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Lion Links: 9/18/18

Published

6 years ago

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Good morning, Mane Landers. Not much to say other than addressing the elephant in the room that was the Chicago Fire smoking Orlando City like an expensive ham on Sunday. But life has gone on after all 17 of the Lions’ previous losses, and surely it will go on after this one. Time to put aside my crushing despair and get to the links.

O’Connor Questions Character

Orlando City Head Coach James O’Connor did not mince his words when discussing the defensive performance put forth in Sunday’s game. O’Connor raised questions about the amount of commitment, character, and motivation on display in the 4-0 beating dished out by Chicago. Jonathan Spector echoed that sentiment, saying that commitment was clearly lacking during the loss. O’Connor’s comments in particular seem to indicate that he’s fed up with some of the things he’s had to deal with since coming on board, and also may lend credence to Will Johnson’s remark about certain players being “weeded out” by the head coach.

Flávio Believes in O’Connor

Regardless of which members of the squad might have their roster spots under fire going into next season, O’Connor’s position seems to be secure with team owner Flávio Augusto Da Silva saying that he believes O’Connor is the man to turn around OCSC’s fortunes. Speaking after Thursday’s press conference announcing Orlando as next year’s All-Star Game host, Da Silva also spoke about recognizing the tough task that O’Connor faced when he took the reins in the summer.

Personally, I found that encouraging. I was/still am a bit worried that the former City player wouldn’t be given a proper shot at making the team his own if he failed to produce good results this year. Hopefully, Flávio’s remarks mean that JOC isn’t on the hot seat just yet.

Earthquakes and Stahre Part Ways

As far as people go who are no longer on the aforementioned hot seat, the San Jose Earthquakes have fired Head Coach Mikael Stahre, as well as Assistant Coach Alex de Crook. Sitting bottom of the Western Conference by four points, the Earthquakes decided they didn’t want to wait any longer before making a change, and now Assistant Coach Steve Ralston will serve as interim manager for the final six games of the MLS season. Stahre is out of the job less than a year after taking it last November, with the Earthquakes’ dismal run of form (they’re the only team worse than Orlando City) proving to be the writing on the wall for the Swede.

Infantino Expresses Doubt Over U.S. La Liga Game

FIFA President Gianni Infantino isn’t loving the idea of a La Liga game being played in the U.S. Infantino says he would prefer to see a great MLS game rather a La Liga game played abroad. In a recent statement, Infantino said he thinks home matches should be played at home rather than in a foreign country. This would seemingly nix the proposed U.S. game between Barcelona and Girona, as La Liga would need to get approval from FIFA to stage the event. As of yet, no request for approval seems to have been submitted to FIFA from the Spanish league, so it seems that we just have to wait and see.

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U.S. international Oguchi Onyewu has retired.

  • Jurgen Klopp has said that Neymar does not, I repeat, does not dive, describing his reaction to tackles as “completely normal.” If you ask me, I think ole Jurgen needs to get his prescription checked.
  • N’Golo Kante had dinner, played FIFA, and watched Match of the Day with several soccer fans after missing his train to Paris following Chelsea’s 4-1 victory over Cardiff.

That’ll be all for me today. The Lions are back at home to take on the Houston Dynamo this Saturday. Houston currently sits ninth in the West, 13 points out of the last playoff spot, so who knows what to expect from a game between two teams with essentially nothing to play for. I hope you all have a wonderful week. Ciao.

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Lion Links: 5/15/24

Tropic Thunder is tonight, OCB plays away today, Americans playing abroad, and more.

Published

9 hours ago

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May 15, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Welcome to Wednesday Mane Landers. The next installment of the Tropic Thunder rivalry between the good guys (Orlando City) and the bad guys (Inter Miami) is tonight. I hope you can make it out to the match since there will probably be a bunch of Lionel Messi fans there and more purple in the stands is needed. To get ready for the match, you can listen to the latest edition of The Mane Land PawedCast, and check out our match preview later today . For now, let’s get to the links.

Lions Host Tropic Thunder Tonight

I don’t know why others insist on calling matches between Orlando City and Inter Miami the “Florida Derby”. Our name for the match — Tropic Thunder — is just so much better. Regardless, the Lions host the Herons tonight at Inter&Co Stadium looking to avenge the 5-0 loss from earlier in the season. The spotlight might be on Miami, but the pressure is on Orlando City. The Lions surprised me with their win over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday. Let’s hope the club can keep the momentum going.

Miami May Be Without Messi Today

While I never want anyone to get seriously injured, I’m not sorry to hear that there is a chance Messi will be unavailable for tonight’s match. It seems that Miami’s magician picked up a minor knee injury in the match against CF Montreal on Saturday. Say what you want, but he is a competitor and could still take the field tonight. Hopefully, he remembers the welcome Cesar Araujo and Wilder Cartagena gave him when he joined the league and decides it’s not worth aggravating the knee.

