Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/4/22
Hello, Mane Landers. I hope everyone is doing well down in Florida. I’m doing well up here in Chicago and looking forward to a much-needed vacation soon. There is plenty to cover today so let’s get to the links.
Lions Prepare for CF Montréal
Orlando City will be on the road this weekend when it takes on CF Montréal at Stade Saputo on Saturday afternoon. The Lions defeated Charlotte FC 2-1 this past weekend and remain one of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference. CF Montréal had a slow start to its season, as it balanced league matches with its run in the Concacaf Champions League. Since losing to Cruz Azul in the quarterfinals, CF Montréal has won four of its last six matches, including a 2-1 victory against Atlanta United this past weekend.
Midfielder Djordje Mihailovic has been in good form for Montréal with four goals and four assists in nine league games. Since 2019, the Lions haven’t lost on the road against CF Montréal, winning the past three away games without conceding a goal. Also, Orlando City has won its past two meetings with Montreal, knocking the Canadian club out of playoff contention on MLS Decision Day last year and winning the season opener between the two this year.
More Details Emerge Over Chris Mueller Deal
In the latest update on the Chicago Fire’s reported acquisition of former Lion Chris Mueller, The Athletic’s Paul Tenorio detailed what type of compensation Orlando City will receive.
Update: Orlando will receive $500k in GAM — $250k in 2022, $250k in 2023 — the Fire’s 2023 first round Superdraft pick and discovery rights to an unnamed player, per source. Orlando keeps a small sell-on percentage. GAM can go up by another $150k depending on performance metrics. https://t.co/IGjO1APXYl
— Paul Tenorio (@PaulTenorio) May 3, 2022
That’s a great deal for Orlando City to get GAM and a future MLS SuperDraft pick next year, but I’m intrigued to find out which unnamed player those discovery rights are referring to. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
NWSL Challenge Cup Semifinals Begin Tonight
We have two NWSL Challenge Cup semifinals to watch tonight on Paramount+ as the tournament returns after the NWSL season openers this past weekend. The first match-up features the Washington Spirit taking on the OL Reign at Audi Field. These two sides just met on Sunday in a regular-season opener in which the Spirit beat OL Reign, 2-1. The Reign have made it this far in the Challenge Cup with 10 different goal scorers throughout the tournament, while the Spirit have had Ashley Sanchez, Trinity Rodman, and Andi Sullivan creating the chances and leading the attack.
The other match-up has the Kansas City Current hosting the North Carolina Courage at Children’s Mercy Park. Both teams are coming into this match after losses in their season openers and will be looking to bounce back. The Current’s Kristen Hamilton leads the team with four goals in the tournament while the North Carolina Courage's success has been moving the ball and maintaining a passing accuracy of 79.5%. The winners of each match will play in the NWSL Challenge Cup final on Saturday.
Sounders Take On Pumas in Champions League Final
The second leg of the Concacaf Champions League final will take place tonight when the Seattle Sounders host Pumas UNAM at Lumen Field. The final is tied 2-2 on aggregate going into tonight’s match and if the Seattle Sounders can pull out a win, they would be the first MLS club to win the tournament and qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup. This match will break the record as the highest-attended match in Concacaf Champions League history as the Sounders announced that over 67,000 fans are expected to be in attendance. Sounders General Manager and President Garth Lagerwey has experience leading teams to the final as he helped Real Salt Lake reach the Concacaf Champions League final against CF Monterrey in 2011. Lagerwey spoke to Extratime Radio and said the gap between MLS and Liga MX is narrowing and that the Sounders will be ready.
“I think you’re really seeing potentially a more competitive Liga MX-MLS interaction, and one of the things that’s really cool for our team, when you look at maybe how we’ve been doing this, we’ve beaten three Mexican teams in the last 12 months,” Lagerwey said. “If you look at [beating] Tigres and Santos Laguna and Leon between Leagues Cup and Champions League, those experiences didn’t happen five years ago, 10 years ago. So I think it’s pretty incredible that our guys are as well-prepared that they can be.”
You can watch tonight’s match at 10 p.m. on Fox Sports 1 or TUDN.
