Lion Links: 10/25/24

Welcome to Friday, Mane Landers. Congratulations on making it through another week. Hopefully, you’re in the type of job that allows you to have weekends off. If not, then I share your pain. Regardless, there’s plenty of soccer coming up this weekend to watch, including your very own Orlando City. Before we get started today, remember to schedule some time to celebrate, as today marks the anniversary of the USL announcing Orlando City joining the league. OCSC started play in 2011, won a bunch of trophies, later joined MLS, and the rest is history.

Now, let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Will Host FC Series

Inter&Co Stadium will be the site of a special edition of the FC Series in January. In addition to Orlando City, three Brazilian clubs will take part: Cruzeiro, São Paulo, and Atlético Mineiro. The competition will consist of three matches, with Orlando City playing Atlético Mineiro in the third match. The event will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the series going back to its Florida Cup roots.

USWNT Defeats Iceland

The USWNT won the first of two friendlies against Iceland with a 3-1 victory Thursday night in Austin, TX. The U.S. struck first on an excellent shot by Alyssa Thompson, who netted her first international goal. Iceland equalized in the second half. Jaedyn Shaw gave the U.S. a 2-1 lead late, and Sophia Smith added another goal minutes later. Emily Sonnett earned her 100th cap, while Hal Hershfelt and Yazmeen Ryan made their debuts. Sadly, Emma Hayes didn’t see fit to give the Orlando Pride’s Emily Sams her debut. Hopefully, that is remedied in Sunday’s match.

MLSPA Releases Salary List

The MLS Players Association has released salary data for all the players in MLS. Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi tops the list at $20.5 million which is more than the entirety of Orlando City’s roster put together. The only surprising thing is that Inter Miami doesn’t have more than two names in the Top 10. Luis Muriel is Orlando City’s highest paid player, followed by Facundo Torres. Duncan McGuire rounds out the top three for the Lions, thanks to his new contract.

Dike Returns from Injury

Former Orlando City striker Daryl Dike is finally making his way back from a ruptured Achilles tendon injury suffered last season. His time at West Bromwich Albion has been marred with injuries that have kept him on the sidelines for the majority of his tenure with the club. Dike is training with the club’s Under-21 squad. He’ll next train with the senior squad before getting playing time with the Under-21s and finally making his return to play for the senior team. We wish him luck.

Free Kicks

• The USMNT will be the subject of a multi-part documentary series produced by HBO Sports Documentaries. It will be about the preparation of the team heading into the 2026 World Cup.
• Melchie Dumornay from Haiti and Adalberto Carrasquilla from Panama have been named 2023-2024 Concacaf Women’s and Men’s Players of the Year, respectively. Congratulations to them both.
• The Seattle Sounders have signed Head Coach Brian Schmetzer to a contract extension. The club has not announced specific details on the multi-year contract.
• Utah Royals FC took the “interim” tag off now head coach Jimmy Coenraets. Much like the Orlando Pride’s Seb Hines, Coenraets started out as an assistant for the club.
• Alex Morgan received the key to the city from San Diego officials for her athletic contributions and advocacy for equal pay in women’s sports.
• I’ll leave you with these sentiments from Haley Carter. Well said.

That will do it for today. Check back as we get you ready for Orlando City’s upcoming playoff match against Charlotte FC on Sunday. Vamos Orlando!