OCB Back in Action On the Road

The senior squad isn’t the only team playing today as Orlando City B is in Ohio to take on Columbus Crew II at Lower.com Field. You’ll need to take a long lunch to watch this one because kickoff is set for noon. There will be plenty to watch since the two clubs are only separated by one point in the standings, with OCB sitting in sixth place (3-2-3, 13 points) and Crew II in eighth place (3-3-2, 12 points).

Keeping Up With Americans Abroad

Most of us know that Christian Pulisic had a great season with AC Milan after moving to the Serie A club from Chelsea. What I did not know is that Pulisic is the first AC Milan midfielder to score more than 10 goals in a season since former Orlando City star Kaká did it when he was there.

Things are not as bright for Giovanni Reyna at Nottingham Forest. He hasn’t played a ton of minutes for the Premier League side, and hasn’t done much when he has played. It was a loan without a purchase option, but Forest is reportedly not interested in making an offer for him regardless.

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  • Let’s all give a big congratulations to Orlando City Vice President of Soccer Operations and Technical Director Ricardo Moreira. He was accepted into the third edition of the FIFA Diploma in Club Management.
  • We believe once a Lion, always a Lion, but I didn’t know MLS thought the same thing. Poor Richie Laryea getting the biggest suspension is on brand for anyone related to Orlando City.

That will do it for today. Let’s hope that the Lions can get a second win in a row. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 5/14/24

Orlando City players earn recognition, Luis Muriel up for Goal of the Week, Blackburn still wants Duncan McGuire, and more.

Published

1 day ago

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May 14, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando City SC / Mark Thor

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Orlando’s teams were firing on all cylinders this weekend, as Orlando City and the Orlando Pride combined to take all six points on offer. Orlando City beat the Philadelphia Union on the road by a score of 3-2, while Adriana’s penalty kick saw the Pride safely to a 1-0 win over Bay FC. As usual, we have a lot to discuss today, so let’s get after it.

Three Lions Earn Recognition After Win

A trio of Lions have been recognized for their efforts in Saturday’s win, as Luis Muriel is in the starting lineup of the MLS Team of the Matchday, with Nico Lodeiro and Pedro Gallese on the bench. Muriel led the way for Orlando on the scoresheet with a brace, while also doing some creative work in addition to the scoring. Lodeiro assisted on all three Orlando City goals, as he turned in an outstanding performance in the midfield. Gallese made two big saves from open play, and stonewalled what would have been an equalizer by Daniel Gazdag from the spot to preserve all three points for Orlando City. Here’s hoping the good performances continue.

Luis Muriel Up for Weekly Honors

The recognition didn’t stop with the Team of the Matchday for Muriel though. The Colombian striker was also nominated for MLS Player of the Matchday, although the award ultimately went to Christian Benteke. While he missed out on Player of the Matchday honors, it’s hard to argue with Benteke’s hat trick that saw D.C. United beat Atlanta United 3-2, and I’m sure Muriel will take Orlando’s victory over personal honors any day of the week. Muriel also received a nomination for MLS Goal of the Week. Which goal he was nominated for should come as little surprise, with his thunderous left-footed strike to open his Orlando City account getting the nod.

Blackburn Rovers Still After Duncan McGuire

It seems that Blackburn is still interested in Duncan McGuire, as the English team is said to be sending someone stateside to scout him this week. If Orlando City has its way, that interest won’t matter, as the club has reportedly offered him a new contract (paywall) with improved terms from the last one offered to the young striker. It’ll be interesting to see how things play out after a move to England collapsed so spectacularly during the January window. If McGuire keeps scoring at the rate he has so far this season then he’ll presumably have bigger fish than Blackburn chasing his services.

Jesse Marsch Takes Canada Job

Jesse Marsch has been named the new manager of the Canadian Men’s National Team. Out of a coaching job since his time managing Leeds United ended back in 2023, Marsch will take over for John Herdman, who left the post last summer to take the reins at Toronto FC. Marsch’s appointment could add an extra level of intrigue to games between Canada and the United States Men’s National Team, as Marsch has been critical of Gregg Berhalter at times. While he will be in charge of Canada for this summer’s Copa America, the USMNT and Canada find themselves on the opposite side of the bracket, and the only way they will meet is in either the final or the third-place game.