Liverpool Defeats Villarreal to advance to UEFA Champions League final
Liverpool turned it around in the second half after being down 2-0 to Villarreal at halftime to win 3-2 and advance on aggregate to reach the UEFA Champions League final. After winning the first leg 2-0 at Anfield, Liverpool quickly fell behind 2-0 to Villarreal in the first half and failed to get a shot on target. In the second half, Luis Diaz came off the bench and jumpstarted Liverpool’s attack. Fabinho, Diaz, and Sadio Mane all scored goals in the second half to end Villarreal’s run and book a spot in the final in Paris on May 28. Liverpool will await the winner of today’s second leg match-up at the Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid hosts Manchester City.
Free Kicks
- The latest MLS power rankings have been released. Orlando City moved up one spot to 11th after beating Charlotte.
- Check out this article from MLSSoccer.com using goal differential to determine which teams are the best and worst performers in each half. Orlando City was ranked as the fifth best team when playing in the first half.
- AFC Bournemouth defeated Nottingham Forest 1-0 to seal promotion back to the Premier League.
- Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti revealed he’ll most likely retire from coaching after his current contract ends with the club. However, Ancelotti left the door open to coaching Canada's men’s national team in the future.
- Charlotte FC acquired forward Andre Shinyashiki from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for General Allocation Money.
- MLS NEXT Pro announced eight new clubs will join the league for the 2022-2023 season.
- Ben Olsen is stepping down from his role as the Washington Spirit’s club president.
- The USWNT U-17 team will take on Jamaica today at 4 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship.
- The United States Para Men’s National Team scored two stoppage-time goals to get a draw against Iran in the 2022 IFCPF World Cup.
That will do it for me, Mane Landers. Enjoy your Wednesday and I’ll see you next time.
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/2/24
The Pride win big, OCSC celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month, USMNT news, and more.
It’s Thursday, Mane Landers. Of course, the name Thursday comes from Thor’s day, and as such, it isn’t a big leap for us to consider it Thorhallsson’s day. Though I suppose that is a bit of a mouthful, so we’ll just keep things the way they are, but do hold Dagur Dan close to your heart today. Also, let us wish a happy birthday to the Orlando Pride’s Luana. Despite the devastating news that dropped about her health earlier this week, we hope that her spirits are high and we wish her nothing but happiness today. It’s also Dagur Dan Thorhallsson’s birthday today, so we’re celebrating him as well. Let’s get to the links.
The Pride Dominate the Courage
The Orlando Pride defeated the North Carolina Courage 4-1 in a midweek match at Inter&Co Stadium. The Pride did indeed dominate the Courage as much as the score line indicates. It was once again the Barbra Banda show, with the Pride’s newest player contributing a brace and an assist on the night. It is the Pride’s fourth straight victory and the undefeated run continues.
OCSC Celebrates Mental Health Awareness Month
Orlando City and the Orlando Pride are doing their part this May to observe Mental Health Awareness Month. The club is sponsoring and attending events and forums available to the general public, as well as holding club staff workshops around promoting mental health. I have to say my favorite is the therapy dogs visits that will be available to the staff. There’s nothing as good for my personal mental health as the joy and unconditional love a dog can bring. If I didn’t have dogs of my own, I’d be really jealous.
The Billionaires Clubs
Orlando City and Orlando Pride owners, the Wilf family, are not the only billionaire owners in the NWSL. There are more and more owners and ownership groups that fall into that category. The influx of more money is a growth opportunity for the league and potentially for those owners. It’s a bit of a “rising tide lifts all boats” mentality for these owners as they do better when the league as a whole does better. It’s not just the owners who think so. The NWSL was ranked No. 5 on the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2024. I’m just glad the Pride are in the club.
USMNT News
I hate starting off a section with bad news, but Sergino Dest tore his ACL in training with PSV Eindhoven and will miss the Copa America. Dest will require surgery though there is no time frame yet for when he may return. The loss of Dest is a blow to the U.S. defense heading into the competition this coming June. The USMNT plays Bolivia on June 23.
In better news, Tim Weah provided the assist for Juventus on Arkadiusz Milik’s goal against Lazio. Juventus entered the second leg of the Copa Italia semifinal up 2-0, but Lazio drew level before Milik’s goal. Juventus advanced 3-2 on aggregate and will play in the final.
