How’s it going, Mane Landers? Hopefully this cold weather hasn’t made it too difficult to enjoy the new year. I’ve at least been able to get some use out of a new jacket I was gifted over the holidays. Before we dive into today’s links, let’s all wish a happy birthday to Orlando City defender Kyle Smith!

Goalkeeper Tristan Himes Joins Orlando City B

Orlando City signed goalkeeper Tristan Himes to an MLS NEXT Pro contract for him to play with Orlando City B. Himes came up through Orlando’s academy before playing collegiate soccer for the University of South Carolina and Coastal Carolina University. He was eligible for selection in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft but wasn’t selected. He’ll help fill the void left by Carlos Mercado, whose contract option was declined by the club following the 2024 season. How much time he spends in the net may depend on how much Javier Otero is needed with the first team while Mason Stajduhar recovers from injury.

Trialist Aboubou Haimakoye Linked With Orlando City

You’ll need a translation tool for the details, but 17-year-old attacking midfielder Aboubou Haimakoye will reportedly join Orlando City as a trialist over the next few weeks. Haimakoye is a fast attacker with good ball control according to Africa Foot, so it makes sense why the Lions would be interested in seeing what he can do in the City Beautiful. Should he become a Lion in an official capacity, he would join a growing list of young players from Mali to play for an MLS club.

Emma Hayes Names Roster for 2025 Futures Camp

As part of her efforts to develop the next generation of players for the United States Women’s National Team, Head Coach Emma Hayes named the 24 players who will take part in the 2025 Futures Camp. The training camp will take place alongside the USWNT’s camp in California and includes 14 professional players. A few of the interesting players called up are 17-year-old midfielder Ainsley McCammon, 2024 MAC Hermann Trophy winner Kate Faasse, and Brooklyn FC goalkeeper Neeku Purcell. I’m a bit surprised not to see Orlando Pride midfielder Ally Lemos called up for this camp, as she’s just 20 years old, earned a solid amount of playing time in her rookie season, and represented the United States at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

MLS Transfer News Roundup

While we wait for Orlando City to make some moves this off-season, the rest of the league is wasting no time getting ready for the 2025 season. The Seattle Sounders officially acquired American forward Jesus Ferreira in a trade with FC Dallas, sending $2.3 million in general allocation money, an international roster spot, and winger Leo Chu in exchange. That’s reportedly not the only deal brewing between the two clubs, as Paul Arriola is set to join Seattle as well in a deal that is reportedly done but not yet official.

Atlanta United added some firepower to its attack by signing Japanese forward Cayman Togashi to a contract through 2025. Lassi Lappalainen is now with the Columbus Crew after six years with CF Montreal, reuniting with Wilfried Nancy after signing a contract through 2025. The New England Revolution signed 17-year-old midfielder Allan Oyirwoth. Nashville SC signed midfielder Bryan Acosta and is also reportedly finalizing a deal to sign Andy Najar from Honduran club CD Olimpia.

As for outgoing players, Alan Pulido is no longer with Sporting Kansas City after being transferred to Chivas Guadalajara in Mexico. The move notably opens up a Designated Player spot for Kansas City. A club in Liga MX is also reportedly negotiating with the Houston Dynamo for midfielder Coco Carrasquilla.

Free Kicks

• It looks like we’ll be getting an update today on whether or not Marta will be with the Orlando Pride for the 2025 NWSL season.

• The Dynamo announced Pat Onstad as its president of soccer and Asher Mendelsohn as its technical director, extending the contracts of both for turning the club around after joining in 2022.
• The Portland Thorns have signed forward Pietra Tordin, who had four goals for the U.S. in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup last year. She was also named 2024 Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year after a great season playing for Princeton.
• Midfielder Hannah Bebar has joined the USWNT’s training camp to replace Lynn Williams. The 23-year-old may be uncapped with the senior team, but she has plenty of experience playing at the youth levels for the U.S.
• Didier Deschamps announced that he will step down as France’s head coach following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• West Ham United fired Julen Lopetegui as its manager, with Graham Potter reportedly set to replace him. The club is 14th in the English Premier League standings, with just 23 points from 20 matches.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a wonderful Thursday and rest of your week!

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I returned to work after a nice little break for the holidays and frankly, I’m struggling. I don’t mind being back, it’s just difficult getting back into a routine after being away for so long. Alas, I’ll survive somehow. We have plenty to discuss in today’s American-heavy edition of Lion Links, so let’s get into the news.

MLS Transfer Happenings

There are a lot of MLS moves we need to get caught up on, starting with Austin FC’s signing of Brandon Vazquez as a Designated Player from CF Monterrey. Vazquez joins on a four-year deal after Austin sent $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to the San Diego Earthquakes to jump to the top of the league’s waiver order. We then move to the New England Revolution, which sent midfielder Emmanuel Boateng to San Diego FC in exchange for $200,000 in 2025 GAM. The Revs have also recalled midfielder Noel Buck from his loan with Southampton. The Chicago Fire have signed Danish winger Phillip Zinckernagel from Club Brugge, with his contract running through the end of the 2028 season. Finally, CF Montreal has reportedly traded $650,000 in GAM and an international roster spot to the LA Galaxy in exchange for center back Jalen Neal.

January Camp Roster Announced

The United States Men’s National Team has announced the 24-man roster for its annual January camp. The team will convene today in Ft. Lauderdale with a squad primarily made up of MLS players, as is usually the case. Zack Steffen is easily the most experienced of the four goalkeepers, with Patrick Schulte the only other one to be capped. Tim Ream, Miles Robinson, and Walker Zimmerman make up the veteran core of defenders, while none of the four midfielders have more than one cap to their name. Jesus Ferreira is the most seasoned of the seven forwards, with Brian White the only other one to have earned a cap.