Americans in Midweek Action

Speaking of the USMNT, a number of American players will be in action this week, so make sure you have everything noted on your calendar. On Wednesday, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Celtic will win the Scottish league if they beat or draw with Killie, while Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Juventus square off against Atalanta in the Coppa Italia final. Thursday sees Josh Sargent and Norwich City take on Leeds United in the second leg of the Championship playoff semifinals, while Friday will see Daryl Dike’s West Brom play the second leg of its semifinal against Southampton, although Dike will miss out through injury.

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  • Oscar Pareja says Robin Jansson’s injury isn’t as bad as initially feared, but didn’t elaborate much more beyond that.

That’s all I have for today. Vamos Orlando!

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Lion Links: 5/13/24

Lions and Pride win, Luis Muriel breaks through, MLS weekend recap, and more.

Published

2 days ago

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May 13, 2024

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Image courtesy of Orlando Pride / Jeremy Reper

Hello, Mane Landers! It was a good weekend for our teams as both Orlando City and the Pride won their respective matches. I was busy at Under Armour all weekend, as well as managing the broadcast operations for the NISA league’s matches. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Lions Pick Up Key Road Win at Philadelphia Union

On Saturday, Orlando City held on for a 3-2 win on the road against the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park. Luis Muriel scored his first two MLS goals for the Lions, and Duncan McGuire added one. Nico Lodeiro had an assist on all three goals for the Lions, recording his 15th career multi-assist game. Orlando snapped its two-game losing streak and three-match winless skid. 

It was a very tense match, with Orlando City enduring a Robin Jansson injury, two penalties for the Union — in which Daniel Gazdag converted one but got his second attempt saved by Pedro Gallese — and 19 minutes of stoppage time to hang on for the win. Orlando City moves up to 11th in the Eastern Conference with 12 points. The Lions will have a quick turnaround with a match Wednesday at Inter&Co Stadium against Inter Miami.

Luis Muriel Discusses His First Goals for Lions

Orlando City forward Luis Muriel shared some insight on what it meant to him to finally score for the Lions in their recent matchup against the Philadelphia Union over the weekend. 

“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been waiting for that to happen,” Muriel said post-match through a translator.

“I think the adaptation of the league was something that I was really trying to get as quickly as possible. … My teammates and this group are just so hard-working, so to be able to have that and have them pushing me is great.”

Muriel delivered two goals for the Lions in their 3-2 win over the Union. Orlando Head Coach Oscar Pareja stated that scoring those two goals is very important for Muriel’s confidence and that he hopes this is just the start. 

Pride Win at Home against Bay FC

The Orlando Pride won their sixth straight match on Saturday at Inter&Co Stadium against NWSL newcomers Bay FC with a 1-0 win. Adriana’s first-half penalty conversion was the lone goal in this match, as the Pride got their ninth straight result this season. The Pride remain undefeated in league play, keeping their unbeaten streak alive at nine matches. The Pride are tied with the Kansas City Current for first place in the NWSL table with 21 points. Orlando will head out west Sunday to take on Seattle Reign FC.

MLS Weekend Roundup

We had Rivalry Week in matchday 13 action in Major League Soccer. Let’s start in Ohio with FC Cincinnati pulling out a 2-1 win against rival Columbus Crew. Cincinnati had never beaten the Crew in Columbus and avenged its playoff loss from last season. St. Louis City defeated the Chicago Fire 3-1, with Joao Klauss scoring twice. FC Dallas edged past Austin FC 2-1, and the Houston Dynamo also won 2-1 against Sporting Kansas City. The San Jose Earthquakes, New York City FC, Inter Miami, and D.C. United all won their matches with a 3-2 scoreline over Colorado Rapids, Toronto FC, CF Montreal, and Atlanta United, respectively. Christian Benteke scored three goals for D.C. United. Charlotte FC won 1-0 over Nashville SC, the New York Red Bulls won 4-2 against the New England Revolution, and LAFC cruised past Vancouver Whitecaps with a 3-0 win. The LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake match ended in a 2-2 draw, and the lone Sunday matchup was the Cascadia Cup, which saw the Seattle Sounders edge past the Portland Timbers 2-1. 

EPL Title Race to go to Final Day; Burnley Relegated

Manchester City crushed Fulham 4-0 on Saturday, while Arsenal defeated Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday to take the Premier League title race to the final day. Arsenal is in first with 86 points while Manchester City is second with 85 points. Manchester City plays at Tottenham tomorrow and will close out its season finale against West Ham, while Arsenal faces Everton. Burnley lost 2-1 to Tottenham over the weekend and joins Sheffield United in being relegated to the EFL Championship. Luton Town needs help, needing a win at Fulham and a Nottingham Forest loss to Burnley, and making up an inferior goal difference, which stands at 12, to avoid relegation on the final day of the Premier League season this Sunday.

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

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