Free Kicks
- Despite Bayern Leverkusen’s 46-match unbeaten run, and winning the Bundesliga title, Roma coach Daniele De Rossi believes his team can defeat the German club in the first leg of the Europa League semifinals on Thursday.
- Borussia Dortmund defeated Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League tie between the two clubs. Dortmund’s Niclas Fullkrug provided the only goal.
- Wrexham AFC owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have bigger plans for their club than previously suspected. The pair want to potentially increase the capacity of their stadium, SToK Racecourse, to 55,000 seats.
- Never pulled the trigger on the Apple TV+ MLS Season Pass? Now, you can get it for the remainder of the season at a 30% discount. Once you get past the Messi ads the coverage is pretty good.
- Former USWNT player Carli Lloyd is pregnant, though it was a long journey to get there. She shares her story of unexplained infertility and multiple rounds of IVF treatments. Congratulations, Carli.
That will do it for today. There’s plenty more soccer to come this weekend with all three teams playing. Check back for more as we get you ready for those matches. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 5/1/24
Mason Stajduhar was arrested, Orlando Pride play at home tonight, Colin Guske discusses his signing, and more.
Welcome to Wednesday and welcome to May, Mane Landers. Don’t forget that the undefeated Orlando Pride are in action tonight, so check back for our match preview and the latest episode of SkoPurp Soccer: An Orlando Pride PawedCast for additional pre-match coverage. In the meantime, let’s get to the links.
Mason Stajduhar Arrested Early Sunday
Orlando City goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar and his wife Tatiana Stajduhar were both arrested on disorderly conduct charges following an incident at a nightclub overnight Saturday in the early hours of Sunday morning. The couple were reportedly disrespectful to the club’s staff and got into an altercation with the security guards. Mason stated he was only resisting the security guards to re-enter the club because the bouncers allegedly hit his wife. Tatiana allegedly pushed the police officers after they arrived, and she was not charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. The couple were released Monday after posting a bond. Orlando City provided the following statement to WESH 2 News:
“The Club is aware that goalkeeper Mason Stajduhar was arrested early Sunday morning. We are currently gathering more information and will have no further comment at this time.”
Orlando Pride Host the North Carolina Courage Tonight
After a 3-2 win on the road last Friday against the Washington Spirit, the Orlando Pride are back in the City Beautiful and will take on the North Carolina Courage tonight. Unbeaten in their six games so far this season, the Pride have also won their past three games and sit fourth in the standings. They’re tied on points with a Courage team that beat the Seattle Reign Saturday. Orlando has scored at least one goal in every match this season. Forward Barbra Banda had a great performance in that win against the Spirit, so hopefully the scoring trend continues tonight for the Pride.
Orlando City/Pride Earn Golden Brick Awards
Have you enjoyed the new food options at the stadium? I know I have, and I’m looking forward to trying even more. The efforts made by Orlando City’s front office to feature more local food and beverage options did not go unnoticed, as the club won the Hospitality & Dining category in the Downtown Orlando Partnership’s 2023 Golden Brick Awards. The Orlando Pride’s 2023 Highway Woman Kit also won the award in the Arts & Culture category. The home jersey was inspired by the work of Mary Ann Carroll, the sole woman in the famed Highwaymen artists from decades ago.
Colin Guske Speaks On Signing First Pro Contract
Orlando City Development Academy player Colin Guske signed his first professional contract with the club last month and spoke on the importance of this moment in his career. The 17-year-old is now on an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Orlando City B, and he has started in nearly every game for the Young Lions this year. Both of Guske’s brothers have also played for Orlando City’s academy over the years, and he thanked his family for helping him reach this point.
“It’s awesome to represent the Guskes,” Colin said. “Thanks to my brothers for always pushing me through early mornings and late nights, always putting in the work, doing video sessions, everything. My sister as well, for always being there for me and my parents, too. They’re always helping me and what was the best for me.”
Free Kicks
- Enjoy all of the sights and sounds from the Pride’s big win over the Spirit in the nation’s capital.
- Spirit defender Anna Heilferty will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an ACL injury in the team’s loss to the Pride.
- American forward Haji Wright scored his 19th goal across all competitions in Coventry City’s 2-1 loss to Ipswich Town. He will have a chance to make it 20 when Coventry hosts Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.
