina Duljan and first-round pick Ally Lemos join a growing list of young talent that can make a difference this year. Personally, I think the Pride also nailed doing right by their players this off-season when making trades and other decisions. As for other NWSL teams, Gotham received top marks for acing free agency and the Kansas City Current received the lowest grade.

Asian Cup Round of 16 is Set

The 2023 AFC Asian Cup’s group stage has concluded and we now know the bracket for the rest of the tournament. While there weren’t as many surprising exits as the Africa Cup of Nations, the Asian Cup has been competitive and many teams are capable of a deep run. South Korea, which finished second in its group after conceding a late equalizer in a 3-3 thriller against Malaysia, will face off against Saudi Arabia in what looks to be the most intriguing round-of-16 matchup. Australia will take on an Indonesian side that’s ranked 149th in the world but survived a formidable group with Iraq, Japan, and Vietnam. Elsewhere in the bracket, Qatar hosts Palestine, Iran will play Syria, and Japan will take on Bahrain.

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  • Portland Timbers left back Claudio Bravo suffered a knee injury and will miss out on the start of the MLS season.
  • Christen Press was named to Angel City’s preseason roster but is not training just yet as she is still working her way back from injury.

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

Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/18/25

Orlando City set to play the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Lions reach Generation Adidas Cup semifinals, Angel City hires Alexander Straus, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Friday! I hope today finds you well as we gear up for another Saturday filled with soccer to enjoy. I don’t have many plans this Easter weekend beyond working, catching soccer when I can, and playing Baldur’s Gate 3 for the first time if I find some spare hours. Let’s dive right into today’s links from around the soccer world!

Orlando City Learns U.S. Open Cup Opponents

Orlando City’s 2025 U.S. Open Cup campaign will begin on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on May 7 at 7:30 p.m. in what will be the latest edition of the I-4 Derby. It will be Orlando’s first game of this year’s tournament, while the Rowdies joined in the previous round and got past FC Naples in penalties. The Rowdies have lost four of their five games so far this season in the USL Championship and fired Robbie Neilson as head coach earlier this month. The Lions also notably would have hosting priority if they reach the round of 16, where they will play either Nashville SC or the Chattanooga Red Wolves.

Here’s the full schedule for the round of 32, which includes some interesting matchups across the country. The Tacoma Defiance are the only MLS NEXT Pro side left and will face the Portland Timbers, while the New York Red Bulls will have a long road trip to take on the Colorado Springs Switchbacks.

Lions Advance to Generation Adidas Cup Semifinals

Orlando City’s U-18 team beat Real Salt Lake 1-0 in the Generation Adidas Cup to secure a spot in the semifinals. The Young Lions have won four of their five games of the tournament and will take on Santos Laguna in the semifinal on Saturday. The winner of that match will face whichever team becomes victorious in the other semifinal between Atlanta United and the Colorado Rapids.

The U-16 team’s run in the Premier bracket is also going strong after a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, and Orlando will take on the New England Revolution in the semifinals on Saturday.

Angel City FC Hires Alexander Straus

Bayern Munich’s Alexander Straus was named Angel City FC’s next head coach and will officially join the club on June 1. The Norwegian coach has won back-to-back Bundesliga titles and has Bayern positioned well to make it three straight this season. He’ll join an Angel City team that’s unbeaten in its first four games of the season under interim head coach Sam Laity, who will stay on as an assistant coach once Straus joins.

Europa League Quarterfinals End In Dramatic Fashion

Old Trafford hosted one of the wildest games in Europa League history, with Manchester United and Lyon battling for a spot in the quarterfinals. United scored twice in the first half, then conceded twice in the second, sending the game to extra time. Lyon took the lead despite being a man down and then the teams traded penalty kicks as the madness continued. Casemiro orchestrated Manchester’s victory in the end, assisting on two late goals within a minute of each other to beat Lyon 5-4 and advance. This United fan pretty much sums up just how much of a rollercoaster this match was.

There was also drama in Italy, as Lazio came back in the second leg to force extra time against Bodo/Glimt. The match went to penalties and Bodo/Glimt goalkeeper Nikitka Haikin denied former New York City FC player Taty Castellanos from the spot to book his team’s place in the semifinals. Although Tottenham was without Son Heung-Min, it got the job done in a 1-0 road win against Eintracht Frankfurt, while Athletic Club beat Rangers 2-0 in Spain to advance as well. In the semifinals, Tottenham will face Bodo/Glimt and Manchester United will take on Athletic Club.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday and rest of your weekend!

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 4/17/25

Oscar Pareja signs new contract with Orlando City, Orlando Pride prepare for the Washington Spirit, Orlando’s youth teams win, and more.

