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Lion Links: 10/20/25

Lions fall to Toronto FC, Pride defeat the Spirit, MLS Decision Day weekend recap, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been staying busy up here in Michigan, doing broadcast operations for the National Independent Soccer Association’s NISA Pro Cup tournament, preparing for our championship match on Tuesday.

Let’s wish a happy belated birthday to Orlando Pride forward Jacquie Ovalle, who turned 26 Sunday, and a happy birthday to Orlando Pride goalkeeper McKinley Crone, who turns 28 today. Our Lions and the Pride were in action over the weekend. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Fall to Toronto FC on Decision Day

Orlando City fell 4-2 to Toronto FC Saturday on the road at BMO Stadium with a disappointing performance to cap the regular season. Jonathan Osorio scored the opener, and Toronto added another to take a 2-0 lead into halftime. In the second half, Toronto added a third goal before David Brekalo scored for Orlando to make it 3-1. However, Deandre Kerr added another goal to push the Lions’ deficit to 4-1. Duncan McGuire added a goal in stoppage time, but Toronto picked up the win on the final day of the regular season. Orlando is winless in its last four matches and will play in the final wild card match against the Chicago Fire Wednesday at Soldier Field.

Joran Gerbet Undergoes Knee Surgery

Orlando City midfielder Joran Gerbet underwent successful knee surgery on his left anterior cruciate ligament, the club reported late Friday afternoon. The French midfielder sustained the injury in Orlando’s match against the Columbus Crew on Oct. 4. Gerbet played in 23 matches during his rookie season, starting 14 across all competitions, recording one assist. His first pro season comes to an end with the surgery. We at The Mane Land wish Joran a speedy recovery.

Pride Defeat the Spirit at Audi Field

The Orlando Pride defeated the Washington Spirit 3-2 Saturday at Audi Field in a critical match for playoff seeding. Kerry Abello scored an own goal on one end to give the Spirit the lead before following up with the equalizer for Orlando in the first half moments later. The Spirit added a goal late in the first half to take a 2-1 lead into halftime. In the second half, the Spirit also scored an own goal on a deflected Marta cross, helping Orlando tie the match. Marta scored the winner with a penalty kick won by Ally Watt to secure the win for the Pride. The club won consecutive league matches for the first time since June and has won three out of its last four matches. Orlando will conclude the NWSL regular season on Nov. 2 at home against the Seattle Reign.

MLS Decision Day Weekend Recap

With the Major League Soccer regular season all wrapped up, here’s a chance for you to get caught up on all the action from Decision Day while you were watching Orlando City not play well. Atlanta United and D.C. United played to a 1-1 draw. With the goal, D.C. avoided the embarrassment of scoring the same number of goals in 2025 as Lionel Messi scored on his own. Elsewhere, Charlotte FC beat the Philadelphia Union 2-0, and the Columbus Crew defeated the New York Red Bulls 3-1 to climb out of the wild card match. FC Cincinnati shut out CF Montreal 3-0. Inter Miami rode Messi’s hat trick to a 5-2 win over Nashville SC, while the New England Revolution and Chicago Fire fought to a 2-2 draw, lifting the Fire into Wednesday’s home match.

New York City FC fell 2-1 to the Seattle Sounders. Real Salt Lake and St. Louis City split the points in a 2-2 draw, but that was enough for Real Salt Lake to secure the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Colorado Rapids and LAFC finished with the same scoreline. The San Jose Earthquakes edged Austin FC 2-1 but missed the playoffs on goal difference. The LA Galaxy beat Minnesota United 2-1, FC Dallas defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps by the same score, and San Diego FC shut out the Portland Timbers 4-0. The match between Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo ended in a scoreless draw.

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

Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/16/25

Orlando City close to new goalkeeper, Michael Bradley lands big coaching job, MLS transfer news, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Good morning, everyone. I have no idea how we’re just a little over a week away from Christmas, but somehow it’s right around the corner. Hell, the MLS SuperDraft is just two days away, and that frankly seems absurd. Nonetheless, we have an absolute glut of news to sort through today, so let’s jump into today’s links.