- The Champions League semifinals are underway and Real Madrid and Bayern Munich played to a 2-2 draw in Germany. The second leg will take place on May 8 in Madrid.
That will do it for today. If you can make it out to the stadium tonight to catch the Pride in action, I strongly suggest you do so. Barbra Banda is about to take the NWSL by storm and you’ll want to see it in person. Vamos Orlando!
Lion Links
Lion Links: 4/30/24
Luana’s season ends with Hodgkins Lymphoma diagnosis, San Diego linked with Chucky Lozano, U.S. and Mexico withdraw 2027 World Cup bid, and more.
Happy Tuesday, everyone. It was another busy weekend of Orlando soccer, and things aren’t going to slow down anytime soon. May is an absolutely packed month for all three teams, and the games will be coming thick and fast. We have a lot to discuss this morning, so let’s jump into the links.
Luana Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
This week started off with some very sad news, as the Orlando Pride announced on Monday that midfielder Luana has been placed on the Season-Ending Injury list as a result of her being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The Brazilian international is starting chemotherapy treatments with the Orlando Health Cancer Institute. In a statement, Luana thanked both the Brazilian National Team and the Pride for the support she’s been receiving. Seb Hines and Rafaelle also spoke about how the team has been supporting Luana.
San Diego Reportedly Nears Deal for Chucky Lozano
The Athletic’s Tom Bogert has reported that San Diego FC is in advanced talks to sign Chucky Lozano ($) from PSV Eindhoven. The Dutch team is expected to receive a transfer fee in the area of $12 million, and Lozano would likely be the highest-profile player for the expansion team ahead of its maiden Major League Soccer season in 2025. While nothing is official, San Diego is said to be hopeful of getting a deal done before Copa America kicks off this summer.
U.S. and Mexico Withdraw 2027 Women’s World Cup Bid
The United States and Mexico have announced their decision to withdraw a joint bid for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, and instead focus on bidding for the 2031 edition of the tournament. The bid had made it to the final three of the selection process, in addition to a bid from Brazil and a joint effort from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlowe Cone cited a desire to have more time to prepare while also having the opportunity to learn from the experience of the joint effort of hosting the 2026 World Cup. As far as who will host in 2027, the decision will be made on May 17, with Germany having hosted a Women’s World Cup back in 2011, while Brazil would be the first South American nation to host the tournament.
English Premier League Approves Spending Cap
Premier League teams took the first step towards implementing a spending cap on Monday. While a final vote is still needed to ratify the proposed changes, Monday’s vote gave the green light to start the legal and economic studies needed to change to a spending cap model. The proposed cap would be based on how much the lowest earning Premier League team earns from television rights, and could be implemented for the 2025-2026 season. There were 16 teams that voted in favor of continuing the process of moving towards a salary cap, while Chelsea abstained from voting, and Manchester United, Manchester City, and Aston Villa voted against the motion.
Free Kicks
- The Pride have risen to third in CBSsports.com’s NWSL power rankings.
- Meanwhile, Orlando City is down to 20th in ESPN.com’s MLS power rankings.
- There are a number of Americans playing in midweek games, so make sure you have everything marked down on your calendar.
- Speaking of Americans, Jesse Marsch has been linked with South Korea’s managerial opening.
- Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny have purchased a minority stake in Necaxa.
That does it for me this morning. Vamos Orlando!
-
Orlando City2 weeks ago
Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Player Grades and Man of the Match
-
Orlando City5 days ago
Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Five Takeaways
-
Orlando City2 weeks ago
Orlando City vs. CF Montreal: Five Takeaways
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks ago
Orlando Pride vs. San Diego Wave FC: Final Score 1-0 as Pride Continue Unbeaten Run
-
Orlando Pride2 weeks ago
Orlando Pride vs. San Diego Wave FC: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More
-
Orlando City5 days ago
Orlando City vs. Toronto FC: Final Score 2-1 as Lions Blow Late Lead at Home
-
Orlando Pride6 days ago
Orlando Pride vs. Washington Spirit: Final Score 3-2 as Pride Win Third Straight
-
Lion Links1 week ago
Lion Links: 4/25/24