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Dan MacDonald, The Mane Land

How’s it going, Mane Landers? I can’t believe we’re already into the back half of April and Easter is right around the corner. There’s plenty of soccer to enjoy between now and then and we also have the draw for the U.S. Open Cup’s round of 32 this morning at 9:15. MLS teams are finally joining the fray, so we’ll see where the chips fall for Orlando City. Let’s get to the links!

Oscar Pareja Signs New Contract

Orlando City and Head Coach Oscar Pareja have agreed to a new three-year contract that will keep him in the City Beautiful through 2028. Pareja was hired as Orlando’s fourth head coach in its MLS era back in December of 2019 and he’s led the Lions to the playoffs in all five seasons he’s been at the helm.  Under Pareja, the Lions won the U.S. Open Cup in 2022, set club records in points and wins in 2023, and reached the Eastern Conference final for the first time last year. This year was the final one on the contract he signed in December of 2023, so it’s nice to know Pareja will be sticking around in the future.

Orlando Pride Prepare for the Washington Spirit

The Orlando Pride will look to make it five wins in a row when they host the Washington Spirit on Saturday in another rematch of last year’s final. While this is the first match between Orlando and Washington this season, the two clashed in the NWSL Challenge Cup on March 7 and the Spirit lifted the trophy after a penalty shootout. Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines spoke on how the team has grown since that game and has benefitted from depth and consistency carried over from last year.

Orlando City Youth Teams Win in Bradenton

Orlando City’s U-18 team won in the Generation Adidas Cup’s round of 16, beating St. Louis City 1-0 to advance to the quarterfinals. The Young Lions remain unbeaten in that age group and will take on a Real Salt Lake team that also won its group and just beat Toronto FC in a penalty shootout following a scoreless draw.

Orlando’s U-16 squad didn’t qualify for the Championship bracket, but still advanced in the Premier bracket. After a 1-1 draw with Toronto, Orlando prevailed in the ensuing penalty shootout and will play Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals.

UEFA Champions League Semifinals Are Set

The quarterfinals for this year’s UEFA Champions League are over and only four teams remain in the tournament. Arsenal secured its spot in the semifinals after an impressive 2-1 road win against Real Madrid that included two assists from Mikel Merino. The Spanish club couldn’t muster its usual magic in the tournament and forward Kylian Mbappe exited in the second half due to injury. In Italy, Inter Milan held on for a 2-2 draw against Bayern to advance on aggregate, with defender Benjamin Pavard scoring a crucial goal for Inter against his old team. The semifinals will take place at the end of the month and will feature Arsenal taking on Paris Saint-Germain and Inter going up against Barcelona.

Free Kicks

  • Our thoughts go out to the friends and family of former FC Cincinnati player Aaron Boupendza, who died after falling from the 11th floor of a building in China.
  • The Chicago Fire are reportedly strongly interested in signing star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne on a free transfer. If any Western Conference teams could join the hunt for him, that would be great.

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 4/16/25

Orlando Pride on top, OCB falls to Inter Miami II, USMNT eyes Gold Cup, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday, Mane Landers. I know I’ve said it before, but I love that I can always find soccer to watch. Whether it’s UEFA Champions League or the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, or anything in between, I love it. I’m willing to bet you love it too. Speaking of love, we want to wish a very happy birthday to Orlando City Designated Player Luis Muriel. Let’s get to the links.

All the Rankings

With the win over the Seattle Reign, the Orlando Pride stayed perfect on the season. It was enough for the Pride to remain on top of the standings and also at the top of numerous power rankings. All for XI kept the Pride at No. 1 with a shoutout to Anna Moorhouse, SI.com did the same, while noting Summer Yates’ injury, and Goal.com completed the sweep. The Pride also landed at No. 8 in Opta’s global power rankings for women’s clubs. Strangely, the Kansas City Current were two spots above on that particular list.

OCB Falls to Inter Miami II

Orlando City B traveled to IMG Academy to take on Inter Miami II Tuesday night. The Young Lions went down early on the road, but were able to equalize thanks to a goal from Tahir Reid-Brown. Unfortunately, Inter Miami scored two more goals before a penalty in second-half stoppage time gave OCB a slight lifeline. It was not enough as the team fell 3-2 to their in-state foes.

Generation Adidas Cup Matchups

Orlando City Academy’s U-18 squad won Group J in the Generation Adidas Cup. Now the team will face St. Louis City SC 2 in the Round of 16. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the younger generations of players in Orlando City’s system, here is your opportunity.

U.S. Eyes Gold Cup

We’re about two months out from the start of the Concacaf Gold Cup and it feels like a must-win for the USMNT given recent results. Winning an eighth Gold Cup title will not come easily. Naturally, all eyes fall on Christian Pulisic to lead the squad, though not everyone thinks he should be the pick for captain. Tyler Adams is looking for more belief from his teammates heading into the competition.

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That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for the Orlando City and Orlando Pride matches this weekend. Vamos Orlando!

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