Orlando City Closing on Carlos Coronel

Orlando City will reportedly have its new starting goalkeeper soon. On Monday, Tom Bogert stated that the Lions ae finishing up a deal to sign free agent shot stopper Carlos Coronel, formerly of the New York Red Bulls. The 28-year-old Paraguayan international has been one of the best goalkeepers in the league during the last two seasons, and landing him is a great move on paper for OCSC. Mr. Scoops also noted that the team is still finishing up deals to sign Tiago and Luis Otavio.

New Coach for New York

The New York Red Bulls announced on Monday morning that the club has hired Michael Bradley to be its next head coach. Bradley had been the head coach of New York Red Bulls II for the last six months and now takes over the top job from Sandro Schwarz, who departed in October after the Red Bulls missed the playoffs. This will be the 38-year-old Bradley’s first senior head coaching job, although he did spend time with Norwegian side Stabaek as an assistant. The Red Bulls will need to sign a new starting goalkeeper and also have an open Designated Player slot, while Eric Maxim Choupo-Mouting and Emil Forsbeg fill the other two DP positions.

MLS Transfer Roundup

The MLS news doesn’t stop there though, because we have a couple items of MLS transfer business to go over. We begin with Inter Miami, as the Herons have announced the signing of free agent fullback Sergio Reguilon. The Spanish defender joins the team on a deal through 2027 with an option year for 2028. We then move to the Western Conference, where FC Dallas has signed Ran Binyamin from Hapoel Tel Aviv. The 21-year-old is under contract through the 2028-2029 season and has options for the 2029-2030, and 2030-2031 seasons. We then move to the Vancouver Whitecaps, as the MLS Cup runners-up signed defender Nikola Djordjevic from Vancouver Whitecaps 2. The 23-year-old fullback has a deal through the 2026 season, with option years for 2027 and 2028. We finish with the LA Galaxy, which acquired Jakob Glesnes and homegrown priority for Jamir Johnson from the Philadelphia Union. In exchange, the Galaxy sent the Union $1.1 million in guaranteed General Allocation Money with up to another $1.1 million in conditional GAM going to Philly if certain incentives are hit.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are a number of American players taking part in matches during the working week, and domestic cup action is the prevailing theme. Ricardo Pepi, Sergino Dest, and PSV Eindhoven host GVVV Veenedaal in the second round of the KNVB Cup on Tuesday, while Antonee Robinson and Fulham travel to face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday. Thursday sees Christian Pulisic and AC Milan take on Napoli in the Italian SuperCup semifinals, before things finish on Friday with Gio Reyna, Joe Scally, and Borussia Monchengladbach playing Borussia Dortmund in Bundesliga action.

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  • The installation of new grass has been completed at Inter&Co Stadium.

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

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Lion Links

Lion Links: 12/15/25

Former Lion Mauricio Pereyra retires, Orlando City assistant coach Fabian Bazan departs the club, Americans abroad, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you in Florida. I’ve been busy at work as we get close to Christmas and covered some high school bowling and basketball over the past week. We’ve got plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Mauricio Pereyra Retires

Orlando City posted on social media over the weekend that former Orlando City captain and midfielder Mauricio Pereyra has retired from professional soccer.

Pereyra spent five seasons with Orlando City after joining the club from FC Krasnodar in 2019, scoring seven goals and adding 29 assists in 136 appearances across all competitions. The 35-year-old recently played for his former club, Nacional, in Uruguay. He also spent time at Lanus, and we here at The Mane Land wish him all the best in his retirement.

Orlando City Assistant Coach Fabian Bazan Departs After Six Seasons

Orlando City and Assistant Coach of Fitness and Performance Fabian Bazan have mutually agreed to part ways after six seasons. Orlando City announced the news Saturday. Bazan joined Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s coaching staff prior to the 2020 season after working with him at previous clubs since 2015. During his tenure, Bazan was part of Orlando City’s coaching staff during its successful run, winning the 2022 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, qualifying for two Concacaf Champions Cup tournaments, and making six consecutive MLS Cup playoff appearances.

