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Lion Links: 6/25/21

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4 years ago

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How’s it going, Mane Landers? This Friday is better than most because it’s also a game day as Orlando City takes on Inter Miami at 8 p.m. That’s not the only soccer to look forward to this weekend as the Orlando Pride are in action tomorrow at 8 p.m. against the Houston Dash. The knockout stage of the 2020 Euros also begins tomorrow. It’s an exciting time to be a soccer fan, so let’s get right into today’s links.

The Lions Face Miami Tonight

The first Tropic Thunder match-up of 2021 takes place tonight as the Lions are on the road in Miami. The Lions lost twice in Fort Lauderdale last year, but also won twice against their Floridian rivals to split the series. The game is Orlando’s third in just seven days, while Miami has had nearly a full week of rest. That being said, momentum is on Orlando’s side after a 3-2 win against Toronto FC last Saturday and a 5-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Miami is riding a three-game losing streak and will also be without defensive midfielder Gregore and center back Ryan Shawcross after they received red cards in a 1-0 loss to D.C. United.

Nani Named to MLS Team of the Week, Dike Makes Bench

After scoring from the spot and making two great assists in Orlando’s win over San Jose, Nani was named to the MLS Team of the Week. Nani joined the New England Revolution’s Carles Gil and LAFC’s Carlos Vela as star players who shined in midweek games. He was nominated for Player of the Week as well, but that honor went to Gil. It’s Nani’s first time as a starter on the Team of the Week in 2021 after making the bench three times earlier this season.

Daryl Dike made the Team of the Week bench this week after getting on the end of both of Nani’s assists for a brace in his first start of 2021. Benji Michel was snubbed despite also scoring twice and drawing the penalty that Nani scored. If Michel has more performances like the one he had Tuesday then it will become impossible for the league to ignore him.

Orlando Pride Win Social Media Award

At Sports Business Journal’s 2021 Sports Business Awards, the Pride won the award for Best in Sports Social Media. After withdrawing from the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, the Orlando Pride created a “Pride Stan” persona across their social media accounts to promote the National Women’s Soccer League at a critical time when the NWSL was the first North American team sport to resume competition during the pandemic. Using memes, gifs, and plenty of polls on who to cheer for, the account kept fans engaged with every single match in the Challenge Cup. During the 17 days of the tournament, the Pride accounts totaled over 1.5 million engagements from Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

The NWSL won the award for Sports Breakthrough of the Year as well for increasing viewership, paying its players their salaries and benefits, and partnering with high-profile sponsors such as Google and Verizon.

Young Lions Will Compete in MLS Next Cup Playoffs

The MLS NEXT Cup playoffs kick off today and Orlando City’s U-15 and U-17 sides will be in action. In the U-15 bracket, Orlando will take on Real Salt Lake today at 10 a.m. with a potential match-up with Inter Miami in the quarterfinals. As for the U-17 playoffs, Orlando will play New England tomorrow at 10 a.m. in what should be a good match. Later games in both brackets will be streamed, but each game across all levels will still be filmed and will include a post-game report. Thomas Williams, who recently signed a Homegrown Player contract with Orlando’s first team, was noted as a player to watch in the tournament as he anchors the U-17 team’s defense.

UEFA Changes Tiebreaker Rule

A major change will be implemented in European soccer tournaments this upcoming season as UEFA decided that away goals will no longer break ties in knockout stages. Instead, only extra time and penalties will be used to break deadlocks. Citing changes in the significance of home-field advantage, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin stated the rule dissuaded home teams from attacking since the away team would gain more from scoring. It will be interesting to see the impact this has on matches and if it could possibly be implemented in Concacaf tournaments in the future. What do you think? We’re fairly used to single-elimination formats here in the U.S., but would you like to see this in more tournaments?

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  • Orlando City showed support to all those affected by the deadly collapse of a condo building in Miami.

  • Marta’s stunner from long range in the Pride’s 3-1 win over Kansas City was also appreciated by the folks over at ESPN.

  • New York Red Bulls midfielder Caden Clark signed a three-year deal with RB Leipzig in Germany. The 18-year-old will remain with the Red Bulls through the rest of the 2021 season.
  • Tobin Heath and Christen Press are leaving England after solid seasons with Manchester United in the Women’s Super League. Both players made the United States Women’s National Team’s Olympic roster and their NWSL rights are owned by Racing Louisville FC. The Pride play Louisville three times this year, including home matches on July 9 and Sept. 11 that may be worth circling on your calendar if you haven’t already.
  • The United States Soccer Federation took to Twitter to respond to the “LFG” documentary about the USWNT’s fight for equal pay, saying that there was an inaccurate account of the facts.

That’s going to be it for me today. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend filled with soccer. Go Lions and Pride!

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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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9 hours ago

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April 18, 2025

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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: 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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1 day ago

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April 17, 2025

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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 4/16/25

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

Published

2 days ago

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April 16, 2025

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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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