Christian Pulisic Stars in Supercoppa Final

AC Milan erased a 2-0 second half deficit in the Italian Supercoppa final on Monday, roaring back to win the trophy with Christian Pulisic taking on a starring role. The American winger snuck into the box in the 80th minute and executed a great turn and finish to level the game at 2-2 in the 80th minute.

He then helped create Tammy Abraham’s game-winner, playing an outstanding ball to release Rafael Leao down the right wing, who squared it for Abraham to tap home and win new boss Sergio Conceicao his first trophy with the club after just two games.

Americans in Midweek Action

There are several other American players who will take part in games this week, so get them all marked down on your calendar so you don’t miss anything. We start on Wednesday, when Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, and Celtic will play host to Dundee United in Scottish Premier League action. Thursday sees Antonee Robinson and Fulham take on Watford in the third round of the FA Cup, and things wrap up on Friday with Cole Campbell, Giovanni Reyna, and Borussia Dortmund facing off against Bayer Leverkusen in Bundesliga action.

Free Kicks

• The NWSL has announced the competition calendar for the upcoming 2025 season.
• Barbra Banda, Marta, Emily Sams, and Anna Moorhouse have been nominated for the EA Sports FC 25 Team of the Year.
• The oldest living person in the world is now believed to be a soccer-loving nun from Brazil.
• Numerous fan groups have called for Joan Laporta to resign as president of Barcelona, following the team’s failures to register Dani Olmo and Pau Victor for the second half of the season.

That’s all I have for you this time around. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday and rest of your week!

Hello, Mane Landers! I hope all is well with you down in Florida. I’ve been busy working at Under Armour and Wrigley Field this past week, but I got a chance to watch some soccer over the weekend. There is plenty to cover today, so let’s get to the links.

Orlando City Transfer Bid for Alejandro Zendejas Rejected

Liga MX side Club America has reportedly rejected a bid from Orlando City for American winger Alejandro “Alex” Zendejas. Talks have stalled as Club America sorts out manager Andre Jardine’s future with the club, as he has been linked to Brazilian side Botafogo. Zendejas has four goals and five assists in 19 matches so far this season for Club America. Orlando City has an open Designated Player spot after the club sold Facundo Torres to Palmeiras last month. The Lions will reportedly prioritize other targets during the winter transfer window.

Antonee Robinson Named U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year

On Sunday, Fulham and United States Men’s National Team defender Antonee Robinson was voted the 2024 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year. Robinson won 55% of the vote and was also a finalist for the award in 2022. He started 11 matches for the USMNT and had an assist in its 1-0 win against Jamaica in the Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals. Robinson had a solid year at Fulham, recording 10 assists in 37 matches, and won the club’s 2023-2024 Player of the Year award. Robinson beat out AS Monaco forward Folarin Balogun, PSV Eindhoven forward Ricardo Pepi, AC Milan winger Christian Pulisic, and Charlotte FC defender Tim Ream. He’s the first defender to win the award since Oguchi Onyewu won it in 2006.

Keeping Up With the Americans Abroad

We had another busy weekend featuring several Americans in action in Europe. Cristian Pulisic returned to AC Milan for Friday’s Italian Super Cup semifinal matchup against Juventus that also included Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, and Yunus Musah. Pulisic scored the equalizer from the penalty spot to tie the match in the second half, helping AC Milan overcome a 1-0 deficit to defeat Juventus 2-1 and book a spot in the Italian Super Cup final against Inter Milan later today. Gianluca Busio played a full 90 minutes for Venezia as his side fought to secure a 1-1 draw against Empoli in Serie A action. Auston Trusty scored his first goal for Celtic as his side defeated St. Mirren 3-0.

Premier League Weekend Roundup

There are plenty of results in the Premier League to catch you up on from the weekend. Former Lion goalkeeper Brandon Austin made his debut for Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately, his side fell to Newcastle United 2-1. Manchester City defeated West Ham United 4-1 to get back-to-back Premier League victories, Bournemouth defeated Everton 1-0, Aston Villa edged past Leicester City 2-1, and Brentford dominated Southampton with a 5-0 win. Crystal Palace and Chelsea battled to a 1-1 draw, while Brighton and Arsenal also played to a 1-1 draw. On Sunday, Raul Jimenez scored twice as Fulham fought back for a 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town. The Liverpool and Manchester United match also ended in a 2-2 draw. We have one Premier League matchup later today, as Wolverhampton faces Nottingham Forest.

Free Kicks

• The Houston Dash have hired former North Carolina Courage assistant coach Fabrice Gautrat as its next head coach. Fabrice is married to Orlando Pride midfielder Morgan Gautrat.
• The San Diego Wave and former Orlando Pride midfielder Emily van Egmond have reached a mutual agreement to part ways. She spent three seasons with the Wave, scoring two goals and adding two assists in 70 matches across all competitions.
• Charlotte FC is reportedly finalizing a deal to re-sign Pep Biel on a loan deal from Olympiakos.
• Toronto FC is reportedly trying to move forward Lorenzo Insigne before the 2025 MLS season begins.

• PSV Eindhoven has reportedly rejected an offer from Club America for American right back Richy Ledezma.
• Major League Soccer’s official match ball for the upcoming 2025 season features the league’s original colors.

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