Americans Abroad

Plenty of Americans were in action in Europe over the weekend. Christian Pulisic played 73 minutes for AC Milan in a 2-2 draw against Sassuolo, while Weston McKennie played a full 90 minutes as Juventus beat Bologna 1-0. Antonee Robinson made his return to the starting XI for Fulham and played a full 90 minutes as his side defeated Burnley 3-1 on the road. Two Americans squared off in Ligue 1 as Tim Weah and Marseille faced Folarin Balogun and AS Monaco Sunday. Both players played a full 90 minutes as Marseille edged Monaco 1-0. Ricardo Pepi became the first USMNT player to score in four straight appearances in all competitions in the Eredivisie since Aron Johannsson did it in 2013-2014, as PSV Eindhoven defeated Heracles Almelo 4-3. Tyler Adams and AFC Bournemouth will face Manchester United in Premier League action later today.

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  • A biopic film focusing on Orlando Pride forward Marta’s soccer journey is reportedly in development.
  • In local college soccer news, the Rollins College Tars fell 2-0 to Midwestern State in the NCAA Division II men’s soccer national championship. Meanwhile, the Florida Tech Panthers defeated Franklin Pierce 3-0 to win the NCAA Division II women’s soccer national championship over the weekend.

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: 12/12/25

NWSL reportedly approves new roster mechanism, USMNT will play Senegal in May, USWNT second in FIFA rankings, and more.

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Happy Friday, Mane Landers! Counting today, there are just 20 days left of 2025. This year has felt like forever, but I also can’t seem to wrap my head around 2026 being just around the corner. I’m hoping to knock out a majority of my errands over the next few days to help ease into the coming weeks. Let’s get to the links!

NWSL Reportedly Approves New Roster Mechanism

The biggest storyline of the NWSL off-season so far is where Trinity Rodman will be playing next year, making the salary cap a notable talking point. The league’s NWSL Board of Governors reportedly approved a roster mechanism that would allow clubs to pay certain star players beyond the current salary cap. Clubs would be able to pay “High Impact Players” up to $1 million over the salary cap, with only a portion of that salary being a cap hit.

In order for players to qualify as a High Impact Player, they would have to meet commercial and sporting benchmarks. It’s a similar concept to Designated Players in MLS, with the limit to how much NWSL clubs can go over the cap being the biggest difference. All in all, this would help NWSL clubs compete with offers from clubs abroad for the league’s top players.

USMNT Will Face Senegal in May

The United States Men’s National Team will host Senegal on May 31 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte for its penultimate game before the World Cup. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two nations and it should be a good match between the U.S. and one of the top African teams. Senegal is currently ranked 19th in the FIFA men’s rankings and went undefeated in World Cup qualifying, winning seven games. Following this match, the USMNT will take on Germany in Chicago on June 6 for its send-off match before the tournament.

USWNT Remains Second in FIFA Rankings

The latest FIFA women’s rankings were released and the United States Women’s National Team maintained its spot in second place, although the gap between it and first-place Spain has widened. The U.S. won four of its five games this past window, but still lost points due to its 2-1 defeat to Portugal on Oct. 22. Spain benefitted from beating Sweden and Germany en route to winning the UEFA Nations League. Brazil, which beat England, Italy, and Portugal, moved up a spot to sixth in the rankings. Meanwhile, Canada fell to 10th after losing all four of its games.

Europa League Roundup

The latest round of Europa League action wrapped up and six teams have secured a spot in at least the knockout stage. Lyon, Midtjylland, and Aston Villa all won and are tied at the top with 15 points, while Real Betis, Freiburg, and Ferencvaros were victorious to remain unbeaten and claim spots in the next round as well. Roma edged closer to qualifying by beating Celtic 3-0, and Nottingham Forest also picked up three points after winning 2-1 against Utrecht in the Netherlands. Only two matchdays remain in the league phase and things are still far from certain for most clubs, which should set up for a fun finish next month.

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That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a fantastic Friday!

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